Capitol Update Week 7 - Preparing for 'Crossover' Day

Last week

Last week was a very busy week completing necessary committee work in preparation for "Crossover Day" on Monday. Crossover is the 30^th day of the 40-day legislative session and the date by which a bill must pass one chamber to permit enough time to complete the process in the other chamber and become law. The House has seventeen bills on the first calendar for Monday and we will likely have one or more supplemental calendars prior to adjourning for the day.

Three bills I either authored or co-sponsored passed the House last week and are now pending committee hearings in the Senate. HB 412 permits voluntary electronic property tax billing. Gwinnett County estimates it may save up to $140,000 a year in billing costs.HB 731 included an Amendment to repeal an unconstitutional article from Georgia Code.HB 658 by Representative B. J. Pak removed the last remnants of the Estate Tax from Georgia statute.

The House voted down HB 153 a proposal to permit a "fractional" SPLOST of less than 1-cent. I voted No. The author has asked the House to reconsider the bill on Monday. Initially the idea of a SPLOST at less than 1-cent may sound like a good idea - lower taxes. I see it differently. I view the idea as a tax increase from zero up to the fraction rather than from 1-cent down to the fraction. I also agree with the Department of Revenue that multiple rates at multiple fractions in multiple counties may result in a number of administrative burdens. Finally, SPLOST should sunset when the need is fulfilled. I view the implementation of a fractional SPLOST as an attempt to continue taxes when the voters would otherwise let the penny lapse.

Finally, the House passed HB 459 by Representative Bill Kitchens, a former State Patrol Commander, commonly referred to as the "Slow Poke" law to require drivers in the left lane to move over when approached by a faster moving vehicle.

It was also my great pleasure to welcome students from the Grayson Elementary School Cluster on Monday and the Choir from Snellville Middle on Tuesday to the Capitol.

SMS Choir with Governor Nathan Deal

The SMS Choir toured the Capitol and performed two songs at noon
to the great enjoyment of all.  

Next week

Among the more noteworthy bills the House may consider next week are:

HB 885 - would permit medical cannabis treatments for certain seizure disorders

HB 707 - would prevent any state resources used to implement the Affordable Care Act

HB 990 - would require a vote of the Legislature prior to expanding Medicaid

Committee calendars
House committee meeting calendar:
http://calendar.legis.ga.gov/Calendar/?chamber=house

Senate committee meeting calendar:
http://media.legis.ga.gov/Calendar/?chamber=senate

As always, I remain appreciative that you allow me to serve as your state Representative. I encourage you to contact me with any comments or questions you have about the legislation being considered at the state Capitol.  You can reach me at my Capitol office at 404-656-0254 or on my cell at 404-966-5804 or via email at brett.harrell@house.ga.gov. 

  

 Thank you,

 Brett Harrell  

At the Capitol Please call, email, or visit Brett at the Capitol. Representative Brett Harrell 601-D Coverdell Legislative Office Building 18 Capitol Square Atlanta, GA 30334 404-656-0254 brett.harrell@house.ga.gov Committee assignments: Budget & Fiscal Affairs Oversight, Regulated Industries, Transportation, and Ways & Means

Capitol Update Week 6 - Budget, Garbage, Guns

This week at the Capitol

This was an incredibly busy and interesting week at the Georgia General Assembly. I thank you so much for allowing me to serve as the representative for the 106th District. Here are several of the day-by-day highlights:

Monday

I presented and the House passed by a 165-2 margin HB 762 that adds ‘active’ sanitation workers and vehicles to existing law requiring motorists to exercise due caution and care when approaching and passing sanitation vehicles. You may not know that sanitation worker is the fourth most dangerous job in America as measured by deaths per 100,000.

Tuesday

The House passed the Fiscal Year 2015 budget HB 744 at $20.8 billion. This budget is 4.6% larger than the 2014 budget and dedicates 72% of new revenues to education – over $900 million.

On Tuesday, the House also passed HB 875 an expansion of our Second Amendment rights. This bill addresses among other things where citizens with legally permitted weapons carry licenses may carry a firearm. The bill preserves the primacy of private property rights as property owners may prohibit guns on their own premises.

Wednesday

Wednesday was non-stop activity all day long – up and down the stairs, back and forth across the street, meeting-to-meeting, presentation after presentation. At the end of the day, the issues I was advancing all moved forward. A very special thanks to William McKeen, an outstanding young man serving as my Legislative Aide this Session that not only keeps me on schedule, but also writes outstanding bill summaries to better prepare me to discuss the issues presented in our committee meetings.

