On March 18, 1766, the British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, which required American colonists to purchase a stamp for every legal or printed document they obtained. Revenue would be used to support the British army in America.
The Stamp Act led Patrick Henry to denounce King George III, the British Monarch at the time of the passage of the Stamp Act and the ensuing Revolutionary War; Henry’s later “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech to the Virginia Assembly at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, listed by Time magazine as one of the top ten speeches of all time. Henry later opposed adoption of the Constitution, arguing it was incomplete without a Bill of Rights; after the Bill of Rights was adopted, Henry was satisfied.
On March 18, 1939, the State of Georgia ratified the Bill of Rights, which were proposed 150 years earlier in 1789. Georgia initially declined to ratify the Bill of Rights arguing that the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution were unnecessary. Governor E.D. Rivers signed the joint resolution six days later, but under federal court decisions the ratification is marked as of the date the second house of the state legislature adopts the legislation (assuming a bi-cameral state legislature).
On March 18, 1942, the United States government, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, created the War Relocation Authority to “Take all people of Japanese descent into custody, surround them with troops, prevent them from buying land, and return them to their former homes at the close of the war.” More than 120,000 Japanese Americans, many of them citizens of the United States were moved from the west coast into concentration camps in the western United States.
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team, composed entirely of Japanese Americans, many of whose families were interned at the camps, became the most-decorated unit of World War II, with members being awarded 4,667 medals, awards, and citations, including 1 Medal of Honor, 52 Distinguished Service Crosses, and 560 Silver Stars; eventually 21 members of the 442nd would be awarded the Medal of Honor. The late United States Senator Daniel Inouye, a member of the 442nd from 1941 to 1947, was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Bill Clinton for actions during WWII. First elected to the United States Senate in 1962, Inouye became President Pro Tem in 2010.
On March 18, 1947, Herman Talmadge surrendered the Governor’s office, ending the “Three Governors Affair.” Earlier this year, the General Assembly honored the late Governor Melvin Thompson, who was elected the first Lieutenant Governor of Georgia and became Governor at the conclusion of the Three Governors Affair.
On March 18, 1955, the Georgia Educators Association endorsed “equal but separate” schools for the races.
On March 18, 1961, the United States Supreme Court decided the case of Gray v. Sanders, which arose from Georgia. Three politically-important results come from the case.
First, the Court held that state regulation of the Democratic Primary made the primary election a state action, not merely that of a private organization; thus, the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment applies.
Second, the Equal Protection Clause requires that every vote be given equal weight in electing officials, often stated as the “one person, one vote” rule. In Georgia at that time, each County had between two and six “county unit votes”. As a result,
“One unit vote in Echols County represented 938 residents, whereas one unit vote in Fulton County represented 92,721 residents. Thus, one resident in Echols County had an influence in the nomination of candidates equivalent to 99 residents of Fulton County.”
Third, because the County Unit System gave the votes of some Georgians greater weight than that of others, it violated the Equal Protection Clause. The “one person, one vote” rule is one benchmark of redistricting.
On March 18, 1976, Governor George Busbee signed legislation recognizing the following official state symbols:
Staurolite – Official Mineral of Georgia
Shark’s Tooth – Official Fossil of Georgia
Clear Quartz – Official Gem of Georgia
Purple Quartz (Amethyst) – Official Gem of Georgia
I suspect samples of all of these can be found in the display cases on the Fourth Floor of the Georgia State Capitol.
Speaking of King George III, State Rep. Jason Spencer (R-Woodbine) receives the first annual GaPundit Award for Overwrought Prose. From a Press Release:
“That eleventh hour betrayal effectively killed the bill, but it could still be brought back to life by amendment of companion legislation,” said Rep. Spencer. “Tomorrow, I will identify the Republican Benedict Arnolds, the King George the Third and his myrmidons who ship wrecked my path breaking, patriotic bill (HB 707) to prevent the federal Leviathan from commandeering the machinery of state government or resources to enforce ill-conceived federal health insurance mandates. A patriot saves his country from his government. HB 707 would have been the first occasion in a century to draw a constitutional line against state complicity in endless federal encroachments.”
