Daily report [Jan. 30, 2007]

MEMBER SERVICES
Coverdell Legislative Office Bldg., Suite 609 Phone: (404) 656-0305

TOMORROW'S FORECAST
* The House will reconvene for its 12th Legislative Day on Wednesday, January 31, at 10:00 AM. * 3 bills are expected to be debated on the floor.

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DAILY REPORT

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RULES CALENDAR
HB 96 - State depositories; Federal Home Loan Banks; secure state funds
- BILL SUMMARY: This bill authorizes state depositories to accept letters of credit issued by the Federal Home Loan Bank as a collateral method to secure government deposits. - Authored By: Rep. James Mills of the 25th - House Committee: Banks & Banking - Rule: Open - Amendments(s): N/A - Yeas: 167; Nays: 0
HB 132 - Vessels; certain ports; numbers of pilots; change certain provisions
- BILL SUMMARY: This bill changes the number of licensed pilots to not exceed 21 instead of 17 for the port of Savannah, three for the port of Doboy and Darien, eight instead of six for the port of Brunswick, two for the Great Satilla River, and two for the port of St. Marys. - Authored By: Rep. Ron Stephens of the 164th - House Committee: Economic Development & Tourism - Rule: Open - Amendments(s): N/A - Yeas: 170; Nays: 0
* The House will reconvene Wednesday, January 31, at 10:00 AM, for its 12th Legislative Day of the 1st Regular Session of the 149th General Assembly.
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COMMITTEE ON RULES
The Committee on Rules has fixed the calendar for the 12th Legislative Day, Wednesday, January 31, and bills may be called at the pleasure of the Speaker.
RULES CALENDAR FOR NEXT LEGISLATIVE DAY
HR 16 - Statue of Zell Bryan Miller; Capitol Arts Standards Commission; urge
- BILL SUMMARY: A resolution to honor Zell Bryan Miller for being one of Georgia's most distinguished native sons. The resolution honoring Governor Miller will place a statue on the State Capitol Building grounds. He served as the Mayor of Young Harris, a Georgia Senator, the Georgia Lieutenant Governor, the Georgia Governor, and a United States Senator from Georgia. As Governor he helped Georgians with their fiscal difficulties and their education with the lottery funded PreK program and HOPE scholarship.

- Authored By: Rep. Ben Bridges of the 10th - House Committee: State Institutions & Property - Rule: Open
HB 98 - House and Senate; certain committees; amend Official Code of Georgia Annotated references
- BILL SUMMARY: This bill would rename various House and Senate committees - Authored By: Rep. Barry A Fleming of the 117th - House Committee: Rules - Rule: Modified-Structured
HR 46 - House Rules; amend Rule 18
- BILL SUMMARY: Makes changes to names of committees - Authored By: Rep. Barry A Fleming of the 117th - House Committee: Rules - Rule: Modified-Structured
* The Rules Committee will next meet on Wednesday, January 31, at 9:00 AM, to set the Rules Calendar for the 13th Legislative Day.
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COMMITTEE ACTION REPORT
Agriculture & Consumer Affairs
HB 101 - Public records; agricultural or food systems information; provisions
- BILL SUMMARY: This bill adds two new paragraphs, 10.2 and 10.3, at the end of subsection(a) of 50-18-72. This code section relates to certain public records kept by the Georgia Department of Agriculture (The Department) that are not subject to disclosure. Paragraph 10.2 exempts certain agricultural or food system records, data or information that is considered by The Department to be a part of the critical infrastructure, which has the same meaning as 42 U.S.C. Section 5195c(e). Paragraphs 10.3 exempts certain records, data or information collected by the Department for the purposes of a national animal identification system, which is a voluntary program to identify animals and track them as they come into contact with animals other than herdmates from their premise of origin. - Authored By: Rep. Penny Houston of the 170th - Committee Action: Do Pass by Committee Substitute
HB 105 - Animals; poultry; revise certain provisions
- BILL SUMMARY: Due to administrative costs for collection of fees that exceed the amount collected for certain licenses required by the Department, this bill would give discretion to the Commissioner of Agriculture to charge reasonable license fees to offset the administrative costs to collect such fees. This would apply only to a rendering plant license, a poultry dealer, poultry broker, poultry market operator, or hatchery license. Additionally, this bill removes code section 4-7-5 relating to sulfaguanidine and sulfathiazole since those antibiotics are no longer used to treat poultry. - Authored By: Rep. Gene Maddox of the 172nd - Committee Action: Do Pass by Committee Substitute
HB 122 - Commercial feeds; labeling requirements; exclude equine feed
- BILL SUMMARY: This bill only applies to feed produced for equines. The bill would require that ingredients for equine feed be listed in descending order of predominance by weight, rather than the use of a collective term for a group of ingredients. As an example, instead of simply "grain products," a label would read, "Wheat, Oats, etc." - Authored By: Rep. Terry England of the 108th - Committee Action: Do Pass
HB 112 - Food; license requirements; fees; applications; change provisions
- BILL SUMMARY: This bill amends the Georgia Dairy Act of 1980 (The Act), which allows the Department of Agriculture to set a license fee by regulation for certain businesses involved in the production, distribution and/or sale of milk or milk products. The fees do not generate enough revenue to cover the cost of collection and processing such fees. FY05 fees collected under this section were $1400 for the three different groups. Additionally, the bill removes the fees collected for "Cream Testers". The fees collected under this program were $95. These changes do not alter the responsibility of either the Department to regulate or the industry to produce clean and wholesome dairy products.
The bill also removes the fees collected for businesses that manufacture, bottle or distribute soft drinks and/or soft drink syrup in

