Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for March 30, 2015

On March 31, 1776, future First Lady Abigail Adams wrote her husband, John Adams, suggesting that a greater role for women be considered in the fight for Independence and establishment of the United States.

“I long to hear that you have declared an independency. And, by the way, in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.”

On March 31, 1889, Gustave Eiffel led a group of government officials and press to the top of the Eiffel Tower by foot. It would open to the public nine days later.

On March 31, 1976, the Georgia General Assembly adopted a joint resolution proposing a new Constitution of Georgia, which would be placed on the ballot for voter referendum on November 2, 1976.

Under the Gold Dome Today

Senate Rules Calendar

HR 215 – Judge Ronald L. Newton Memorial Highway; Fannin County; dedicate (TRANS-51st) Ralston-7th

HB 429 – Insurance; no health benefit plan shall restrict coverage for prescribed treatment based upon insured’s diagnosis with a terminal condition; provide (Substitute) (I&L-54th) Stephens-164th

HB 192 – Local government; counties, municipal corporations, school districts, and consolidated governments be reimbursed for expenses only through submission of expense reimbursement requests; provisions (Substitute) (SLGO(G)-53rd) Powell-32nd

HB 279 – Public officers and employees; annual salaries of Supreme Court Justices, Court of Appeals, superior court judges and district attorneys; repeal provisions (Substitute) (APPROP-54th) Powell-171st

HB 322 – Foreclosure; provide for recording of deeds under power within a certain time after sale; provisions (Substitute) (Sen fl amend 1 AM 34 0718-EC)(JUDY-54th) Strickland-111th

HB 118 – Drivers’ licenses; issuance of commercial licenses and instruction permits to comply with federal law; amend certain provisions (PUB SAF-7th) Tanner-9th

HB 147 – Motor vehicles; initial two-year registration period for certain vehicles; provide (PUB SAF-53rd) Powell-32nd

HB 70 – State symbols; designate gray fox as official state mammal (Substitute) (GvtO-15th) Hugley-136th

HB 162 – Insurance; provide for insurance compliance self-evaluative privilege; provisions (Substitute) (I&L-9th) Shaw-176th

HB 428 – Sales and use tax; materials to be used in certain construction projects of zoological institutions; extend exemption (Substitute) (FIN-53rd) Stephens-164th

HB 185 – Insurance; Standard Valuation Law; extensively revise (Substitute) (I&L-25th) Shaw-176th

HB 566 – State house districts; boundaries of certain districts; revise (R&R-46th) Nix-69th

HB 85 – Alcoholic beverages; sale or furnishing to patients or inmates of Central State Hospital and sale or possession near or upon the grounds; change certain provisions (RI&U-25th) Harrell-106th

HB 552 – Insurance; provide changes to the captive insurance company provisions; add definitions (Substitute) (I&L-9th) Williamson-115th

HB 461 – Secondary metals recyclers; buying and selling regulated metal property; change certain provisions (Substitute) (RI&U-45th) Shaw-176th

HB 72 – Crimes and offenses; protection of disabled adults and elder persons; expand and clarify (Substitute) (H&HS-45th) Willard-51st

HB 308 – Income tax; revise tax credit for rehabilitation of historic structures; provisions (Substitute) (FIN-32nd) Stephens-164th

HB 412 – Workers’ compensation; change certain provisions (I&L-9th) Hamilton-24th

HB 98 – Appellate courts; provide direct appeals and appeals requiring an application for appeals pertaining to
courts-martial; provisions (JUDY-6th) Coomer-14th

HB 94 – Ad valorem tax; certain members of armed forces from penalties for failure to timely pay tax; exempt (FIN-50th) Williams-119th

HB 123 – Motor vehicles; use of safety chain or cable when operating a motor vehicle drawing a trailer; provide (PUB SAF-17th) Yates-73rd

HB 99 – Property; joint tenants divorce or have marriage annulled under certain circumstances; provide tenancy in common (JUDY-19th) Lumsden-12th

HB 190 – Insurance; provide requirements for transportation network companies and their drivers; provisions (Substitute) (I&L-54th) Golick-40th

HB 233 – Georgia Uniform Civil Forfeiture Procedure Act; enact (JUDYNC-23rd) Atwood-179th