Spencer also wins the award for “Most Mixed Metaphor,” henceforth named the “Scattered, Smothered, Covered, Diced, and Chunked Award.” On the upside, he has proven the value of a solid Classical education that includes History and Greek Mythology.
I had to look up “myrmidon,” so here’s the definition to save you the trouble.
1 capitalized: a member of a legendary Thessalian people who accompanied their king Achilles in the Trojan War2: a loyal follower; especially: a subordinate who executes orders unquestioningly or unscrupulously
Please be at Georgia Capitol if possible at 2:30 pm tomorrow – March 18th to show support for Rep. Jason Spencer at his press conference. The press conference will take place in the Capitol Rotunda at 2:30. HB 707 has been tabled and if we don’t act NOW, it will be dead this session. There are only a few days left in this session. Please try to come earlier if possible and talk to Gov. Deal’s office, Lt. Governor Cagle and Senators. Read Rep. Spencer’s Press Release here.Lt. Gov. Cagle is thumbing his nose at conservatives by killing HB707.Gov. Deal has the power to save HB 707 if he supports this bill. If he opposes the bill, he will take no action.One of the main lobbyists leading the charge against HB 707 is Arthur “Skin” Edge with “Georgia Link” on behalf of “The Georgia Hospital Association”.
Under the Gold Dome Today
Today will be the 39th and penultimate Legislative Day in the 2014 Session of the Georgia General Assembly. May God have mercy on their souls.
The Senate has an epic 80 bills on the calendar, which is set for Tuesday and Thursday. A number of bills will likely be tabled on Tuesday; any bills remaining on the table at the close of business Tuesday will be eligible for consideration on Thursday, Day 40.
Beginning Crossover Day, the Senate Rules Committee has entered to walk-on music – here’s a selection of the Chairman’s greatest hits.
And our suggestion in case another Rules Committee Meeting happens to break out.
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Monday was the last chance to get on the Senate voting calendar of bills for consideration this year, and the smiling Mullis was the star of the show with lawmakers, lobbyists and even the governor’s top staff in attendance to see who made his committee’s final cut.
“Welcome to the last and final Rules Committee meeting,” Mullis told the crowd. “We have 105 bills to consider. You know, not every one is going to make it.”
Lengthy late-session meetings of the committees that decide what makes it to the House and Senate floors — complete with groveling lawmakers and overcaffeinated lobbyists — are as much a legislative tradition as the start of the session’s Wild Hog Supper and last-minute special-interest tax breaks.
Many of the most controversial bills — including the upcoming year’s state budget — are held for action until the end of the session. So are many routine bills. Months of planned procrastination lead to legislative horse-trading that goes down to the final hours.
Bills that make the chambers’ calendars don’t always get a vote before the session ends, and many of the final measures will be worked out in backroom negotiations before winning approval late Thursday.
Still, the House and Senate Rules committees become increasingly important in the final days, and both held meetings Monday. The difference is the Senate probably won’t have any more get-togethers, so the area around the meeting room was a mob scene.