I presented and the Senate Regulated Industries Committee passed HB 737 Homebrew Transportation bill. The House Code Revision Committee adopted a repeal Amendment I offered and included it in HB 731. Two Ways & Means Subcommittees favorably considered and passed bills I authored. HB 412 permitting electronic property tax billing (at taxpayer request) and HB 900 providing the final exemption for inputs into the manufacturing process (saves the state money).

Thursday

The full Ways & Means Committee passed both HB 412 and HB 900 and they are now pending in the House Rules Committee – the last stop before a vote on the House floor.

Friday

HB 834 passed the House removing an unconstitutional population requirement, but also allowing Gwinnett County to hold bond debt referendums on dates other than the November General Election date – dates with traditionally lower voter turnout. I voted No and I am now working on a “fix;” so that, the greatest number of Gwinnett citizens’ voice is heard on critical referendums such as the issuance of millions of dollars of bond debt or raising millions of dollars via SPLOST.

Next Week

Our community comes to the Capitol next week. I look forward to welcoming many students, parents, and teachers from Grayson Elementary on Monday. On Tuesday, the Snellville Middle School Choir will perform on the North steps inside the Capitol at noon.

Committee calendars

House committee meeting calendar:
http://webmail.legis.ga.gov/Calendar/?chamber=house

Senate committee meeting calendar:
http://media.legis.ga.gov/Calendar/?chamber=senate

As always, I remain appreciative that you allow me to serve as your state Representative. I encourage you to contact me with any comments or questions you have about the legislation being considered at the state Capitol. You can reach me at my Capitol office at 404-656-0254 or on my cell at 404-966-5804 or via email at brett.harrell@house.ga.gov.

Thank you,

Brett Harrell

At the Capitol
Please call, email, or visit Brett at the Capitol.

Representative Brett Harrell
601-D Coverdell Legislative Office Building
18 Capitol Square
Atlanta, GA 30334
404-656-0254
brett.harrell@house.ga.gov

Committee assignments:
Budget & Fiscal Affairs Oversight, Regulated Industries, Transportation, and Ways & Means

Twitter: brettharrell
Facebook: voteharrell

Capitol Update - Week 4 - Justice Reforms, Second Amendment, Cannabis

This week at the Capitol 

The 2014 Session of the Georgia General Assembly reached full speed this week. Members participated in dozens of committee hearings, votes each day on the House floor and the State of the Judiciary on Wednesday.

In his address, Chief Justice Hugh Thompson applauded a series of criminal justice reform bills signed into law over the past few years.  The primary goal of criminal justice reform was to increase accountability courts in Georgia to improve rehabilitation and reduce incarceration.  Chief Justice Thompson proclaimed that 93% of these court graduates remain free of criminal charges and 85% have found and maintain employment.  With fewer people in prison, these courts save Georgia more than $20 million in prison costs each year. Congratulations to Governor Deal for championing these reforms that are saving lives and saving taxpayer dollars.

The Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee secured the most attention this week with hearings on HB 875. HB 875 would expand Second Amendment rights for Georgia Weapons Carry License holders by increasing locations where licensed individuals may carry their weapons while protecting the primacy of private property rights.  The bill would expand access to government buildings, absent active security at entrances, and allow private property owners to permit or prohibit weapons on their property including churches and bars. HB 875 also allows honorably discharged veterans under age 21 to receive a weapon carry license, eliminates the re-fingerprinting requirement for renewals, prohibits the creation of a license holder database, and lessens the penalty for license holders found carrying a weapon on public college campuses. 

While HB 875 would expand rights for responsible, law-abiding citizens, it also takes measures to improve mental health regulations for Georgia Weapons Carry License applicants.  Under HB 875, licenses would be denied to any person who has been deemed "mentally incompetent to stand trial" or any person who is been deemed "not guilty by reason of insanity" at the time of the trial.  Additionally, HB 875 would provideschool boards the flexibility to arm an employee under certain guidelines and supervision. Finally, should the Governor declare a state of emergency, this bill wouldprevent the confiscation of weapons or ammunition by the state, which is currently allowable.  The committee favorably reported out HB 875 and the bill now awaits further action in the Rules Committee.   

Upcoming bills of interest

The House Health and Human Services Committee will hear on Monday afternoon HB 885 permitting use of a cannabis oil derivative to treat certain severe medical conditions. While I support proceeding with debate on this issue, there remain a number of hurdles that the legislature must address including the current Schedule I classification of the drug and impediments to transportation.   

