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HOTLINE 101 Pilgrim Village Drive, Suite 200 Cumming, Georgia • 30040 • 678-947-3473 • www.PlumbingPros.com JANUARY - FEBRUARY ISSUE GEORGIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY HB 57 LICENSING BILL STILL IN COMMITTEE A bill to allow unlicensed individuals to "install, repair or alter" residential water treatment equipment and the plumbing or plumbing equipment incidental to the installation remains in the House Regulated Industries Committee. Rep. Doug Holt, the sponsor of HB 57, has indicated a willingness to further discuss the bill with PMA. PMA has expressed its concerns about HB 57 to Regulated Industries Chairman Roger Williams of Dalton as well as to Rep. Holt. In addition to Chairman Williams, other members of the House Regulated Industries Committee are: Tim Bearden of Villa Rica, Kevin Cooke of Carrollton, Sharon Cooper of Marietta, Carl Von Epps of LGrange, Virgil Fludd of Tyrone, Michael Harden of Toccoa, Brett Harrell of Snellville, Lynmore James of Montezuma, Billy Maddox of Zebulon, Chuck Martin of Alpharetta, Billy Mitchell of Stone Mountain, Alan Powell of Hartwell, Matt Ramsey of Peachtree City, Tom Taylor Glad and Sid Mealor pictured in front of Lawrenceville showroom. of DeKalb County. UNEMPLOYMENT TAX HIKE LOOMS INDUSTRY MOURNS LOSS OF ICON Unemployment taxes are certain to increase for Georgia employers, as the Employment Security Trust Fund is Gladston V. Mealor, Founder of Plumbing now more than $600 million in debt to the federal gov- Distributors Inc. (PDI,) passed away December 19, ernment. The Georgia Department of Labor is looking for 2010 at his home in Lawrenceville with his family the least painful repayment plan that will satisfy the fed- by his side. For everyone who knew Glad, he was an icon in both his hometown and the plumbing eral government. With Georgia's unemployment still industry. close to 10%, this issue will likely linger well past this year. Expect the Georgia Department of Labor to intro- Glad started PDI, 37 years ago but began his career duce the necessary legislation in the next few days. in 1960 with Mealor Supply. To say that Glad made everyone of his employees feel like apart of his HEARINGS UNDERWAY ON TAX REFORM family was an understatement. He truly cared for Tax reform proposals from the Special Council on Tax everyone that worked for him or that he did busi- Reform and Fairness have been the subject of two public ness with. Glad will be missed in our businesses, hearings before a joint House and Senate committee. our community, our industry and our lives. This week's hearings covered sales tax exemptions, and potential new taxes such as reinstating the sales tax on He is survived by his Children: Amelia Hughes, Sidney Mealor, Lyn & Johnny Wright, his 10 grand- groceries and an increased tax on cigarettes. children and 3 great grandchildren. Continued on page 4 Hotline, January - February 2011 1 © 2011, Plumbing & Mechanical Association of Georgia PMA President Report 2011 - 2011 PMA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS Chris Starr On behalf of the members, directors, and officers of When someone asks me why I the Plumbing & Mechanical Association, we would belong to PHCC, I tell them I like to publicly welcome our newest Members: belong because I do not know everything there is to know Champion Plumbing & Drain about the plumbing industry Cleaning, LLC and building a business. David Smail 3223 Bomar Road I belong because I want to keep Douglasville, GA 30135 up with the fast-moving devel- Phone: 770-480-5077 opments in our industry. Fax: 770-577-0762 [email protected] I belong because I want to attend meetings where I can www.trustchampion.com earn CE credits, learn and exchange ideas with others. Goodbye Water I tell them I belong because I want to learn how to bet- Debra Neil Blount ter market my business and the products and services I 2021 West Liddell Road Suite C sell. Duluth, GA 30096 Phone: 678-736-6820 I belong because the public regards a member as an [email protected] established, professional and progressive company. www.goodbyewater.com I belong because the Association is on the firing line Ridgid Tool every day on a twenty-four hour basis, defending the James Vild interest of the plumbing, heating and cooling industry. 