HB 3: Evidence; professional forestry; Dept. of Public Health; AIDS; provisions (JUDY – 29th) Willard – 51st
HB 251: Tobacco; sale of alternative nicotine products or components to minors; prohibit (H&HS – 17th) Welch – 110th
HB 257: Income tax; change certain definitions (NR&E – 20th) Martin – 49th
HB 264: MARTA Act of 1965; extensively revise (TRANS – 21st) Jacobs – 80th
HB 265: Mass transportation; suspension of restrictions on the use of annual proceeds from sales and use taxes by public transit authorities; repeal provisions (TRANS – 21st) Jacobs – 80th
HB 271: Individual’s criminal history record information; revise definitions (JUDY NC – 23rd) Neal – 2nd
HB 291: State Board of Accountancy; independent state agency attached to Secretary of the State for administrative purposes only; provide (RI&U – 9th) Knight – 130th
HB 295: Ad valorem taxation; provide comprehensive revision of provisions (Substitute) (FIN-9th) Battles-15th
HB 348: Income tax credit; purchasers of alternative fuel vehicles; provide (NR&E-17th) Parsons-44th
HB 405: Elementary and secondary education; members of governing boards of nonprofit organizations which are charter petitioners and charter schools to participate in governance training; require (Substitute) (ED&Y-12th) Mayo-84th
HB 438: Court-referred alternative dispute resolution programs; legal costs; increase maximum amount of additional cost (JUDY-13th) Powell-171st
HB 449: Agency records disclosure; change certain provisions relating to 9-1-1 calls (JUDY-30th) Gravley-67th
HB 460: Georgia Firefighters’ Pension Fund; no person under a sentence of confinement shall be eligible for membership; provide (RET-29th) Weldon-3rd
HB 477: Employees’ Retirement System of Georgia; Georgia Judicial Retirement System; transfer service credit (RET-11th) Powell-171st
HB 490: Teacher health insurance plans; contract with local employers to librarians and other personnel employed by regional and county libraries; expand board authorization (H ED-46th) Barr-103rd
HB 580: Superior Court Clerk’s Retirement Fund; provide spousal survivor’s benefit (RET-29th) Weldon-3rd
HB 601: Judges of the Probate Courts Retirement Fund of Georgia; define certain terms; provisions (RET-12th) Maxwell-17th
HB 610: Insurance; licensing and regulation of public adjusters; provide (Substitute) (I&L-25th) Williamson-115th
HB 643: Georgia Civil Practice Act; general provisions governing discovery; change provisions (Substitute) (JUDY-46th) Willard-51st
HB 645: Insurance; electronic transmissions of notices and documents from an insurers to a party to an insurance transaction; provisions (I&L-14th) Dollar-45th
HB 670: Trade names; require registration with the clerk of superior court; provisions (JUDY-49th) Fleming-121st
HB 697: HOPE; revise amount of grants; equal student’s cost of tuition (Substitute) (H ED-54th) Evans-42nd
HB 704: South Fulton, City of; incorporate; provide charter (Substitute) (SLGO(G)-35th) Bruce-61st
HB 715: Jekyll Island-State Park Authority; powers and responsibilities; revise (NR&E-20th) Hamilton-24th
HB 729: Revenue and taxation; manner for determining fair market value of motor vehicles subject to tax; change (Substitute) (FIN-9th) Rice-95th
HB 737: Alcoholic beverages; malt beverages produced in private residences to be transported to other locations and consumed by the producer and other individuals; allow (Substitute) (RI&U-27th) Harrell-106th
HB 749: Crimes and offenses; crime of cargo theft; provide (JUDYNC-6th) Duncan-26th
HB 753: Motor vehicles and traffic; federal regulatory requirements; provide (Substitute) (PUB SAF-7th) Powell-32nd
HB 755: Ad valorem tax; revised definition of forest land fair market value; provisions (FIN-32nd) Powell-171st
HB 757: Ad valorem tax; use of certain property for collection and conversion of solar energy shall not constitute breach of conservation use covenants; provide (FIN-6th) Powell-171st
HB 761: Public Retirement Systems Standards Law; definition of annual required contribution; change references (RET-54th) Riley-50th
HB 772: Public assistance; drug testing for applicants for food stamps; require (Substitute) (H&HS-9th) Morris-156th
HB 773: Crimes and offenses; discharging a gun or pistol near public highway or street; change provisions (Substitute) (JUDYNC-20th) Dickey-140th
HB 776: Courts; information provided to compile state-wide master jury lists and county master jury lists; clarify (JUDY-3rd) Atwood-179th
