From the upper chamber 2008 March 20

Report for Thursday, March 20, 2008
The thirty-fourth day of the 2008 legislative session was called to order by Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle .
Senator Don Balfour of the 9th stated that the journal had been read and was found to be correct.
Senate Resolution 1201 was read for the first time and assigned to committee. The clerk then read the reports of standing committees and second readers.
After the morning roll call, Sen. Ralph Hudgens of the 47th led the Senate in the Pledge of Allegiance. He then introduced the Chaplain of the Day, Dr. Stewart Sims of Beech Haven Baptist Church in Athens, who led the Senate in the daily devotional.
Sen. Ed Tarver of the 22nd rose on a Point of Personal Privilege to urge the Senate's support on a resolution recognizing Judge Jack Ruffin on the occasion of his retirement from the Court of Appeals.
Lt. Gov. Cagle paused to recognize representatives of the Department of Transportation (DOT) who were visiting the Senate.
Sergeant-at-Arms Lorenzo Wallace escorted Sen. Tim Golden of the 8th and his guest, Mr. William Pope "Billy" Langdale , to the rostrum. The clerk read SR 1149, which commends Mr. Langdale for his years of service on the State Transportation Board. Sen. Golden spoke to the resolution.
SR 1194-1200 were read and adopted.
The clerk read House Bill 983, which allows law enforcement from neighboring states to cross into Georgia while in pursuit of a suspect. Sen. John Douglas of the 17th took the well to present the bill.
HB 983 passed by a vote of 46 t0 1.
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The clerk read SR 1041, which commends law enforcement agencies, government entities and volunteers who assisted in the investigation of Meredith Emerson 's abduction earlier this year. Sen. Chip Pearson of the 51st took the rostrum to speak to the resolution.
The clerk read HB 1027, which allows the Department of Driver Services to establish online defensive driving courses. Sen. John Bulloch of the 11th took the well to present the bill and Amendment 1, which authorizes courts to require individuals to attend these clinics. He yielded to questions from Senators Joseph Carter of the 13th, Dan Moody of the 56th, Steve Thompson of the 33rd and Douglas .
Sen. Jeff Mullis of the 53rd took the well to speak in support of the bill, mentioning his concern over some of the tactics used by those who oppose the bill.
Sen. Carter took the well to present Amendment 2, which restricts serious offenders from participating in online driver courses. He yielded to questions from Sens. Ross Tolleson of the 20th and David Shafer of the 48th.
Sen. Emanuel Jones of the 10th took the well to speak in support of the bill.
Sen. Bulloch took the well to close the debate and speak against Amendment 2.
Amendment 1 was unanimously adopted.
Amendment 2 was adopted by a vote of 24 to 17.
Amendment 3, which defines the term "biometrics" for the use of verifying an individual's identity, was unanimously adopted.
The Committee Substitute to HB 1027 was unanimously adopted as amended.
HB 1027 passed by substitute by a vote of 36 to 12.
The clerk read SR 1199, which recognizes Richard "Dick" Pettys on the occasion of his retirement as a veteran political journalist covering Georgia politics. President Pro Tempore Eric Johnson of the 1st took the rostrum to speak to the resolution.
Sen. Thompson of the 33rd moved that Senate Rule 8-1.7a be read, which states that no senator will speak more than twice during a debate until everyone wishing to speak has had the opportunity. There was no objection.
The clerk read HB 1222, which allows licensing boards to take disciplinary action against health care providers who engage in inappropriate behavior through participation in the Health Share Volunteers in Medicine Act or the Georgia Volunteers in Health Care Specialties Act. Sen. Greg Goggans of the 7th took the well to present the bill.
The Committee Substitute to HB 1222 was unanimously adopted.
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HB 1222 passed by substitute by a vote of 46 to 0.
Sen. Jack Murphy of the 27th moved that HB 77 be removed from the table and placed at the foot of the calendar. There was no objection.
Sen. Balfour moved that the Senate adopt the Conference Committee Report to HB 989. There was no objection.
Sen. Jack Hill of the 4th took the well to present the Conference Committee Report to HB 989, outlining the changes to the FY 08 amended budget.
The Conference Committee Report to HB 989 was adopted by a vote of 48 to 0.
Sen. Hill of the 4th moved for the immediate transmittal of HB 989 to the Governor. The motion passed by a vote of 49 to 1.
The clerk read HB 1245, which makes significant reforms to the current indigent defense system. Sen. John Wiles of the 37th took the well to present the bill and Amendment 2, which provides for several language clarifications.
