Legislation Continues Moving at State Capitol

Legislation of interest to counties continued to progress this week at the State Capitol, with legislative hearings or discussion in committee meetings.  Some of these bills include:

• House Bill 648, which dedicates indigent defense fees by constitutional amendment.  This bill passed out of the House Non-Civil Judiciary Committee.
• Senate Bill 321, which deals with metal theft and requires secondary metal recyclers to obtain a permit from the sheriff every year.  This bill was discussed by the Senate Regulated Industries Committee and will be modified before being reconsidered. 
• Senate Bill 313, which deals with public and private telecommunications service.  This bill also was also discussed by the Senate Regulated Industries Committee and will be modified before being reconsidered. 

House Bill 811 (addressing redirected dedicated fees) will come before the House Governmental Affairs - General Government Subcommittee on Monday at 3pm if you have a committee member in your delegation please contact them and ask for their support of this bill.   ACCG expects several other bills to come before committees next week including House Bill 397 (open meetings and open records) and House Bill 110 (foreclosure registries). 

Watch for GDOT Request to Report Paved & Unpaved Road Miles

County commission chairman should watch for a letter from the Georgia Department of Transportation formally requesting the status of the county’s roads as of December 31, 2011.   This information will be used to help determine the appropriate funding levels for programs such as the Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) program and the Transportation Investment Act of 2010.  GDOT has initiated an online reporting process this year; however, counties may still submit the traditional form if that is preferred.  For more information on this issue, click here. 

Capitol Connection Conference Wrap Up

Thanks to each of you that attended this week’s Capitol Connection Conference!  More than 330 county officials from throughout the state came together to learn more about legislation under discussion by the General Assembly and to hear from Governor Nathan Deal, Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle and House Speaker David Ralston.  ACCG will post their remarks at www.accg.org as soon as they are available.  Please be sure to complete the conference evaluation form that was emailed to all participants to help us further evaluate our efforts and plan for the future.