Highlights
The Georgia House of Representatives passed House Bill 192 Wednesday by a vote of 160-3. Introduced by Rep. Brooks Coleman, R-Duluth, the legislation aims to modernize Georgia's K-12 education funding formula by establishing the State Education Finance Study Commission.
"This bill is critical for the future of Georgia education," Coleman said. "A thorough review and update of (quality basic education) is long overdue. Our schools shouldn't have to operate under an outdated funding formula."
Under HB 192, the State Education Finance Study Commission will be charged with studying and evaluating the costs and resources needed to educate a child.
The commission will use those findings to develop comprehensive educational finance reform to help the state to meet the needs of its elementary, middle and high schools. The commission will submit its final reform recommendation to the General Assembly by Dec. 31, 2012.
House
House bill 313: Allow for certain territories to be annexed into the city of Chatsworth.
HB 314: Enact Jessie's Law to grant students in foster care excused absences from school to attend court proceedings.
HB 315: Make it illegal for a person to have an alcohol concentration of 0.08 grams or more at any time within three hours after operating a watercraft.
HB 16: Make electric membership corporations subject to open meetings laws.
HB 317: Extend a limited time sales tax exemption to certain nonprofit volunteer health clinics.
HB 318: Extend a limited time sales tax exemption for food donated to qualified nonprofit agencies.
HB 319: Extend a limited time sales tax exemption for the sale or use of personal property to nonprofit health centers, sales to nonprofit volunteer health clinics and sales of eligible food and beverages to a qualified food bank.
HB 320: Create the "Development Authority Jobs Assistance Act of 2011" to provide exemptions for certain sales or leases in connection with development authority projects.
HB 321: Maintain a program of tax refunds for companies creating new tourism attractions.
HB 322: Continue for a limited time the partial sales tax exemption of jet fuel.
HB 323: Change the time of perfection of security interest for motor vehicles.
HB 324: Revise definition of developmentally disabled.
HB 325: Revise requirements and definitions for student scholarship organizations.
HB 326: Provide comprehensive revisions to the HOPE scholarship and grant program.
HB 327: Modify requirements for employment and certification of peace officers.
HB 328: Create a new class of motor vehicles known as personal transportation vehicles.
HB 329: Provide certain contracting and bidding requirements for governmental entities.
HB 330: Establish the Redevelopment Powers Law in the city of Doraville.
HB 331: Provide a limited time sales tax exemption for certain sales to a qualified job training organization.
HB 332: Revise provisions and eliminate unnecessary regulation for the Universal Access Fund.
HB 333: Extend a sales tax exemption for the use of food donated for disaster relief purposes.
HB 334: Extend a sales tax exemption for sale of food and beverages to food banks.
HB 335: Change certain provisions relating to taxes and elections in the city of Doraville.
Senate
Senate Bill 124: Prohibit sales of alcoholic beverages within a certain distance of a church.
SB 125: Require the operator of a vehicle to leave a safe distance between the vehicle and a bicycle.
SB 127: Revise provisions for juvenile proceedings.
SB 128: Regulate interbasin transfers of water and change certain provisions relating to permits for withdrawal, diversion or impoundment of surface waters.
SB 129: Remove certain qualifications for local board of education members in the city of Savannah.
SB 130: Add a special license plate supporting the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
SB 131: Prevent students enrolled in research universities from receiving HOPE scholarship funding for remedial classes.
SB 132: Exempt water withdrawals from a certain portion of the Tennessee River basin from restrictions on interbasin transfers of water.
SB 133: Allow people with permanent resident status in the United States to be eligible to be certified and employed as peace officers.
SB 134: Make technical corrections, correct terminology and update cross-references reflecting the enactment of the guardianship and trust codes in recent legislative sessions.
SB 135: Restrict people other than a doctor of chiropractic from rendering chiropractic services.
SB 136: Provide for transfer of control of a condominium association in certain circumstances.
SB 137: Update certain cross-references relating to retirement and pensions.
SB 138: Require a sworn statement by an applicant for a tag renewal.
SB 139: Provide for appeals involving non-monetary judgments in child custody cases.
Senate Resolution 228: Urge the performance of a feasibility study of withdrawal, storage and distribution of waters in the Tennessee River basin.
SR 231: Urge Community Health Department to implement a public information campaign about folic acid consumption.
SR 233: Urge the Transportation Department to install sound barriers on Interstate-95 near Blythe Island