303 Bentley Creek Ct. Canton, GA 30115 I believe, as Theodore Roosevelt said, “Every man owes Phone: 404-435-3889 a part of his time and money to the business or industry [email protected] in which he is engaged. No man has a moral right to www.ridgid.com withhold his support from an organization that is striving to improve conditions.” Team Ford/Team Chevrolet Chuck Sarkisian If you haven’t paid your dues yet or are considering 869 Cobb Parkway SE membership with PHCC. remember, without PHCC, you Marietta, GA 32344 stand alone. Phone: 678-581-4742 Fax: 678-581-4774 Chris Starr [email protected] www.teamdirect.com If you know a company interested in joining PMA or IN SYMPATHY for more information on membership benefits please contact PMA at 678-947-3473. Please keep in your thoughts and prayers the families of the follow- ing members. Karen Bruce Raburn, 57, of McDonough, passed away Jan. 29, 2011. Karen is survived by her parents, Grady and Beverly Bruce, Sr., of Stockbridge; daughters, Kelli Guild (Brian), Jackson, Janie Smith, of Yulee, Fla., Maggie Cofer (David), of Jefferson; sons, Butch Raburn (Alicia), of Denton, Md., Eddie Raburn, of Ventura, Calif.; brother, Owen Bruce (Melba), of McDonough; grandchildren, Kaitlyn, Jakob, Karter, Kelleigh, Emaleigh, Jackson and Austin; several nieces and nephews. Karen was the widow of PHCC Vice President George Raburn. Jerry Cicero, 74, of Atlanta passed away January 5, 2011. Jerry was born June 18, 1936, and lived the first 50 years of his life in Chicago. He graduated from St Ignatius College Prep in 1953 and from John Carroll University in 1957. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the army in 1958 and, after leaving the service, spent his entire career in the finance and brokerage business. Jerry was an avid golfer, a consummate Italian cook, a passionate movie critic, and a rabid Chicago Cubs and Bears fan…he never lost hope! Jerry worked for PMA Industry Member Lions Financial. Hotline, January - February 2011 3 © 2011, Plumbing & Mechanical Association of Georgia GEORGIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY REPORT PMA LEGISLATIVE DAY AT CAPITOL Continued from page one. While proposals call for sales tax exemptions on business inputs, they also call for application of the statewide sales tax to certain services. Plumbing services are not mentioned in the Council's recommendations, but the report does propose application of the sales tax to serv- ices tied to a house or other specific sites, and services provided by vendors who already have a sales tax certifi- cate The joint House/Senate committee will determine whether to approve the proposals for an up or down vote in the two chambers. The joint committee may also choose to make changes to the proposals before approv- ing them for further action. The PMA Board of Directors convened at the State Members of the joint committee are: Senator Bill Heath, Capital on February 1st. The session began with co-chair - Chairman of Senate Finance Committee, Rep. special legislative reports by lobbyist John Poole Mickey Channell, co-chair - Chairman of House Ways & and Sharon Dunn. The areas addressed included Means, Senator Tommie Williams - President Pro Tax Reform, Workers Comp and Immigration. Tempore of the Senate, Rep. Jan Jones - Speaker Pro Upon conclusion of the business meeting, a group Tempore of the House, Senator Chip Rogers - Majority of Directors and members went to meet with their Leader of the Senate, Rep. Larry O'Neal - Majority Leader legislative representatives to make sure the voices of the House, Senator Robert Brown - Minority Leader of of the plumbing industry were heard. Pictured the Senate, Rep. Stacey Abrams - Minority Leader of the above, front row from l to r, Chris Starr, Mike Adams, House, Senator Bill Cowsert, appointed by Lt. Governor Chip Greene, Earl Lively, Ted Zurn, James Clarke, Casey Cagle, Senator Steve Thompson, appointed by Lt. and Mitzi Smith. Back row from l to r, Jonathan Byrd Governor Casey Cagle, Rep. Allen Peake, appointed by and Bobby Burns. House Speaker David Ralston, Rep. Bob Bryant, appoint- ed by House Speaker David Ralston. WORKERS COMP BILL WOULD OPEN EMPLOYERS TO LAWSUITS Legislation introduced in the Senate would create new tort liabilities for employers by eroding the "exclusive remedy" protection of workers' compensation. SB 7 by Senator Bill Heath of Bremen would deny income and medical benefits under workers' compensation to illegal aliens. Since these workers would no longer be in the "no quent violations leading to fines or revocation of busi- fault" workers' compensation system, they would be eli- ness licenses. gible to seek redress through the courts. Senator Murphy's bill would also enact enforcement SB 7 was introduced to help make Georgia "unattractive" measures similar to those in the Arizona law, which to illegal aliens. If not changed, the bill could have a very allows law officers to ask for proof of immigration status negative impact on economic development in Georgia. if the person is stopped for an unrelated probable cause. The sponsor is searching for ways to avoid any impact on Similar legislation, HB 87, has been introduced in the the exclusive remedy nature of workers' compensation. House by Rep. Matt Ramsey of Peachtree City. IMMIGRATION BILL WOULD AFFECT SUBCONTRACTORS PMA members may want to contact members of the In addition to SB 7, several other bills related to immigra- committee to express their views on this legislation. tion will be introduced during this legislative session.