The toughest part for a new majority is figuring out what you can and not realistically do. Having accomplished the seemingly impossible, there is a brief moment at the start when euphoria clouds the judgment and anything seems possible. But, as the flood of requests, meetings, and events overwhelm, the real life parameters of time and capacity start to take hold and shape the universe of realistic possibilities. These are the parameters that now confront Governor-elect Sonny Perdue and Georgia Senate Pro tempore Eric Johnson as they prepare for the 2003 Georgia General Assembly. Some of the matters on the plate are fixtures; others will require a level of self-discipline that can be painful.

The Budget: Georgia will have a budget. Governor-elect Perdue will offer a budget. The Legislature will debate the budget. But with projected budget shortfalls, increased costs, and less than optimal revenue projections, the budgetary process will not be a pretty picture. And, with the Government divided, and with former government officials eager to say how they would have done it better, it will be a picture for everyone to see.

Redistricting: If the budget (and money) were not controversial enough, the Governor-elect and his majority have promised to bring some sanity to the heavily gerrymandered district lines drawn in the back rooms of the Capitol in 2002. For members in the Georgia Senate and House, the politics of redistricting is personal. Some of the lines are so ridiculous that few will disagree on correcting them. As to others, however, it could get tricky.

Education Reform: Educators have every reason to expect some relief from the Barnes education reform package. The key will be keeping the good and eliminating the bad. The problem is no one exactly agrees on what is the good and what is bad. One likely solution will be a tiered approach to reform rollback with some of the more superficial and cosmetic aspects of the Barnes package repealed in 2003.

The Flag: Everyone wants to talk about the flag and no one wants to talk about the flag. Building a consensus on both redistricting and the flag in the same legislative session could be impossible. Add the budget to the mix, and efforts at all three border on acts of futility. There may be a way out for the new Governor given the existing limitations on controlling referenda.

The first step may be to seek a constitutional amendment permitting referenda while posting the flag issue until the preferred procedure of public referendum has been adopted and approved. Such a plan defers the issue past the 2004 Presidential election when such an amendment would have to be approved. The question will be whether flag supporters will wait that long.

Each of the big four was a challenge for a Governor whose party controlled both the Georgia House and Senate. Tackling all four with a post-election created majority in the Senate and an opposition party in control in the House will be tough. Yet there are other issues which will make their way to the legislative agenda, such as litigation reform, predatory lending amendments, and health care rules. And all of it has to be done in forty legislative days.