Political Insider

Tip sheet: Making sure tire disposal fees are spent on tire disposal

University of Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart is greeted by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, right, before briefly speaking in the Georgia Senate. Smart also spoke in the House during his Tuesday visit to the Capitol. Brant Sanderlin, bsanderlin@ajc.com
University of Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart is greeted by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, right, before briefly speaking in the Georgia Senate. Smart also spoke in the House during his Tuesday visit to the Capitol. Brant Sanderlin, bsanderlin@ajc.com
By Jim Galloway
Feb 24, 2016

Days remaining in the session: 14

Lawmakers have a hectic day today. On the House calendar is HR 502, a proposed constitutional amendment to stop the diversion of fees and new taxes. The Atlanta Journal-Constitutional's James Salzer reports that for years, lawmakers have diverted millions of dollars in fees meant to clean up tire dumps and landfills, train police and educate drivers. This is an effort to stop that.

Other bills on the House calendar would attempt to address government purchasing card abuse (HB 949), create a pilot program to video tape special ed classes (HB 614) and create a special legislative committee with subpoena powers to investigate the people who investigate complaints about judges (HR 1363).

The House and Senate both convene at 10 a.m., but some lawmakers will be at it early in committee meetings starting before 8 a.m. Our schedule lists all those, as well as a few of the attention-grabbing ones.

A group of clergy members have announced they will hold a press conference at 11 today to denounce the Senate's passage last week of the "religious liberty' bill that added the First Amendment Defense Act to the House-passed Pastor Protection Act. HB 757 is in the House where Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, is said to be evaluating it – and, we would imagine, the reaction to it.

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About the Author

Jim Galloway, the newspaper’s former political columnist, was a writer and editor at the AJC for four decades.

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