No campus carry changes in gun bill
Legislation that would make minor changes to a 2014 gun law received final passage in the Georgia Legislature on Thursday without any of the changes Gov. Nathan Deal requested.
House Bill 1060 is now on its way to Deal’s desk. It was thought to be a potential vehicle for the changes Deal sought to a bill passed earlier this year that would allow concealed weapons permit holders to carry weapons on college and university campuses.
The campus carry bill, House Bill 859, was passed earlier this session by both chambers. It would allow anyone 21 or older with a weapons license to carry a gun anywhere on a public college or university campus, except for inside dormitories, fraternities and sorority houses, and at athletic events.
Last week, the governor said he wanted lawmakers to consider exempting on-campus child care centers from the campus carry legislation. Deal also expressed concerns about high school students who are joint-enrolled in college courses on campuses that would allow firearms. House Speaker David Ralston, however, said this week that he expected no new legislation addressing the governor’s concerns to move in the final days of the legislative session.
HB 1060 does include a measure that would prevent banks from refusing to offer financial services to firearms dealers strictly because of their industry.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
Police shooting grand jury bill passes
Legislation that would limit Georgia police officers’ ability to influence the outcome of grand jury proceedings gained final approval Thursday.
House Bill 941 now goes to Gov. Nathan Deal’s desk. The bill aims to curtail some of the most generous legal privileges afforded to officers anywhere in the country. Georgia law currently allows officers accused of possible crimes to sit in the grand jury hearing, listen to all the evidence against them and make a statement at the end that can’t be questioned or challenged by prosecutors.
No other state allows such broad and favorable privileges for officers who appear before a grand jury to face possible charges.
Under HB 941, police officers who face possible charges in a shooting case could offer a statement to grand jurors but would not be allowed to stay in the grand jury room and would face cross-examination.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
Pregnancy center bill goes to governor
The General Assembly gave final passage Thursday to legislation that would create a grant program to support pregnancy resource centers as an alternative to abortion.
Under Senate Bill 308, sponsored by Senate Health and Human Services Committee Chairwoman Renee Unterman, R-Buford, the pregnancy resource centers would promote pregnancy and parenting services. They could not use grant funds to refer clients to clinics that provide abortions or counsel women to get abortions unless their pregnancies are life-threatening.
Unterman has called the legislation a “positive alternative” to restricting access to abortions. The senator estimated there are 27,000 abortions each year in the state.
SB 308 would require centers to register as nonprofits and submit annual audits by the Department of Public Health. The bill would prohibit centers from using grant funds to provide “counseling or written material” that includes political or faith-based content.
Opponents of the bill say the legislation would provide taxpayer funds to pregnancy resource centers with questionable quality of care. Some opponents have expressed concerns that not all centers have medical professionals on-site for examinations.
The bill now goes to the desk of Gov. Nathan Deal.
— Laura Diaz
Campus Taser bill gets final OK
Legislation that would allow college students to carry Tasers and stun guns on campuses in Georgia is headed for Gov. Nathan Deal’s desk.
House members voted 119-50 on Thursday to give House Bill 792 final approval.
Sponsored by Rep. Buzz Brockway, R-Lawrenceville, the bill would allow any person over age 18 or enrolled in classes to carry the electroshock weapons on a state public college or university campus.
Brockway’s bill, which has been deemed “campus carry lite,” did not carry the same level of controversy as the legislation passed by lawmakers earlier this year that would legalize guns on college campuses. Brockway has said his bill was intended to provide an alternative to students wanting to protect themselves on campus but not use a lethal weapon.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
‘Adoptable dog’ could become state dog
Georgia is now running with the big dogs!
State lawmakers approved legislation Thursday night to name the “adoptable dog” as the state dog of Georgia.
In addition to showing some love to the needy animals, the bill also shows a little love and appreciation to the many animal shelters around the state and the work done by their staffs, state Sen. Burt Jones, R-Jackson, said before the chamber’s 30-14 vote gave final passage to Senate Bill 168.
But the feel-good legislation was not without some pushback.
Having a dog of an unknown breed as the official state canine is a “disgrace,” said state Sen. Bill Heath, R-Bremen.
State Sen. Ellis Black, R-Valdosta, echoed Heath’s opposition to bestowing the state honor on a dog from the pound. “You’re going to have people who are going to use this against the state of Georgia,” he said.
Earlier in the legislative session some lawmakers sought to name the English bulldog (think the University of Georgia’s Uga) as the official mascot, but that effort failed to gain momentum.
