Some canines would be more equal than others under a bill proposed by Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, chairman of the Senate Rules Committee. S.B. 72 includes these lines:
A person commits the offense of murder in the second degree when such person causes the death of a police dog irrespective of malice while such police dog is in the performance of its duties.
Expect a four-footed stampede for those “police auxiliary” badges that can be flashed whenever awkward circumstances require.
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The legal battle over same-sex marriage in Georgia will have to wait for the Supreme Court.
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals placed a hold on litigation over the debate in Georgia, Alabama and Florida until the High Court issues it decision on the marriage cases this summer.
But the hold means same-sex couples in Georgia will have to wait at the earliest until the Supreme Court issues its ruling on the issue before being able to wed.
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We told you earlier that a measure backed by Gov. Nathan Deal to give the state the power to intervene when individual schools are failing would be introduced next week. Now we've got a little bit more:
Our AJC colleague Janel Davis reports that a 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, joint meeting of the House and Senate education committees has been called to hear the governor’s pitch. That’ll be in Room 506 of the CLOB. Representatives from a “recovery” school district in New Orleans will be on hand.
The next week, at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, there will be another joint education committee session on advance placement history curriculum, featuring a panel with members from the College Board, teachers, and opponents. That will be in Room 606 CLOB.
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Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is walking a fine line on the House's plan to raise $1 billion in new transportation revenue. Other local leaders have panned the plan, but Reed has been more wary of criticizing the proposal.
Our AJC colleague Katie Leslie reports that last week, Reed told reporters he hadn’t yet eyeballed the bill, which would shift as much as $500 million in revenue that local governments now collect from fuel taxes to the state.
And earlier this week, on the same day the Atlanta City Council passed a resolution urging state lawmakers to find a different way to fund $1 billion in state transportation needs, Reed declined comment again.
Speaking to reporters following his State of the City breakfast on Wednesday, Atlanta’s top leader --and former state senator -- said he planned to read the legislation that day. But then he gave greater insight into what his hush-hush might be all about.
Said Reed:
"It's really important that as the leader of the capital city that I not jump out and make comments on a piece of legislation that is going to evolve. It's very rare in the Georgia General Assembly that the legislation that is introduced is the legislation that is signed by the governor. And me commenting on that legislation prematurely could put the city in the position where you're weaker because you've shown your hand."
He added: “So I’m going to be really patient. I’m going to let the legislative process play out a bit more and reserve comment.”
Why would he need to be extra careful about his words? Reed has long enjoyed the support of Atlanta's powerful business community, a partnership on display yesterday when Delta chief executive Richard Anderson helped host his big speech. And Anderson and his fellow Fortune 500 honchos are among the biggest advocates of the call for more transportation revenue.
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This could be interesting. Over at WXIA-TV, Doug Richards reports on a battle brewing over two popular festivals dueling for the same patch of grass on Piedmont Park. From his story:
The arts festival is quiet and artsy and has been a Piedmont Park fixture for decades. Music Midtown is loud and raucous and began rocking Piedmont Park in 2011. Now both festivals have asked the city for permits to use the park on the same weekend in September...
Music Midtown filed its application last week – and may have the heavyweight clout to prevail.
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Republican leaders made clear last year they were less than comfortable with the spate of mostly urban counties that opened their polls on Sundays. Now they have a legislative proposal aimed at bringing statewide uniformity.
State Rep. Mark Hamilton's proposal would shrink Georgia's early voting period and make Sunday voting mandatory in every county.
"The genie is out of the bottle. We've got Sunday voting. And rather than take it away we wanted to make it uniform across the state," Hamilton said.
Walter Jones of Morris News Service reports on another bill introduced by Hamilton, under which parents could use taxpayer funds as a way to pay private school tuition. H.B. 243 was introduced Wednesday. From Jones:
"So any concern of a mass exodus, we don't see that happening," [Hamilton] said. "We put the cap in there to give people more comfort."
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The Obama administration budget request out this week includes $4.1 million to spruce up the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta.
The Department of Interior plans to "Rehabilitate Historic Cottages 530 and 491 on Auburn Avenue, Reroof Ebenezer Church and Seven Historic Houses," according to the budget request, which still must be approved by Congress. Here's why they want to do it:
This project will preserve historic structures unique to the history of the National Park Service. Deferred maintenance will be reduced for twelve historic structures that support visitor connection to Dr. King and the Sweet Auburn Community story. Buildings will provide safe environments which are free from mold infestation for visitors, staff and potential tenants.
It's a piece of $50 million in requests for civil rights sites. From the Associated Press:
The president's budget includes money for the national historical trail from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, which commemorates in part the "Bloody Sunday" attack by police on civil rights demonstrators. Their march was portrayed in the Oscar-nominated film "Selma." ...
Also in the request is money for improvements at the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site in Arkansas and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta.
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U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia, has a blog post in the Huffington Post headlined: "Why Are Republicans Trying to Suppress My Fight Against Militarizing the Border?" In it, he objects to Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., cutting Johnson off in a hearing when Johnson was pursuing a line of questioning on military surplus and border control.
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