Selected Bills Passed This Session

“In God We Trust”
S.B. 293, by Senator Bill Heath, was the first bill introduced in the 2012 session. The original language required the national motto, “In God We Trust,” to be printed on license plates and made a county name decal available to individuals who wanted to cover the motto. However, the final version of the bill requires tags to “contain a [blank] space for an authorized decal” and allows license plate purchasers to choose a free “In God We Trust” decal or a free county decal.
Passed the last day, when the Senate agreed to the House floor amendment.

Charter Schools
H.B. 797 introduced by Representative Jan Jones is the enabling legislation that would govern state charter schools if the proposed constitutional change outlined in H.R. 1162 passes in the November General Election. It authorizes and establishes an appointed state-level commission to resume the work of the State Commission on Charter Schools that was ruled unconstitutional by the Georgia Supreme Court last summer. H.B. 797 will be more fully outlined later.
Passed the last day, when the House agreed to a Senate committee substitute amended on the floor.

H.R. 1162, introduced by Representative Jan Jones, (a) makes chartering schools constitutional whether chartered by locally elected school boards or by a state-appointed commission and (b) gives the General Assembly policy-making power over public schools. If voters approve this proposal in November, state appointees would enjoy unprecedented control of public education.
Passed March 19th, sent to the governor April 2nd, becomes law with or without his signature.

Pro-Life
H.B. 954, introduced by Representative Doug McKillip, prohibits abortion after 20 weeks of gestation, unless the life of the unborn child is diagnosed as medically futile. H.B. 954 defines the term “medically futile” as follows: “in reasonable medical judgment, the unborn child has a profound and irremediable congenital or chromosomal anomaly that is incompatible with sustaining life after birth.” Fact: It’s important to note that at 20 weeks gestation or earlier, pain receptors appear throughout the body, but the ability to regulate or lessen pain does not develop until after birth. Therefore, unborn babies, actually, feel pain more intensely than newborns or older children and adults. Another fact: In 2009, four percent of the total abortions in Georgia occurred after 19 weeks from fertilization.
Passed the last day, as both House and Senate agreed to the conference committee report.

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