Daily report [Feb. 14, 2006]

HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS

TOMORROW'S FORECAST

Coverdell Legislative Office Bldg. * The House will reconvene for its 19th Legislative Day on Wednesday,

Suite. 609

February 15, at 10:00 am.

(404) 656-0305 Phone

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

GEORGIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
DAILY REPORT

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2006

LEGISLATIVE DAY# 18

TODAY ON THE FLOOR

Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson gaveled the House into session today, at 10:00 am, for the 18th legislative day of the 2nd Session of the 148th General Assembly.

DEBATE CALENDAR
HB 661 - School clubs; local boards provide information to parents; policies and procedures - The bill would require local boards of education to allow parents/guardians to opt their child out of clubs or organizations. A yearly description of these must be given. The student handbook can give these descriptions. - Authored by: Rep. Bobby Reese - House Committee: Education - Rules Committee: Open - Amendments: - Motion to Postpone until next legislative day.

HB 972 - Teacher certification renewal; require test in basic computer skill competency

- The bill relates to teacher certification. The Professional Standards Commission shall not require a course

in computer skill competency or the InTech program but one in basic computer skill competency for teacher

certification renewal. The test shall be made available to be taken onsite at the school where the certificated

personnel are assigned. Local systems shall appoint individuals at each school to serve as proctors for those

taking the test.

- Authored by: Rep. David Casas

- House Committee: Education

- Rules Committee Open

- Amendments: None

- Y: 159

N: 0

HB 1184 - Herty Foundation; change name

- This bill changes the name of the Herty Foundation to the Herty Advanced material Development Center

and modifies its purpose. It also creates a subsidiary corporation for the foundation.

- Authored by: Rep. Ron Stephens

- House Committee: Economic Development & Tourism

- Rules Committee: Open

- Amendments: None

- Y: 158

N: 0

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HB 1213 - Poultry; disposal; provide

- This bill comes in response to the bird flu, and other state departments of agriculture are all looking at

similar legislation. The purpose of this bill is to prevent the spread of bird flu and other poultry diseases. In

cases where poultry is available live at market, this legislation would prevent the bird from being slaughtered

on premises. This would minimize the ability of bird flu to spread and the risks to the poultry industry in

Georgia would be reduced. Section 1 updates the statute to be consistent with the dead animal disposal act.

Section 2 prohibits the slaughter of poultry on premises of a poultry dealer, broker, or market operator.

Supported by the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Supported by the Georgia Poultry Federation

- Authored by: Rep. Tom McCall

- House Committee: Agriculture & Consumer Affairs

- Rules Committee: Open

- Amendments: None

- Y: 158

N: 0

HB 1238 - Wire transmission; money; illegal immigrant fee; provide

- HB 1238 provides for an "Illegal Immigrant Fee Act," and would allow taxing wire transmissions to a

foreign country by 5% of the amount transmitted. This bill would apply to authorized agents of a licensee

or any money transmission business, excluding banks. An important intent of the bill is that the wire

transmission tax be applied to indigent care programs. The fee would not apply if the customer presents

adequate proof or US citizenship or that the customer is legally present in the US. The standard of such

proof of citizenship is the list of acceptable documents as defined by the Department of Homeland Security.

Any person who evades the fee would be guilty of a misdemeanor for the first offense; for the second or

subsequent offense, a person would be guilty of a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature.

- Authored by: Rep. Tom Rice

- House Committee: Banks & Banking

- Rules Committee: Open

- Amendments: AM Lunsford: 114/45 - Adopted

AM Hatfield: 25/138 - Lost

AM Rice/Golick: 123/36 - Adopted

- Y: 106

N: 60

HB 1240 - Workers' compensation; certain requirements; provide

- Requires that any physician treating a worker's compensation claim comply with the provisions against

self-referral in Chapter 1B of Title 43. Requires that an employee seeking compensation for mileage submit

his or her claim within one year of the date of incurring the expenses or forfeit the right to collect such

compensation. Increases the total compensation payable to a surviving spouse who is the sole dependant

from $125,000.00 to $150,000.00. Reserves OCGA 43-1B-7 related to physician referrals

- Authored by: Rep. Mike Coan

- House Committee: Industrial Relations

- Rules Committee: Open

- Amendments: None

- Y: 153

N: 0

* The House will reconvene Wednesday, February 15 at 10:00 am for its 19th Legislative Day of the 2nd Regular Session of the 148th General Assembly.
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RULES COMMITTEE

The Committee on Rules today has fixed the calendar for the 19th Legislative Day, Wednesday, February 15, as enumerated below, and can be called at the pleasure of the Speaker of the House.

