Status of major bills before Legislature

Here's the status on major measures now before the Georgia General Assembly at the halfway mark of its 2011 legislative session:

Budget and taxes

HB 385 -- An overhaul of Georgia’s tax system that would lower income tax rates for individuals and businesses and raise sales taxes, including reinstating the state's 4 percent sales tax on groceries. Status: awaiting committee assignment.

Transportation

HB 179 -- Would allow billboard companies to clear-cut state-owned trees in front of their signs. Status: passed House, now in Senate committee.

HB 131 -- Would exempt the state Department of Transportation from state fines when its road projects violate pollution rules. Status: passed subcommittee, hearing Tuesday in House Transportation Committee.

SB 97 and HB 352 -- These bills would forbid extending a road toll without the Legislature’s approval, require the earliest possible payoff of Ga. 400’s debt and order the toll to come down when that’s done. Status: assigned to committees.

Health care

SB 36 -- Would create a database to monitor sales of prescription drugs. Status: passed Senate.

HB 214 -- Would establish a Department of Public Health. Status: passed committee.

SB 17 -- Would creates a commission to evaluate state mandates for health insurance plans. Status: passed Senate.

HB 47 -- Would allows Georgia insurers to sell individual health policies approved by other states. Status: passed committee.

Education

HB 326 -- An overhaul of the HOPE scholarship, which is hurting financially because Georgia Lottery revenue has failed to keep pace with rising enrollment and tuition. All tuition would be covered only for students who graduate from high school with at least a 3.7 GPA and a combined score of 1200 on the math and verbal portions of the SAT, and maintain a 3.5 GPA in college. Those with at least a 3.0 would still get money, but it would be tied to lottery revenue, not tuition rates. Next year's amount would be 90 percent of current rates. Students would no longer get money for books or mandatory fees. Status: passed committee.

HB 192 -- Would set up a commission to study public school funding. Status: passed House.

Immigration

HB 87 -- An Arizona-style bill that would authorize police to verify the immigration status of certain suspects. The bill also would empower police to detain these suspects and take them to jail if authorities determine they are in the country illegally. Passed House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee on Monday.

SB40 -- Like HB 87, this bill would require certain private employers to use the federal E-Verify program to ensure employees are eligible to work in the U.S. The bill's sponsor recently softened the language so it would no longer include certain penalties for businesses that do not use E-Verify. It is pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

HB59 -- Illegal immigrants would be barred from attending the 35 campuses in the University System of Georgia and the 26 in the Technical College System of Georgia. Current law allows illegal immigrants to attend these colleges but requires them to pay higher out-of-state tuition. Status: passed committee.

Water

SB 122 -- Would allow local governments to enter into partnership with private companies to fund large water projects such as reservoirs. Status: passed committee.

Public safety

HB 256 -- Would return 911 fee to local emergency centers. Status: in committee.

Ethics

HB 347 -- Would prohibit the state insurance commissioner from exempting himself from written exams. Status: passed committee.

Trauma care

SR 140 -- Would give $10 from license fees to trauma care. Status: referred to committee.