Legislature 2007: IN BRIEF
BYLINE: CARLOS CAMPOS, JAMES SALZER, SONJI JACOBS, JEREMY REDMON; Staff
Va. Tech horror pushes back gun rights bill
The state Senate balked at considering a bill Tuesday that would expand firearms rights in Georgia on the day after the nation's worst gun massacre.
"This is not the time to take up a bill like that," Senate Rules Chairman Don Balfour (R-Snellville) said.. "Even people who would vote for this bill understand it's just not the right time."
House Bill 89 had been put on the Senate's agenda for Tuesday. But lawmakers moved the bill to the end of the agenda late in the evening and planned to adjourn for the day before it came up.
The bill would essentially allow any motorist without a criminal record or history of mental illness to conceal a firearm anywhere inside a car and would allow employees in many cases to store firearms in their cars while parked on company property.
The National Rifle Association lobbied heavily for the bill. But lawmakers worried about the appearance of giving Georgians' greater access to firearms in the wake of the shooting rampage Monday at Virginia Tech that killed 33 people. Balfour did not rule out the possibility that the bill would be taken up before the Legislature is scheduled to adjourn on Friday.
Senate more lavish with budget funds
The state Senate on Tuesday approved a $20.2 billion budget for next year that includes $45 million for land preservation and all $19 million Gov. Sonny Perdue wanted for fishing tourism.
The 53-1 vote allowed Senate and House negotiators to begin work on reaching an agreement on the budget before the session is scheduled to end Friday.
The Senate gave Perdue more of what he wanted than the House had. The Senate included $100 million to set up a fund to ensure the state can fund health benefits for state retirees in the future, a measure Perdue supported.
The governor got all the money he requested for "Go Fish Georgia," a fishing tourism program that includes new boat ramps and a fish hatchery. The governor got nearly all of the $50 million he requested for land preservation. The House had approved no money for that.
The Senate plan also included millions of dollars in pet projects, a fact that House members noted. Senators have portrayed themselves as the fiscally conservative chamber this session. "It's obvious that the season of Lent is over because the Senate is once again eating pork," said House Appropriations Chairman Ben Harbin (R-Evans).
Chances look bright for stem cell proposal
A bill that would promote nondestructive stem cell research received a last-minute committee vote, improving the proposal's chances of passing the General Assembly this year.
The House Science and Technology Committee, chaired by Rep. Amos Amerson (R-Dahlonega), approved Senate Bill 148 with no opposition. Last week, the committee declined to vote on the measure.
"My objective from the beginning has been to promote every type of stem cell research over which there is no ethical controversy," said Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth), the bill's sponsor. Shafer said he worked with House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) on reworking the bill. The measure now mirrors some of the language in a federal bill being pushed by U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga).
Isakson's measure, dubbed the Hope Act, would provide federal funding only for research on stem cells taken from so-called "naturally dead" embryos --- those too deficient to produce a child if implanted. In Georgia, Shafer's bill needs to pass the full House and then must return to the Senate for approval of the changes made by the House.
Staff writers Carlos Campos, James Salzer, Sonji Jacobs and Jeremy Redmon contributed to this article.