Daily report [Feb. 6, 2012]

HOUSE BUDGET & RESEARCH OFFICE (404) 656-5050 HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS (404) 656-0305

TOMORROW'S FORECAST
* The House will reconvene for its 16th Legislative Day on Tuesday, February 7, at 10:00 AM. * 6 bills are expected to be debated on the floor.

GEORGIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
DAILY REPORT

Monday, February 06, 2012

15th Legislative Day

TODAY ON THE FLOOR

RULES CALENDAR

HB 832 - Vidalia onion trademark; royalty and license fee not exceed a certain amount; eliminate requirement
- BILL SUMMARY: The legislation amends Code Section 2-14-132.1 of the O.C.G.A relating to Vidalia onion trademark, royalty and license fees. Section 1 Removes the language setting the royalty and license fee at .05 cents for each six ounces or part there of, for a food product using the Vidalia onion in the product and the Vidalia onion trademark. Section 2 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed. - Authored By: Rep. Tom McCall of the 30th - House Committee: Agriculture & Consumer Affairs - Rule: Open - Amendments(s): N/A - Yeas: 148; Nays: 8
HR 1103 - Deputy James D. Paugh Memorial Highway; Richmond County; dedicate
- BILL SUMMARY: This resolution dedicates the portion of Interstate Route 520 in Richmond County from Exit 2 (Wrightsboro Road) to Exit 3 (Gordon Highway) as the Deputy James D. Paugh Memorial Highway. - Authored By: Rep. Barbara Sims of the 119th - House Committee: Transportation - Rule: Structured - Amendments(s): N/A - Yeas: 161; Nays: 0
LOCAL CALENDAR

HB 783 - Laurens County; Board of Commissioners; change description of districts
- BILL SUMMARY: A Bill to reapportion the Laurens County Board of Commissioners. - Authored By: Rep. Matt Hatchett of the 143rd - House Committee: Intragovernmental Coordination - Local - Rule: Open - Yeas: 151; Nays: 0
HB 833 - Terrell County; Board of Education; change description of districts
- BILL SUMMARY: A Bill to reapportion the Terrell County Board of Education. - Authored By: Rep. Bob Hanner of the 148th - House Committee: Intragovernmental Coordination - Local - Rule: Open - Yeas: 151; Nays: 0

HB 842 - Decatur, City of; Board of Education; change description of districts
- BILL SUMMARY: A Bill to reapportion the City of Decatur Board of Education. - Authored By: Rep. Stephanie Benfield of the 85th - House Committee: Intragovernmental Coordination - Local - Rule: Open - Yeas: 151; Nays: 0
HB 847 - Grady County; board of commissioners; change description of districts
- BILL SUMMARY: A Bill to reapportion the Grady County Board of Commissioners. - Authored By: Rep. Gene Maddox of the 172nd - House Committee: Intragovernmental Coordination - Local - Rule: Open - Yeas: 151; Nays: 0
HR 1103 - Deputy James D. Paugh Memorial Highway; Richmond County; dedicate
- BILL SUMMARY: This resolution dedicates the portion of Interstate Route 520 in Richmond County from Exit 2 (Wrightsboro Road) to Exit 3 (Gordon Highway) as the Deputy James D. Paugh Memorial Highway. - Authored By: Rep. Barbara Sims of the 119th - House Committee: Transportation - Rule: Structured - Yeas: 161; Nays: 0
* The House will reconvene Tuesday, February 7, at 10:00 AM, for its 16th Legislative Day.
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COMMITTEE ON RULES
The Committee on Rules has fixed the calendar for the 16th Legislative Day, Tuesday, February 7, and bills may be called at the pleasure of the Speaker.
NEXT ON THE FLOOR
HB 642 - Georgia Services Administration; create; revise several Titles
- BILL SUMMARY: The House Governmental Affairs Committee substitute to HB 642 abolishes the office of State Personnel Administration and relocates its duties to the Department of Administrative Services. - Authored By: Rep. Doug Collins of the 27th - House Committee: Governmental Affairs - House Committee Passed: 2/2/2012 - Rule: Structured
HB 711 - Evidence; privileges; change provisions
- BILL SUMMARY: HB 711 is a joint spousal/advocate privilege bill.
First, the bill adds certain exemptions to the spousal privilege and when a spouse would be compelled to testify. In addition to the instances when a husband or wife is charged with a crime against a child under the age of 18, HB 711 adds exemptions the husband or wife is charged with a crime against the spouse or their property or the crime occurred prior to the marriage. As introduced, the bill included an exemption for when the husband or wife is charged to have acted jointly in the commission of the crime charged, but the bill substitute does not include this language.
Next, HB 711 prevents certain agents from being compelled to disclose information relating to family violence or sexual assault victims disclosed during the course of treatment programs. - Authored By: Rep. Edward Lindsey of the 54th - House Committee: Judiciary - House Committee Passed: 2/2/2012 - Rule: Modified-Open