HB 778: Food service establishments; certain nonprofit charitable entities from regulation; exempt (AG&CA-50th) Pezold-133rd
HB 783: Game and fish; provisions relating to rules and regulations used to establish criminal violations; update (NR&E-7th) Hitchens-161st
HB 788: Ad valorem tax; property owned by University System of Georgia operated by third party; provide exemption (H ED-54th) Riley-50th
HB 804: Trial proceedings; relating to testimony of a child ten years old or younger by closed circuit television and persons entitled to be present; repeal provisions (Substitute) (JUDYNC-13th) Lindsey-54th
HB 810: HOPE; home study students regarding scores on standardized college admission test; revise requirements (H ED-45th) Chandler-105th
HB 816: Sales and use tax; change a certain definition (FIN-46th) Williamson-115th
HB 819: Revenue and taxation; tax executions; modify certain provisions (Substitute) (FIN-9th) Martin-49th
HB 820: Condominium associations; standing to participate in litigation under certain circumstances; clarify provisions (JUDY-17th) Powell-171st
HB 826: Crimes and offenses; carrying weapons within certain school safety zones and at school functions; change provisions (ED&Y-37th) Setzler-35th
HB 828: Insurance; solicitation, release, or sale of automobile accident information; prohibit (Substitute) (I&L-6th) Mabra-63rd
HB 829: Certified process servers; change sunset and legislative review provisions (JUDY-23rd) Willard-51st
HB 833: Urban Redevelopment Law; include blighted areas (Substitute) (SLGO(G)-46th) Jones-62nd
HB 834: Bonded debt; population Act provision relating to dates of bond elections; repeal (SLGO(G)-45th) Clark-101st
HB 835: Controlled substances; Schedules I, III, and IV; change certain provisions (H&HS-1st) Broadrick-4th
HB 837: Probation services; provide for legislative findings and intent; provisions (Substitute) (JUDYNC-6th) Hamilton-24th
HB 840: Insurance; persons under authority of Commissioner and subject to penalties under Title 33; clarify (Substitute) (I&L-29th) Golick-40th
HB 842: Appeal and error; payment of costs and indigency affidavits; clarify provisions (Substitute) (JUDY-13th) Willard-51st
HB 845: Public disclosure; disclosure of arrest booking photographs except under certain circumstances; prohibit (Substitute) (JUDYNC-46th) Strickland-111th
HB 870: Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund; imposition of additional fine for reckless driving; provide (JUDYNC-46th) Tanner-9th
HB 872: Evidence; privileged communication between law enforcement and peer counselors under certain circumstances; create (PUB SAF-53rd) Rogers-10th
HB 877: Motor vehicles; local authorities ability to regulate use of personal transportation vehicles on roadways and designated paths and lanes; provide (Substitute) (PUB SAF-51st) Roberts-155th
HB 885: Medical cannabis; continuing research into benefits to treat certain conditions; provisions (Substitute) (H&HS-45th) Peake-141st
HB 891: Elections; period for advance voting prior to municipal primary or election; change (Substitute) (ETHICS-29th) Fleming-121st
HB 897: Elementary and secondary education; update and clarify provisions; repeal obsolete provisions (Substitute) (ED&Y-37th) Dudgeon-25th
HB 899: Unlicensed personal care homes; criminal penalties for owning or operating; provide (H&HS-45th) Cooper-43rd
HB 900: State sales and use tax; consumable supplies used in manufacturing; include (FIN-32nd) Harrell-106th
HB 913: Community Health, Board of; persons having certain conflicts of interest from serving on board; prohibit (Substitute) (H&HS-45th) Kelley-16th
HB 914: Social services; school personnel required to report child abuse shall be notified by child protective agency upon receipt of report and completion of investigation; provide (Substitute) (H&HS-45th) Wilkerson-38th
HB 915: Identity theft; security freezes for minors; provisions (AG&CA-51st) Clark-98th
HB 918: Revenue and taxation; define terms “Internal Revenue Code” and Internal Revenue Code of 1986″; provisions (FIN-32nd) Peake-141st
HB 920: Unclaimed Life Insurance Benefits Act; enact (I&L-29th) Teasley-37th
HB 940: Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit and Oconee Judicial Circuit; election of additional judges; change date (JUDYNC-29th) Willard-51st
HB 954: Ad valorem tax; property; change definition of fair market value (Substitute) (FIN-9th) Harrell-106th
HB 957: Georgia Brownfield Act; enact (NR&E-17th) Williams-119th
