The onus of reporting lobbyist gifts would shift from the giver to the recipient under legislation introduced in the state House.

Rep. Rusty Kidd, I-Milledgeville, filed House Bill 61 on Wednesday. The bill says lobbyists, who now must report gifts to lawmakers every two weeks during the legislative session, would no longer face that chore.

Instead, lawmakers and other elected state officials would be required to file quarterly reports that detail any gift they received — from lobbyists or anyone else.

House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, has promised an ethics bill in the first five legislative days. He has said he supports a ban on all lobbyist gifts.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Georgia Lt. Gov. Lester Maddox, angry about an article, burns a copy of The Atlanta Constitution in the state Senate on March 10, 1971, saying the paper did not have the "guts, integrity, manhood or decency" to report the situation accurately. (AJC file)

Credit: AP FILE

Featured

Ja’Quon Stembridge, shown here in July at the Henry County Republican Party monthly meeting, recently stepped from his position with the Georgia GOP. (Jenni Girtman for the AJC)

Credit: Jenni Girtman