HB 234 – Tax collection; days in which the Federal Reserve Bank is closed in the list of days that excuse late filing or payment; include (FIN-17th) Rutledge-109th

HB 502 – Elementary and secondary education; update and clarify provisions and repeal obsolete provisions (Substitute) (ED&Y-52nd) Dudgeon-25th

HB 470 – The Pharmacy Audit Bill of Rights; change certain provisions (Substitute) (I&L-6th) Knight-130th

HB 475 – Game and fish; hunting of feral hogs; revise provisions (Substitute) (NR&E-19th) McCall-33rd

HB 464 – Income tax; water conservation facilities and a shift from ground-water usage; sunset tax credit (FIN-51st) Williamson-115th

HB 3 – Education; programs; person solicit transaction with student-athlete; provide sanctions (H ED-46th) Fleming-121st

HB 209 – Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Act; prior school year attendance requirement to prior semester; revise (Substitute) (ED&Y-32nd) Cantrell-22nd

HR 36 – Staff Sergeant Shaun J. Whitehead Memorial Bridge; Jackson County; dedicate (Substitute) (TRANS-19th) Benton-31st

HB 110 – Fireworks; provide for sale of consumer fireworks; provisions (Substitute) (PUB SAF-53rd) Roberts-155th

HB 339 – Income tax credit; film, video or digital production; extend (Substitute) (FIN-54th) Burns-159th

HB 117 – Employment security; modify definition of the term most recent employer; change certain provisions (Substitute) (I&L-29th) Hamilton-24th

HB 63 – Georgia Employer GED Tax Credit Act of 2015; enact (Substitute) (FIN-51st) Tanner-9th

HB 48 – Special license plates; include surviving spouse of a sibling of service member killed in action; extend eligibility (PUB SAF-30th) Coleman-97th

HB 511 – Pharmacists and pharmacies; technicians to fill remote automated medication systems in skilled nursing facilities and hospices; authorize (Substitute) (H&HS-45th) Stephens-164th

HB 510 – Georgia Sports Commission Fund; create; provisions (Substitute) (ED&T-33rd) Stephens-164th

HB 385 – Health records; determining annual cost adjustment for providing medical records from Office of Planning and Budget to Department of Community Health; move responsibility (GvtO-49th) Nimmer-178th

HB 386 – Georgia Coordinating Committee for Rural and Human Services Transportation; Chapter 12 of Title 32; repeal (GvtO-49th) Nimmer-178th

HB 372 – Utopian Academy for the Arts Act; enact (Substitute) (ED&Y-49th) Coomer-14th

HB 512 – Mental health; governing and regulation; change certain terminology and provisions (H&HS-54th) Jasperse-11th

HB 312 – Tobacco products; manufacturers and importers; remove certain bonding requirements (FIN-7th) Tankersley-160th

HB 319 – Taxes; provide for legislative findings concerning gasoline and aviation fuel; provisions (FIN-49th) Nimmer-178th

HB 197 – Debtor-Creditor Uniform Law Modernization Act of 2015; enact (Substitute) (JUDY-46th) Jacobs-80th

HB 17 – Hidden Predator Act; enact (Substitute) (JUDY-45th) Spencer-180th

HB 71 – Pardons and paroles; provide input and transparency relative to granting a parole or commutation of a death sentence to a life sentence; provisions (Substitute) (JUDYNC-51st) Tanner-9th

HB 84 – Insurance; denial of an aircraft claim unless the insured’s action or failure to act had a direct causal connection to loss upon which claim is based; prohibit (I&L-54th) Cheokas-138th

HB 361 – Juvenile Code; enact reforms as recommended by Georgia Council on Criminal Justice reforms; provisions (JUDYNC-18th) Welch-110th

HB 436 – Georgia HIV/Syphilis Pregnancy Screening Act of 2015; enact (Substitute) (H&HS-45th) Clark-101st

HB 408 – Excise tax; rooms, lodging and accommodations; clarify application of certain provisions to certain municipalities (FIN-56th) Willard-51st

HB 268 – Child abuse; mandatory reporters; change provisions (Substitute) (JUDYNC-50th) Ballinger-23rd

HB 568 – Paternity; testing in certain cases; revise provisions (Substitute) (JUDY-11th) Dempsey-13th

