Bill requiring parole board to disclose more gains final approval
An effort to require greater transparency from the state Board of Pardons and Paroles received final passage Thursday in the state House.
House Bill 71 was approved 170-3 and now goes to Gov. Nathan Deal for consideration. The bill was significantly weakened in the Senate but still provides first-of-its-kind changes.
Sponsored by Rep. Kevin Tanner, R-Dawsonville, HB 71 comes after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in 2014 that the board’s decision-making and deliberations are done in secret and that the agency often grants offenders’ freedoms without notifying victims.
As approved Thursday, the bill would still require the board to notify a victim whenever an offender has petitioned for a pardon or parole. Prosecutors would only have to be notified for the most egregious crimes.
Also, the Senate stripped provisions that would require board members to publicly reveal how they voted. Instead, the board itself would have to issue a statement explaining its decision.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
Legislation targeting sex traffickers gains final passage
Georgia senators gave final approval Thursday to legislation that would toughen penalties and fines against sex traffickers.
Senate Bill 8 and the accompanying Senate Resolution 7 would require convicted human traffickers to register as sex offenders, and pay into a new Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Fund to help victims with housing, health care and other services.
The bill, sponsored by Republican Sen. Renee Unterman of Buford, is known as the Safe Harbor/Rachel’s Law Act in honor of a sex trafficking victim who testified during a hearing earlier in the legislative session.
SB 8, with the House’s changes, passed the Senate with a 50-2 vote. The resolution, establishing a funding plan for the Safe Harbor Fund, passed 46-3, but it first must be approved by voters before taking effect.
The fund would be paid for with a new $2,500 fine levied on convicted traffickers, as well as an annual $5,000 fee on adult entertainment establishments.
The legislation now heads to the governor’s desk for signing.
— Janel Davis
‘Uber’ insurance bill gets final approval
Legislation to require ride-share companies Uber and Lyft to carry greater levels of insurance is on its way to Gov. Nathan Deal’s desk.
The House voted 153-14 to give final approval to House Bill 190.
Sponsored by Judiciary (Non-Civil) Committee Chairman Rich Golick, R-Smyrna, the bill would require $1 million insurance coverage for all drivers from the moment the driver accepts a ride request to the time the ride ends.
It also would require a minimum $300,000 coverage for bodily injury or death and $50,000 for property damage whenever a driver is logged into the company’s system but not carrying passengers.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
Autism bill gains final passage
Insurance companies would have to provide coverage to children with autism under legislation on its way to Gov. Nathan Deal’s desk.
The House voted 161-0 on Thursday to give House Bill 429 final approval, ending a years-long struggle by parents and advocacy groups to gain a level of coverage offered in many other states.
The vote in the House came after a negotiated end to a stalemate last week. House leaders had fought the bill for years, saying it would hurt small businesses that provide insurance coverage for employees.
The compromise version passed the Senate unanimously last week.
The final bill requires insurance companies to provide up to $30,000 a year of coverage for children age 6 and under.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
Atlanta 911 bill clears the Legislature
A bill that would allow Atlanta to charge residents more for 911 services was approved by lawmakers Thursday.
House Bill 650, sponsored by Rep. Keisha Waites, D-Atlanta, would change Atlanta’s charter to allow the city to levy a new “public safety access assessment” to cover the costs — about $16.3 million annually — of running its 911 system. Under existing state law, a government can charge up to $1.50 per phone line to pay for the service.
According to data provided by Mayor Kasim Reed’s office, that revenue only covers about two-thirds of the system’s annual price tag.
HB 650 passed the Senate last week by a 158-0 vote. It initially failed in the Senate on Thursday and was then tabled. After a visit by Reed, the bill was revived and passed the Senate by a 42-2 vote. The Atlanta City Council must pass its own ordinance in order to enact a new fee or tax increase.
— Katie Leslie
Fireworks bill wins approval
Fireworks aficionados would no longer have to drive out of state to buy their bottle rockets, Roman candles and repeaters.
The state House voted 124-41 to send House Bill 110 to Gov. Nathan Deal’s desk.
Supporters have tried for years to legalize the sale of consumer fireworks. Every state that borders Georgia except North Carolina allows the sale of fireworks.
Fire and safety officials, and many health care professionals, have fought the bill, saying it would result in children being maimed and property destroyed.
The bill would prohibit the possession of fireworks in school zones, at school functions or on school buses.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
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