Georgia Legislative Watch

It’s crossover day at the Georgia General Assembly. Legislation has to clear one of the two chambers before the end of the day or it is dead until next year, local legislation is exempted.

Rep. Steve Davis is going to provide periodic updates today as time permits. He also provides the link to the House Rules calendar with the legislation that they will be taking up today. Also, here is the link for the Senate Rules calendar. The committees must clear any legislation before it can be taken up on the floor of their respective bodies.

It’s going to be a long day for our legislators.

[UPDATE - 11:58am] The State House has sent the 2007 supplemental budget to the Senate. It cleared the House 162 to 0.

[UPDATE - 12:00pm] Payday lending fails again.

[UPDATE - 12:03pm] I’ll be live-blogging the session after 4pm today.

[UPDATE - 4:08pm] The State House has passed legislation that would reduce the PeachCare eligibility level from 235% of the poverty level to 200%. It passed 101-63.

[UPDATE - 4:59pm] The State House seems to be running through the calendar with some quickness. I hear the Senate is planning for a long night.

[UPDATE - 5:02pm] HB 279 has passed 163-0.

[UPDATE - 5:03pm] Next up is HB 587.

[UPDATE - 5:05pm] HB 587 has passed.

[UPDATE - 5:06pm] Rep. John Lunsford (R-110) is presenting HB 394, which adds criminal penalties for harassment and “unlawful conduct” during 9-1-1 calls.

[UPDATE - 5:14pm] The Lt. Governor speaks on the budget issue, “The Senate will have our version of the budget publicly available in less than 24 hours. I look forward to working closely and cooperatively with the House to resolve our different positions on state spending.”

[UPDATE - 5:18pm] HB 394 has passed 164-0.

[UPDATE - 5:20pm] Next up is HB 497, which provides for “pre-birth surrender of rights for a biological father to a child being placed for adoption.”

[UPDATE - 5:23pm] HB 497 has passed 162-1.

[UPDATE - 5:24pm} Onto HB 264 which deals with homestead option sales and use tax.

[UPDATE - 5:29pm] Ok…I didn’t know that Barbara Walters was in the legislature. This representative sounds just like her.

[UPDATE - 5:33pm] HB 264 passed 125-38.

[UPDATE - 5:33pm] HB 327 is next. This legislation would allow housing authorities to be the claimants for delinquent tenants.

[UPDATE - 5:35pm] HB 327 passed 157-6. Some members were clapping on the passage because this was the first time State Rep. Mark Williams (R-178) had ever presented a bill from the well.

[UPDATE - 5:37pm] HB 332, which would impose more classroom size reductions.

[UPDATE - 5:42pm] Grift Drift says, “The Senate just blew up over SB200.” SB 200 is called the “Georgia Smart Infrastructure Growth Act.” I’d like to know what happens on that.

[UPDATE - 5:47pm] Grift goes into more detail on SB 200 on his blog:

Some parlimentary weirdness is happening in the Senate and a Democrat is speaking harsh words given the Senate’s usual decorum. I admit I honestly don’t know what the hell is going on. And now another Democrat seems to be calling out the previous Democrat. This is getting fun! And I still don’t know what the hell is going on…Oh, I see. It’s an arcane move to bring Senate Bill 200 back off the table for a vote. Things are getting rather heated as some Democrats are seeing this as an underhanded move undercutting a deal to further study the bill.

[UPDATE - 5:57pm] I didn’t get the representative’s name, but she is stumping for Sonny Perdue on the floor of the State House right now. She keeps saying, “why would we ever go back?” Note to Representative _________, the election is over.

[UPDATE - 6:04pm] Speaker Richardson just said, “We oughta reduce the class size here, we’d get a lot more done.”

[UPDATE - 6:13pm] The Coleman Amendment for HB 332 passed 100-68.

[UPDATE - 6:13pm] The amended version of HB 332 has passed 104-64.

[UPDATE - 6:15pm] HB 226 has been recommitted to the House Rules Committee.

[UPDATE - 6:15pm] House Rules Chairman Earl Ehrhart said that there will be a third supplemental calendar for this evening.

[UPDATE - 6:16pm] The House has adjourned until 6:45pm.

[UPDATE - 6:33pm] The Coleman Amendment on HB 332 allows for schools to exceed maximum class sizes set by the state board by 40%, which I believe is 32 students per classroom. But the funding remains for lower class sizes. This is good for counties that are experiencing a lot of growth, like Henry County, where I live.

[UPDATE - 6:54pm] Leftover spaghetti, a cold Pepsi and Johnny Cash on Winamp. That makes for a good break.

[UPDATE - 6:58pm] HB 226 is currently being taken up on the floor. HB 226 deals with obscenity crimes and the “distribution and dissemination of obscene materials.”

[UPDATE - 7:00pm] State Rep. Bobby Franklin will be presenting an amendment to HB 226.

