I spoke this afternoon at the 3rd Annual Rally for Darfur, an interfaith rally at the State Capitol organized to draw attention to the atrocities being committed in the Darfur region of the Sudan.

Arab militiamen backed by the Government of Sudan have killed nearly 400,000 African inhabitants of Darfur and driven millions more from their homes. Entire villages have been destroyed, and an ancient civilization is in danger of extinction. The President and Congress have labeled this campaign of terror as genocide and imposed sanctions on the Sudanese government.

Last month, President Bush signed into law the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007 which authorizes and encourages the states to divest themselves of holdings in companies that are complicit in the genocide in Darfur.

I announced today my plans to introduce legislation that would implement the the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act in Georgia. My bill will make sure that public funds are not invested in companies that sell military weapons to the Government of Sudan or help finance its campaign of genocidal terror against the people of Darfur.

I approach the subject of divestment with a high degree of caution. I understand the arguments on both sides of the issue, and I am not dismissive of the concern about slippery slopes. But I am persuaded that the artrocities being committed in Darfur are of such magnitude that simply doing nothing is not an option.

I will post a link to the bill as soon as it is introduced. It has been very carefully drafted. Representative Wendell Willard, who also took part in today’s rally, has agreed to carry the bill in the House.

[UPDATE]  It is Senate Bill 370 and will be posted here shortly. 

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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 State Senate has twice passed bills to crack down on the already illegal “sport” of dog fighting.  The bills would increase the penalties for staging or promoting dog fights, and importantly, make it a crime to train a dog for fighting.

The author of the bill, Senator Chip Rogers, introduced the bill two years in response to a young girl from his district who was mauled by an escaped dog that had been trained for fighting.  According to Chip, this historically rural pastime has become increasingly popular in urban areas, posing a greater risk to children and others.

I supported both bills, Senate Bill 229 in 2005 and Senate Bill 16 earlier this year, but without a full appreciation of the barbaric nature of dog fighting.  The indictment of Michael Vick paints a far more gruesome portrait of the “sport” than even the website of the coalition formed to toughen Georgia’s laws.

Senate Bill 16 is now pending in the House, where its earlier incarnation died two years ago.  As best I can tell, the lack of progress has little or nothing to do with issue of dog fighting itself.  Instead, the bill gets bogged down over attempts to attach cock fighting amendments.  Cock fighting apparently has a constituency — one strong enough to bottle up a dog fighting bill if there is any risk that cock fighting could get wrapped up in it.

With all the recent publicity, I imagine that Senate Bill 16 or something like it will quickly pass when we go back in session next January.  In the meantime, professional football player Deion Sanders makes the case for dog fighting, explaining that dog fighters “love” their dogs, taking “pride” in owning the “biggest and baddest.”  He says it is wrong to begrudge Michael Vick his “passion.” 

Vick’s lawyers are not using the “passion defense.”  Vick denies knowing anything about the dog fights on his property and has pled not guilty to the charges against him.

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