‘Slow-poke’ bill gains final OK
Left-lane lurkers on Georgia’s highways and interstates are a pen-stroke away from trouble under legislation given final passage Tuesday by the Georgia Senate.
House Bill 459 would allow authorities to ticket those who lollygag in the state’s left lanes. The bill would make it a misdemeanor for any driver on a divided highway who does not move to the right when a car going faster approaches from behind.
With the state House already signing off on the measure, all it needs is Gov. Nathan Deal’s signature to become law.
Senators said they were not trying to encourage speeding. But, as Senate Rules Chairman Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, said, “oftentimes drivers travel through (the left lane) as if they’re in tourist mode.”
The Senate approved HB 459, by Rep. Bill Hitchens, R-Rincon, on a 42-5 vote.
— Kristina Torres
House backs greater regulation of high school leagues
Georgia’s high school athletic leagues would have to produce annual financial documents and submit to legislative oversight under legislation approved Tuesday in the House.
Senate Bill 288, by Gov. Nathan Deal’s floor leader, Sen. Charlie Bethel, R-Dalton, passed the House 165-5. But, because it was changed in the House, the bill must now go back to the Senate.
Sponsored in the House by Rep. Chuck Martin, R-Alpharetta, the bill would ban any public school from participating in a high school athletic league unless the league produces financial records. It also would re-create a House-Senate oversight committee that has the power to review the reports and investigate irregularities.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently reported that the Georgia High School Association, the largest prep sports league in the state, had revenue of $4.7 million in 2013 but was not required to disclose how that money was raised or spent.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
Moonshine bill moves ahead — for history’s sake
A bill that would allow nonprofit museums to build a still and produce moonshine gained approval Tuesday in the state House.
Senate Bill 240, by Sen. Hunter Hill, R-Atlanta, was changed in the House and must now go back to the Senate. The bill is geared toward the Atlanta History Center, which wants to create a historical exhibit about the production of moonshine. A similar exhibit is in place at George Washington’s ancestral home in Virginia, Mount Vernon.
Rep. Rich Golick, R-Smyra, sponsored the bill in the House and said it would not allow the sale of moonshine, although the museum would be allowed to offer complimentary samples of a half an ounce.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
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