GA Policy News
Georgia Legislature Overview
Here at the ECIC we are actively involved in and concerned with the current Injury Policy Legislation taking place in Georgia. The Georgia General Assembly, the formal title of the legislature, was formed in 1777 and is older than the United States Congress. At the time of its origin, the legislature consisted of a single house, but in 1789 it became a bicameral body, consisting of a House of Representatives and a Senate. The House of Representatives has 180 members and the Senate has 56. Two-year terms of office apply to both houses, and the entire membership of each body is elected at the same time. We are currently in the 152nd session, which convened in January 2012 and will adjourn April 2012.
Injury Policy Tracking – Bills Under Review
HB 673: Georgia's Return to Play Act of 2012 [+]
| Introduced in the House or Senate? | House |
| When was the bill introduced? | 2011-11-16 |
| Who sponsors the bill? | Representatives Billy Mitchell of the 88th, Valerie Clark of the 104th, Sharon Cooper of the 41st, and Mickey Stephens of the 161st |
| Committee assigned? | Health & Human Services |
| What is the purpose of this bill? | The purpose of this bill is to establish a return to play policy for student athletes suffering from concussions. It will ensure that coaches, students-athletes, and their parents are aware of the risks that athletes face when they continue to play after obtaining a concussion. It also prohibits a student athlete that is suspected of suffering a concussion from playing on the same day without being evaluated by a licensed health care provider. |
| Status of bill? | Mar/05/2012 - House Withdrawn, Recommitted
Feb/23/2012 - House Committee Favorably Reported Jan/13/2012 - House Withdrawn, Recommitted Jan/11/2012 - House Second Readers Jan/10/2012 - House First Readers Jan/09/2012 - House Hopper Nov/16/2011 - House Prefiled |
| Likelihood of being signed into law? | Unknown |
| Link to Full Text of Bill | http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20112012/HB/673 |
SB 13: Rules of the Road; Driving Under the Influence [+]
| Introduced in the House or Senate? | Senate |
| When was the bill introduced? | 2011-01-25 |
| Who sponsors the bill? | (1) Jackson, Lester 2nd(2) James, Donzella 35th(3) Sims, Freddie Powell 12th |
| Committee assigned? | Special Judiciary |
| What is the purpose of this bill? | The bill proposes to amend GA code relating to penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs, and other intoxicating substances, "DUI." A person DUI while transporting a child under age 16 would be guilty of a separate offense, "endangering a child by driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs." This would be a felony offense with penalities of fines of $1000-$5000, imprisonment for 1-3 years, or both. |
| Status of bill? | Feb/16/2012 - Senate Committee Favorably Reported
Jan/09/2012 - Senate Recommitted Mar/11/2011 - Senate Read Second Time Mar/10/2011 - Senate Committee Favorably Reported Jan/26/2011 - Senate Read and Referred Jan/25/2011 - Senate Hopper |
| Likelihood of being signed into law? | Unknown |
| Link to Full Text of Bill | http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/History.aspx?Legislation=32143 |
HB 972: Georgia Pain Management Clinic Act; Enact [+]
| Introduced in the House or Senate? | House |
| When was the bill introduced? | 2012-02-09 |
| Who sponsors the bill? | Representatives Tom Weldon of the 3rd, Roger Lane of the 167th, Matt Dollar of the 45th, Tommy Benton of the 31st, Butch Parrish of the 156th, and Ron Stephens of the 164th |
| Committee assigned? | HC: Health & Human Services; SC: Health and Human Services |
| What is the purpose of this bill? | This bill will require licensure of pain management clinics and establish minimum standards for prescribing controlled substances for pain management. This bill will also require coroners to report to the board when a death may be the result of administered or prescribed medication. |
| Status of bill? | Mar/27/2012 - Senate Passed/Adopted
