Georgia Legislative Watch

The State of the State address will take place tomorrow at 2pm in the chamber of the State House of Representatives. I cannot find where it is going to be televised live, though GPB will broadcast it on their website. I’m sure some of the news stations will pick it up on their sites as well. It will be broadcast at 7pm in an expanded version of Lawmakers.

I’ll post the video when I get it. I’ll probably have the transcript before then. You can view last year’s State of the State address here.

I’ll have video from the hearing on HB 91 in the morning.

Governor Sonny Perdue stated, during the annual Eggs & Issues breakfast hosted by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, that he opposes what is commonly known as the “Parking Lot” bill (HB 89):

Perdue addressed the subject as lawmakers were preparing a public hearing on the issue, which the NRA pushed last session. The Georgia Chamber of Commerce has fought the measure, arguing that it violates property rights of employers who don’t want guns in their parking lots.

“The NRA is my friend and I want them to continue to be my friend,” Perdue said during a speech to state business leaders. “I hope we can continue to work together where we don’t pit people between the second amendment and property and employer rights.

“Georgia has been good to the NRA. I hope we can continue that friendship by making sure these constitutional rights don’t collide.”

The NRA is pushing the bill over the objections of the Georgia Chamber and business leaders, making this a fight between two individual rights, gun ownership and private property.

HB 89 is in the Senate Rules Committee today. The hearing is scheduled for 3:30pm in Room 450 of the capitol building. Public comments will be permitted.

[UPDATE - 7:24pm] The Senate Rules Committee effectively gutted HB 89. The Political Insider has the scoop.

Here some video from Lawmakers last night on the House veto overrides: