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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Not what the Media expected?
(Part II)
2006 General
Assembly
January 27, 2005 -- Ringgold,
GA – The
Georgia General Assembly completed its 9th legislative day this week
and this is proving to be quite an active year for legislators. We have
passed two high profile bills that we have seen the Governor sign into law.
The first is the natural gas tax cut bill and the second the voter ID bill.
The Governor signed into law the bill that
was introduced essentially suspending half of the tax collected on consumer
purchases of natural gas from January 1 through April 30 2006 and liquid propane
from January 1 through March 31, 2006. This legislation was introduced to
help lower the spiraling cost of home heating fuels during the winter months.
This legislation will return over $16 million to Georgians who are being hit
with these high winter heating costs.
The second major piece of legislation that
we passed and the Governor has signed into law is a rewrite of Georgia law to
put an end to voter fraud. A majority of the state House agreed to
legislative changes that will require a government identification card to be
presented to vote in any elections in the state of Georgia. The provision
also will provide free government voting ID cards for those who do not have any
other valid government ID card. The bill would further require that the
free voting identification card be provided to registered voters from their
county voter registrar’s office. This legislation makes corrections to a
federal judicial ruling overturning a similar law passed last year that did not
include a free ID provision. The law, assuming the Federal Department of
Justice approves it again like the first law, will require picture
identification cards issued by a government entity for the Primary Election and
General Election of 2006.
We passed House Bill 973, legislation
allowing law enforcement officers to use speed detection devices in properly
marked school zones one hour prior, during, and one hour after the normal school
operations. We viewed this as a child safety issue which is why the bill
passed 160 to 1.
We also took care of our fire fighters by
passing a series of legislative bills that would have a major effect on the
calculations of pensions. One bill would allow the Class Nine Fire
Department Pension Fund to increase its maximum monthly retirement benefit from
$165 to $500. We also allowed members of our National Guard and Reserves,
who are called to active duty, to be given credit for that active duty time in
their pension calculations. The last bill allows firefighters who have
retired, to return to work and collect creditable service time beginning at the
completion of one year versus the former rule of seven years. In the past,
retirement calculations were not redone until the completion of seven or more
years returning to work.
I believe we all need
to be informed about how our elected officials are representing us. I am
getting an inside view that I want to share with everyone.
Representative
Ron Forster is serving his third two year term in the Georgia House of
Representatives. He Chairs the Interstate Cooperation committee and
also serves on the Public Utilities & Telecommunication, Appropriations and
Insurance committees. In 2004 the American Legislative Exchange
Council named him legislator of the year. His email address is ron.forster@house.ga.gov
and he has a website at www.gasrd3.org.
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For More Information Contact:
State Representative District 3
18 Capitol Ave., LOB Rm 614-C, Atlanta GA 30736
Tel: 404-656-3957
FAX: 404-656-0250
Internet: RForster@legis.state.ga.us
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