TAXES
Senate seeks end to state property tax levy
The Senate approved a resolution Monday that would allow voters to decide whether to amend the state constitution to eliminate a state property tax levy.
Senate Resolution 783, introduced by Sen. Bill Heath, would not affect local governments' ability to levy the taxes.
Previously approved legislation has already set the stage for a full phase-out of the state tax levy by Jan. 1, 2016. Heath’s bill would make the phase-out permanent.
At its peak the state levy generated $80 million in revenue, a pittance compared with the state’s roughly $20 billion budget, said Heath, a Republican from Bremen.
The resolution passed 38-13, despite objections from critics who said it could limit Georgia’s revenue options and hurt some of its neediest residents because it would increase reliance on a sales tax.
The legislation now moves to the House for consideration.
— Janel Davis
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Added expense for traffic tickets OK’d
Speeders across the state could pay an extra $5 to help make issuing tickets speedier thanks to a bill that passed Monday in the Georgia House.
House Bill 720 would allow local governments to collect a fee of up to $5 on traffic tickets to help them pay for electronic citation systems.
Rep. Eddie Lumsden, R-Armuchee, said the Georgia State Patrol already uses an electronic system to issue tickets, but local governments have a hard time paying the upfront costs. The fee would be tacked onto fines for people who are found guilty or plead guilty.
“It has savings potential long-term,” he said. “The challenge for most local governments is the implementation costs.”
The bill passed 117-20 and moves to the Senate.
— Chris Joyner
Bill to stop mug shot abuse passes House
Police mug shots would be kept secret in most cases until a defendant’s case is settled under legislation approved by the state House on Monday.
House Bill 845, by Rep. Brian Strickland, R-McDonough, passed unanimously, 171-0. The bill is designed to prevent unscrupulous websites that collect mug shots from police agencies from demanding money from individuals who have been found not guilty before removing the photos from the site.
As originally proposed, no one would be able to get a copy of a mug shot unless the person pictured was found guilty or pleaded guilty to a crime. After concerns were raised by media outlets and others, the bill was changed to say anyone who wants a copy of the photo must request it in writing and agree to be held criminally liable if the photo ends up on one of the questionable websites.
The General Assembly last year adopted legislation that requires those websites to take a photo down upon request. But, Strickland said, many are refusing to comply or have moved out of state, making it difficult to enforce the law.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
EDUCATION
Expanded history curriculum sought
History lessons would get a little longer for Georgia students students as part of a bill passed Monday by the state Senate.
Senate Bill 384, sponsored by Sen. Fran Millar, R-Dunwoody, known as the "America's Founding Philosophy and Principle Act," would require students be taught about the country's founding principles and philosophy found in documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution and "The Federalist Papers." The lessons would be taught in grades nine through 12.
The Senate also adopted an amendment by Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, that would require students also be taught about other “transformational movements” in American history, including the anti-slavery, civil rights and women’s suffrage movements. Contributions made by immigrants and the challenges and history of the Native American population were also added under Fort’s amendment.
The amended bill passed the Senate 52-0 and heads to the House for consideration.
— Janel Davis
METRO ATLANTA
Measure targets fee collected by Fulton tax chief
Legislation to stop Fulton County's tax collector from personally profiting off tax debts moved from the House to the Senate on Monday. House Bill 819 passed 173-1.
An investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last year found that Tax Commissioner Arthur Ferdinand has been using an old law to collect 50 cents every time he sells a tax lien to a private collector or a property owner pays off a lien on his own — amounting to tens of thousands of dollars per year. The practice, initially done without the County Commission’s knowledge, has boosted Ferdinand’s annual pay to about $383,000 — by far the highest compensation for any elected official in Georgia.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Chuck Martin, R-Alpharetta, would also require tax commissioners to try to find a taxpayer through Internet searches and people-finder databases, among other records, to make sure he is notified before the county sells a lien against his property.
— Johnny Edwards
Bill gives Beltline option of private partnerships
The Atlanta Beltline Inc. may have an easier time getting help from the private sector to build out its transit future, thanks to a bill that cleared the Georgia House of Representatives on Monday.
House Bill 960, sponsored by Rep. Jay Roberts, R-Ocilla, would broaden existing urban redevelopment laws to allow projects such as the Beltline the option of using a public-private partnership to help realize its transit goals, such as a future light-rail system.
The Atlanta Beltline hasn’t yet decided whether to enlist a private company for the transit project, but HB 960 would give “clarity in existing laws” to lay out a framework for such a relationship, said Jill Johnson, the Beltline’s government affairs director.
The bill passed 158-4 and now heads to the Senate.
— Katie Leslie
OTHER
Food stamp, welfare recipients could face drug testing
Food stamp and welfare recipients could have to submit to drug testing if a state caseworker suspected they used drugs under legislation approved by the state House on Monday.
House Bill 772, by Rep. Greg Morris, R-Vidalia, passed 107-66.
The bill was toned down from its original version, which required anyone who receives food stamps to pass a drug test. Morris agreed to the change because of a federal court’s earlier ruling that a similar bill requiring welfare recipients in Florida to take drug tests was unconstitutional. That ruling also scuttled a 2012 law that Georgia lawmakers passed regarding welfare recipients.
HB 772, instead, would require Department of Family and Children Services employees to determine whether there is a “reasonable suspicion” the applicant used drugs. An example, Morris said, would be if someone applying for benefits was fired from a previous job for drug use.
Under questioning from Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, D-Atlanta, Morris said there would be no requirement that DFCS workers undergo special training to identify drug abuse or to protect an individual's right against unreasonable search and seizure under the Fourth Amendment.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
Restrictions OK’d for aid to needy families
Georgians who qualify for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program would be barred from using the funds in liquor stores, adult novelty stores and other businesses under legislation adopted by the state House on Monday.
House Bill 138, by Rep. Andy Welch, R-McDonough, passed 152-17.
Welch said the bill brings the state into compliance with federal law.
TANF funds could not be used in tattoo parlors and strip clubs, as well. It would also be illegal to use cash withdrawn with a TANF card from being used to buy alcohol, lottery tickets, tattoos and gift cards.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
St. Patrick’s Day alcohol bill approved
The Senate passed a measure Monday to allow Sunday alcohol sales in bars on St. Patrick’s Day.
Senate Bill 318 had been requested by the City Council in Savannah, which hosts one of the nation's largest St. Patrick's Day parades and festivals. The Senate originally took up the bill two weeks ago, although it did not have enough votes at the time to pass.
State law already allows Sunday sales of alcohol for on-site consumption in restaurants — that is, places that derive a majority of their income from food sales. This bill expands the law to allow bars to serve, too.
SB 318 passed 32-18. It now goes to the House for consideration.
— Kristina Torres
‘Slums’ would now be called ‘blight’
Depressed areas of Georgia will no longer be known as “slums” in state law if legislation adopted by the state House on Monday becomes law.
House Bill 833, by Rep. LaDawn Jones, D-Atlanta, would rename those areas "blight" to match federal code and ensure an even flow of federal dollars for community grants and other funding streams.
The bill passed the House 168-2 and now goes to the Senate.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
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