HB 20 – State income tax; certain allocations to owners of certain entities shall be governed by Georgia law; clarify (FIN-32nd) Carson-46th

HB 95 – Local government investment pool; trust fund managed by state treasurer; provide (SLGO(G)-56th) Tanner-9th

HB 104 – State Properties Code; applicability of public bidding processes for certain conveyances; clarify (SI&P-17th) Dunahoo-30th

HB 114 – Drivers’ licenses; provide for use of paper eye charts for testing of noncommercial driver’s vision; provisions (Substitute) (PUB SAF-7th) Tanner-9th

HB 152 – Alcoholic beverages; holders of certain alcohol licenses and those who issue such licenses; impose certain requirements (Substitute) (RI&U-46th) Duncan-26th

HB 567 – Alimony and child support; jurisdiction of courts that hear contempt proceedings; expand (JUDY-54th) Dempsey-13th

HB 524 – Trade names; require registration with clerk of superior court; provisions (Substitute) (JUDY-19th) Fleming-121st

HB 474 – Charter schools; enrollment priorities for educationally disadvantaged students and military students; provide (Substitute) (ED&Y-42nd) Kaiser-59th

HB 180 – War Veterans’ Home; residency requirements to qualify for admission; revise (VM&HS-25th) Kidd-145th

HB 206 – Uniform rules of the road; procedure for passing sanitation vehicles; provide (Substitute) (PUB SAF-56th) Harrell-106th

HB 210 – Drivers’ licenses; provide for dissemination of certain information by the Department of Driver Services; provisions (As Passed House) (PUB SAF-1st) Rogers-10th

HB 217 – Investments; public retirement systems to invest in mutual funds, commingled funds, collective investment funds, common trusts, and group trusts; authorize (RET-8th) Maxwell-17th

HB 221 – Ad valorem tax; property; change certain definitions (Substitute) (FIN-14th) Powell-171st

HB 426 – Sales and use tax; provide new exemption only for limited period of time regarding tangible personal property to certain nonprofit health centers; provisions (Substitute) (FIN-6th) Taylor-173rd

HB 416 – Consumer Information and Awareness Act; enact (H&HS-40th) Rogers-29th

HB 401 – Early care and learning; revise terminology relating to restrictions on persons with criminal records with regard to child, family or group-care facilities; provisions (ED&Y-50th) Efstration-104th

HB 375 – Motor vehicles; driving with suspended, canceled, or revoked registration; change provisions relating to plea of nolo contendre (PUB SAF-7th) Powell-171st

HB 374 – Ad valorem tax; certain farm equipment held for sale in dealer inventory; exempt (Substitute) (FIN-7th) Nix-69th

HB 352 – Criminal procedure; change provisions relating to discovery in misdemeanor cases; provisions (JUDYNC-54th) Strickland-111th

HB 266 – Retirement and pensions; investment authority of local retirement systems; correct certain provisions (Substitute) (RET-8th) Battles-15th

HB 275 – Income tax; claimant agency; revise definition (FIN-6th) Strickland-111th

HB 288 – Behavioral Health Coordinating Council; two additional members to serve on council; provide (H&HS-45th) Dempsey-13th

HB 316 – Professional corporations; practice of medicine and surgery and optometry shall be considered the practice of only one profession; provide (H&HS-14th) Reeves-34th

HB 341 – Buildings and housing; certain qualified inspectors may be certified by Building Officials’ Association of Georgia; provide (Substitute) (RI&U-17th) Maxwell-17th

HB 409 – Insurance; reimbursement for treatment of burns for skin substitutes utilizing cadaver derived skin tissue or nonhuman xenographic derived skin tissue; provide (I&L-11th) Taylor-173rd

HB 261 – Alcoholic beverages; sale during certain times on Sunday in commercial service airports owned or operated by a municipal governing authority; provide (RI&U-15th) Harrell-106th

HB 89 – Drug-free commercial zones; date of incorporation of local ordinances by reference; change (JUDYNC-35th) Bruce-61st

HB 232 – State Board of Hearing Aid Dealers and Dispensers; change certain provisions (RI&U-11th) Carter-175th

HB 245 – Condominiums; amount permissible as a special assessment fee; change (JUDY-9th) Dollar-45th

