Friday, February 25, 2011
Legislative Calendar
The General Assembly will reconvene on Monday, February 28 for Day 20 of the 40 day session. Legislators are scheduled to meet daily through Thursday, March 10.
Bills of Interest
To read any of the bills included in their entirety, follow their status, and review a list of all bills being tracked by the Georgia Chamber, use our bill tracker at www.gachamber.com.
Water
SB 122, which would allow the formation of public-private partnerships to fund certain water supply and treatment projects, was passed by committee this week. The bill would provide a new, optional funding mechanism as state and local governments work to meet their long-term water needs. The bill makes no changes to current environmental regulations or the provisions of the State Water Plan. The Georgia Chamber supports the bill and has designated it as a scorecard issue.
Ethics
HB 232, clarifying provisions regarding bona fide commission sales persons in the state’s lobbying laws, passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 158 to 3. The Georgia Chamber supports this legislation and has also asked the State Ethics Commission for an opinion on this issue. To see how members voted, click HERE.
Law and Judiciary
HB 30, which would clarify Georgia’s employment covenant laws, completing the changes implemented with the passage of Amendment One last November, passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 104 to 58. The Georgia Chamber supports this bill. To see how members voted, click HERE.
Health Care
HB 167, which erodes current employer protections under the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) through amendments to the state’s prompt payment law, passed the House Insurance Committee this week. At a time when the federal government has moved to increase health care costs through the passage of sweeping legislation, this would place yet another costly mandate on Georgia businesses and increase the compliance costs associated with providing health insurance for many employers. The Georgia Chamber opposes this bill and has designated it as a scorecard issue. Please contact your Representative and encourage them to vote against this bill.
HB 47, which would expand health insurance options for Georgians by allowing the purchase of policies approved for sale in other states, was passed by the House Insurance Committee this week. The Georgia Chamber has taken a support position on this bill.
SB 17, which would create a state commission to review proposed and existing health insurance mandates, passed the Senate this week by a vote of 32 to 16. The Georgia Chamber has taken a support position on this bill. To see how members voted, click HERE.
Tax Reform
HB 384, introduced by Rep. Doug Collins (Gainesville), makes changes to Georgia’s current system of job creation and economic development investment tax credits. The Georgia Chamber has not yet taken a position on this bill, but supports the creation and refinement of incentives that will stimulate job creation and investment in our state.
HB 385, 386, 387, and 388, all introduced by Rep. Mickey Channell (Greensboro), include the recommendations of the Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians. The Georgia Chamber strongly supports tax reform efforts to improve our state’s economic competitiveness and looks forward to working with the Joint Committee on Revenue Structure to enact comprehensive change.
Immigration
The Georgia Chamber testified during a committee hearing on SB 40this week. The current version, a substitute for the original bill, would exempt any business with less than four employees from using the federal E-verify system and includes no penalties for certain categories of private business that do not use the system. The Georgia Chamber continues to encourage members of the General Assembly to consider the impacts of any potential legislation on business – in particular, industries that depend on a large number of guest workers each year. In addition, our organization believes that any business that follows the law in good faith should be indemnified from penalties.
