One of the most controversial issues of this term has focused on the right of employees to keep firearms locked in the trunks of their privately owned vehicles, even on company parking lots. 

Senator Chip Rogers introduced a bill that would have prevented employers from conditioning offers of employment on policies that would prohibit employees from keeping firearms locked, out of sight, in their vehicles.  His bill contained many exceptions, including airports, electric power companies and any employer with a controlled access parking lot.

A version of Chip’s bill was incorporated last year into House Bill 89.  Strongly opposed by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, it was tabled on the final day of the session.

Today, the Senate Rules Committee agreed to a compromise that more narrowly protects employees who hold Georgia firearms licenses.  Firearms licenses, issued in each county by the probate judge, are available only to adults of good moral character who undergo criminal background checks.

The National Rifle Association agreed to the compromise.  The Georgia Chamber of Commerce has proclaimed victory.  Many local chambers, including the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, had broken with the Georgia Chamber over its opposition to the original bill.

I voted for the compromise, and it passed out of committee with bipartisan support and just two dissenting votes.

I offered two amendments to the bill dealing with the issuance of firearms licenses.  The first amendment required probate judges to request a background check within two days of receiving an application for a firearms license.  It also required law enforcement agencies to respond to the judge’s request within thirty days.  The second amendment gave applicants the right to seek judicial relief if the probate judge refuses to act on the application within 45 days.  Both of these amendments were approved by the committee and included in the final substitute.

I am not sure yet whether the bill will come to the floor this week or next, but when it does, I expect that it will pass by a comfortable margin, with bipartisan support.

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The Senate Study Committee on Telecommunications Taxes, Fees and Franchising will meet again tomorrow, Thursday, November 3, at 1:30 p.m. in Room 450 of the State Capitol.

Currently, telephone, cable and satellite companies are regulated and taxed differently.  But as technology converges, the differences between these companies have blurred.  Cable companies offer telephone service over their TV cables and soon AT&T will be offering television service over its telephone lines.

Our committee has been charged with taking a comprehensive look at telecommunications and reporting back to the General Assembly before it reconvenes in January. 

At the first meeting a month ago, we heard a number of proposals to “level of the play field” from industry groups and individual companies.  At this meeting, we will hear from the Georgia Municipal Association and the Association County Commissioners of Georgia.  

One issue that we will explore in more detail is the taxation of satellite dishes.  Currently, cable and telephone companies who provide TV service pay a “franchise fee” – usually 5% of the bill.   Satellite companies, on the other hand, pay no franchise fee. 

The cable companies suggested at our last meeting that we should “level the playing field” by taxing satellite providers at the same rate as the franchise fee for cable service.  They also suggested that the new revenue could be used to lower the rate to 3%.  We will be hearing from the satellite companies tomorrow.

I will keep you posted.

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For decades, telephone companies provided telephone service and cable companies provided television service, and each industry was taxed and regulated differently.  Now telephone companies offer television service and cable companies offer telephone service.  They both offer Internet access and they both compete with satellite companies.  We have witnessed a convergence of technology, and the different taxing and regulatory regimes no longer make sense. 

It was against this backdrop that I chaired the first meeting of the Telecommunications Taxes, Fees and Franchising Study Committee.   I was happy to be joined by Senators Chip Rogers, Bill Heath and Tim Golden as we heard from a half dozen industry representatives.  

Four proposals emerged, and for those of you who are interested in telecommunications policy, Tom Crawford of Capitol Impact did a good job of summarizing them in this article: 

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The Lieutenant Governor has asked me to represent Georgia on the Southern States Energy Board.  The Board was created by an interestate compact to encourage collaboration among the Southern states on energy issues.  I appreciate the Lieutenant Governor’s confidence in me and look forward to my service.

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The Lieutenant Governor has asked me to serve as chairman of two Senate study committees, the Telecommunications Taxes, Fees and Franchising Study Committee and the Cigarette Tax Evasion Study Committee. I have spent a good deal of time this summer preparing for hearings this fall.