Georgia. The change would eliminate the need for a special license. Those firms producing these products can be licensed with the "Food Sales Establishment License" used for all other food businesses regulated by the Consumer Protection Division. The FY05 fees collected under this section were $1160. Again, these changes do not alter the responsibility of either the Department to regulate or the industry to produce clean and wholesome dairy products. - Authored By: Rep. Tom McCall of the 30th - Committee Action: Do Pass
Game, Fish, & Parks
HB 81 - Salt water fishing; charter fishing guide and pier fishing licenses; provisions
- BILL SUMMARY: This bill comes from the findings and recommendations of a saltwater fishing guide work group facilitated and conducted by the Coastal Resources Division in 2006. The bill would define "salt water fishing guide," and salt water fishing pier," as well as make it unlawful for anyone to engage in the occupation of salt water fishing guide without holding a valid annual salt water fishing guide license. The fees for the license are $25 resident and $50 non-resident. The bill also creates an optional customer license that is available only to a salt water fishing guide who holds a USCG passenger vessel operator's license. Fees for the optional customer license would be: Resident, six or fewer customers - $150; Resident, unlimited customers - $400; non-residents, regardless of number of customers - $400. Finally, the bill authorizes the Department to use rule and regulations to specify information reporting requirements for salt water fishing guides and salt water fishing pier operators. - Authored By: Rep. Cecily Hill of the 180th - Committee Action: Do Pass
HB 100 - Shrimp and shrimping; revise various provisions
- BILL SUMMARY: This bill provides for an extensive re-write of the Shrimp Fishery. The recommendations contained in the bill came from a public stakeholder process coordinated and facilitated by the Coastal Resources Division of the Department of Natural Resources in 2005, and according to DNR's position - are not contrary to the wise use and conservation of Georgia's shrimp resource. - Authored By: Rep. Cecily Hill of the 180th - Committee Action: Do Pass
Judiciary (Civil)
HB 39 - Public records; confidential information not disclosed; provide
- BILL SUMMARY: HB 39 seeks to clarify language used in paragraph (a)(1) of O.C.G.A. 50-18-72, relating to exceptions and exemptions of the Georgia Open Records Act. Current law exempts public records "specifically required by the federal government to be kept confidential." The amendment clarifies that it is public records "specifically required by federal statute or regulation to be kept confidential." - Authored By: Rep. Jill Chambers of the 81st - Committee Action: Do Pass
HB 53 - Piedmont Circuit; terms of court; change provisions
- BILL SUMMARY: HB 53 seeks to change various provisions for the Piedmont Circuit, which consists of Banks, Barrow, and Jackson Counties. This bill makes the terms of court for all counties in the circuit the first Monday in February and August. The bill further states that the grand jury shall not be required to be impaneled in the first day of each term. -Authored By: Rep. Terry England of the 108th - Committee Action: Do Pass
Motor Vehicles
HB 79 - Motor vehicles; light transmission through windows; materials; provisions
- BILL SUMMARY: This bill adds federal, state and local government vehicles, as well as licensed private detectives' vehicles, to the list of exemptions from Georgia's window tinting restrictions. - Authored By: Rep. Ronald L Forster of the 3rd - Committee Action: Do Pass by Committee Substitute
Public Safety and Homeland Security
HB 76 - Emergency management; nomenclature and symbols; require permission; provisions
- BILL SUMMARY: A bill relating to emergency management requiring permission of the Georgia Office of Homeland Security's and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency's Nomenclature. The Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to emergency

