NEWS . . . FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Saturday, April 12, 2008
Calvin Hill The 2008 Session in Review What a Year! The 2008 session of the Georgia General Assembly is over and we have started our recovery. For me, committee meetings start again next week as the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight Committee goes to work investigating the way some of the Departments are spending your money. Many more meetings to come! Regardless of what some in the mass media would like you to believe, we did have a fairly successful session and a lot was accomplished. Notably, for Cherokee County, we were able to retain funding to build the Cherokee Campus of Appalachian Tech at the Bluffs, assist Ball Ground with their water system leaks and complete the funding of the new terminal at the Cherokee County Airport. If you are not aware of the total redo and expansion of this valuable asset, you need to be. It will help bring good, upscale economic development to the county as it is completed. As many of you would like only a quick overview of what was accomplished, I am listing the significant bills below. If you desire more information, just go to www.legis.state.ga.us and key in the bill number for a complete copy of the final bill. MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE 2008 LEGISLATIVE SESSION 01/14/08 – Override Governor’s Veto House Bill 549, House Bill 229, House Bill 451, House Bill 218, House Bill 69 House Bill 91. House Bill 529 House Bill 162, House Bill 441, House Bill 559. House Bill 807, House Bill 413 House Bill 89 – Expanding 2nd Amendment rights for Georgians licensed to carry concealed weapons in parks, historic sites, recreation areas, wildlife management areas, & restaurants (50% or more food sales) allowing constables to carry pistols in public buildings (like other law enforcement officers), prohibiting employers from searching employees vehicles and conditioning employment on regulation of firearms. House Bill 130 – Credit Freeze: Allows a consumer to place a security freeze on their credit report with the reporting agencies to protect their identity and credit rating. House Bill 301 – Increase penalties for dog fighting House Bill 336 – Makes the 4th and subsequent DUI within a 10 year period a felony offense and provides consequences House Bill 831 – Public Charter School Capital Financing Act, allows the State Board of Education to establish a grant program to provide dollar-for-dollar matching funds for private contributions made to qualified charter school projects House Bill 881 – Georgia Charter Schools Commission House Bill 948 – Establishes July 31, 2008 thru August 3, 2008 as the back-to-school sales tax holiday weekend and October 2, 2008 thru October 5, 2008 as the energy efficient products sales tax holiday House Bill 1019 – Creates the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank.. House Bill 1129 – Georgia Tourism Development Act House Bill 1159 – Provides $2000 per year income tax credit for families who adopted a child in Georgia’s foster care system House Bill 1189 – Requires the Georgia DOT to report to the Governor, Lt. Governor, Speaker and the House and Senate Transportation Committee Chairman on the progress of the Statewide Strategic Transportation Plan by June 30, 2009 House Bill 1209 – Implements 2 parts of the IE2 (Investing in Educational Excellence) formula to provide schools with greater flexibility, accountability. and consequences for poor performance House Bill 1245 – Reforms Georgia’s indigent defense program. House Resolution 1022 – Statewide Water Management Plan Senate Bill 1 – Prohibits convicted sex offenders from photographing minors without the consent of the minor’s parent or guardian. Senate Bill 55 – “Merlot to Go” - Allows restaurants licensed to sell alcoholic beverages to permit customers to take home with them a partially consumed bottle of wine IF it was purchased with a meal and is securely resealed by a restaurant employee and placed in a bag or container with a security seal. Senate Bill 300 – Transparency in Government Act: provides for the creation of a free, publicly accessible website to provide state expenditure information. Senate Bill 342 – Water Conservation and Drought Relief Act: Includes language in HB 1226 to expedite the construction of water reservoirs. Senate Bill 344 – Abolishes inactive or obsolete boards and commissions. Senate Bill 417 – Requires the DOT Commissioner to develop and publish benchmarks detailing a realistic time frame for completion of transportation projects. Senate Bill 433 – Certificate of Need (CON) reforms. Relaxes outdated regulations that limit health care options available to Georgia citizens to increase access and competition. Changes included in the bill will allow Cancer Treatment Centers of America to open in Atlanta. BUDGETS ADOPTED DURING THE 2008 LEGISLATIVE SESSION House Bill 989 – Fiscal Year 2008 Supplemental Budget
House Bill 990 – Fiscal Year 2009 Budget
AND NO NEW TAXES!
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