A number of different committees within the Georgia General Assembly convened to discuss and pass new bills. The House and Senate focused on issues relating to public safety and transportation.
The House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee began with Senate Bill (SB) 29. This bill allows for the collection of DNA samples of individuals arrested for the commission of a felony.
The DNA samples in this case would be swabs of saliva and they would take place at the same time the individual is booked. SB 29 easily passed on to the Rules Committee.
The committee concluded with SB 21 which addresses the issue of sanctuary cities in Georgia. The bill states that the sovereign immunity of a local entity would be waived if they refuse to comply with Georgia immigration law.
SB 21 was met with a lot of pushback from many guest speakers. Eventually, it passed on to the Rules Committee.
The Senate Transportation Committee came next and it began with House Bill (HB) 224. HB 224 authorizes the construction and maintenance of roads within military bases or installations paid for by the Department of Defense. It quickly passed with little pushback.
The committee moved on to HB 339 which cleans up the law around insurance coverage of rideshare companies. It exempts rideshare drivers or ride share network services from the legal definition of a motor carrier.
The intent of the bill is to lower fees and other taxes that companies like Uber have to charge. After much deliberation, it also passed on.
HB 638 came next and it focuses on bus rapid-transit lanes. It prohibits the stopping or parking of a vehicle that’s not a transit vehicle in a designated transit lane in the City of Atlanta.
The intent of the law is to streamline the flow of traffic in Atlanta. With little pushback, it passed to the Rules Committee.
The committee concluded with House Resolution 7 which is a road-naming bill. It passed and dedicates certain roads to a former Sheriff and Mayor of Whigham Georgia.