HB 960: Local government; provide for use of surface transportation projects in urban redevelopment areas; provisions (Substitute) (TRANS-51st) Roberts-155th
HB 966: Pharmacies; licensed health practitioners prescribe opioid antagonists to certain individuals and entities pursuant to a protocol; provisions (Substitute) (H&HS-45th) Cooper-43rd
HB 973: Medicaid; changes to civil penalties for false or fraudulent claims; provisions (JUDY-21st) Lindsey-54th
HB 983: State sales and use tax; clarify eligible exemptions; provisions (Substitute) (FIN-6th) McCall-33rd
HB 990: Social services; expansion of Medicaid eligibility through increase in income threshold without prior legislative approval; prohibit (Substitute) (H&HS-45th) Jones-47th
HB 1000: Revenue and taxation; setoff debt collection against state income tax refunds for debts owed to political subdivisions and courts; provisions (Substitute) (FIN-6th) Fleming-121st
HB 1009: State sales and use tax; applicability of exemption to local sales and use tax cap for a county that levied a tax for purposes of a metropolitan area system of public transportation; extend date (TRANS-51st) Glanton-75th
HB 1027: State government; certain processes and procedures affecting unemployment insurance; change (I&L-14th) Strickland-111th
HB 1042: Auctioneers; relative to auctioneers and auction business; change certain provisions (Substitute) (RI&U-52nd) Dempsey-13th
HB 1051: Lawful presence verification; professional licensing board; change certain provisions (Substitute) (RI&U-47th) Dickson-6th
HB 1078: Courts; juries and grand juries; provisions (Substitute) (JUDYNC-3rd) Kelley-16th
HR 1158: Congress; establish national energy policy to strengthen access to and removal of impediment to domestic sources of energy; encourage (RI&U-18th) Martin-49th
HR 1183: General Assembly; additional penalties or fees for reckless driving and provide allocation of fees to Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund; impose – CA (Substitute) (JUDYNC-49th) Tanner-9th
SR 973: Senate Child Protection Study Committee; create (H&HS – 38th)
HB 1108: Douglas County; Board of Education; provide for compensation of members (SLGO(G)-30th) Gravley-67th
HOUSE RULES CALENDAR, SUPPLEMENTAL RULES CALENDAR, and SECOND SUPPLEMENTAL RULES CALENDAR
Modified Open Rule
HR 1265 House Study Committee on Autonomous Vehicle Technology; create (Substitute)(S&T-Kelley-16th)
HR 1655 Congress; protect and defend the Constitution of the United States; request (Judy-Kirby-114th)
SB 60 General Assembly; all official communications; officers, members, or employees; electronic format (GAff-Williamson-115th) Heath-31st
SB 276 State Government; provide that Georgia shall be a”Purple Heart State” (Substitute)(D&VA-Smith-134th) Harbison-15th
SB 322 Game and Fish; provide protection for certain wildlife habitats (GF&PRoberts-155th) Harper-7th
SB 326 Private Colleges and Universities Authority; authorize the authority to meet by teleconference and other methods permitted by law (HEd-Rutledge-109th) Jeffares-17th
SB 358 Missing Children Information Center; provide missing child reports for foster children (H&HS-Geisinger-48th) Albers-56th
SB 374 “Urban Redevelopment Law”; revise terminology from “slums” to “pockets of blight” (Substitute)(GAff-Brockway-102nd) Cowsert-46th
SB 391 Health; provide that each medical facility make a good faith application; TRICARE network (H&HS-Hatchett-150th) Balfour-9th
HR 1724 Sustainable Forestry Initiative; state-wide support for sustainable forest certification; encourage (NR&E-Williams-119th)
SB 187 State Government; provide exemption for the board of commissioners of Georgia Student Finance Commission; board of directors (Substitute)(JudyNC-Willard-51st) Hill-32nd
SB 274 Capitol Arts Standards Commission; designation of areas within capitol museum; Georgia Capitol Agricultural History Museum areas (SProp-Greene-151st) Seay-34th
SB 294 Electrical Contractor Class II; provide that a person licensed may perform low-voltage contracting without obtaining a state-wide Low-voltage Contractor Class (Substitute)(RegI-Dickson-6th) Murphy-27th
SB 352 Georgia Council on Lupus Education and Awareness; create (H&HSCooper- 43rd) Unterman-45th
SB 364 Juvenile Code; revise and correct errors or omissions (Substitute)(JuvJWeldon- 3rd) Stone-23rd
SB 365 Fair Business Practices Act; enact offender reentry reforms as recommended by the Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform (Substitute)(JuvJ-Golick-40th) Stone-23rd
