Ga. lawmakers start session with Wild Hog Supper

The Atlanta Falcons were the talk of the town Sunday night, and the annual Wild Hog Supper was no exception.  State legislators attended the traditional event ahead of the start of Monday's legislative session.  

While everyone wanted to talk about the team's success on the field, no one wanted to talk about the big debate over whether or not tax money should be used to help build a new stadium for the Falcons.  In fact, most of the men and women who work at the Gold Dome will tell you that replacing the Georgia Dome is not a top priority for this session.

But, as lawmakers take their seats to begin balancing the state's budget, you can bet that at some point over the next 40 days, they'll tackle the Dome debate.


"The reality is there's a very low level of political support around the state for the facility," said Speaker of the House David Ralston (R).  

That's where the legislature breaks the huddle on the issue.  Out of the gate, there's skepticism from both Republicans and Democrats over voting to use $300 million in hotel, motel tax revenue for the new football stadium.

House Democrats, largely from Atlanta, want to make sure jobs are created for their communities and that the building of a new stadium won't negatively affect the people who live around the proposed site. Republican leaders in the GOP-dominated Capitol say too little is known about the new stadium plan to promise such a large amount of money.