Horse racing measure clears Senate committee
The Senate Regulated Industries Committee narrowly approved a proposal Wednesday to legalize pari-mutuel wagering in Georgia.
Senate Resolution 135, sponsored by state Sen. Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, takes a different tack than previous attempts to allow betting on horse racing by favoring Internet wagering over casino gambling.
Because the proposal is a constitutional amendment, it requires a two-thirds vote of approval by lawmakers in each chamber. Supporters see that as a benefit because Gov. Nathan Deal, a staunch opponent of an expansion of gambling in the state, has no veto power over constitutional amendments.
Even if SR 135 survives a Senate vote, it’s expected to face a tough fight in the House. If it clears the House, it would be placed on the 2016 ballot as a referendum measure.
Beach’s proposal would funnel some proceeds to the popular HOPE scholarship and pre-kindergarten programs. Another portion would support Georgia’s equine industry.
— Greg Bluestein
House bill would strengthen state incest laws
Legislation introduced in the state House on Wednesday would tighten Georgia’s incest laws to ban sexual relationships between relatives of “half blood.”
House Bill 534, by Rep. Joyce Chandler, R-Grayson, makes clear that it is illegal for a person to have sex with: a grandparent, grandchild, aunt or uncle, niece or nephew whether that person is “of the whole blood or the half blood.”
State law already barred those relationships, along with siblings, parents and stepchildren, but HB 534 clarifies that those other relations do not have to be full-blood relatives to violate the law.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
Bill would allow booze with Sunday brunch
Want a bloody Mary with your Sunday brunch before 12:30 p.m?
Rep. Brett Harrell, R-Snellville, has a bill for you.
House Bill 535 would allow local governments where Sunday sales are already legal to authorize the sale of alcohol at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. Current law says no booze can be sold anywhere before 12:30 p.m.
The bill would only apply to on-premise consumption, meaning drinks bought in restaurants to consume there. It would not apply to the sale of alcohol in stores.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
Updates to Georgia tax code pass Senate
Updates to Georgia’s tax code are headed to the House for final approval in time for the April filing deadline after the state Senate unanimously signed off on them Wednesday.
House Bill 292 includes business property exemptions already in the federal tax code, although the House originally proposed lower maximum property deductions for taxable income on such property to $250,000 for 2014, with a phase-out threshold of $800,000.
The Senate changed the bill to match federal law: a maximum property deduction for taxable income on such property to $500,000, with a phase-out threshold of $2 million.
— Kristina Torres
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