HB 762 adding sanitation workers to the Spence Pass Law is pending before the House Rules Committee and I will ask for a vote by the full House.

The Ways & Means Public Policy Subcommittee heard HB 412 and HB 648 for the first time last week and I anticipate a second hearing this week. I will ask for passage to the full Committee and then the full House on HB 412 allowing electronic transmission of property tax bills. HB 648 returning the fourth penny of sales tax on motor fuels to transportation began a worthwhile discussion; however, I will ask that the debate continue in preparation for action upon our return in 2015.

Committee calendars
House committee meeting calendar:
http://webmail.legis.ga.gov/Calendar/?chamber=house

Senate committee meeting calendar:
http://media.legis.ga.gov/Calendar/?chamber=senate

As always, I remain appreciative that you allow me to serve as your state Representative. I encourage you to contact me with any comments or questions you have about the legislation being considered at the state Capitol.  You can reach me at my Capitol office at 404-656-0254 or on my cell at 404-966-5804 or via email at brett.harrell@house.ga.gov. 

  

 Thank you,

 Brett Harrell  

At the Capitol Please call, email, or visit Brett at the Capitol. Representative Brett Harrell 601-D Coverdell Legislative Office Building 18 Capitol Square Atlanta, GA 30334 404-656-0254 brett.harrell@house.ga.gov Committee assignments: Budget & Fiscal Affairs Oversight, Regulated Industries, Transportation, and Ways & Means

Capitol Update - Week 3 - Start, stop, run

We started fast, we stopped, we raced to the weekend

Well, this was an interesting week at the Capitol to say the least. We started fast on Monday, came to a grinding halt on Wednesday, and accelerated again playing catch-up on Friday.

I attended the Mayor's Day breakfast sponsored by the Georgia Municipal Association on Monday morning. After a brief floor session, the Alcohol and Tobacco Subcommittee of House Regulated Industries passed two bills I presented - HB 737 (permits home brewers to transport a gallon of beer) and HB 751 (repeals a section of meaningless code). Monday afternoon I met with representatives from several Community Improvement Districts (CIDs) to hear their concerns about HB 649 that would require submission of annual audits to the state (the audits are already prepared and subject to Georgia's Open Meetings Act - the bill allows submission by email).    

After Tuesday's floor session, I presented HB 762 to the Highway Safety Subcommittee of Motor Vehicles and received a unanimous "due pass" recommendation. HB 762 adds active sanitation workers / vehicles to Georgia's existing "slow down to get around" law by requiring motorists to change lanes, reduce speed, and/or stop when approaching an active sanitation worker operating in the roadway. Did you know that in 2012, the Labor Department ranked sanitation worker was the fourth most dangerous job in America as measured by deaths per 100,000? 

  

Snow began to fall Tuesday afternoon necessitating cancellation of the Ways & Means Committee meeting. I had hoped to present HB 648 that upon adoption into law would reclaim the fourth cent of motor fuels sales tax for transportation rather than the state's General Fund. [Related article: An old penny for transportation]  

  

Wednesday and Thursday the House adjourned and conducted no business. I hope you and your family fared well during the snow and ice storm.  

  

The House reconvened at 10:00 a.m. on Friday. In addition to passing several local issues, the House passed HB 176 the Mobile Broadband bill. 

Committee calendars
House committee meeting calendar:
http://webmail.legis.ga.gov/Calendar/?chamber=house

Senate committee meeting calendar:
http://media.legis.ga.gov/Calendar/?chamber=senate

  

Family Page Day

Theodore, Derayn, and Darius Swilley

I enjoyed meeting the Swilley family from Grayson and hope they enjoyed the day serving as Pages in the Georgia House. 

Full size photos here. 

Upcoming bills of interest

HB 875 the Safe Carry Protection Act further expands and secures our Second Amendment Rights - I have co-signed this legislation. This proposal expands areas that licensed citizens may carry a weapon in Georgia including Church and Bar (with property owner permission) and Public Buildings (without active security). The bill also eliminates the requirement for fingerprinting when renewing your license. 

HB 885 Haleigh's Hope Act provides a pathway for prescribing medical cannabis strictly controlled for a limited number of serious health conditions - I have co-signed this legislation. 

As always, I remain appreciative that you allow me to serve as your state Representative. I encourage you to contact me with any comments or questions you have about the legislation being considered at the state Capitol.  You can reach me at my Capitol office at 404-656-0254 or on my cell at 404-966-5804 or via email at brett.harrell@house.ga.gov. 

  

 Thank you,

 Brett Harrell