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AJC.com > Legislature > Georgia Beat > Archives > 2005 > March > 10
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Senate passes ID privacy bill
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgians whose personal information is compromised would have to be notified by the data-brokering companies that collect it, according to a bill passed by the state Senate on Thursday.
The bill, which passed 52-0, was a response to problems reported at Alpharetta-based ChoicePoint, where thieves posing as small businesses accessed information on 145,000 Americans.
Authorities say at least 750 people were defrauded because of the scam.
Sen. Bill Hamrick, R-Carrollton, the plan’s sponsor, called it “a little bill that is very consumer-oriented.”
Only California now has a law requiring such notification.
ChoicePoint compiles and sells personal information on U.S. residents. The company announced the breach last month.
New Hampshire, New York and Texas are among the states considering similar bills.
The plan now goes to the House.
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House votes to give Delta tax break on fuel
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Georgia House overwhelmingly approved legislation Thursday that could help financially strapped and homegrown Delta Air Lines by setting a cap on the sales tax for jet fuel.
The bill, sponsored by House Speaker Pro Tem Mark Burkhalter (R-Alpharetta), would put a $15 million annual limit on the sales tax on jet fuel, regardless of how high fuel prices go.
Delta, the state’s largest private employer, paid $17 million in fuel taxes last year.
Burkhalter said Georgia’s airlines currently are at “an unfair disadvantage” because Texas and other states typically exempt airline fuel from state sales tax.
“This is a small way we can help our airlines in uncertain times,” he said.
Burkhalter said Air Tran officials also have told him they may consider moving their headquarters to Atlanta if the sales tax cap becomes law.
Some Clayton County lawmakers said they have concerns about the financial impact on their local governments.
“Do you fully understand the financial burden you are putting on the backs of Clayton County?” state Rep. Darryl Jordan (D-Riverdale) asked Burkhalter.
Burkhalter said Clayton could lose out if Delta decided to buy its fuel in neighboring Fulton County.
He also said that, considering the airline’s current plight, the greater harm would be if Delta went out of business.
State Rep. Gail Buckner (D-Jonesboro) said the bill needed more study and sought to have it tabled. Her motion failed 28 to 127, and the bill passed 138 to 121.
The measure now goes to the state Senate.
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Senate bill requires 16-year-olds to take driver’s education before getting license
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia’s 16-year-olds would have to pass a driver’s education course before getting a driver’s license, under a bill approved by the Senate today.
Senate Bill 226 would create a nine-member Georgia Driver’s Education Commission, which could accept public and private donations toward placing driving simulators in every high school. A 5 percent surcharge would be added to traffic fines to help pay for the devices.
Without the classes, teens would have to wait until they were 17 to apply for a license.
Implementation of SB 226 was pushed back until January 1, 2007, amid concerns from some legislators that it would take time to put the program in place.
SB 226 passed the Senate 50-3. It now heads to the House for consideration.
The legislation has been dubbed “Joshua’s Law” in honor of 17-year-old Joshua Brown of Cartersville, who died in July 2003 when he lost control of the car he was driving.
In pushing the bill, sponsor Sen. Preston Smith (R-Rome) noted that 123 teen drivers died in Georgia in 2003 as the result of automobile accidents.
Smith said the high-tech simulators will teach young motorists to drive under various conditions and adverse scenarios. On-road driving, which can be provided by parents, would still be required.
“I believe in my heart of hearts that this a bill that will save lives in Georgia,” said Smith.
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House approves online lottery ticket sales
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Georgia House passed legislation today to allow online lottery ticket sales.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Terry Barnard (R-Glennville), would allow lottery players to buy their tickets via the Internet through either electronic fund transfer or debit card.
Barnard’s bill initially also allowed credit card purchases, but that idea was killed in committee.
The bill passed the House 98 to 48 and now goes to the state Senate for consideration.
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NASCAR plates get Senate nod
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NASCAR fans may soon show appreciation of their favorite driver through a Georgia license plate.
The Senate today approved Senate Bill 168, which provides for the creation of NASCAR license plates. Motorists will be able to choose from one of 44 drivers.
Money raised by the $13 plates would go to the Governor’s Highway Safety Program. Senators also approved a “Share the Road” license plate to recognize bicycle safety. SB 168 now heads to the House for consideration.
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Bill would help military personnel with tuition costs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Senate today passed a bill providing college scholarship money to Georgia military personnel serving in overseas wars - and their children.
Senate Bill 43, the Wiles-Harbison-Harp Veterans Education Act of 2005, would give $2,000 grants per year, for a maximum of $8,000 members, and their children 25 or under, of the National Guard or Reserves who have served 181 days or more in a combat zone.
The awards have been dubbed HERO grants; Helping Educate Reservists and their Offspring. SB 43 passed the Senate unanimously and heads to the House for consideration.
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New Congressional district map stirs debate
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Georgia House began a heated debate this morning over a new Republican-draw map for the states 13 Congressional districts.
Several black lawmakers rose to oppose the map, saying it dilutes the voting strengths of minorities.
One of the biggest surprises was an appeal from state Rep. Larry O’Neal, a Republican from Warner Robins and one of the governor’s floor leaders, for defeat of the proposed map.
O’Neal opposed the map because Warner Robins, home of Robins AFB, would lose U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Savannah) as one of its two congressmen.
O’Neal said the base, the state’s largest employer, needs to keep Kingston as its advocate during the upcoming base closure hearings. “It’s always a balancing act, everything we do, but in my opinion, a vote for this is a vote against Robins AFB.”
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