Mar/27/2012 - Senate Third Read Mar/22/2012 - Senate Read Second Time Mar/22/2012 - Senate Committee Favorably Reported Mar/07/2012 - Senate Read and Referred Mar/05/2012 - House Passed/Adopted Mar/05/2012 - House Third Readers Feb/28/2012 - House Committee Favorably Reported Feb/16/2012 - House Second Readers Feb/15/2012 - House First Readers Feb/09/2012 - House Hopper |
| Likelihood of being signed into law? | Probable |
| Link to Full Text of Bill | http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20112012/HB/972 |
HB 948: Child Abuse; Mandatory Reporting Requirements; Expand [+]
| Introduced in the House or Senate? | House |
| When was the bill introduced? | 2012-02-08 |
| Who sponsors the bill? | Representatives Mary Margaret Oliver of the 83rd, Judy Manning of the 32nd, Buddy Harden of the 147th, Martin Scott of the 2nd, Sharon Cooper of the 41st, and Pat Gardner of the 57th |
| Committee assigned? | Judiciary Non-Civil |
| What is the purpose of this bill? | This bill relates to the reporting of child abuse and will expand mandatory reporting requirements to include more professions. |
| Status of bill? | Feb/15/2012 - House Second Readers
Feb/09/2012 - House First Readers Feb/08/2012 - House Hopper |
| Likelihood of being signed into law? | Unknown |
| Link to Full Text of Bill | http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20112012/HB/948 |
HB 935: Elementary and Secondary Education; School Health Nurse Programs; Revise Provisions [+]
| Introduced in the House or Senate? | House |
| When was the bill introduced? | 2012-02-07 |
| Who sponsors the bill? | Representatives David Casas of the 103rd, Brooks Coleman of the 97th, Margaret Kaiser of the 59th, Tom Dickson of the 6th, Mike Dudgeon of the 24th, and Sam Teasley of the 38th |
| Committee assigned? | Education |
| What is the purpose of this bill? | This bill will include school nurses in state formula funding based on full-time equivalent student counts. It will also provide for grants for supplies for school health nurse programs and for a state-level coordinator for school health nurse programs. |
| Status of bill? | Feb/09/2012 - House Second Readers
Feb/08/2012 - House First Readers Feb/07/2012 - House Hopper |
| Likelihood of being signed into law? | Unknown |
| Link to Full Text of Bill | http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20112012/HB/935 |
SB 355: Domestic Relations; Child Abuse; Expand Mandatory Reporting Requirements; Provide for Procedure; Exception [+]
| Introduced in the House or Senate? | Senate |
| When was the bill introduced? | 2012-01-26 |
| Who sponsors the bill? | Senators Renee Unterman of the 45th and Chip Rogers of the 21st |
| Committee assigned? | SC: Judiciary; HC: Judiciary |
| What is the purpose of this bill? | This bill relates to the reporting of child abuse and will expand mandatory reporting requirements beyond those directly responsible for the child’s care. This bill will require anyone who has reasonable cause to believe that child abuse is occurring to report the abuse. |
| Status of bill? | Mar/12/2012 - House Second Readers
Mar/07/2012 - House First Readers Mar/05/2012 - Senate Passed/Adopted Mar/05/2012 - Senate Third Read Feb/29/2012 - Senate Read Second Time Feb/28/2012 - Senate Committee Favorably Reported Jan/30/2012 - Senate Read and Referred Jan/26/2012 - Senate Hopper |
| Likelihood of being signed into law? | Unknown |
| Link to Full Text of Bill | http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20112012/SB/355 |
HB 871: Violations of Traffic Laws; Additional Penalty to be Assessed for Driver Education Purposes; Extend Expiration date [+]
| Introduced in the House or Senate? | House |
| When was the bill introduced? | 2012-02-01 |
| Who sponsors the bill? | Representatives Paul Battles of the 15th, Christian Coomer of the 14th, John Meadows of the 5th, and Jay Powell of the 171st |
| Committee assigned? | HC: Judiciary Non-Civil; SC: Public Safety |
