April 9, 2002 News Feed 
(Please feel free to personalize) 
Greetings, this is Rep. _____________. 
House lawmakers addressed two measures today which were brought about as a direct result of the new reality faced by Americans in a post September 11th world. 
The first item, SB 320, has been dubbed "Georgia's Homeland Defense Act." Under the new law, domestic terrorism is included in the list of actions which fall under the Georgia RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act, thereby giving law enforcement officials much more leeway in investigating and prosecuting persons who would engage in such activity. The new code defines `domestic terrorism' as any act which violates the law while intending to: injure or kill 10 or more persons, intimidate any civilian population of this country, or coerce the government of this state or any of its political subdivisions through the use of forceful acts such as kidnaping or assassination. Furthermore, the bill stipulates that such persons shall be sentenced to the maximum term of imprisonment and fine. In cases where the death penalty is in play, SB 320 charges the judge to consider, or instruct the jury to consider, as an aggravating circumstance that the act was committed for the purpose of domestic terrorism. 
Supporters of the bill pointed to the horrific and senseless loss of civilian life which occurred during acts such as the Oklahoma federal building bombing and the World Trade Center attacks as proof that we are living in new and dangerous times. Extreme times, they contended, call for stern measures. Members agreed, passing SB 320 by a vote of 149-4. 
The other measure seeks to protect government buildings and facilities from 
 
 acts of terrorism. Fearing a terrorist could use Georgia's open records laws to gain vital information about building blueprints and security systems, and then use this information to facilitate an effective act of terrorism against a government building or agency, the authors of SB 396 want to exempt any records which would compromise the security against terrorist attack of one or more government facilities by revealing certain plans, materials, or security devices. In order to prevent abuse of this exemption, the bill allows for court review of the decision to withhold record information. 
Remembering the sobering realities forced upon this nation by the September 11th attacks, House lawmakers voted 152-0 to pass SB 396. 
As the legislative session draws close to the 40th day, another aspect of the legislative process manifests itself as many House generated bills which have undergone changes in the Senate are beginning to return. House members must now weigh the merit of these changes and decide whether to agree and pass them into law, or disagree and work out the differences in a conference committee. 
A number of Senate alterations found favor with House members, and were therefore adopted. HB 210,which started out as a means to deal with the state's teacher shortage by allowing retired teachers to return to the classroom without forfeiting their retirement income, is one example. Senate lawmakers included language allowing retirees to return to full-time teaching only if they served in schools designated as low performing, and/or Title I. 
Likewise, House legislators adopted a Senate substitute to HB 1368. As drafted in the House, the measure allows for the renewal of drivers' licenses via mail or electronic purposes such as e-mail. The Senate improved upon the proposal by allowing the Department of Motor Vehicle Safety Commissioner to extend the organ donor discount to persons renewing their licence via long distance methods. 
 
 Other Senate alterations, however, were deemed unacceptable. Senate lawmakers saw fit to attach a rider to HB 1433, which left the House as an engrossed measure allowing local governments to pass an ordinance by referendum permitting the sale of wine and malt beverages in restaurants on Sunday. Upon its return, however, House members found that an amendment had been attached to allow for the sale of beer, wine, and distilled spirits in Underground Atlanta starting at 9:00 a.m. Without consideration of whether or not the amendment has merit, House lawmakers automatically rejected it due to the fact that HB 1433 was engrossed and, therefore, was not eligible to be amended. 
Finally, despite its recent transformation into the industrial and economic leader of the South, Georgia remains a largely rural state with a considerable percentage of its population enjoying outdoor sports such as hunting and fishing. It is for this reason that any proposal having serious effect on outdoor sports is always a hotly contested item. One of the measures returning to the House after picking up a Senate amendment sparked just such a debate. 
HB 1174 originated in the House as a measure which sought to lift bans on the use of crossbows and certain handguns for hunting deer, bear, and wild hog. However, during the floor debate on HB 1174 Senate lawmakers added an amendment which would allow hunters in southern Georgia hunting on private lands to use bait to lure deer and wild hog until July 1, 2005. 
Supporters of the amendment speculated that allowing for baiting in the southern part of the state could mean an economic boost for the region, much of which is suffering from slow or stagnant growth. Additionally, they claimed the deer population has grown so much in South Georgia that it has actually become a nuisance. They pointed to the alarming number of accidents involving deer crossing roadways as evidence of this. Aggressive action must be taken, they contended, before more people become the victims of these needless accidents 
 
 which can cause serious injury or even death. 
 
Opponents, however, denounced baiting as a dishonorable practice which 
 
strips the skill and know-how involved in the hunt. Such practice, they said, 
 
reduces hunting from the noble endeavor undertaken by our ancestors down to a 
 
base, `thrill-kill' form of target practice. Furthermore, they referred to a number of 
 
measures already passed by the House designed to reduce the deer population, and 
 
suggested a wait and see approach before adopting a method of control that many 
 
view as unsportsmanlike. 
 
The issue was closely contested, but in the end members voted 82-63 against 
 
allowing the Senate amendment. The measure now goes back to the Senate. If 
 
neither side backs away from their position, the differences will either be worked 
 
out by conference committee, or the bill will die during the session's waning 
 
moments. 
 
Other items passing the House today include: 
 
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SB 442 (162-0)-- provides a mechanism by which the state could 
 
distribute grants to aid rural hospitals. 
 
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SB 472 (160-0)-- allows local school systems to implement policies 
 
by which students would be allowed to self-administer their asthma 
 
medication on school property or at school events. It is estimated that 
 
some 11 percent of Georgia's children under age 18 have asthma. 
 
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SB 482 (166-1)-- cleans up legislation and closes some loopholes in 
 
Georgia's current DUI law. An amendment was added to mandate that 3rd time and subsequent DUI offenders would spend a minimum 
 
of 30 days in jail. 
 
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SB 532 (141-0)-- reduces from five to three the number of years in 
 
operation necessary for a new bank to be eligible to merge with 
 
another bank. 
 
 Reporting from your state capitol this is Rep._________. If you have any 
 
questions or comments please do not hesitate to call me at (404) 656 ( 
 
).