Georgia Legislative Watch

SB 5 was shot down in sub-committee this morning:

A key House panel has dealt a devastating blow to efforts to require adults in pickup trucks to buckle their seat belts. The House Consumer Affairs subcommittee voted 4-3 against the measure.

It was the first time in at least three years a House panel has considered the issue. Supporters immediately moved to reconsider the measure on another day. Georgia is the only state in the nation that exempts adults in pickups from wearing seat belts.

The stance has cost the state millions of dollars in federal highway funds. The Senate approved the seat belt changes for the last three years. House lawmakers, worried it could negatively affect rural residents, have made sure the changes are killed each year