Having passed both legislative chambers, the “adoptable dog” bill now moves to the governor’s desk to be signed.
— Janel Davis
Firefighters workers’ comp bill approved
Georgia firefighters with any type of cancer could get workers’ compensation if they can provide “a preponderance” of evidence that their work caused the disease under legislation that gained final approval in the Legislature on Thursday.
House Bill 216 would grant workers’ compensation benefits to firefighters who have been diagnosed with fire service-related cancers. Firefighters applying for the benefit would have to demonstrate exposure to a known carcinogen as a result of their occupation. Otherwise, state law considers cancer an “ordinary disease of life,” disqualifying it from claims.
The Senate originally wanted to set a higher standard of proof, essentially that there had to be “clear and convincing” evidence for a claim. That requirement appeased local governments worried about how the potential new mandate would drive up costs. But firefighters have said that’s too high a standard of proof, especially since other states use lower standards related to work-related cancer claims.
State Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, who is a firefighter himself, led the charge on the floor to lower the claims standard to “a preponderance” of evidence.
Firefighters say they are exposed to carcinogens through the burning of newer materials used in the construction of homes, such as synthetic fibers and plastic.
— Kristina Torres
State could run Fulton Health Department
The top leadership of Fulton County's Health Department would be absorbed into the state's department by next summer under a bill that passed Thursday that would remove the option for counties to have their own boards of health.
The bill, House Bill 885, is intended to increase cooperation between Fulton and the state following a series of health-related missteps. Two years ago, there was a tuberculosis outbreak in the county, and last year, the county revealed it had not been spending all the grant money it had received to combat HIV. Fulton's HIV rate is among the worst in the country.
The bill passed the Senate on Thursday by a 35-15 vote. State Sen. Renee Unterman, R-Buford, said the point was to move the county department closer to the state. A handful of high-ranking workers would become state employees, though the rest would remain with the county.
Later, the updated version was approved by the House, 161-0.
The bill goes to the governor’s desk to be signed.
In objecting to the bill, Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, said the change was “another in a long line of anti-Fulton County legislation.”
He said the problems Fulton was having were related to personnel issues, and that the department's leadership had changed. Kathleen E. Toomey, a former country director for the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, started with the department this month.
— Arielle Kass
Referendum set on city of Stonecrest
Georgia lawmakers approved putting the city of Stonecrest on the map if voters in the area decide to incorporate.
The state Senate passed Senate Bill 208 on a 39-12 vote Thursday that allows a referendum to create Stonecrest, a city of about 50,000 people along I-20 near Lithonia in southeast DeKalb County. The vote will be held in November.
Stonecrest would start with a small government focused on attracting businesses to the area. The city would provide three government services: parks and recreation, code enforcement, and planning and zoning.
If voters approve in November, the city of Stonecrest will cover the southeastern corner of DeKalb County.
The proposal to form a city of Stonecrest follows the cityhood trend that has swept across metro Atlanta over the past decade, with eight new city governments founded.
Most recently, the city of Tucker held its first elections this month and will start doing business this summer.
— Mark Niesse
South Fulton cityhood effort advances
South Fulton residents have earned the right to vote on whether they want to turn their unincorporated area into a city.
A bill that will allow a referendum, House Bill 514, gained final passage Thursday, the last day of the session.
The House approved it, 127-25.
The bill previously passed through the state Senate on Tuesday as a result of horse-trading by state Sen. Donzella James, D-Atlanta.
On Tuesday, James told legislators that South Fulton — which is the last unincorporated area in Fulton County — has been acting like a city for a decade. It has its own police and fire departments, administered through the county, and a feasibility study showed the potential city would have a surplus when it was formed.
Fulton County supports the area’s incorporation, and Fulton Chairman John Eaves said earlier this week that the vote would be “really good news.”
— Arielle Kass
Suspects would pay in animal cruelty bill
Suspects in animal cruelty cases would be forced to pay up front the costs of the animal’s care under legislation given final passage Thursday.
Senate Bill 356 would gives local governments the option to file a petition requesting that the suspect pay up front the estimated costs of the animal’s treatment and boarding.
If found innocent of the charges, the suspect would be able to request a full refund. If expenses for the animal’s treatment are less than projected, a refund of the difference would be issued, said Rep. Rich Golick, R-Smyrna, who squired the bill through the House.
“It will take some of the costs off their hands,” he said.
— Nancy Badertscher
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