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Representative Ron Forster |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Halfway Home2005 General AssemblyFebruary 16, 2005 -- It’s hard to believe the Georgia General Assembly has been in session for 20 of its 40 days allotted. We have passed some remarkable legislation this session that for years was held up by those that were in charge of the Georgia General Assembly for so long. In addition, we are on track to possibly conclude this legislative session under 40 days, marking it as the first time in many years that the General Assembly has adjourned early. The biggest success for the people of Georgia is the issue of medical malpractice reform. Gov. Sonny Perdue has signed Senate Bill 3 with its House-added amendments. The House agreed to most of the provisions in the Senate bill except for the issues regarding caps. The senate asked for caps set at $250,000 per person up to $750,000 for a group action. The House of Representatives recognized that was a bit low and amended the bill for caps at $350,000 or up to $1.05 million for a group action. Upon its return to the Senate, they quickly acquiesced, and the bill was sent to the Governor for signature. As I stated earlier, he has signed the bill, making it the first significant piece of legislation the new majority in the House has helped pass. Along the way we have passed some relatively important legislation, though not of the impact of saving rural hospitals and doctors’ practices throughout Georgia. The House overwhelmingly adopted a Senate bill that would create a virtual school for Georgians. With the expansion of home computers, the act would allow for the State Department of Education to create a virtual school. The Georgia Virtual School will provide courses over the Internet to Georgia students — public, private, or home-schooled — with the students being able to interact with teachers via mail and telephone. We hope to have the DOE make available over 60 high school courses, including a dozen advanced-placement courses. The bill was overwhelmingly passed 166 to 1. Look for more information soon from state School Superintendent Cathy Cox regarding this issue. One bill that brought more controversy than was needed was the issue of tinting car windows. The bill, H.B. 20, basically repealed the old window-tinting law that was ruled unconstitutional by the Georgia Supreme Court and replaced it with a bill that will set parameters in a law that will be deemed constitutional. The bill passed 125 to 33 but not without debate on racial profiling and other race-based traffic issues. Continuing in the law and order vein, we also voted unanimously on H.B. 289 to allow the Governor by Executive Order to confer upon the Georgia Board of Pardon and Parole employees their ability to be activated to support federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in a time of crisis or emergency. The House unanimously agreed to some minor Senate amendments regarding H.B. 98, the Georgia Land Conservation Act. The bill essentially establishes the Georgia Land Conservation Council, a trust fund and a revolving fund to provide local cities, counties and the Georgia Department on Natural Resources grants and loans to purchase land for conservation purposes. One issue that we are looking at very closely in the House of Representatives is the reconfiguring of the gerrymandered lines of our Congressional districts. The maps drawn by former Gov. Roy Barnes created monstrosities of our local congressional districts that had congressmen representing districts that wound their way down roads and fire breaks to create districts that best resembled bad art, and at worst, were designed to guarantee election of Democrat congressmen. It is an issue that both the House and Senate leaders have discussed and several maps have been floated that would make the districts become compact, contiguous and keeps communities of interest together. As this bill makes its way through the process, I am sure we will here more about it. The following is a list of some of the other bills that passed last week: HB 266 Chiropractors; board of examiners; additional authority; to correct language in last year’s legislation regarding disciplinary action taken regarding any licensee advertising violations not defined in the rules of the board. - Yeas: 143 Nays: 2 SB 87 Georgia Seed Law; preempt certain local ordinances; exemptions - This bill comes as a response to counties in other states enacting local ordinances that would ban the planting of genetically modified seed stock. This bill would preempt local governments from enacting ordinances relating to the labeling, packaging, sale, storage, transportation, distribution, notification of use, or use of seeds. - Yeas: 117 Nays: 36 SB 88 Georgia Fertilizer Act; preempt certain local ordinances; exemptions - This bill would preempt local governments from enacting ordinances relating to the registration, labeling, packaging, sale, storage, transportation, distribution, use, or application of fertilizer. - Yeas: 130 Nays: 27 HB 188 Registered sexual offender; publish photo in legal organ – This bill will allow local newspapers to publish the picture of people who have been put on sexual offender registration list. - Yeas: 157 Nays: 0 HB 195 Parental rights; petitions to terminate; change provisions – Bill aims to move kids faster through foster care into adoptive homes. It sets a time limit of 90 days for juvenile courts to hold a hearing concerning the termination of parental rights, and 30 days after the hearing to render a decision - Yeas: 154 Nays: 0 HB 201 Veterinarians; boarders of animals; liens for treatment - relating to liens of veterinarians and boarders of animals, so as to change certain provisions relating to liens for treatment, board, or care of animals and right to retain possession - Yeas: 154 Nays: 0 HB 166 "Health Share" Volunteers in Medicine Act; enact - relating to the care and protection of indigent and elderly patients, so as to enact the "'Health Share' Volunteers in Medicine Act"; to provide for a short title; to provide for legislative findings; to provide for definitions; to provide for contracts between health care providers and governmental contractors; to provide uncompensated health care services to low-income persons; to provide for notice requirements to patients; to provide for volunteers providing support services; to provide for applicability of benefits; to provide for a report on claim statistics; to provide for an annual report by the Department of Community Health to certain legislative officers; to provide for liability coverage for claims and defense of litigation; to provide for the establishment of rules and regulations- Yeas: 145 Nays: 19 HB 1 Bona fide conservation use property; breach of covenant; exceptions - this legislation provides that leasing no more than six acres of the property subject to the conservation use covenant for the purpose of placing a cell phone transmission tower will not result in a breach of the covenant. - Yeas: 154 Nays: 7 HB 200 Subsequent Injury Trust Fund; reimbursement; dissolution - relating to the Subsequent Injury Trust Fund, so as to provide that the Subsequent Injury Trust Fund shall not reimburse a self-insured employer or an insurer for an injury occurring after Dec 31, 2005, for which a claim is made after Dec 31, 2005; to provide that the fund shall continue to reimburse self-insured employers and insurers for claims made prior to Dec 31, 2005; - Yeas: 163 Nays: 2 HB 217 Athletic trainers; service in schools; licensing requirements; exception - relating to athletic trainers, so as to provide that students, teachers, or other persons who serve as athletic trainers for a public or private elementary school or high school in this state must be licensed as an athletic trainer; to provide an exception for a student-trainer, assistant-trainer, or similar person who functions under the advice, consent, and supervision of a physician or a licensed athletic trainer - Yeas: 161 Nays: 2 HB 272 Educational and living expense grants; foster and adopted children; eligibility - The grant is available to pay tuition, student fees and a cost-of-living expense for any undergraduate program at any of Georgia’s pubic postsecondary institutions. - Yeas: 161 Nays: 1 HR 66 SBA regulations of certain nonprofit corporations; service area include entire state - a resolution providing that the Department of Community Affairs may provide that the service area of any nonprofit corporation created by a regional development center and designated as a certified development company by the federal Small Business Administration may include all or part of the entire State of Georgia solely for the purpose of providing authorized program services in accordance with SBA regulations; - Yeas: 156 Nays: 0 HB 293 State Accounting Office; create - so as to create the State Accounting Office; to provide for a state accounting officer; to provide for the appointment and removal of such officer; to provide for staff and offices; to provide for duties and responsibilities of such officer; - Yeas: 154 Nays: 10 Note that the House is not in session on Monday, Feb. 21, for President’s Day, but will be back in session on Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 22 at 1 p.m. for its 22nd legislative day. I am getting an inside view that I want to share with everyone. — State Rep. Ron Forster, R-Ringgold, can be reached by phone in the Atlanta office at (404) 656-3957 or through his Web site at www.gasrd3.org.
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