SB 386 Civil Practice; prohibit public disclosure; social security numbers, taxpayers identification numbers; court documents (Substitute)(Judy-Jacobs-80th) Albers-56th
SR 981 Violence Against Health Care Workers; create joint study committee (H&HS-Dempsey-13th) Unterman-45th
Modified Structured Rule
SB 383 Coroners; items of value of the deceased shall not be converted to the coroner/medical examiner’s personal use (Substitute)(JudyNC-Pak-108th) Davis-22nd
SB 98 “Federal Abortion Mandate Opt-out Act” (Substitute)(Ins-Taylor-173rd) Hill-32nd (Rules Committee Substitute) (AM# 25 1335)
SB 283 Education; authorize school systems; provide instruction on history of traditional winter celebrations (Ed-Gravley-67th) Dugan-30th (AM# 33 1437)
SB 340 Official Code of Georgia Annotated; revise, modernize, correct errors; reenact statutory portion of said Code (Substitute)(CR-Jacobs-80th) Stone-23rd (AM# 25 1333)
SB 343 Education; provide no high school which receives funding under the “Quality Basic Education Act”; shall participate in sponsor interscholastic sport events conducted by any athletic association (Substitute)(B&FAORoberts-155th) Mullis-53rd (AM# 33 1432)
SB 350 Human Services, Dept.of; bidding out of child welfare services state wide through contracts with community based providers (Substitute)(Judy-Rogers-29th) Unterman-45th
SB 381 “Georgia First Informer Broadcasters Act”; provide planning for first informer broadcasters; definitions (PS&HS-Atwood-179th) Beach-21st
SB 392 Motor Vehicles; provide additional definition; acceptance of applications for registration; not in compliance with federal emission standards (MotVEpps-144th) Gooch-51st (AM# 39 0070)
Structured Rule
SR 415 Taxes; increase in state income tax rate prohibited -CA (Substitute)(W&MRamsey-72nd) Shafer-48th
SR 875 Property Tax Digest Impact on Education Funding; create Joint Study Committee (Substitute)(W&M-Knight-130th) Hill-4th
Yesterday Under the Dome
No city for you – no more cities will be created in DeKalb County this year after the competing Lakeside and Briarcliff continued border skirmishes.
The latest bid to subdivide the state’s third-largest county died in a packed committee room, with one of the General Assembly’s staunchest advocates of new cities saying this fight was so tough he won’t revisit trying again next year and may not even support other lawmakers’ efforts.
“What you’re basically telling 70,000 people is they don’t get the opportunity to vote this year,” said state Sen. Fran Millar, R-Dunwoody, who sponsored Senate Bill 270 to create Lakeside.
Monday, legislators decided they were not willing to change long-standing rules needed to make the two cities happen at the same time. The decision by the House Governmental Affairs Committee to hold off for a year on the new cities may have killed Lakeside for good, while reviving the fortunes of Tucker and existing DeKalb cities.
Border fights between the two had delayed clear boundaries, so the only solution for both to move required changes to long-standing House rules on local legislation.
Last week, [DeKalb County Commission Interim Chair Lee] May created a 15-member task force charged, among other things, with carving up all of DeKalb County into cities either via annexations or new municipalities and, possibly, by creating townships. DeKalb has 11 cities in its borders, including parts of Atlanta.
“This delay is an opportunity for DeKalb County, to learn from others’ mistakes, to shrink our government as we begin to be responsible for fewer services,” May said. “We will likely have a fully incorporated county in the next few years, so let’s do it all at one time.”
Events Tonight
While the General Assembly is likely to be in session well into tonight, here are a couple of events you may wish to attend.
GA GOP 10th District: Congressional Debate in Monroe
Monroe Community Center, 602 East Church Street, Monroe, GA 30655
Buckhead YRs Candidate Showcase
Taco Mac Lindbergh Marta Station, 573 Main Street, Atlanta, GA 30324
We are having several candidates stop by, with Fulton County Commissioner Candidate Cory Ruth, Fulton County Commissioner Candidate Bernie Tokarz, HD 54 candidates Loretta Lepore and John McCloskey, and others TBA… Its a busy election season and we are trying to get as many candidates in front of our group as possible…
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