Bipartisan effort under way for Capitol statue of King
The Georgia General Assembly on Monday took the first steps toward putting a monument to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the grounds of the state Capitol.
The Republican-controlled House suspended its own rules to give a speedy start to a pair of measures co-sponsored by state Reps. Calvin Smyre, D-Columbus, and Tyrone Brooks, D- Atlanta. The bill has strong bipartisan support, though, with House Majority Leader Larry O'Neal, R-Bonaire, also a co-sponsor.
Brooks had introduced an earlier bill that would have given a King statue the place on the front steps of the state Capitol long occupied by a memorial to Tom Watson, a U.S. senator with a reputation sullied by his racially incendiary outbursts.
The Watson statue was quietly moved from the Capitol last year to accommodate repairs to the front steps of the building. But state officials now say that, for public safety reasons, the area will remain clear.
Smyre will pair with House Ethics Committee Chairman Joe Wilkinson, R-Sandy Springs, to raise the necessary cash for the monument – in whatever form it takes.
— Jim Galloway
Panel endorses Ten Commandments monument
A House committee unanimously approved a bill Monday that would allow for a monument featuring the Ten Commandments to be erected and placed on the grounds of the state Capitol.
As part of House Bill 702, sponsored by Rep. Greg Morris, the monument would feature the biblical rules on one side and the preambles of the Georgia and U.S. constitutions on the other side. To allay the concerns of some committee members, the bill also would require the monument be funded by private donations.
Although there have been objections in other states to similar statues, this monument would simply be a historical monument among other historical monuments, said Morris, R-Vidalia. A copy of the Ten Commandments is already displayed along with other notable documents inside the Capitol.
Morris’ bill now moves to the House Rules Committee for review before being considered by the full House.
— Janel Davis
House backs limited access to some 911 tapes
Recordings of 911 calls where the caller dies would be barred from public release under legislation approved Tuesday in the state House.
House Bill 449, by Rep. Micah Gravely, R-Douglasville, was spurred by the death in 2009 of a woman in Douglas County who was swept from the road by floodwaters. The woman, Gravely said, was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher for 21 minutes before she died. A news media organization later requested the audio of the call.
Gravely’s bill would limit release of the calls to investigators, the family of the person who died or any party to a lawsuit involving the call.
The bill passed 163-3.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
Rally opposes easing of gun restrictions
About a dozen gun control activists demonstrated Tuesday morning outside the state Capitol in opposition to legislation that would let licensed gun owners carry their weapons in more places.
They oppose House Bill 875, which would lift restrictions on guns in churches and bars and allow school boards to arm employees. The measure passed the House last week.
“We have had enough of gun bills that cater to gun lobbies,” said Piyali Cole, a Georgia chapter leader with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “It is time to listen to your constituents.”
Cole’s group was preparing to deliver bags of cookies to lawmakers this week, urging them to support “common-sense” gun laws.
— Jeremy Redmon
Insurance mandate for autism clears Senate
Insurance companies would have to cover autism therapy for children 6 years and younger under a mandate passed Tuesday by the Georgia Senate.
Chamber leaders hailed the 51-0 vote for Senate Bill 397, which they said would provide some of the state's youngest children the help they need to succeed later in life.
Business and insurance groups continue to oppose the effort, however, and warn it would increase health insurance premiums across Georgia.
Senate leaders chose the age limit to help young children who are not yet school age, meaning they are not covered by an individualized education program mandated by the federal Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.
SB 397, sponsored by Senate Insurance and Labor Chairman Tim Golden, R-Valdosta, now goes to the House for consideration.
— Kristina Torres, Janel Davis
Senate OKs tightening reins on athletics group
Membership on the Georgia High School Association’s board would be changed to reflect the students in the school districts they represent under a bill passed Tuesday by the state Senate.
Senate Bill 343, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, would require members of the GHSA's boards of trustees, executive committee or associated boards be employed by a local school system or private school for at least 100 school days per year.
The GHSA supervises athletics and other activities for thousands of high school athletes across the state, including sponsoring the state football championships. Its 58-member board includes few African-Americans and four women.
Mullis has called the GHSA a “club” that lacks diversity and discounts smaller schools. The bill, he said, rights that wrong.
GHSA administrators have opposed the bill, saying they already disclose their finances and that 48 of the 58 board members are selected by school across the state.
The bill would also create a joint legislative oversight committee to monitor the GHSA’s actions.
— Janel Davis
Georgia Senate votes to cap state’s income tax
The Georgia Senate backed a proposed constitutional amendment Monday that would prohibit any increase in the state’s 6 percent income tax.
Senate Resolution 415, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem David Shafer, R-Duluth, received a two-thirds Senate vote along party lines and would technically need the same from House members before it could be put to voters for final approval. Legislation dealing with state revenue, however, is supposed to start in the House.
Given the state’s slow recovery from the recession, any broad changes to the tax system would be a long shot this year. Shafer, however, said he wanted it to be a conversation-starter for Georgia as it competes for business with other states. North Carolina, for example, recently reduced its state income tax to 5.75 percent. Tennessee and Florida don’t have income taxes.
— Kristina Torres
Bill advances requiring police plan for pets
Georgia police agencies must develop policies for how to handle domestic pets under legislation approved in the state House on Tuesday.
House Bill 803, by Rep. Tommy Benton, R-Jefferson, seeks to prevent the shooting deaths of pets during police actions.
Benton said more than 250,000 dogs nationally have been shot by police and more than 140 over three years in Georgia. Benton said nearly half of all officer-involved shootings involve someone’s pet.
The bill passed the House 155-16.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
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