Highlights

Senate Bill 10: Allow counties to authorize alcoholic beverage sales on Sundays from 12:30 p.m. until 11:30 p.m.

The push to allow Sunday alcohol sales in Georgia's grocery and convenience stores is being revived with new legislation filed in the state Senate.

Gov. Nathan Deal reiterated Tuesday that if the measure ends up on his desk he'll sign it, so long as it allows local communities to ask voters to decide.

"I believe that's what democracy is all about," Deal said following a legislative breakfast hosted by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. "I would not veto it if the legislature passes it in a fashion that meets that criteria."

Georgia is one of just three states that ban the Sunday sale of alcohol at stores.

The other two are Connecticut and Indiana.

Previous efforts to allow Sunday alcohol sales in Georgia have stalled amid a veto threat from Deal's predecessor, Sonny Perdue, a Christian conservative who did not drink.

Senate Resolution 28: Create the Senate State Fair Tax Study Committee to study how the tax would work on the state level.
House Bill 54: Repeal a prohibition against carrying a weapon in a place of worship.
HB 55: Repeal a prohibition against carrying a weapon at postsecondary facilities, within a school safety zone, at school functions or on school property.
HB 67: Only allow drivers to use hands-free communications devices in vehicles.

Senate

Assigned to committee:
SB 4: Federal Abortion-Mandate Opt-Out Act, which limits funding certain abortions through certain qualified health plans.
SB 5: Department of Driver Services is authorized to provide radio frequency identification tags with driver's licenses but cannot improperly access a person's personal information.
SB 6: Create the Georgia Individual High Risk Reinsurance Pool to provide an alternate for available individual health insurance coverage as required by the federal Public Health Service Act.
SB 7: Block workers' compensation benefits from noncitizens who are not employed legally.
SB 8: Require the state accounting officer to submit an annual report and contract with a third party to audit state contracts.
SB 9: Allow the governor to delay implementation of the Georgia Energy Freedom Act, which relates to air pollution control and a cap and trade system on greenhouse gas emissions, until a comprehensive assessment is complete.
SR 16: Allow for the re-creation of a previously existing county after the approval of voters and certain conditions. SR 17-18 are versions of this bill.
SR 19: Create the Senate Study Committee on Advance Directives to study the establishment of a uniform format for Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment.
SR 20: Limit state government taxation and expenditures in the Taxpayer Protection Amendment of 2011.
SR 24: Allow the General Assembly to provide for the allocation of a percent of premium taxes collected to offset losses of the Georgia High Risk Individual Reinsurance Pool.
SR 29: Urge the Georgia Department of Transportation to view itself as a planning, management and contracting enterprise that can more easily adjust to variations in funding and workload by contracting out to the private sector to the maximum degree practicable.
SR 30: Urge the Georgia Department of Transportation to prepare a list of contractors to be used during weather emergencies and to preauthorize local governments to clear state roads when necessary. SR 31 is another version of this bill.
The Senate also passed various bills to recognize special days and people, and assigned to committee a bill to dedicate a bridge in Webster County.

House

Referred to committee:
HB 34: Allow county special purpose local option tax proceeds and sales tax proceeds to go toward educational purposes.
HB 53: Separate regulations of operators of private detective businesses and private security businesses from the Georgia Peace Officer Standard and Training Council.
HB 56: Under the Georgia Public Revenue Code, tax officials may not seize property based on an alleged tax liability unless the liability has been reduced to a lawful execution. The code will also require notice and opportunity for appeal prior to enforcement
HB 57: Provide an exemption from licensing for persons installing residential water treatment equipment.
HB 58: Allow retired judges to carry firearms under certain conditions.
HB 59: Clarify that postsecondary education is a state and local public benefit and not available to illegal immigrants; require verification of eligibility through federal SAVE program.
HB 60: Create a State Veterinary Education Board and allow loans made for educational purposes to students who have completed a veterinary medical degree program.
HB 61: Provide for an income tax credit for certain volunteer firefighters.
HB 62: Give additional notification, application deadlines and payment deadlines for the state's special needs scholarship program.
HB 63: Give certain requirements for the composition and election of county boards of education in counties that use county sales tax for educational purposes.
HB 64: Enforce payment of attorney fees but not specific amounts.
HB 65: Clarify that nonidentifying medical information in adoption records is open record for purposes of providing medical treatment and diagnoses.
HB 66: Provide for certificate of insurance forms to be approved by the insurance commissioner.
HB 68: Allow the General Assembly to restrict dates for special elections.
House resolution 12: Amend the Constitution to allow county special purpose local option tax proceeds and sales tax proceeds to go toward educational purposes.
HR 13: Give 25 percent of the revenue received by the state from the sales tax to be used for transportation purposes.
HR 29: Allow for the re-creation of a previously existing county after the approval of voters and certain conditions. HR 30-35 are other versions of this bill.