Daily report [Feb. 1, 2006]

HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS

TOMORROW'S FORECAST

Coverdell Legislative Office Bldg. * The House will reconvene for its 12th Legislative Day on Thursday,

Suite. 609

February 2, at 10:00 am.

(404) 656-0305 Phone

* 5 bills are expected to be debated on the floor.

GEORGIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
DAILY REPORT

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2006

LEGISLATIVE DAY# 11

TODAY ON THE FLOOR

Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson gaveled the House into session today, at 10:00 am, for the 11th legislative day of the 2nd Session of the 148th General Assembly.

DEBATE CALENDAR

HB 101 - Peace Officers' Annuity and Benefit Fund; certain creditable service

- Bill authorizes creditable service for active members of the Peace Officers Fund for prior service as a peace

officer which was rendered before January 1, 1976. This would apply to all persons who are active members

on July 1, 2006 and to all persons becoming active members after that date. A member wishing to establish

creditable service shall pay the employee's contribution in an amount equal to $10 for each month of service

sought. The request for creditable service must be in writing, along with proof of prior service, and received

by the Board no later than December 31, 2006. The General Assembly shall appropriate funds necessary to

concurrently fund the provisions of this bill.

- Authored by: Rep. Tyrone Brooks

- House Committee: Retirement

- Rules Committee: Open

- Amendment(s): None

- Y: 167

N: 0

HB 718 - Pretrial intervention and diversion programs; authorize certain courts to

administer

- Amends 15-18-80 to authorize the prosecuting attorney for any court that prosecutes criminal cases to

create pretrial intervention programs. Currently, fees up to $300.00 can be assessed. The bill would direct

those monies to the jurisdiction which is prosecuting the case rather than to the county in which the crime

was committed as is the current rule. Court costs pursuant to 15-18-81 would be made payable to the

jurisdiction which is prosecuting the case rather than to the county in which the crime was committed as is

the current rule

- Authored by: Rep. Ed Lindsey

- House Committee: Judiciary - Non-Civil

- Rules Committee: Open

- Amendment(s): None

- Y: 158

N: 3

HB 941 - Archives and History, Division of; documents; religious heritage; recognize
- To recognize the religious heritage of America; to direct the Secretary of State to prepare documents relative to that heritage; to authorize counties to post documents relative to that heritage for education; to

1

direct the Attorney General to defend counties that display documents relative to the religious heritage of

America; and to set forth the text relative to the religious heritage of America.

- Authored by: Rep. Tommy Benton

- House Committee: Special Rules

- Rules Committee: Structured

- Amendment(s): None

- Y: 146

N: 20

HB 989 - Clerks of superior courts; sunset dates; change

- Changes Clerks' of Superior Court sunset dates for filing documents related to real estate and the

development of state-wide automated information systems.

- Authored by: Rep. Barry Fleming

- House Committee: Judiciary

- Rules Committee: Open

- Amendment(s): None

- Y: 159

N: 0

HB 1020 - Retirement; allowances; withdrawal of contributions; amend provisions

- The bill provides that the effective date of retirement is the first day of the month following the member's

final month of employment. The bill also allows the Board of Trustees of the Georgia Defined Contribution

Plan (GDCP) to establish the minimum amount of employee contribution and earned interest necessary to

provide a monthly retirement allowance.

- Authored by: Rep. Ben Bridges

- House Committee: Retirement

- Rules Committee: Open

- Amendment(s): None

- Y: 165

N: 0

* The House will reconvene Thursday, February 2 at 10:00 am for its 12th Legislative Day of the 2nd Regular Session of the 148th General Assembly.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

RULES COMMITTEE

The Committee on Rules today has fixed the calendar for the 12th Legislative Day, Thursday, February 2, as enumerated below, and can be called at the pleasure of the Speaker of the House.
DEBATE CALENDAR HB 594 - Bail bonds; fees of sureties
- Changes the basis of the bondsman's fees to allow the surety to charge up to 12% on the face of a bond in the amount of $10,000.00 or less, 15% on the face of a bond in the amount of $10,000.00 or more Currently the fees are charged on the principal amount of the bond. This bill would require that the fee be charged on the face value which would include the principal amount and all applicable surcharges - Authored by: Rep. Howard Maxwell - House Committee: Judiciary Non-Civil - Rules Committee: Open

HB 692 - Probation; terms and conditions; amend
- This bill adds detail to the general conditions of probation. Condition 6 is amended to forbid banishment to an area that is less than one entire judicial circuit in size and to areas where mandated programs or services are not available
2