I have set the date, time and place of the first two meetings of the telecommunications study committee. The first meeting will be Wednesday, September 5, at 1:00 p.m. in Room 450 of the State Capitol. The second meeting will be Thursday, September 20, at 10:00 a.m. in the same place. We will hear from the Georgia Department of Revenue at the first meeting, and we will begin examining various legislative proposals at the second meeting. A number of issues have been raised, and I will write about them here in more detail later.

The Lieutenant Governor appointed Senators Chip Rogers, Bill Heath, Jack Murphy and Tim Golden to serve with me. Senator Rogers authored the resolution creating the study committee.

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I attended the bill signing ceremony today for House Bill 227, the Consumer Choice for Television Act.  Immediately after the ceremony, AT&T announced a $500,000 million investment in Georgia.  The money will be spent upgrading the company’s fiber optics network to offer, among other things, “cutting edge television” service.

[UPDATE] The announcement is being discussed at Peach Pundit, which has posted a copy of the news release.

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The Governor signed Senate Bill 115 this morning, a bill I introduced at the request of the newly created State Licensing Board for General and Residential Contractors.

The contractors licensing law passed two years ago, and while I am generally hesitant about expanding government regulation, this law preempted a threatened hodgepodge of local licensing requirements.  It also facilitates our Georgia based contractors doing business in neighboring states by taking advantage of reciprocal provisions of their licensing laws.

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I have been invited to a ceremony tomorrow afternoon, Wednesday, May 30, at which the Governor will sign House Bill 227, the Consumer Choice for Television Act.  Introduced by Representative Jeff Lewis, Chairman of the House Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee, this bill reforms the video franchise laws to encourage competition to cable television providers.

AT&T plans to offer television service over telephone lines, and this bill should accelerate the offering. 

The Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee worked on this issue for almost a year, and I was pleased to carry the bill for Chairman Lewis in the Senate.  The final product represents a good effort by the House and Senate and the various interest groups.  I am a strong believer in the benefits of competition.  This bill should help bring about better offerings, improved service and lower prices.

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I sponsored or cosponsored over 50 bills during this Legislative Session, a number of which passed and have been signed by the Governor.  On sixteen of those bills, I was the principal or “number one” sponsor.  Senate Bill 148, the Saving the Cure Act, was signed yesterday.  So were three of my other bills, Senate Bill 84, which protects members of the military from unscrupulous insurance sales practices, Senate Bill 114, which updated the the Georgia Real Estate License Law, and Senate Bill 147, which created the Gwinnett Stormwater Authority.

Seante Bill 84 was requested by the Georgia Insurance Department and implements a federal law signed by President Bush last fall.  Senate Bill 114 was requested by the Georgia Real Estate Commission and went through several revisions before it was finally approved on the last day of the session.  Senate Bill 147 was a local bill requested by the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners.  I changed the draft submitted by the County Attorney to clarify that the Authority could not increase the stormwater fee.  The House made an additional change, mandating instead of authorizing an annual audit.

Another of my bills, Senate Bill 115, passed both the Senate and House but awaits action by the Governor.  This bill was requested by the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors and updates the new licensing law. 

Seven of my other bills passed the Senate but not the House.   Those bills all remain alive and can be taken up by the House during the next session in 2008.

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Senate Bill 137, the Sunday sales bill, passed out of the Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee this morning. Tom Crawford of Capitol Impact filed this report:

Legislation to allow Sunday package sales of beer, wine and distilled spirits cleared a significant hurdle Tuesday as the Senate Regulated Industries gave a “do pass” recommendation to SB 137 sent it on to the Rules Committee.

If the Rules Committee agrees to put the bill on the Senate calendar, it could be voted on by the members of that chamber as early as next week when the General Assembly is back in session.

“I think it will be well-received [by the Rules Committee] and get to the floor quickly,” said Sen. Seth Harp (R-Midland), the bill’s sponsor. “I think we’ve got the votes to pass it on the floor.”
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