The 2011 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly is close to the finish line, with only three days of session remaining. The legislature completed day thirty-seven on Thursday, March 31st. Many key pieces of legislation passed the House this week and some now move to Governor Deal for possible passage into law. This week was full of activity as legislation that could be passed this session and become law move through the final stages of the legislative process.
Many Senate bills made their way through House Committees this week and onto the House floor for a vote. Very little legislation was debated in the House on Monday, as the majority of our day was spent attending committee meetings in both the House and Senate. In addition to various bills pertaining to local legislation, one House Resolution passed. Celebratory gunfire has the potential to harm others and to discourage and increase awareness on this issue, the House passed HR 341 by 139 to 23.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, several bills were passed by the House and some are highlighted below. The budget for Fiscal Year 2012, House Bill 78, has now been sent to Conference Committee. This includes members of both the House and the Senate and is done to work through the differences in the budget. One of the few requirements of the legislature is to pass the budget for the state. As many of you might recall, we started out the New Year with a snowstorm that spread across much of our state. The House passed Senate Resolution 30 by 149 to 20 and this would urge the Department of Transportation to do several things to prepare for weather situations: prepare a list of contractors to be used during weather emergencies, authorize local governments to clear state roads when necessary, and would encourage the Department to coordinate with state and local government to form an action plan to remove snow and ice during emergencies in our state. Senate Bill 17 also passed this week, 96 to 67, and would establish the Special Advisory Commission on Mandated Health Insurance benefits. This Committee would be responsible for reviewing the proposed legislation on mandated healthcare, as imposed by the Federal Government. This bill is a protection for the citizens of Georgia. Also passed was SB 30 (vote of 135 to 31) and it would require that municipal court judges in our state must also be attorneys that are licensed in Georgia. This would not apply to those that are already judges, as they would be grandfathered in under the proposed legislation. Senate Bill 88 passed the House this week and it would increase the age requirements for child restraint systems from six to eight years old. This legislation passed 128 to 32 and is a safety precaution to protect our children when traveling in motor vehicles.

Thursday was a busy day in the General Assembly. Members of the House met to discuss tax reform and determined that it was still necessary to allow more time for legislators to work out some of the details. Therefore, although we were scheduled to have session on Friday, this date was changed to allow more time to work on the tax reform legislation. The House agreed to Senate changes of House Bill 214, which would establish the Department of Public Health, and this bill now goes to Governor Deal. To monitor the use of controlled substances in the state, the House passed SB 36 by 117 to 45. This bill, the Patient Safety Act of 2011, would set up a database of all controlled substances dispensed in Georgia. This information would only be accessible to prescribers and dispensers and the goal is to discourage prescription drug abuse and also the illegal sale of prescriptions. Senate Bill 58 also passed the House, 166 to 1, and is known as the Spencer Pass Hero Memorial Act. Named after a Highway Emergency Response Operator who was killed while helping a motorist in January, this bill now goes to Governor Deal for his signature and possible passage into law. It would add state employed highway workers to the list of employees that are able to receive payment from the state after they are injured or killed doing their job on the road.

The members of the General Assembly will continue our work at the State Capitol on Monday, April 11th for our thirty-eighth day of session. I will continue to keep all of you informed throughout the 2011 legislative session. It is a honor to continue serving you in the Georgia General Assembly. Please do not hesitate to let me know your position or thoughts on issues that concern you. If you would like to reach me, please call me at (404) 656-7153 or write me at: State Rep. Jay Roberts, 218 CAP, State Capitol, Atlanta, GA 30334 or e-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.