Weekly summary [No. 8 (2007)]

GEORGIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Communications Office
Room 609, Legislative Office Building Atlanta, GA 30334 404-656-0305 Phone 404-656-5639 Fax
WEEKLY SUMMARY

March 19-23, 2007

Legislative Week # 8

The House of Representatives returned on Tuesday after a two week recess and debated a full calendar of House bills and resolutions.

The first order of business was the adoption House Resolution 102. This resolution directs the Department of Corrections to compensate Robert Clark for lost wages, damages, and medical expenses incurred as a result of 23 years of wrongful incarceration. Clark was recently released after DNA evidence was used to prove his innocence.

House Bill 16 would extend protections to public employees from repercussions when reporting fraud, waste, and abuse. This would allow for local government employees to feel free to expose corruption within the local government sectors.

House Bill 147 would make it mandatory for a woman to be given the option to see the results of an ultrasound before undergoing an abortion. This bill passed by a vote of 116 to 54.

On Tuesday the House saw its longest legislative day of this session.

Most notably, the House took up and passed the 2007 Amended State Budget. Rep. Ben Harbin, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, presented the budget and clarified its changes to the Members of the House. The budget was adopted with only one dissenting vote.

The most hotly debated bill was HB 185 which relates to how judges impose the death penalty for a person convicted of murder. If the jury finds beyond a reasonable doubt that there was at least one statutory

aggravating circumstance the judge may sentence the defendant to imprisonment for life without parole. If a majority of the jury voted for the death sentence and if upon the jury's last vote, at least eleven of the jurors voted for death, the judge may impose the death penalty. The bill does not require that the judge impose death but allows that the judge may impose a sentence of death or life imprisonment without parole. After much debate, the House passed the legislation.
Also on today's calendar was House Bill 77 pertaining to red light cameras, and would allow that only certified peace officers may review and issue citations based on camera photos, and that the excess revenue from these cameras go to funding the state's trauma network. This bill would also require that a study be performed at intersections containing cameras.
House Bill 186 would create a temporary sales tax exemption for construction of a new alternative fuel facility in Georgia. This facility is dedicated to the production and processing of ethanol, bio-diesel and butanol fuels derived from biomass materials.
House Bill 218 is related to the Georgia Ports Authority security guards. This Bill would change the security guard title to peace officer and would require that those employees whom are eligible to exercise powers of arrest be certified peace officers subject to the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.
House Bill 363 would extend the eligibility of the HOPE grant to students attending Georgia Military College.
These bills have now been sent to the Senate for its consideration.
The House was in recess for the rest of the week, but will reconvene again on Tuesday, March 27 for its 30th Legislative Day. Known as "Cross Over Day," this is the final day for general bills in the House to be voted on in order to have Senate consideration.