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Major legislation passed and failed
The following legislation PASSED both the Senate and House and is awaiting the governor's signature:
SB 302 would increase the revenues bond cap for the Georgia Higher Education Facilities Authority from $300 million to $500 million, enabling construction of more dormitories, parking decks and student centers on the campuses of Georgia's colleges and universities.
SB 346 would provide more protections for persons who obtain prescription drugs by mail.
SB 402 would allow the Employees Retirement System to invest up to 5 percent of its assets in such alternative investments as leveraged buyout funds, venture capital investments, mezzanine debt investments, distressed debt and derivatives. The bill exempts the Teachers Retirement System.
HB 100 would create a special tax court to hear disputes between taxpayers and the Georgia Department of Revenue.
HB 347, in its amended form, would reduce the payment of unemployment benefits in Georgia from the current maximum of 26 weeks to a period ranging from 14 to 20 weeks.
HB 397 would increase penalties for government officials who break Georgia's "sunshine" laws and clarifies the definition of open meetings and what activities are allowed in closed meetings. The bill also allows the state Department of Economic Development to withhold information on incentives the state offers to attract large development projects until after the company commits to locating in Georgia.
HB 456 would set up a legislative committee to review all state agencies and programs and could recommend abolishing those the committee finds outdated, redundant or otherwise unnecessary.
HB 477 will allow insurance agents to have their state licenses renewed every two years rather than every year. The legislation has already been signed into law.
HB 636 would authorize a July 31 referendum in a section of DeKalb County to decide whether to establish a new city of Brookhaven.
HB 675 corrects a provision in the state's licensing laws that prevented military nurses from obtaining state licenses. The governor has already signed the bill.
HB 685 would strengthen Georgia's dangerous dog laws.
HB 706 would delete obsolete or unused public school regulations and funding requirements.
HB 711 would eliminate the spousal privilege against testifying in domestic abuse cases.
HB 785 and SB 337 would prohibit the state from requiring physicians and dentists to accept insurance such as Medicare or Medicaid as a condition of being licensed by the state.
HB 824 would revise the state formula for determining equalization grants to school systems and would also reduce the money allocated for those grants by more than $400 million.
HB 861 would require drug screening tests for recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Family benefits.
HB 868 would provide more funding for job tax credits to businesses that increase the number of employees on their payroll.
HB 872 would strengthen enforcement against metal theft by increasing the penalties for such crimes and increasing regulatory standards for metal recycling companies.
HB 898 establishes a new category of banking entity in Georgia, authorizing companies that validate credit and debit card transactions to set up what are called "merchant acquirer limited purpose banks" that can charge higher fees for debit cards. The bill has already been signed into law.
HB 954 would criminalize abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy in most cases. The bill was amended to include an exception for "medically futile" cases when conditions are "incompatible with sustaining life after birth."
HB 1114 would make it a felony to assist someone in committing suicide.
HB 1166 would require Georgia health insurers to offer children's health insurance coverage, providing an option for families that do not qualify for Medicaid or PeachCare coverage.
HR 1162 will put a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot this November that asks voters to decide whether to authorize the state to set up charter schools that have been rejected by their local school boards.
Proposed legislation that FAILED to pass both houses includes:
SB 87 would have authorized tax-paid vouchers for students to attend private schools.
SB 269 would have reduced the penalties for water pollution by allowing the Environmental Protection Division to authorize a voluntary response to problems.
SB 288 would have authorized pharmacists to administer certain vaccines without a doctor's prescription.
SB 301 would have allowed hunting with silencers.
SB 312 would have required food stamp recipients to take high school courses or "self-development classes."
SB 362 would have authorized the retrieval and sale of "deadhead logs" that have been submerged in South Georgia's rivers for more than 100 years.
SB 401 would have paved the way for more widespread use of solar energy panels for the generation of electricity by homeowners and small businesses.
SB 438 would have prohibited the State Health Benefits Plan from providing insurance coverage for abortions.
SB 448 would have enabled developers to avoid having to pay off loans they personally guaranteed if those loans were sold by the bank to a successor creditor.
SB 458 would have prohibited undocumented students from attending the state's public colleges.
SB 460 would have exempted "religious employers" from being required to include contraceptive prescriptions in the healthcare coverage they provide to employees.
SB 469 would have prohibited mass picketing near private residences and would have required workers to provide written authorization every year for union dues to be deducted from their paychecks.
SR 20 would have amended the Constitution to put a cap on state government spending.
HB 641 would have comprehensively revised the juvenile justice code in Georgia.
HB 679 would have allowed a gun owner to carry that firearm without having to obtain a permit from a local probate judge.
HB 730 would have prohibited state and local government agencies from requiring that bidders for a public works project have union workers on the payroll.
HB 798 and SB 391 would have put a $100 limit lobbyists' gifts to and entertainment of legislators.
HB 811 would have ended the legislative practice of diverting fees collected for specific purposes, such as the disposal of discarded tires, and using the revenues for other purposes.
HB 875, in its amended form, would have allowed the state ethics commission to keep information regarding some ethics complaints against elected officials sealed from public disclosure.
HB 972 would have given the Georgia Composite Medical Board the authority to license and regulate pain management clinics, part of the state's efforts to crack down on the operation of "pill mills."
HB 981 would have expanded the locations where concealed weapons can be legally carried to include the State Capitol, schools, polling places and bars.
HB 1052 would have relaxed the state provision that requires MARTA to spend 50 percent of its sales tax revenues on capital improvements rather than operations.
Click here for details on all legislation.
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