HB 725 - Elections; selection and qualification of candidates and presidential electors; provisions
- BILL SUMMARY: HB 725 provides that in any case where an incumbent has filed notice of candidacy and paid the prescribed qualifying fee in a partisan or nonpartisan election to succeed himself or herself in office but withdraws as a candidate for such office prior to the close of the applicable qualifying period prescribed in this subsection, qualifying for candidates other than such incumbent shall be reopened at 9:00 A.M. on the Monday next following the close of the preceding qualifying period and shall cease at 5:00 P.M. on the Tuesday immediately following such reopening, notwithstanding the fact that any such days may be legal holidays. - Authored By: Rep. Mark Hamilton of the 23rd - House Committee: Governmental Affairs - House Committee Passed: 2/2/2012 - Rule: Modified-Structured
HB 760 - Elementary and secondary education; capital outlay funds replace exceptional growth program
- BILL SUMMARY: House Bill 760 is relating to capital outlay funds for elementary and secondary education. SECTION 1: Removes definitions that will no longer be applicable to the capital outlay legislation:
Annual debt service (Lines 17-19). Exceptional Growth (Lines 20-21). References to "Weighted" FTEs (Lines 24, 26, 30-32).
SECTION 2: Lines 43-44: Removes references to annual debt service. Lines 52-53: Removes references to exceptional growth. Lines 57-62: Removes reference to projects using prototypical designs under the supervision of GSFIC.
SECTION3: Lines 66-67: Removes reference to exceptional growth. Lines 89-92: Another reference to prototypical designs.
SECTION4: Lines 100-108: Again, this removes references to prototypical designs.
SECTION5: Lines 115-116: Removes references to exceptional growth. Lines 118-124: Increases the level of entitlement authorization for the Regular category from $200 million to $300 million beginning with the 2014 applications (effective with the FY14 budget). Lines 129 132, Lines 139 146 and Lines 161-167: Remove items no longer applicable to the formula used to compute total state facilities needs: o Exceptional Growth (Lines 130-132), o Annual debt service payments (Lines 139-146). o Local credit (Lines 161-167). Lines 170 - 172: This language will allow Exceptional Growth entitlements earned for FY13 or accumulated from prior years to be combined with Regular Entitlement earnings.
SECTIONS 6 AND 7: Lines 185, 192, 197 and 205 in Section 6 and Line 209 in Section 7: These changes impact Advance Funding by the following: o Raises the minimum number of years required to repay the advance funds from 3 to 5 years. (Section 6 Lines 185 & 197, and Section 7, Line 209). o Housekeeping item: Changing "Advanced" to "Advance" to make the language consistent throughout the law (Lines 192, 197). o Removing the June 30, 2015 repeal date for this section (Line 205).
SECTION 8: Lines 216-299: Strikes the entire subsection J which explains exceptional growth.
SECTION 9: Lines 314-315: Removes references to exceptional growth.
SECTION 10: Lines 319-326 and Lines 351-420: Removes non-binding language regarding local referendum to keep a school open after the local board has decided to close it.
SECTION 11 AND 12: Line 424 in Section 11 and Line 429 in Section 12: Removes references to subsection j (exceptional growth).
SECTION 13 AND 14: Lines 443-451 in Section 13 and Lines 455-467 in Section 14: Remove obsolete language that pertained to the expired Incentive Advance funding for mergers. Specifically: o Lines 443-451 in Section 13: Removes restrictions for state capital funds to be provided for a local system high school consolidation construction project when the local bond referendum for said project did not pass. o Lines 455-467 in Section 14: Removes outdated language for districts submitting plans by July 1, 1992 to

