[March 07, 2016] | Sorry I missed last week?s article of what?s going on at your State Capitol. I had a few bills to present on what?s called ?Crossover Day? to prepare for and a sock hop to go to, and I just ran out of time. Had to get in some sweetheart time, too, as we were in Atlanta every day the week before that. So what happened on the famous ?Crossover day?? Crossover Day is the deadline for legislation to be passed out of its chamber of origin to remain eligible for consideration for the session. Crossover Day is typically one of the longest days of our legislative session, as we work diligently to pass House bills to send to our counterparts in the Senate for their review. On Monday, the House passed 48 measures during almost 12 hours of deliberations on the floor. Yes, a few failed, too!
I will briefly go over a number of the bills we passed to the Senate; and you know if you want more info, you can email or call me at the numbers at the end of the article. We passed House Bill 722, also known as Haleigh?s Hope Act - Part II, to expand the State?s current medical cannabis law. HB 722 would expand the list of qualifying medical conditions permitted to legally possess cannabis oil in Georgia. The bill would also allow manufacturers of low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) oil in other states to ship this oil directly to Georgians who are properly registered with our State?s Department of Public Health.
House Bill 734, the Georgia Space Flight Act (GSA), also passed in an exciting push to bring the commercial space industry to Georgia. HB 734 would define procedures for commercial space flight activity to allow Georgia to be more competitive with our neighboring states.. Spaceport Camden would have a direct economic impact on Camden, Charlton, and Glynn counties, as well as a significant impact on STEM related job growth and tourism for the entire state of Georgia. The spaceport takes advantage of a now-defunct Morton Thiokol site in Camden County.
Another bipartisan measure that passed unanimously on Crossover Day was The Fallen Heroes Bill, or House Bill 54, to honor public service officials killed in the line of duty and their families. This bill would allow Georgia taxpayers to voluntarily contribute to a grant program by adding a donation option to their filing forms for Georgia Income Tax forms and Georgia Motor Vehicle Driver?s License forms.
HB 779. This measure makes it unlawful to equip a drone aircraft with a weapon; to obtain evidence and other information without obtaining a search warrant; to launch from private property without permission; to harass, threatened or intimidate another individual; to interfere with the operation of a train, aircraft, or motor vehicle.
Two measures of significant importance were taken off the Debate Calendar by Rep. David Ralston, Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives. HB 677 and HR 807 by Rep. Ron Stephens would have brought casino gambling to the State of Georgia. Proponents of this measure proposed that the tax revenue generated by gaming would be used to increase funding for the Hope Scholarship Program. I had a number of you who called in the weeks leading up to Crossover Day who were glad this was put off for this year.
I had two bills on the calendar for crossover day, HB 1002 on Clerks of Courts and Licensed surveyors and digital plat submissions; and HB 1060, a clean up bill amending several Code sections dealing with Georgia carry licenses for Georgians. I have become very knowledgeable on this area of the law in the House. Both passed to be considered by the Senate.
HB727 passed to the Senate, and it regulates where and when fireworks can be exploded and seeks to give local governments increased discretion over fireworks regulation.
Goodness, we had a lot of folks from home at the Capitol during the last two weeks. School groups, teachers, court folks, Pickens 4H , law enforcement, colleges, Gordon FFA and those who came to lobby for or against a particular bill; it was fun to get to see these folks. Marcia got to spend some time with me last week and that was very nice.
Now that Crossover Day is behind us, we will be spending time in committee hearings as we take time to carefully review Senate Bills and have our bills heard in the Senate. Remember none of this is law yet, and bills must pass both chambers and be signed by the governor before becoming law. I have five bills in the works, so I will be hopping from Senate committee to committee to try and get those heard and onto the floor of the Senate. There are only nine legislative days left to complete our work for the 2016 legislative session, so if you have any questions about the bills I mentioned, or about any that will be considered by either chamber, I hope you will reach out to me in the remaining days. As your Representative, your thoughts and opinions on these important issues are essential to my decision-making process, and I appreciate your input. If you are nearby, you are always welcome at your State Capitol, and I would be happy to serve as your host. You can reach me at my Capitol office, which is (404) 656-7857, or by email at rick.jasperse@house.ga.gov.
As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your Representative.