| What is the purpose of this bill? | This bill will extend Code Section 15-21-179 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated until 2018. This Code Section relates to the additional penalty for violations of traffic laws or ordinances to be assessed for driver education purposes. |
| Status of bill? | Mar/20/2012 - Senate Read Second Time
Mar/19/2012 - Senate Committee Favorably Reported Mar/07/2012 - Senate Read and Referred Mar/05/2012 - House Passed/Adopted Mar/05/2012 - House Third Readers Feb/27/2012 - House Committee Favorably Reported Feb/03/2012 - House Second Readers Feb/02/2012 - House First Readers Feb/01/2012 - House Hopper |
| Likelihood of being signed into law? | Unknown |
| Link to Full Text of Bill | http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20112012/HB/871 |
HB 1045: Education; Athletic Coaches; Complete Sports Safety Course Prior to Service; Provide [+]
| Introduced in the House or Senate? | House |
| When was the bill introduced? | 2012-02-16 |
| Who sponsors the bill? | Representatives Ben Harbin of the 118th, Chuck Martin of the 47th, Jay Roberts of the 154th, and Earl Ehrhart of the 36th |
| Committee assigned? | Education |
| What is the purpose of this bill? | This bill requires all athletic coaches employed by a public school system in GA to receive sports safety training prior to serving as an athletic coach. |
| Status of bill? | Feb/21/2012 - House Second Readers
Feb/17/2012 - House First Readers Feb/16/2012 - House Hopper |
| Likelihood of being signed into law? | Unknown |
| Link to Full Text of Bill | http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20112012/HB/1045 |
HB 717: Dogs; Criminal Penalties for Certain Owners Failing to Secure; Provide [+]
| Introduced in the House or Senate? | House |
| When was the bill introduced? | 2012-01-10 |
| Who sponsors the bill? | Representatives Penny Houston of the 170th, Amy Carter of the 175th, Ann Purcell of the 159th, John Meadows of the 5th, and Karla Drenner of the 86th |
| Committee assigned? | Judiciary Non-Civil |
| What is the purpose of this bill? | This bill relates to dangerous dog control and will provide criminal penalties for certain owners who fail to secure their dog, resulting in the dog inflicting severe injury or death on a human. |
| Status of bill? | Mar/07/2012 - House Reconsidered
Mar/05/2012 - House Notice To Reconsider Mar/05/2012 - House Third Reading Lost Mar/05/2012 - House Third Readers Feb/24/2012 - House Committee Favorably Reported Jan/12/2012 - House Second Readers Jan/11/2012 - House First Readers Jan/10/2012 - House Hopper |
| Likelihood of being signed into law? | Unknown |
| Link to Full Text of Bill | http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20112012/HB/717 |
HB 857: Day-care Centers; Install Safety Alarms in Vehicles Used to Transport Children; Permit [+]
| Introduced in the House or Senate? | House |
| When was the bill introduced? | 2012-01-31 |
| Who sponsors the bill? | Representatives Sandra Scott of the 76th, Darryl Jordan of the 77th, Sharon Beasley-Teague of the 65th, Dee Dawkins-Haigler of the 93rd, and Pam Stephenson of the 92nd |
| Committee assigned? | Human Relations & Aging |
| What is the purpose of this bill? | This bill permits day-care centers to have child safety alarms installed in vehicles they use to transport children. It also includes procedures and requirements regulating the installation and maintenance of these child safety alarms. |
| Status of bill? | Feb/24/2012 - House Committee Favorably Reported
Feb/02/2012 - House Second Readers Feb/01/2012 - House First Readers Jan/31/2012 - House Hopper |
| Likelihood of being signed into law? | Unknown |
| Link to Full Text of Bill | http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20112012/HB/857 |
HB 685: Dogs; Dangerous and Vicious; Extensively Revise Provisions [+]
| Introduced in the House or Senate? | House |
| When was the bill introduced? | 2011-12-22 |
| Who sponsors the bill? | Representatives Gene Maddox of the 172nd, Ellis Black of the 174th, Alex Atwood of the 179th, Jason Shaw of the 176th, Darlene Taylor of the 173rd, and Al Williams of the 165th |