- Authored by: Rep. Ellis Black - House Committee: State Institutions & Property - Rules Committee: Open
HB 1042 - Annual accounting periods; treatment of taxable years; amend provisions
- Authored by: Rep. Roger Williams - House Committee: Ways & Means - Rules Committee: Modified Structured
HB 1052 - Motor vehicles; distinguishable transporter license plate; provisions
- This bill provides that a person engaged in the business of the limited operation of a motor vehicle for any of the following purposes may obtain a destinguishable transporter license plate authorizing the movement of the vehicle for the specific purpose: (1) To facilitate the delivery of new or used motor vehicles, trucks, or buses between manufacturers, distributors, dealers, sellers, or purchasers;(2) To move a mobile office, a mobile classroom, a mobile or manufactured home, or a house trailer;(3) To drive a motor vehicle that is part of the inventory of a dealer to and from a motor vehicle trade show or exhibition or to, during, and from a parade in which the motor vehicle is used; or(4) To drive special mobile equipment in any of the following circumstances:(A) From the manufacturer of the equipment to a facility of a dealer; or (B) From one facility of a dealer to another facility of a dealer. Further, this bill creates a new "wholesaler" classification for used car dealers. - Authored by: Rep. Jack Murphy - House Committee: Motor Vehicles - Rules Committee: Open
HB 1080 - Income tax credit; qualified child and dependent care expenses; provide
- This bill provides for an income tax credit for qualified child and dependent care expenses in the following amounts: 1. 10% for all taxable years from January 1, 2006-December 31, 2006 2. 20% for all taxable years from January 1, 2007-December 31, 2007 3. 30% for all taxable years beginning on January 1, 2008 and thereafter. No unused credits are allowed to be carried forward or applied to prior years' tax liability. - Authored by: Rep. Rich Golick - House Committee: Ways & Means - Rules Committee: Structured
* The Rules Committee will next meet on Thursday, February 2 at 9:00 am to set the Debate Calendar for the 13th Legislative Day.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
COMMITTEE ACTION REPORT
CHILDREN & YOUTH HB 1066 - Metabolic and genetic disorders; system for screening newborns; change
provisions
- HB 1066 would allow for the screening of newborns for serious illness, developmental disabilities, metabolic and genetic conditions. The Department of Human Resources will be authorized to establish and adjust fees associated with the screening, retrieval, and diagnosis of the screenings, but no services will be denied on the basis of inability to pay. These requirements will not apply to an infant whose parents object to the screening based on a religious belief. - Authored by: Rep. Judy Manning
3

- Committee Action: Do Pass
INSURANCE
Met to assign bills to subcommittees
PUBLIC SAFETY HB 998 - Firearms; "Georgia's Self-Defense Act"; enact
- This bill is known as the `Georgia's Self-defense Act' with the intent to reinforce and protect the right of law-abiding citizens to enter and exit parking facilities (along with spaces set aside for parking) while lawfully transporting and storing a firearm(s) in the motor vehicle. The firearms must be locked in or locked to the motor vehicle. Protection of persons and business entities are covered under this bill and will not be liable in any civil action for any occurrence which results from use of a firearm which is lawfully transported. If an employee is discharged for legally carrying a firearm in their motor vehicle and parking on property set aside for that entity, they are entitled to fully recover reimbursement. If denied they may file a civil action in the courts of this state. - Authored by: Rep. Tom Graves - Committee Action: Tabled
REGULATED INDUSTRIES HB 881 - Dispensing opticians; apprenticeship program; amend requirements
- HB 881 would require an apprenticeship program as part of the requirement for an applicant to gain experience. The training would include a minimum of 3,500 hours of experience and instruction. The supervisor of the program will need to submit a written plan to the board for approval, and the applicant must submit a written statement of interest to qualify for the apprenticeship program. - Authored by: Rep. Jill Chambers - Committee Action: Do Pass
TRANSPORTATION HB 1097 - Outdoor advertising signs; restriction; amend
- This bill relates to restrictions on billboard height, and contents of outdoor advertising on state and federal highways and interstates. Maximum height is no more than seventy feet high and the restrictions will be placed on advertising for adult entertainment, etc. Much debate was given to the issue of free speech, the value of trees to be cut down to accommodate the new height of said billboards. After all arguments were heard, the sponsor, Rep. Tom McCall, moved to strike language in Section 4, subsection (F) "... that may create the effect of movement" and pick up after that with the original language. This bill passed the full committee by substitute. - Authored by: Rep. Tom McCall - Committee Action: Do Pass by Substitute
HB 1106 - Weight of vehicle and load; hauling of construction aggregates; include
- This bill simply revises previous legislation dealing with truck weight limits. If passed out through the General Assembly, this bill will exempt per axle penalties that are often given even when the gross weight limit is not over the limit. This bill will prevent penalties when weight shifts and goes over the per axle limit. The bill was drafted with the help of the DOT and all parties are in agreement about the language of the bill. - Authored by: Rep. Tom Graves - Committee Action: Do Pass
STATE PLANNING HB 1109 - American Indians; certain tribes; change address
- The bill deletes the current legal address of the The Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokee and replaces it with
4

language which designates the legal address as that registered with the Secretary of State's office. - Authored by: Rep. Ben Bridges - Committee Action: Tabled
* 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.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
COMMITTEE MEETING SCHEDULE
8:00 AM SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
506 CLOB
8:30 AM NATURAL RESOURCES & ENVIRONMENT
606 CLOB
9:00 AM RULES COMMITTEE
341 CAP
1:00 PM GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
406 CLOB
2:00 PM HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
606 CLOB
2:00 PM MOTOR VEHICLES
506 CLOB
3:00 PM HUMAN RELATIONS & AGING
506 CLOB
4:00 PM STATE INSTITUTIONS & PROPERTY
606 CLOB
4:00 PM PUBLIC UTILITIES
506 CLOB
* 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.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Contact: Brent Cranfield
House Communications (404) 656-0305 Brent.cranfield@house.ga.gov
5