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January 17, 2003 For more information contact: 404-817-6133 404-817-6247 404-817-6257 404-817-6170 |
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Greetings from the Gold Dome – we have managed to make it
through Day 5 of the Session. Today,
the biggest news was the naming of the House Committee Chairs.
Additionally, a schedule was released with dates and times for the Budget
Hearings for the week of
Next week, the General Assembly will officially be in recess and will not
convene again until Newly Introduced Legislation
Motions were filed to engross both
HB 92 and HB 93 on Thursday. These
bills relate to taxation issues as follows:
HB 92, introduced by Reps. Buck, Buckner, Hugley, Smith, and Smyre, will
allow a joint county or municipal sales and use tax to provide for an optional
rate increase to 2 percent with respect to imposition by consolidated
governments. HB 93, introduced by
Reps. Buck and Royal, proposes to revise the definition of gross receipts to
exclude inter-organizational sales or transfers between or among certain parent
corporations, their wholly owned subsidiaries, and certain corporations
partially owned by such parents or subsidiaries.
Both bills will be forwarded to the HB 85 – Rep. Dean’s proposal to add an excise tax of
$3.00 per box of 20 cigars or cigarettes has now been referred to the HB 91 – Rep. Oliver’s amendment to Title 9, the Civil
Practice Act, so as to allow for a challenge to the neutrality of an arbitrator
by allowing discovery, has now been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. HB 96 – Rep. Ray and others authored this measure
amending O.C.G.A. §48-8-3 in an effort to provide an exemption from taxation
the sale or use of liquefied petroleum gas or other fuel used for certain
horticultural purposes. This has
been sent to the HB 98 – Rep. Lunsford and others introduced this proposal
requiring an amendment to Chapter 20 of Title 50 in order to authorize the
establishment of one or more legislative Nonprofit Contractor Oversight Panels.
This has been forwarded now to the House Appropriations Committee. HB 100 – Rep. Mosley and others have introduced this so
as to exclude from State income taxes the salary of HB 101 – This amendment to the State Health Benefit Plan
in order to allow for the Department of Community Health to contract with any
agricultural commodity commission created pursuant to Chapter 8 of Title 2 of
the Code. It would also allow those
persons, retirees of the Commission, spouses, and dependents to also
participate. This has been forwarded
to the House’s State Planning and Community Affairs Committee. SB 5 – Sens. Harp and Mullis have authored this amendment
to the Criminal Code at O.C.G.A. § 16-12-81(d) to create the offense of
distributing material depicting nudity or sexual content when such material is
sent unsolicited by electronic mail or otherwise by electronic or computer media
any material depicting nudity or sexual conduct to any person, residence, or
place of employment unless there is displayed in a manner visible to the
recipient before the material depicting nudity or sexual conduct becomes visible
a statement identical or substantially similar to the following notice: “The material contained herein
depicts nudity or sexual conduct. If
the viewing of such material could be offensive to the recipient, the recipient
is advised to delete or otherwise destroy such material.” Other News
House Committee Chairs The following are newly named Chairs: Appropriations - Tom Buck Arts & Humanities - JoAnn McClinton Banks & Banking - Johnny Floyd Economic Development & Tourism - Butch Parrish Education - Bob Holmes Ethics - Barbara Mobley Governmental Affairs - Alan Powell Higher Education - Louise McBee Interstate Cooperation - Ann Purcell Intra-Governmental Coordination - Keith Heard Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment - Carolyn Hugley MARTOC - George Maddox Public Utilities & Telecommunications - David Lucas Special Rules (Policy) - Michele Henson State Institutions & Property - Gerald Greene State Planning & Community Affairs - Tommy Smith Ways & Means - Richard Royal The following are re-appointed
Chairs: Agriculture & Consumer Affairs - Robert Ray Children & Youth - Georganna Sinkfield Defense & Veterans Affairs - Ken Birdsong Game, Fish &
Parks - Health & Ecology - Buddy Childers Human Relations & Aging - Henry Howard Industrial Relations - Paul Smith Insurance - Jimmy Lord Journals - Doug Teper Judiciary - Tom Bordeaux Motor Vehicles - Bobby Parham Natural Resources & Environment - Bob Hanner Public Safety - Mike Snow Regulated Industries - Carl Von Epps Retirement - Bill Cummings Rules - Calvin Smyre Special Judiciary - Curtis Jenkins Transportation - Ralph Twiggs
The Governor issued on Thursday an Executive Order establishing a Jury
Task Force which is study and make recommendations concerning ways in which
grand and petit juries may be drawn from individual counties, judicial circuits,
regions or the State as a whole or otherwise restructured in an effort to better
preserve and enhance the “fair, objective, and complete investigation and
prosecution of criminal activity and public corruption by local public
officials.” This Report is due to
the Governor no later than Budget News
The following will list some of the times for Agencies and Departments to
make their presentations before the Joint Appropriations Committee: |
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