| Committee assigned? | HC: Judiciary Non-Civil; SC: Health and Human Services |
| What is the purpose of this bill? | This bill will revise provisions relating to dangerous and vicious dogs. This bill would make owners civilly liable for injuries and damages in dog attacks, allow courts to order a dog that has repeatedly attacked be euthanized, and establish requirements for registration as a condition of owning a vicious dog. |
| Status of bill? | Apr/05/2012 - House Sent to Governor
Mar/29/2012 - House Agree Senate Amend or Sub Mar/26/2012 - Senate Passed/Adopted Mar/26/2012 - Senate Third Read Mar/22/2012 - Senate Read Second Time Mar/22/2012 - Senate Committee Favorably Reported Mar/07/2012 - Senate Read and Referred Mar/07/2012 - House Passed/Adopted Mar/07/2012 - House Third Readers Mar/07/2012 - House Withdrawn, Recommitted Mar/05/2012 - House Committee Favorably Reported Jan/11/2012 - House Second Readers Jan/10/2012 - House First Readers Jan/09/2012 - House Hopper Dec/22/2011 - House Prefiled |
| Likelihood of being signed into law? | Probable - Awaiting Governor's Signature |
| Link to Full Text of Bill | http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20112012/HB/685 |
HB 711: Evidence; Privileges; Change Provisions [+]
| Introduced in the House or Senate? | House |
| When was the bill introduced? | 2012-01-10 |
| Who sponsors the bill? | Representatives Edward Lindsey of the 54th, Alex Atwood of the 179th, Penny Houston of the 170th, Stephanie Benfield of the 85th, and Mike Jacobs of the 80th |
| Committee assigned? | Judiciary |
| What is the purpose of this bill? | This bill changes provisions relating to spousal privilege in criminal proceedings. It provides confidential communication between victims and their advocates at domestic violence and sexual assault centers. This will ensure that information released in a victim’s treatment is not used against them in court. This bill also makes it easier for victims to testify by exempting domestic abuse cases from spousal privilege. |
| Status of bill? | Apr/16/2012 - Act 586
Apr/16/2012 - House Date Signed by Governor Apr/02/2012 - House Sent to Governor Mar/21/2012 - Senate Passed/Adopted Mar/21/2012 - Senate Third Read Mar/14/2012 - Senate Read Second Time Mar/13/2012 - Senate Committee Favorably Reported Feb/08/2012 - Senate Read and Referred Feb/07/2012 - House Passed/Adopted Feb/07/2012 - House Third Readers Feb/02/2012 - House Committee Favorably Reported Jan/12/2012 - House Second Readers Jan/11/2012 - House First Readers Jan/10/2012 - House Hopper |
| Likelihood of being signed into law? | PASSED! |
| Link to Full Text of Bill | http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20112012/HB/711 |
SB 238: Handicapped Persons; Motorized Wheelchair/Scooter Operated on Public Ways After Dark Shall be Equipped with Reflectors [+]
| Introduced in the House or Senate? | Senate |
| When was the bill introduced? | 2012-03-07 |
| Who sponsors the bill? | Representatives Donzella James of the 35th, Gail Davenport of the 44th, Horacena Tate of the 38th, Valencia Seay of the 34th, Nan Orrock of the 36th, and Steve Henson of the 41st |
| Committee assigned? | SC: Public Safety; HC: Public Safety and Homeland Security |
| What is the purpose of this bill? | This bill requires any motorized wheelchair or scooter operated on public ways and sidewalks after dark to be equipped with reflectors, and any such wheelchairs and scooters sold in this state will be equipped with reflectors. |
| Status of bill? | Mar/21/2012 - House Committee Favorably Reported
Mar/07/2012 - House Second Readers Mar/05/2012 - House First Readers Feb/29/2012 - Senate Passed/Adopted Feb/29/2012 - Senate Third Read Feb/09/2012 - Senate Read Second Time Feb/08/2012 - Senate Committee Favorably Reported Mar/08/2011 - Senate Read and Referred Mar/07/2011 - Senate Hopper |
| Likelihood of being signed into law? | Unknown |
| Link to Full Text of Bill | http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20112012/SB/238 |