HB 213 – Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Act of 1965; permanent suspension of restrictions on use of sales and use tax proceeds upon submission of an independent management audit to certain officials; provide (Substitute) (TRANS-21st) Jacobs-80th

House Rules Calendar

Modified Open Rule

HR 71 – House Study Committee on the HOPE Scholarship Program Award Amount for Critical Fields of Study; create (Substitute) (HEd-Gordon-163rd)

HR 618 – House Study Committee on Adult Day Services; create (Substitute) (HumR-Clark-101st)

HR 767 – House Study Committee on Provision of Community Based Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) services, including the NOW/COMP Medicaid Waiver Services; create (Substitute)(H&HS-Hightower-68th)

SB 95 – Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons; provide for acceptance of funds in a separate, federally insured account at financial institution by such persons (B&B-Hamilton-24th) Williams-27th

Modified Structured Rule

SB 8 – Crimes and Offenses: children who have been sexually exploited; make provisions; create Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Fund Commission (Substitute)(JuvJ-Weldon-3rd) Unterman-45th

SB 65 – Property; change provisions relating to an exemption (Substitute) (Judy-Jacobs-80th) Stone-23rd

SB 89 – “Digital Classroom Act”; require instructional materials and content to be in digital or electronic format after a certain date (Substitute) (Ed-Brockway-102nd) Albers-56th

SB 104 – State Depository Board; delete references to building and loan associations (GAff-Dickey-140th) Dugan-30th

SB 108 – Insurance; provide the requirements for maintaining a risk management framework (Ins-Efstration-104th) Martin-9th

SB 109 – Health; clarify the use and effectiveness of Physician Orders for Life- Sustaining Treatment forms (Substitute)(H&HS-Cooper-43rd) Orrock-36th

SB 125 – State Road and Tollway Authority; authorize the collection of tolls for the management of traffic flow (Substitute)(Trans-Clark-101st) Beach-21st

SB 132 – “Quality Basic Education Act”; program for high school students to attend postsecondary institutions; provisions; ‘Move on When Ready Act’ (Substitute)(Ed-Nimmer-178th) Dugan-30th

SB 154 – Public Order and Safety, Offenses Against; provide for law enforcement officials to record in private places/during execution of a search warrant (Substitute)(JudyNC-Pak-108th) Stone-23rd

SB 160 – Alcoholic Beverages; revise penalties for a violation of Code Section 3-3-23 (Substitute)(JudyNC-Strickland-111th) Williams-27th (AM 39 0129)

SR 7 – Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Fund; provide that General Assembly by law may impose additional penalties or fees for the offenses- CA (Substitute)(JuvJ-Weldon-3rd) Unterman-45th

Structured Rule

SB 111 – Continuing Care Providers and Facilities; define certain terms; provide for a provider to offer continuing care at home (Substitute)(Ins-Jacobs-80th) Stone-23rd

SB 122 – Revenue and Taxation; special purpose local option sales tax; provide for additional purpose for the use of the proceeds of tax (Substitute) (W&M-Rutledge-109th) Mullis-53rd

Action Item: Fight Minor Sex Trafficking

Senate Bill 8 and Senate Resolution 7 will be heard on the House Floor for a vote today – Tuesday, March 31. This is the last chance before the Legislative session ends to pass important legislation protecting child sex trafficking victims.

NOW is the time to make an impact – you can help pass legislation to protect the victims of child sex trafficking in Georgia!

Here is what we need you to do:

1.   Please contact your Representative and ask him or her to support Senate Bill 8 (Sen. Unterman, 45th) and Senate Resolution 7, “Safe Harbor/Rachel’s Law,” when it comes up for a vote in the House today .

2.   Attend the advocacy session at the Capitol today showing support for Senate Bill 8 and Senate Reolution 7! Advocates are meeting on the third floor, north steps at 10:30 AM to prepare for the House Floor presntation and vote on legislation.

3.   Forward this to your friends!

Contact your Representative:

1.   Look up your State Representative here and enter your address.

2.   Find his or her contact information here.

3.   Make a phone call or send an email to Representatives!

Here is a sample email message:

Dear Representative ______________:

I am a Georgia voter and your constituent, and I am extremely concerned about the issue of child sex trafficking in our state.

