New year brings new laws | ForsythNews.com

Among the new state laws taking effect today is House Bill 142, which sets limits on how much money lobbyists can spend attempting to influence legislation in Georgia.

The measure was a direct result of non-binding state ballot questions, where the majority of both Democrat and Republican voters wanted to see tighter rules on ethics.

The resulting legislation includes provisions relating to lawmakers’ campaign disclosure reports, public office filings, lobbyist registration requirements and spending caps.

While it unanimously passed in both the state House of Representatives and Senate, District 24 state Rep. Mark Hamilton said there are some questions that need clarification.

“There are some things that are pretty specific and clear, and there are some that are a little grayer,” he said.

Clarification likely will come through the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission, either by making rules, or through rulings on violations to the law, which would set precedent for future violations.

Hamilton said while he plans to “continue to do things as I always have,” he’s going to be just a little more cautious as the rules become clearer.

“My biggest concern is for the ‘gotcha’ moment,” he said. “I don’t think there’s anything we’ve done in the past we need to necessarily be concerned with, other than the $75 cap on meals and that type of thing. And those are pretty straight forward.”

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