[UPDATE - 7:07pm] My connection is having issues. The audio keeps drifting in and out.

[UPDATE - 7:08pm] Despite my computer issues, I believe Franklin’s amendment has to deal with not allowing pornography or pornographic images in public libraries.

[UPDATE - 7:16pm] The Franklin Amendment to HB 226 failed 79-79, with Speaker Richardson voting in favor of the amendment. Franklin made a motion to reconsider which passed 91-66.

[UPDATE - 7:18pm] The House reconsidered the Franklin Amendment and passed 87 to 75.

[UPDATE - 7:19pm] HB 226 has passed as amended by a vote 129-35.

[UPDATE - 7:21pm] HB 232 has passed 164-0.

[UPDATE - 7:24pm] Next on the calendar is HB 254, which would the “issuance of a limited driving permit to a driver between 18 and 21 years old who has his or her license suspended for driving 24 or more miles per hour but less than 34 miles per hour over the speed limit.” Basically it would allow 18 to 21 year olds to still be able to drive to work and home.

[UPDATE - 7:25pm] HB 254 has passed as amended with eleven members voting against it.

[UPDATE - 7:32pm] HB 222 has passed.

[UPDATE - 7:32pm] The House is now taking up HB 413, which relates to the “joint county and municipal sales and use tax.”

[UPDATE - 7:34pm] HB 413 has passed 164-0.

[UPDATE - 7:35pm] Onto HB 445.

[UPDATE - 7:36pm] They are moving through the calendar at a steady pace now.

[UPDATE - 7:38pm] HB 445 has passed 160-3.

[UPDATE - 7:39pm] Speaker Pro-Tempore Mark Burkhalter is now filling in for Speaker Richardson.

[UPDATE - 7:42pm] HB 486 has passed 147-18.

[UPDATE - 7:43pm] HB 451, the “Georgia Tourism Act,” is up next. The bill would “provide for a program of tax refunds for companies creating certain tourism attraction.”

[UPDATE - 7:46pm] “If there’s any speakers, Mr. Question…” – State Rep. Jeff Lewis

[UPDATE - 7:48pm] HB 451 has passed 164-0.

[UPDATE - 7:49pm] HB 463 is now being presented.

[UPDATE - 7:54pm] Speaker Douchebag Richardson is back.

[UPDATE - 7:54pm] HB 463 has passed 165-0.

[UPDATE - 7:55pm] State Rep. Charles Martin has made a motion to reconsider the floor vote on HB 528. The committee substitute will now be considered.

[UPDATE - 7:59pm] HB 528 has to do with registration certificates for cosmetic laser practitioners.

[UPDATE - 8:00pm] HB 528 has passed 139-22.

[UPDATE - 8:02pm] HR 273 is a resolution urging Congress to end violence in Sudan.

[UPDATE - 8:04pm] Andre Walker writes that State Rep. Bobby Franklin will offer an amendment on HB 599 to ban gay adoption.

[UPDATE - 8:07pm] SR 309, the “private cities” legislation has passed the State Senate. It had failed earlier in the day.

[UPDATE - 8:10pm] HR 273 passed 165-0.

[UPDATE - 8:12pm] HB 2 is up next. HB 2 would prevent municipalities with their own school system from annexing property without the county’s consent.

[UPDATE - 8:18pm] SB 200 has passed the Senate.

[UPDATE - 8:36pm] The Barbara Walters sounding representative is Michele Henson.

[UPDATE - 8:42pm] There are a lot of questions on HB 2, especially concerning the rights of property owners in the potentially annexed property. One representative has even questioned the constitutionality of the legislation due the fact when there is a dispute a panel of non-elected officials will be formed to arbitrate between the municipality and the county.

[UPDATE - 8:47pm] The AJC has a post up on HB 332, which was passed as amended earlier in the evening.

[UPDATE - 8:57pm] State Rep. Barry Fleming has presented an amendment on HB 2, which failed 28-138.

[UPDATE - 8:58pm] After 45 minutes of discussion, HB 2 has passed 156-14.

[UPDATE - 8:59pm] The House is now taking up HB 337. However, a motion was just made to send it back to House Rules.

[UPDATE - 9:01pm] The House has just sent HB 337 back to House Rules by a vote of 112-52.

[UPDATE - 9:04pm] State Rep. Jerry Keen has made a motion to adjourn until tomorrow at 1pm…and it was supported.

[UPDATE - 9:12pm] I’m switching over to the State Senate. They’re still going strong.

[UPDATE - 9:26pm] Andre now writes that it’s Rep. Barry Fleming that will offer the amendment banning gay adoption. He originally wrote that it was Rep. Bobby Franklin.

[UPDATE - 9:47pm] Alright…I’m done for the evening. I’m going to try to live-blog on Sine Die. Hopefully I can get off work.