Georgia State NAACP Newsletter

2009 Meeting Schedule
HOUSE BILLS
A New Year-2009, brings New Laws in Georgia!

www.legis.ga.gov - This link will take you to the Georgia General Assembly website. You will fiind at the top of the page a box where you can type in a bill number. This will allow you to track the progress of a bill. Additionally, you can take a look at the composites. The composite is a spreadsheet like document which will allow you to see the progress of a bill through the legislative process.

HB 225, a bill that will permit voter registration applications to be distributed and voter registration drives to be conducted only by persons who are registered voters of the state. If enacted, this bill could prohibit our national affiliate organizations from conducting voter registration in the state. Representative Morgan is opposed to this bill and was successful along with two other colleagues to slow this bill's progress in the Governmental Affairs subcommittee on Thursday, February 12th.

HB 149, a bill will enact the “Move on When Ready Act” to provide a program for eleventh and twelfth grade students to attend post-secondary schools and schools for high school credit. The bill will also provide requirements, state funding, and testing information for interested parents and students. Representative Morgan voted in favor of the bill because it will allow eligible high school students to progress forward when ready. On Tuesday, February 17th, HB 149 passed by due order in the House Education subcommittee.

HB 70, a bill requires certain employees to have state and national fingerprint records check requirements for applicants working in early child care. The bill also provides for criminal background checks for current directors and employees. The bill has major implications for employment discrimination while seeking to protect early child care safety. Representative Morgan voted against the bill on Wednesday, February 11th . However, the bill passed by due order in the Education subcommittee for Children and Youth.

HR 1, a House Resolution will freeze the valuation of residential and nonresidential property except for certain adjustments. On Thursday, February 12th, HR1 was reconsidered by the Rules Committee. Representative Morgan voted against the bill because it directly affects funding for public education.

SB 488: Driver's licenses - The law allows foreigners who are temporarily in the United States to keep their home country driver's license after they obtain a Georgia license. Previously, a visitor had to surrender the foreign license. This cuts down on bureaucracy for business travelers and other legal visitors who want to drive in Georgia, but will need their original license when they go home, said bill sponsor Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock.) The law also allows refugees and other legal immigrants who are in the country indefinitely to renew their license once every three years instead of every year. This cuts down on unnecessary paperwork, Rogers said.

SB 474: Sex offenders - Registered sex offenders must hand over Internet passwords and screen names. While federal law requires authorities to track Internet addresses, Georgia goes further and wants passwords, too.

HB 977: Health care - This law relates to health plans with high deductibles and associated health savings accounts. The idea is to give health coverage to more uninsured Georgians. Under such plans, consumers pay high deductibles, but get tax breaks for putting money into savings accounts to be used for health care. The new law exempts insurers from paying taxes on premiums in the sale of the high-deductible savings account plans. That would save health insurers $146 million in tax breaks over the next five years, according to consumer groups. Proponents say the law will spark competition among insurers to sell the plans, making them cheaper. Critics said the new law is essentially a tax giveaway to insurance companies that sell the plans.

HB 426: Railroad crossings and school buses Local school districts are to provide the Department of Transportation with information regarding rail crossings without active warning devices that are crossed by school buses. School districts are to use their best efforts to reroute buses to minimize the use of such rail crossings.

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The vision and mission of the NAACP are:

Vision - The vision of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is a society in which all individuals have equal rights and there is no racial hatred or racial discrimination.

Mission - The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.

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West Metro NAACP Branch

P.O. Box 285  Dallas, Georgia 30132

email: info@westmetronaacp.org  ph:678.318.3483