The state Senate voted 53-0 Tuesday in support of ethics legislation for Clayton County Schools —- one of the mandates for the district to salvage accreditation. However, Gov. Sonny Perdue must sign the bill before the district can move forward.

House Bill 1302 calls for a panel of citizens to review ethics violations by school board members and then issue punishments, including include fines and removal, said Larry O'Keeffe, a Morrow father who first pushed for the legislation.

Parents sought the legislation after the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools recommended revocation of the district's accreditation because of unethical behavior by board members. SACS gave the district until Sept. 1 to meet nine mandates or lose accreditation.

'Merlot to go' bill gets a final OK

Georgians who order a bottle of wine at a restaurant but cannot finish it would be able to take it home, under legislation that won final approval Tuesday. The "Merlot to go" bill, Senate Bill 55, passed the House 125-34.

Recorked bottles would have to be placed in sealed bags or containers and transported in the trunk or locked glove compartment of a car. Gov. Sonny Perdue has vetoed similar legislation because it contained an amendment that threatened federal highway funding. This bill contains no such langauge.

Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon), who owns restaurants, described the legislation as a "safety issue." He said it would prevent diners from feeling as if they have to get their money's worth by finishing a bottle. However, Rep. Tim Bearden (R-Villa Rica), a former policeman, questioned if the bill would do much to prevent drunken driving.

Senate amends beer sales bill

The Senate amended a bill Tuesday that could provide Gwinnett County with a mechanism to sell beer on Sunday in its new baseball stadium. The measure, House Bill 1280, must go back to the House for approval of the amendment. With the House and Senate feuding about Sunday package sales of alcohol, senators amended the Gwinnett stadium language onto a minor House bill that would allow the county to apply to the state for a stadium liquor license for Sunday beer sales.

House passes cigarette bill

Tobacco manufacturers would be required to make cigarettes that stop burning when smokers stop puffing them, under a bill that passed the state House on Tuesday. An amended Senate Bill 418 passed 137-14 and went back to the Senate. Unlike bills he introduced in 2006 and 2007, Sen. Don Balfour (R-Snellville) said, tobacco industry lobbyists do not oppose this one. Balfour's bill is aimed at preventing house fires or deaths because smokers left cigarettes burning when they fell asleep.

—- Staff writers Megan Matteucci, Ben Smith and James Salzer contributed to this article.