HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS 609 Coverdell Office Building (404) 656-0305 Phone (404) 656-5639 Fax TOMORROW'S FORECAST * The House will reconvene for its 4th Legislative Day on Thursday, January 12 at 10:00 pm. * Only one bill is expected to be debated on the floor: SB 84 GEORGIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DAILY REPORT WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2006 LEGISLATIVE DAY# 3 TODAY ON THE FLOOR Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson gaveled the House into session today, at 12:30 a.m., for the second legislative day of the 2nd Session of the 148th General Assembly. The first bill to be voted on by the House occurred today and was debated on the floor. After the vote, Speaker Richardson and the House welcomed the Senate into the House Chamber in order hold a joint legislative session to invite Governor Sonny Perdue to deliver the "State of the State" address. DEBATE CALENDAR HB 970 - Liquid propane and natural gas; state tax; temporary exemption; provisions - House Bill 970 is part of the Governor's legislative package and will provide for a fifty-percent exemption of the state sales and use tax on natural gas and liquid propane for a limited time. The exemption for natural gas began on December 19, 2005 and will end on April 30, 2006. The exemption for liquid propane began on December 19, 2005 and will end on March 31, 2006. - Authored by: Rep. Jay Roberts - House Committee: Ways & Means: 1/9/2006 - Amendments: None - Y: 169 N: 2 - Rep. Jerry Keen moved to have the bill immediately transmitted to the Senate. * The House will reconvene Wednesday, January 11 at 12:30 pm for its 3rd Legislative Day of the 2nd Session of the 148th General Assembly. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ RULES COMMITTEE The Committee on Rules today has fixed the calendar for the 3rd Legislative Day, Wednesday, January 11 and the 4th Legislative Day, Thursday, January 12, as enumerated below, and can be called at the pleasure of the Speaker of the House. DEBATE CALENDAR: January 11 HB 970 - Liquid propane and natural gas; state tax; temporary exemption; provisions - House Bill 970 is part of the Governor's legislative package and will provide for a fifty-percent exemption of the state sales and use tax on natural gas and liquid propane for a limited time. The exemption for natural gas began on December 19, 2005 and will end on April 30, 2006. The exemption for liquid propane began on December 19, 2005 and will end on March 31, 2006. - Authored by: Rep. Jay Roberts 1 - House Committee: Ways & Means: 1/9/2006 DEBATE CALENDAR: January 12 SB 84 - Polls; change forms of identification - This bill provides for a free "Georgia Voter Identification Card" to be issued to individuals wishing to vote that do not have another form of photo identification. Further, it requires each of the 159 county board of registrars to provide at least one place in that county to receive applications and issue the identification cards. - Authored by: Sen. Cecil Staten - House Committee: Government Affairs: 1/9/06 * The Rules Committee will next meet on Thursday, January 12 at 9:00 am to set the Debate Calendar for the 5th Legislative Day. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ COMMITTEE ACTION REPORT Special Rules Committee HB 978 - Capitol Art Standards Commission; create - The bill creates the Capitol Arts Standards Commission. The commission would be comprised of nine members who understand and appreciate art. - Authored by: Rep. Calvin Hill - Committee Action: Do Pass Regulated Industries Committee No legislative action was taken by the committee. Retirement Committee HB 251 - Judges of the Probate Courts Retirement Fund; designating surviving beneficiary - Bill allows that a member who is unmarried at the time of retirement may designate a survivor. Bill allows a that a member who is married at the time of retirement may designate a survivor, other than the spouse, provided the spouse agrees in writing to such designation. Eelecting this retirement option will reduce the benefit for the member and the designated survivor. - Authored by: Rep. Ben Bridges - Committee Action: Do Pass HB 344 - Firefighters' Pension Fund; return to service after retirement; benefit - Bill allows retired firefighters to return to service after retirement. Upon reemployment, the retirement benefit will be terminated; but, the member is eligible to begin drawing retirement benefit again after reemployment ceases and the member has added at least one year of creditable service. The retirement benefit will be recalculated to include the added creditable service. (Currently, the retirement benefit is not recalculated unless the member was reemployed for seven or more years.) - Authored by: Rep. Bill Cummings - Committee Action: Do Pass HB 357 - Class Nine Fire Department Pension Fund; increase maximum monthly retirement benefit - Bill would increase the maximum monthly retirement benefit to $500 (currently $165). - Authored by: Rep. Bill Cummings - Committee Action: Do Pass 2 HB 391 - Retirement; circuit public defender; select Employees' or Judicial Retirement System - Bill allows persons appointed to the position of circuit public defender to elect membership in either ERS or the Judicial Retirement System. The Board must be notified no later than December 31, 2006. If the person was a member of ERS at the time of making the choice to change systems, ERS shall transfer all employer and employee contributions, plus interest, paid by or on behalf of such member. - Authored by: Rep. Robert Mumford - Committee Action: Do Pass HB 476 - Superior Court Clerks' Retirement; amend provisions - Membership dues will be increased to $75 per month (currently $50) due on the first of each month, late payment