Accomplishments

The Principals of The Vaquer Firm, LLC have been responsible for:

• organizing and managing three successful industry coalitions;
• securing $5 million in private and state funding for water planning projects;
• raising over $200,000 for a DOT anti-litter project in Savannah;
• achieving passage of significant legislation including:
• reauthorization of Scrap Tire Trust Fund;
• legislation to provide Augusta-Richmond County with cost-effective and efficient recovery of expenses related to demolition of derelict properties;
• successful federal legislative effort to ensure full environmental mitigation for Savannah Harbor deepening project, avoiding significant future expense;
• sales tax exemption for industry representing $1 million per year in savings;
• innovative groundwater tax credit legislation to defray cost of future surface water purchases;
• passage of groundwater study committee legislation resulting in seven year moratorium on further permit decreases;
• passage of landmark legislation in close cooperation with the Sierra Club to require water management plans for increases in permit capacity or new permits;
• passage of contractor licensing legislation in Georgia
  securing assistance from the GA DOT to help improve safety and traffic flow at a main intersection;
• Accomplishing $2 Million per year in tax savings for a manufacturing facility; and
• planning and implementation of 200th and the 225th Anniversary of both the British Capture of Savannah and the Siege of Savannah, major Revolutionary War battles, receiving national media coverage by both print press and CNN
• Annexation of over 36,000 acres into three separate growing municipalities to achieve smart growth
• Assemblage of 15 parcels of land for 10 owners to position for development;
• Achieving 10% membership increase in association growing membership from 700 to 800 members.
• GA Smoke-Free Air Act - Worked collaboratively with other statewide agencies to establish a statewide, rather than multi-jurisdictional policy.
• Immigration - worked to represent restaurant's interests to ensure that employers would not be used as an immigration enforcement mechanism and to eliminate proposed financial fines and penalties for employing immigrants; opposed a measure that would have required verification of each and every employee by the Department of Labor.
• Merlot to Go Act - Assisted legislators in passing legislation to allow patrons to take partially consumed bottle of wine home from a facility; strongly supported by MADD.
• Revised Food Code - worked with Department of Human Resources Board and staff to revisit the newly adopted Georgia Food Code to correct several areas of concern
• UnSpam - worked with a Georgia Chamber led coalition to defeat legislation that would put restaurants at risk if an e-mail advertising a wine tasting were sent to a minor in error
• Increase in Liquor Licenses - worked with bill sponsor to pull proposed legislation that would have increased the maximum liquor by the drink license up to $25,000
• Achieved passage of legislation to allow for expedited permitting for certain environmental permits
• Achieved passage of legislation to modify the "stay rule" to provide more certainty in environmental permit issuance
• Responsible for passage of legislation to allow for the sale of tax executions by Georgia's Tax Commissioners
• Achieved passage of legislation to provide a pay increase for Tax Commissioners and others
• Assisted Governor's Office in achieving passage of legislation to revamp the Department of Driver Services to streamline the process of issuing drivers licenses
• Defeated numerous initiatives that would have proved harmful to our clients