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DEBATE CALENDAR
HB 560 - Ad valorem tax; county tax assessors; property valuation appeal; change certain provision - This bill prohibits errors in the description and characterization of real property, determined by review of the board of tax assessors, from being the sole basis for increasing the valuation of such property during the two year period following an appeal in which the value of the real property was established. - Authored by: Rep. Charles Martin - House Committee: Ways and Means - Rules Committee: Structured
HB 724 - Sewage management systems; licensed plumbers; allow certain work - This bill adds a new subsection (d) to 31-2-7 to allow for any plumber licensed by the State Construction Industry Licensing board to access and repair any onsite sewage management system for the purposes of repairing or servicing any plumbing system or connection to the onsite sewage management system. - Authored by: Rep. Tom McCall - House Committee: Natural Resources & Environment - Rules Committee: Open
HB 955 - MARTA; public records relating to fare payment system; exempt from disclosure; provide - This bill would exempt MARTA's development and implementation of its TransCard and SmartCard fare system from open records requirements. - Authored by: Rep. Harry Geisinger - House Committee: Judiciary - Civil - Rules Committee: Open
HB 1032 - Licenses to carry pistol or revolver; temporary renewal permit; provide for restrictions - Amends Code section 16-11-129 regarding licensing exceptions for pistols or revolvers to prevent a pistol or revolver license from being granted to a person who: is under indictment; is addicted to or using illegal drugs; has been adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution; is an illegal alien with exceptions for persons admitted to the United States for hunting, or for foreign officials or law enforcement officers; has been dishonorably discharged from the armed services - Authored by: Rep. John Lunsford - House Committee: Judiciary Non-Civil - Rules Committee: Structured
HB 1157 - Income tax credit; employers providing retraining programs; change provisions - This bill broadens the existing employer retraining credit and states that if a qualifying airline has income tax credits that are available to be carried forward, then instead of carrying forward to offset against future years income tax liability, the airline can take these same credits as a credit against their withholding taxes. - Authored by: Rep. Mark Burkhalter - House Committee: Ways & Means - Rules Committee: Structured
HB 1182 - Sales and use tax exemption; certain hall of fame attractions; provisions - This bill provides for a sales tax exemption on the sale of tangible personal property for the construction of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The exemption will expire on December 31, 2008. - Authored by: Rep. Mark Burkhalter - House Committee: Ways & Means - Rules Committee: Structured
HB 1211 - Southern Appalachian brook trout; official state cold water game fish; designate - This bill would designate the Southern Appalachian brook trout as the official Georgia cold water game fish and also raise awareness of the importance of this game fish. Analogous to the canary used in mining, the Southern Appalachian brook trout is a good indicator of stream health.
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- Authored by: Rep. Bobby Reese - House Committee: Game, Fish & Parks - Rules Committee: Structure
HB 1226 - Agricultural education teachers; minimum salaries; provide - This bill provides for the minimum salaries for agricultural education teachers based on twelve months service. It also provides an effective date and for applicability. - Authored by: Rep. Terry England - House Committee: Education - Rules Committee: Open
* The Rules Committee will next meet on Wednesday, February 15 at 9:00 am to set the Debate Calendar for the 20th Legislative Day.
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COMMITTEE ACTION REPORT
AGRICULTURE & CONSUMER AFFAIRS HB 983 - Petroleum products; sale of; certain acts; prohibit
- This would make it unlawful to knowingly manufacture, blend, or store for distribution in this state any gasoline containing methyl tertiary-butyl ether. - Authored by: Rep. Jill Chambers - Committee Action: Do Pass by Committee Substitute
EDUCATION HB 920 - Employees' health insurance; certain members of local boards of education; provide benefits
- The bill relates to state employees' health insurance plan and authorizes local boards of education to provide health insurance benefits to members leaving office on or after December 31, 2006 if they have served 12 years as a member of the local board. Former members shall pay the entire cost of the health insurance coverage. - Authored by: Rep. Lynn Smith - Committee Action: Do pass
HB 1055 - Public schools; Internet safety policies; adopt and implement - This bill provides for the adoption and implementation of Internet safety policies in public schools and public libraries. It also defines `Acceptable-use policy,' `child pornography,' and `Internet.' In addition it provides for a timetable for implementation and exceptions for certain situations. - Authored by: Rep. Mike Keown - Committee Action: Do Pass
HB 1241 - Quality Basic Education Act; eligibility conditions for student athletes; provide - This bill provides that no high school which receives funding shall participate in any way in interscholastic sports events under the authority of any athletic association that denies eligibility to a participant that participates during that school year in a national competitive event which is not sanctioned by the previously mentioned athletic association. - Authored by: Rep. Chuck Martin - Committee Action: Do Pass