penalties are calculated from that date. No creditable service shall be granted for any month for which dues are in arrears on the last day of the calendar quarter during which the dues were due. After that time, the board shall not accept payment of such dues, and creditable service for any such month shall be forever forfeited. Fines shall be collected in any case that is a criminal violation of state or local law, ordinance, or regulation and be paid to the board each month (currently quarterly) due on the first day of the month and will be considered delinquent if not received within 90 days (currently 60 days). In addition to all other legal costs, the sum of $1.00 (currently $.50) shall be charged and collected for the processing of all instruments pertaining to real estate filed in the superior courts. Fees will be collected on monthly basis, due on the first of the month. Funds collected must be remitted within 90 days of due date, and such money shall be delinquent and a penalty of 5% of the principal, plus 6% interest, shall be assessed for each month (not to exceed a total of 25% of the principal) the funds continue to be delinquent. In the area of Retirement Benefits & Spousal Benefits, the members receive retirement benefits after attaining 8 years of service either as a clerk or deputy clerk (currently 12 years. Member with 8 years will receive a monthly benefit of $680, and there will be incremental increases for years 9 through 11, and monthly benefit of members with 12 or more years does not change. 15 or more days will count as a full month of service. All retiring members can elect the option of survivor's benefits. A member, upon retirement, may elect to receive 90% of the benefits the member is entitled to receive and after his/her death, the member's surviving spouse shall receive a monthly sum equal to 50% of the benefit. The board shall be authorized to provide, by rule and regulation, for a surviving spouse's benefit in the event of the death of a member who would be eligible except for not being age 55. - Authored by: Rep. Robert Mumford - Committee Action: Do Pass HB 660 - Firefighters' and Class Nine Pension Funds; certain active military duty; creditable service - Bill provides creditable service to any member of the fund who left active employment as a result of being called to active duty as a member of the Armed Services and who returned to employment as a firefighter upon being released. Within one year of returning to service, the member must make application to the board and pay the normal monthly dues for each month of the break in service. The board is authorized to calculate creditable service on a monthly basis. - Authored by: Rep. Bill Cummings - Committee Action: Do Pass by Committee Substitute HB 749 - Firefighters' Pension; certain active military duty; creditable service - Entire bill was substituted -- original bill related to active military duty - substitute bill is Code Section 47-7-1 regarding the merger of Firefighters Fund and the Class Nine Fund - Authored by: Rep. Bill Cummings - Committee Action: Do Pass by Committee Substitute 3 HB 809 - Superior Court Clerks' Retirement; survivors benefits; amend provisions - Bill provides for a postretirement benefit adjustment for members receiving a benefit on July 1, 2006, who elected a survivors benefit and whose spouse predeceased him or her. The retirement benefit shall be equal to the maximum retirement benefit he or she would have received if they had not elected survivors benefits. - Authored by: Rep. David Knight - Committee Action: Do Pass HB 821 - Judicial Retirement; certain judges or district attorneys; creditable service - Bill provides that a superior court judge or district attorney who is an active member of the Judicial System may obtain creditable service for certain prior service. Must have served as a circuit-paid assistant district attorney who was not eligible to participate in a local retirement system. Members can obtain up to five years of creditable service and pay the full actuarial cost. Payment must be made to the Board by Dec. 31, 2006 or within 6 months of first or again becoming a member of the Judicial System, whichever is later. - Authored by: Rep. John Yates - Committee Action: Do Pass Public Safety Committee HB 973 - Speed detection device; law enforcement officers; change provisions - Speed detection devices may be used in properly marked school zones one hour before, during and one hour after the normal hours of school operation. - Authored by: Rep. Wendell Willard - Committee Action: Do Pass * HB 465 was referred to subcommittee, and HB 998 was postponed to a later date. * Committee action reports are edited for this report. For full content, please contact the House Committee Services Office at 404-656-3206. * Bills passing committees are reported to the Clerk's Office and are then placed on the General Calendar for Rules Consideration. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ THURSDAY'S FULL COMMITTEE SCHEDULE 8:30 am Natural Resources & Environment Committee 606 COB 10:00 am Rules Committee 341 CAP 2:00 pm Transportation Committee 216 CAP 2:00 pm Judiciary-Civil Committee 132 CAP 3:00 pm Joint House/Senate Education Committee 403 CAP 3:00 pm Appropriations-Health Subcommittee 4 341 CAP 4:00 pm State Institutions & Property 606 COB For full agendas, please visit the General Assembly website, select House Committees. * This meeting schedule is set as of 5:00pm today. Times and locations may change at the request of the Committee Chairman. New committee meetings may also be placed on tomorrow's schedule at order of the Committee Chairman. _____________________________________________________________________________ Contact: Brent Cranfield House Communications (404) 656-0305 Brent.cranfield@house.ga.gov 5