management is to be amended by inserting a new article after Article 7.
The new article shall be known as "Georgia Office of Homeland Security and Georgia Emergency Management Agency Nomenclature Act of 2007". The article will describe the meaning of different terms such as badge, director of the affected agency, emblem, person, seal, and willful visitor. Only with permission from the director of the Georgia Office of Homeland Security `OHS' knowingly may use the words of the Georgia Office of Homeland Security and the Georgia Information Sharing and Analysis Center in connection with any advertisement. Also, only with permission of the director of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency `GEMA' knowingly may use the words of Georgia's Emergency Management Agency in connection with any type of advertisement. Any person who displays any emblem, seal or badge of OHS or GEMA without permission from director will be in violation of this article. Any person that seeks permission may submit a written request to the appropriate agency. When there is a violation the director has the right to apply to the Superior Court of Fulton County or to the Superior Court of County of residence for an injunction to restrain the violation. The director has the right to collect a sanction from the violator. Any person that has given money for their use of agency nomenclature or symbols in violation to this article may maintain a suit for damages against the violator. Any willing violator shall be found guilty of a felony and be fined or imprisoned. - Authored By: Rep. Burke Day of the 163rd - Committee Action: Do Pass by Committee Substitute
HB 113 - 2007 Georgia Fire Officer Development Act; enact
- BILL SUMMARY: A bill related to fire protection and safety. The Act shall be known as "2007 Georgia Fire Officer Development Act". The Act will provide definitions of airport, airport fighter, candidate, certified firefighter, council, fire department, and fire officer, firefighter, full-time, part-time, and volunteer. The Act will revise paragraphs (10) and (11) of Code Section 25-4-7 relating to the functions and powers of the Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council, and add a paragraph (12). Lastly, the Act will add another Code Section 25-7-9. - Authored By: Rep. Burke Day of the 163rd - Committee Action: Do Pass
* Bills passing committees are reported to the Clerk's Office, and are then placed on the General Calendar.
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COMMITTEE MEETING SCHEDULE

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM

Wednesday, January 31, 2007 Budget & Fiscal Affairs House Rules Committee Mtg. Appropriations Health Subcommittee Mtg. House Appropriations Economic Development Subcommittee Banks & Banking Committee Mtg. Retirement Committee Mtg. CANCELLED Joint House/Senate Transportation Mtg.

515 CLOB 341 CAP 606 CLOB 515 CLOB 506 CLOB 403 CAP 606 CLOB

* This broadcast schedule is accurate at the time of this report, but meeting dates and times are subject to change. To view the most up to date meeting schedule, please visit www.legis.ga.gov and click on Meeting Notices. To view the live streaming of the meeting, please visit the Georgia Legislative Network website.
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CONTACT: BRENT CRANFIELD
(404) 656-0305 Brent.Cranfield@house.ga.gov