Update from the Capitol: Week 8

By: Sen. Tonya Anderson (D – Lithonia)

Crossover Day has come and gone the Senate will now shift its focus to House bills and resolutions. In the coming weeks, we will hear several measures of great importance. As always, I do my best to represent you and your values, and encourage you to give me feedback related to legislation that could, within the next few months, become law.

More than 60 bills and resolutions passed the Senate this week. Here are a few of the bills from our eighth week that I would like to highlight:

  • Senate Bill 31 adds “the rescuing of a person or pet out of a locked vehicle” to the definition of an emergency. Currently, law enforcement officers are exempt from liability when responding to an emergency, so this codifies that they could not be held liable for property damage if they’re rescuing a dog or person from inside a vehicle.
  • Senate Bill 60 would require the Georgia Department of Education to develop guidelines to inform high school students, parents and coaches involved in athletic activities about the dangers and warning signs of sudden cardiac arrest. SB 60 would also require students to be removed from participation in a sport if they faint.
  • Senate Bill 191 which would update the Georgia Code to use the terms “law clerk” and “staff attorney,” in place of “law assistant” in reference to state courts.
  • Senate Bill 9 would criminalize the act of coercing an individual to distribute nude videos or images. As I was signed onto this piece of legislation, I was extremely happy to see it pass unanimously
  • Senate Bill 161 would give high school students who receive an “A” grade in Advanced Placement or Dual Enrollment classes an extra half point to their composite eligibility for the HOPE and Zell Miller scholarships. Under current law, students with a “B,” “C” or “D” grade receive an extra half point, and this bill would extend this provision to include those who make an “A.”
  • Senate Bill 173 would have established Educational Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) in which parents could have had their child’s state education funding deposited into a savings account for multiple educational uses. This bill FAILED, but here is what it would have done, had it passed: If a student meets certain provisions, their parents can direct ESA funds to the following: tuition at a qualified private school, tutoring, educational therapies, curriculum, textbooks, online courses and other approved education enrichment expenses. Here is why I voted “no.” While school voucher bills can sound good on their face, when you dig deeper you realize they come at not only a great cost to the state itself but also to public schools. If we want to improve our public schools, we need to invest not only in the schools themselves but in the communities they exist within. If we can improve communities and their schools, parents will not feel the need to remove their child(ren) out of their local public school.
  • Senate Bill 175 would require school boards that hire returning retired employees to pay employee and employer contribution the Teachers Retirement System.
  • Senate Bill 202 would clarify that the term “personal property” is the same as “real property” for title insurance purposes.
  • Senate Bill 208 would revise current implied consent notice to remove the term “breath.” SB 208 would amend the script of the implied consent notice, which is read by a law enforcement officer to those suspected of driving under the influence, by clarifying that only a refusal to submit blood or urine can be used against them in court.
  • Senate Resolution 258 recognized Tuesday, March 5, as Columbus Day at the Capitol. The City of Columbus was the first consolidated government in Georgia and is ranked 75th in the nation for livability because of its size, diversity and young population.
  • Bill 2 would enable Georgia’s 41 Electric Membership Corporations (EMCs) to provide internet services and broadband to their customers directly or indirectly through a broadband affiliate. Under SB 2, EMCs would be prohibited from cross subsidizing their broadband services with any other services they provide and the Georgia Public Service Commission would handle any disputes between the EMCs and companies they work with to provide broadband services.
  • Senate Bill 80 would clarify language regarding the issuance and proposals for a new location, ownership, management or operation of the Georgia Music and Georgia Sports halls of fame. The bill also requires state funds issued to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame to be utilized for preservation of artifacts with historical significance.
  • Senate Bill 103 would require airports owned or operated by any political subdivision to provide a minimum of three parking spaces for disabled veterans who display certain license plates recognizing their status.
  • Senate Bill 108 would require all public high schools to offer a course in computer science by the 2024-2025 school year. SB 108 details a phase-in schedule, lays out the requirements for charter and middle schools and allows the General Assembly to offer grants, which are subject to appropriations, for professional development for teachers who wish to teach computer science courses.
  • Senate Bill 131 would create a state authority to oversee Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport operations. This legislation would enable the proposed authority to contract with the county where the majority of the airport is located for any necessary services. Additionally, under SB 131 members of the General Assembly, the authority or its employees would have to disclose if they have a direct or indirect interest in a contract that is under consideration by the authority. Under SB 131, there are provisions that if the Georgia General Assembly and the City of Atlanta can come to a joint governance plan by July 1, 2020, the creation of the authority would be dissolved. I voted against this bill because Hartsfield-Jackson would not have become what it is today without the City of Atlanta. While no one is supportive of corruption or bad business practices, there has been little discussion with Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms about the city’s plan for the airport. Additionally, Mayor Bottoms is a new mayor and is actively working to improve the airport. We should give her the time to do so. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is one of the biggest economic engines of this state and I do not feel comfortable with what this legislation would do.
  • Senate Bill 138 would allow disabled first responders to receive a free motor vehicle license plate and revalidation decals, would allow them to be exempt from title ad valorem tax on a limited basis and would exempt their disability benefits from income tax.
  • Senate Bill 219 would require high school students and those wishing to receive their general education diploma to take and pass the U.S. Citizenship Civics Test. This test would be included in a student’s U.S. History course of study and students may take the test as many times as necessary.
  • Senate Bill 222 would re-establish the Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform which was automatically repealed in 2018. SB 222 specifies that the Council would be composed of 15 members appointed by the governor and must include the chair of the State Board of Pardons and Paroles or their designee. The bill would also require the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to develop a uniform misdemeanor citation and complaint form.
  • Senate Bill 225 would make several updates to state law regarding foster care. SB 225 makes changes to the definition of “reviewing agency,” requires documentation proving a child was in foster care to be given to those who are aging out of the program and adds a new program for foster care in a “qualified residential treatment program.”

If you have any questions regarding current, past or future legislation please feel free to contact my office.

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Senator Tonya Anderson represents the 43rd Senate District, which includes portions of DeKalb, Newton and Rockdale counties. She may be reached by email at tonya.anderson@senate.ga.gov.