reorganize or consolidate schools. o Line 467 in Section 14: Reserves the section for future use, if needed.
SECTION 15: Line 477: Removes subsection j which references exceptional growth.
SECTION 16: Lines 483-490: Removes language to follow procedures established in subsection K.1 (non-binding referendum), which is being eliminated in Section 10. Lines 490: Reserves the section for future use, if needed.
SECTION 17: Lines 494-502: This new subsection codifies the process to use when a district requests emergency capital outlay funds for a school which has been destroyed or damaged by a natural disaster.
SECTION 18: Section 18 makes changes to the eligibility requirements for the Low-Wealth program as follows: Lines 513-515: Removes references to per capita income, which is being eliminated from the capital outlay calculations for low-wealth grants. Lines 519 523: Defines equivalents millage (for those school systems with a Local Option Sales Tax or LOST) as the combination of property tax revenues and sales tax revenues representing the amount that would be generated by a designated rate of mills. Lines 524-525: Clarifies that full-time equivalent student count (FTEs) will be used rather than weighted full-time student count (WFTE). Lines 531-535: Removes language relating to prototypical designs. Lines 535-539: This new language recognizes local effort by giving school systems with low-wealth projects a 1% reduction in the required local participation for each full mill levied over 12 mills or the equivalent, up to 8%. Lines 542-583: Establishes new eligibility criteria to meet in order to receive a low-wealth grant: o Lines 542-544: Evaluate systems ranked in the bottom 25% of sales tax revenues per FTE rather than those that fall below 75% of the statewide average of sales tax revenue per FTE. o Lines 546-549: Evaluate systems ranked in the bottom 25% of property wealth per FTE rather than those that fall below 75% of the statewide average of value of property per weighted FTE. Strikes "weighted". o Lines 550-557: Establishes an alternate criterion for determining eligibility for low-wealth specific projects. To qualify, systems must rank in the bottom 25% of special purpose local option sales tax revenue. The language includes factors the Department will consider when reviewing a request for funding. o Lines 558-559: Removes per capita income from the formula. o Lines 560-567: Simplifies the language requiring school systems to have 12 mills of the equivalent mills in place in order to qualify for a low-wealth project. o Lines 570-571: Requires systems to use prototypical specifications for projects. o Lines 572-574: Removes requirement for systems to have an advance funded project in place in order to qualify for a low-wealth project. Line 575: Removes language that sunsets low-wealth program on June 30, 2015. Lines 575-583: Limits required local participation to the estimated revenue generated by SPLOST revenue over a 5year period. Furthermore, when this amount and the low-wealth grant is not sufficient to meet the eligible project costs, the state will provide the difference upfront, and the school system will repay this amount through future entitlement earnings.
SECTION 19: Line 585-586: The effective date for this legislation is July 1, 2012. These changes will apply to FY14 applications (FY14 budget) forward.
SECTION 20: Line 588: Repeals any laws conflicting with these changes. - Authored By: Rep. Brooks Coleman of the 97th - House Committee: Education - House Committee Passed: 2/2/2012 - Rule: Modified-Structured
HB 805 - State Personnel Administration; abolition; make conforming amendments and correct references
- BILL SUMMARY: HB 805 is a companion bill to HB 642. It is a "name change bill" dealing with retirement for people under the State Personnel Administration which will fall under DOAS with passage of HB 642. Should HB 642 fail to pass, HB 805 will have no effect. - Authored By: Rep. Doug Collins of the 27th - House Committee: Retirement - House Committee Passed: 2/2/2012 - Rule: Structured

HB 805 - State Personnel Administration; abolition; make conforming amendments and correct references
- BILL SUMMARY: HB 805 is a companion bill to HB 642. It is a "name change bill" dealing with retirement for people under the State Personnel Administration which will fall under DOAS with passage of HB 642. Should HB 642 fail to pass, HB 805 will have no effect. - Authored By: Rep. Doug Collins of the 27th - House Committee: Governmental Affairs - House Committee Passed: 2/2/2012 - Rule: Structured
HR 1151 - Joint Human Trafficking Study Commission; create
- BILL SUMMARY: HR 1151 creates a 13 member study committee to examine Georgia's system of care for victims of human trafficking. The study committee will be known as the Joint Human Trafficking Study Commission and will abolish on January 1, 2013. It will have the right to make a report of any findings as well as recommendations for any proposed legislation.
The committee substitute adds a provision that one member from the Senate and one from the House must be from the minority party. In addition, it contains a provision that any report would be given to the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor. - Authored By: Rep. Buzz Brockway of the 101st - House Committee: Judiciary - House Committee Passed: 2/2/2012 - Rule: Modified-Open
* The Rules Committee will next meet on Tuesday, February 7, at 9:00 AM, to set the Rules Calendar for the 17th Legislative Day.
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COMMITTEE ACTION REPORT
Human Relations & Aging
HB 831 - Human Services, Department of; include Division of Rehabilitation Services
- BILL SUMMARY: House Bill 831 seeks to amend Title 34 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated to transfer the Division of Rehabilitation Services from the Department of Labor to the Department of Human Services beginning July 1, 2012. This includes the disability adjudication section and the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation. - Authored By: Rep. Tom McCall of the 30th - Committee Action: Do Pass
Intragovernmental Coordination - Local
HB 841 - Emanuel County; Board of Education; change description of districts
- BILL SUMMARY: A Bill to reapportion the Emanuel County Board of Education. - Authored By: Rep. Butch Parrish of the 156th - 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

TBD 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Tuesday, February 07, 2012 Floor Session Lane Subcommittee (Subcommittee One) Judiciary Civil GAME, FISH & PARKS RULES GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS Appropriations Health Subcommittee Admin/Licensing Subcommittee of Insurance CHILDREN & YOUTH BANKS & BANKING TRANSPORTATION STATE INSTITUTIONS & PROPERTY WAYS & MEANS HIGHER EDUCATION

HOUSE CHAMBER (10:00am) 132 CAP 403 CAP 341 CAP 606 CLOB 515 CLOB 415 CLOB 403 CAP 406 CLOB 506 CLOB 415 CLOB 606 CLOB 406 CLOB

* This meeting schedule is up to date at the time of this report, but meeting dates and times are subject to change. To keep up with the latest schedule please visit www.house.ga.gov and click on Meetings Calendar.

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