Please vote for SB 8 (Safe Harbor/Rachel’s Law) and SR 7 in the House.

This legislation is critically important to protect and provide needed services to the hundreds of child victims of this heinous crime in Georgia.

Thank you for your leadership on this important legislation and for protecting Georgia’s children!

[YOUR NAME/ADDRESS]

About Senate Bill 8 and Senate Resolution 7

Senate Bill 8 (Sen. Unterman, 45th) and Senate Resolution 7, “Safe Harbor/Rachel’s Law,” passed out of the House Juvenile Justice Committee this week. After many hours of thoughtful deliberations, the committee chair and members strengthened the legislation and provided a ‘do pass’ recommendation to the House.

The legislation protects child victims of sex trafficking by:

• diverting them into rehabilitative services, like the victims of other crimes against children, instead of treating the children themselves as the criminals
• establishing a dedicated fund to support needed treatment and services, through sources that are linked to the high rates of child sex trafficking in our state
• requiring the development of a state plan for the coordinated delivery of these services.

Action Item – Autism coverage

Today, Autism Speaks will be meeting outside the Senate chambers on the 4th floor at 9:30am. Session begins at 10:00am. Wear your red and blue in support of our Advocacy efforts and autism.

State Budget

Some dude at the Atlanta Journal-Kardashian Constitution writes about some Easter eggs that were miracled into the State Budget for FY2016.

House and Senate leaders late Monday agreed to a state budget of about $21.8 billion for the upcoming fiscal year that would borrow $1.1 billion for construction projects and includes a few last-minute, unvetted surprises, per usual.

Included is money for a training center near Savannah at a site that could be used to attract an auto plant. Volvo is scouting sites to build a U.S. auto plant, and Gov. Nathan Deal has been courting the company to build in Georgia.

Another last-minute addition, which wasn’t mentioned by negotiators when they signed the plan Monday, would add three members to the state Court of Appeals at a cost, with staff, of $1.5 million.

Both chambers are expected to consider the full spending plan Tuesday.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Hill, R-Reidsville, said under the plan, the state would borrow $1.1 billion, mostly for k-12 and college construction projects. An additional $100 million would go to replace and fix bridges.

Overall state spending would increase $900 million.

Transportation Tax

Here’s what I expect to see in a Transportation Tax compromise between the Senate and House.

•   At least One Billion Dollars raised for transportation maintenance and repair – Gov. Deal has consistently said this is the number he’s looking for in a transportation funding bill

•   More of the revenue in an excise tax dedicated to transportation versus money that has to be appropriated year-to-year by future General Assemblies. Everyone agrees you can’t trust future politicians and you can’t bind them tomorrow by actions taken today. The Senate plan moved away from higher excise taxes that are dedicated and toward fees that would have to be appropriated.

•   Some level of transit funding beyond the merely symbolic. Democratic votes are likely to be needed for passage, and the largest pools of Democratic votes to be found are in Metro Atlanta.

I could be totally wrong, of course.

Religious Freedom

Yesterday, I spoke to Governor Deal about what changed between 1993, when the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act was passed as a bipartisan, non-controversial measure, and today, when it has sparked a firestorm.

Part of his answer was,

“I think it has taken on issues that may or may not be related to the statute itself. I think the issue of gay marriage has sort of been one of those peripheral issues that people think a bill like this will affect one way or the other. I’m not sure that it will. I think it’s just sort of become a magnet for the divisiveness of our country, and that’s unfortunate because it was never intended in that vein.”

In my opinion, one of the major changes in our country during that period that has affected the debate over RFRA is internet fundraising for advocacy groups on both sides of the issue.

Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it may toll for the 2015 Georgia RFRA. Time will tell if the fight is over for this year.

Elections

Yesterday, Greg Bluestein of the AJC Political Insider noted that Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols (R-Bogart) will kick off his reelection campaign in the State Capitol on Thursday, which is also the last day of this year’s Session of the General Assembly.

Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols plans to kick off his 2016 re-election bid on at 11 a.m. Thursday at the statehouse. He says he’ll have at least 20 lawmakers who will endorse him, as well as a bluegrass band.

The conservative Republican expects primary opposition from Michele Miller, a renewable energy advocate from Warner Robins. And Democrats, eager to offer a full slate, may have a general election challenger for him as well.