SB 390 - Classrooms First for Georgia Act; require local schools to spend minimum operating funds on direct classrooms expenditures - This bill provides for the financing for quality basic education. It requires that a minimum of 65 percent of operating funds be spent on direct classroom expenditures. It provides for definitions of `Direct Classroom
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Expenditures' and `Total Operating Expenditures.' It also provides for incremental compliance, a one-year renewable waiver to compliance, and sanctions for noncompliance. In addition, it provides for the submission of budget and expenditure information and certain provisions relating to expenditure controls for fiscal years 2007 and 2008. - Authored by: Sen. Ronnie Chance - Committee Action: Do Pass
JUDICIARY (CIVIL) HB 376 - Juries; exemption; caregivers of certain children
- Exempts caregivers of children who are four or younger from reporting for jury duty. Excuses a primary teacher in a home study program as defined by OCGA 20-2-690 from jury duty. House substitute requires the court to provide affidavits for the above exceptions. - Authored by: Rep. Barry Loudermilk - Committee Action: Do Pass by Committee Substitute
HB 1195 - Civil case; complaints and judgments; change provisions - Ensures that a civil action is not considered filed until the civil case form is properly filled out. Requires that judgment not be entered until the civil case form is filed - Authored by: Rep. Wendell Willard - Committee Action: Do Pass by Committee Substitute
LEGISLATIVE & CONGRESSIONAL REAPPORTIONMENT HR 64 - House of Representatives; single-member districts - CA
- Bill passes un-amended by 8 to 3 vote approx. 8:30am. Would cap number of Representatives at 180 and allow only single member districts. Constitutional Amendment. LC 25 8359 - Authored by: Rep. Roger Williams - Committee Action: Do Pass by Committee Substitute
MOTOR VEHICLES HB 276 - Motor vehicles; licensing of ignition interlock device providers
- This bill would allow the Department of Driver's Services to regulate and oversee the ignition interlock device provider centers. Currently, this industry is unregulated though Georgia mandates these devices upon second DUI conviction. - Authored by: Rep. Tom Rice - Committee Action: Do Pass by Committee Substitute
HB 363 - Motor vehicles; state vehicles; license plates; requirements - This bill changes the requirements regarding re-plating of private and governmental motor vehicles by increasing the license fee on governmental vehicles. - Authored by: Rep. Jack Murphy - Committee Action: Do Pass by Committee Substitute
HB 513 - Drivers' licenses; certain records; furnish to Georgia Bureau of Investigation - This bill allows fire departments and law enforcement agencies to get a copy of the driving record and criminal history of a prospective or active employee. Further, it makes it illegal to disclose the information contained therein for any reason other than official business of the department or agency. - Authored by: Rep. Austin Scott - Committee Action: Do Pass
HB 1236 - Motor vehicles; registration; place of return; amend - This bill allows for RVs and mobile homes to be registered in the county they are functionally located; meaning the county they are located in at least 184 days in a calendar year. This may not necessarily be the county of residence for the owner.
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- Authored by: Rep. Joe Wilkinson - Committee Action: Do Pass
SPECIAL RULES No legislative action was taken
WAYS & MEANS HB 1012 - General obligation bonds; requirements; provisions
- This bill requires that revenue and general obligation bonds, issued by a county, municipality or local authority, in an amount of $5 million or more, shall be subject to an ongoing performance audit or review. The bill further provides that the entity expending the bond proceeds shall provide for a continuing performance audit or review of the expenditures of such funds. The county, municipality, or local authority expending these proceeds must contract with a C.P.A. or an outside auditor, consultant or other provider that is accredited or certified in the field of performance audits or review, selected through a public request for proposals process, to perform a continuing audit or review of such expenditures. The cost of the audit or review shall be paid from the proceeds of the bonds, unless a special waiver is advertised which specifically states that no such audit or review shall be conducted. Such contracts shall include a goal of ensuring that the proceeds were spent efficiently and economically so that the maximum benefit of the bonds were recognized; provide for the issuance of periodic public reports; and provide for the issuance of periodic public recommendations. - Authored by: Rep. Fran Millar - Committee Action: Do Pass by Committee Substitute
* 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.
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COMMITTEE MEETING BROADCAST SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2006
9:00 am Rules Committee 341 CAP
1:00 pm Industrial Relations
506 CLOB
2:00 pm Appropriations - Public Safety
515 CLOB
3:00 pm Appropriations - Heatlh
341 CAP
3:00 pm Transportation
406 CLOB
3:30 pm Public Safety
606 CLOB
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3:30 pm Regulated Industries
515 CLOB
4:00 pm Public Utilities & Telecommunications
506 CLOB
4:30 pm Government Affairs
606 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.
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CONTACT: BRENT CRANFIELD
House Communications (404) 656-0305 Brent.cranfield@house.ga.gov
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