Sen. Seth Harp of the 29th took the well to present Amendment 1, which requires that counsel must be offered within the first 72 hours that a defendant is taken into custody.
Sen. Mitch Seabaugh of the 28th took the well to speak against Amendment 1.
Amendment 1 failed by a vote of 16 to 18.
Amendment 2 was unanimously adopted.
The Committee Substitute to HB 1245 was unanimously adopted as amended.
HB 1245 passed by substitute by a vote of 38 to 11.
The clerk read HB 77, which requires local governments to apply for a permit from the DOT for the installation of red light cameras.
Sen. Chip Rogers of the 21st moved that Amendment 1 be withdrawn. There was no objection.
Sen. Cowsert moved that Amendment 3 be withdrawn. There was no objection.
Sen. Nan Orrock of the 36th moved that Amendments 7 and 10 be withdrawn. There was no objection.
Sen. Murphy took the well to present the bill and Amendment 8, which clarifies language in the bill. He also spoke against Amendment 11, which would dedicate half the
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revenue generated from red light cameras to trauma care funding. He yielded to questions from Sen. Renee Unterman of the 45th.
Sen. Johnson took the well to speak against Amendment 11 and yielded to questions from Sens. Unterman , Thompson of the 33rd and Seabaugh .
Sen. Douglas took the well to speak to the bill and Amendment 9, which would change the date for conducting public hearings on the use of red light cameras. He yielded to questions from Sens. Johnny Grant of the 25th and Murphy.
Sen. Bill Jackson of the 24th took the well to speak against the bill.
Sen. Johnson took the gavel to preside over the Senate.
Sen. Orrock took the well to present Amendment 11. She yielded to questions from Sens. Douglas and Unterman .
Sen. Moody took the well to present Amendment 12, which requires adults to wear seat belts in pickup trucks.
Lt. Gov. Cagle took the gavel to preside over the Senate.
Sen. Don Thomas of the 54th took the well to speak in support of the bill.
Sen. Unterman took the well to speak in support of the bill and address the need for trauma care funding.
Amendment 8 was unanimously adopted.
Amendment 9 failed by a vote of 1 to 33.
Amendment 11 failed by a vote of 11 to 22.
Sen. Moody moved that Amendment 12 be withdrawn. There was no objection.
The Committee Substitute to HB 77 was unanimously adopted as amended.
HB 77 passed by substitute by a vote of 45 to 5.
Sen. Preston Smith of the 52nd moved that the Senate agree to the House Substitute to Senate Bill 145 as amended. The underlying bill allows for life without parole to be a sentencing option in murder cases. Sen. Smith took the well to present Amendment 1, which requires a unanimous jury verdict to receive the death penalty.
Sen. Kasim Reed of the 35th took the well to speak in support of the bill and Amendment 1. He yielded to questions from Sens. Hudgens and Thompson of the 33rd.
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Sen. Harp took the well to speak in support of Amendment 1.
The Senate agreed to the House Substitute to SB 145 as amended by a vote of 44 to 7.
Sen. Dan Weber of the 40th moved that the Senate agree to the House Substitute to SB 82. He took the well to speak to the bill, which allows for a referendum vote on the incorporation of the city of Dunwoody.
Sen. Ronald Ramsey of the 43rd took the well to speak against the bill and voice dissatisfaction with the House Substitute to SB 82.
The Senate agreed to the House Substitute to SB 82 by a vote of 36 to 13.
Sen. Ed Harbison of the 15th moved that the Senate disagree to the House Amendment to SB 345. The bill makes it easier for children of military personnel to transfer to a new school. There was no objection.
Sen. Bill Cowsert of the 46th moved that the Senate agree to the House Substitute to SB 352 as amended.
Sen. Cowsert took the well to present the bill, which makes changes to the legislature's oversight of the Environmental Protection Division. Amendment 1 combines SB 352 with SB 445, which both make changes to the legislature's role within the Administrative Procedures Act. He yielded to questions from Sen. Thompson of the 33rd.
The motion passed by a vote of 47 to 1.
Sen. Bill Hamrick of the 30th moved to disagree to the House Substitute to SB 430, which allows the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to compare DNA samples obtained from an investigation to samples collected from evidentiary materials. There was no objection.
Sen. Hill of the 4th moved to suspend the Senate rules so that HB 990, the FY 09 general appropriations act, could be read for the first time. There was no objection.
Following the morning announcements, Majority Leader Tommie Williams of the 19th moved that the Senate stand in recess until 12:00 a.m., then adjourn until 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 27.
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