Feb. 1 was the ninth Legislative Day of the 40 day-session. First on the Debate Calendar was HB 651. This bill, by Rep. Amy Carter (District 175), will require the Georgia Department of Education to obtain a complete list of names and addresses of all registered sex offenders from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and provide access to such information. This passed by a vote of 166-0. Rep. Carter is a school teacher from Valdosta. She works very hard to educate and protect the children of our state.

Next was HB 926 by Rep. James Mills (District 25). This bill will allow banks chartered in the state of Georgia to renew loans with existing customers who are current on their payments; however, they are not allowed to increase the size of the loans. This measure will give state chartered banks the same lending capabilities as national chartered banks. At issue was the law that prohibited banks from making a loan in excess of 10 percent their total capital. This bill passed by a vote of 165-1.

The next day, we had several bills dealing with the Quality Basic Education (QBE) Act:

• HB 905 extends the sunset on Capital Outlay Funds until 2015.

• HB 906 would temporarily extend the deadlines for the annual teacher employment contracts for the next three years.

• HB 923 would extend the deadline for teachers receiving a leadership degree from July 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013.

All of these bills passed overwhelmingly.

Next came HB 219 by Rep. Tommy Benton (District 31). The purpose of this bill is to prevent ingestion of antifreeze by animals and people, which can result in injuries and deaths from poisoning. A chemical commonly found in antifreeze is toxic, and antifreeze has a sweet smell and taste. The bittering additive, denatonium benzoate, makes antifreeze unpalatable to both humans and animals. This same chemical is commonly added by manufacturers of household products to prevent ingestion. This bill was strongly supported by the Georgia Humane Society. Rep. Benton tried unsuccessfully to have this measure added to the Debate Calendar last year. It passed by a vote of 142-25. Keep up the good work, Tommy.

Serving as my pages were Hallie Turner and her friend, Lexi Estes. They were accompanied by Hallie’s parents, Ty and Carla Turner, and her sister Anna Lane Turner. We went to the Railroad Depot for lunch, where they were serving Varsity hotdogs and French fries. Tuesday afternoon, at the Real Estate/Construction Sub-committee, we discussed HB 1050 which would regulate appraisal management companies. Wednesday, on the Debate Calendar was HB 916 by Rep. Howard Maxwell (District 17). The purpose of this bill is to prevent the retirement of state employees, under 60, with agreements to return to work in an identical or similar capacity, whereby the retired employee is receiving full benefits and a full salary, or “double dipping” from the state retirement fund. This measure passed by a vote of 167-1. I was visited by Ann Isbell, director of the Lake Blackshear Regional Library, who was at the Capitol in support of the legislative priorities of The Georgia Council of Public Libraries. After lunch, the Appropriations Committee was invited to hear a report by state Department of Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond on the status of the Georgia Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. He said that initial claims processed by his department for 2007 were 472, 827. In 2008, that grew to 742,488. In 2009, we had 1,025,764 unemployment insurance claims in Georgia. This mirrors Georgia’s unemployment insurance benefit payments, in 2007, $604.2 million, in 2008 $950.4 million, and in 2009, a record $1.725 billion. He said the average benefit was $330 per week and that the average duration of benefits was 14 weeks. He stated that Georgia ranked fourth in the nation with the shortest duration of benefits. The national average is 17.4 weeks. He added that job loss crossed all economic sectors, explaining that he processed over 4,000 claims in 2009 from individuals who were making $150,000 or higher per year. He also stated that only 40 percent of the unemployed receive benefits and that the construction and manufacturing industries were the worst hit. He ended by saying that unemployment benefit payments have been declining steadily from a peak in March 2009. At the Health and Human Services Committee meeting, we heard a comprehensive update on the work of the Georgia Trauma Commission by its Chairman, Dr. Dennis Ashley, professor of surgery at Mercer University School of Medicine. There, he revealed a blueprint for establishing trauma care throughout thesState, adding that the most underserved area is south of Macon. Next, we heard from Josh Mackey of the Georgia Association of Emergency Medical Services. Due to the integral relationship between trauma care and EMS, the commission has placed a major emphasis on strengthening EMS by improving readiness, targeting rural areas, and promoting efficiencies through GPS and vehicle locator systems as well as air medical transport. That evening, Dr. Schley Gatewood and his wife Karen were are the Capitol in support of the 2010 legislative agenda for the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia. Four of their objectives were:

• Protect funding for the Babies Born Healthy Program.

• Enhance Medicaid for women obtaining a federal waiver for the Planning for Healthy Babies Program.

• Oppose the elimination of mammograms, pap swears and child immunizations from health insurance benefits.

• Support an increase to the tobacco tax.

At Thursday’s 7:30 a.m. Rural Caucus meeting, we heard from Steven Lofton, representing the Cable Television Association. He spoke about SB 328. You may recall that this bill would limit the pole fee paid by cable companies to electrical service providers. This bill is opposed by the Municipal Electric Association of Georgia, which includes the City of Ellaville and the Electric Membership Corporations (EMC’s), including Sumter EMC. Both of the bills on the Debate Calendar dealt with retirement. HB 54 by Rep. John Lunsford (District 110) relates to survivors’ benefits under the Georgia Judicial Retirement System. It would allow a member to obtain benefits for a spouse. It passed by a vote of 164-0. Next came HB 486 by Rep. John Meadows (District 5), dealing with the Superior Court Clerk’s retirement fund. This bill eliminates the eight-year credit for deputy clerks who enter the fund after July 1, 2010. It thereby allows for all elected to the Office of Superior Court Clerk to enter the fund on an equal footing. This measure passed by a vote of 166-0. Dr. Mike Busman was at the Capitol in support of the Patient-Centered Physicians Coalition of Georgia. At the State Institutions and Property Committee meeting, HB 1030 was presented by Rep. Jim Cole (District 125). This bill would move the parole supervision function under Pardons and Parole to the Department of Corrections. After a lengthy discussion and a presentation by Department of Corrections Commissioner Brian Owens, it received the do-pass recommendation by committee substitute. Commissioner Owens explained through this legislation his goal was to put 1,000 State Supervision Officers on the streets 24/7 to monitor and supervise our offenders on probation and parole. He said currently in the state of Georgia, there are 150,000 offenders serving probation and 22,000 serving parole with over half serving split sentences. This would allow a continuum of sentencing alternatives by providing a seamless transition within the criminal justice system for re-entry and community services. He added that 28 states currently operate in this manner. Friday, in a housekeeping measure, we passed HB 910 by a vote of 154-0. This bill by Rep. Howard Maxwell (District 117) removes the requirements from the Department of Education to provide a written report on gender equality in school systems to the Georgia General Assembly each year. In the future, they will be provided electronically, saving on printing and mailing costs. Andrew and Geoffrey McDonald served as my pages. Their father, Marty McDonald, accompanied them. After visiting with Sen. George Hooks and posing for a picture with Speaker David Ralston, they left to get ready for the Georgia Independent School Association Swim Meet at Georgia Tech. My daughter Lexie will be competing this weekend at the same meet.