March 15, 2005

Family Day at the Capitol was a huge success. Last Saturday, families from all over the state spent their day observing the legislative process. The agenda of this historic event consisted solely of the repealing antiquated laws that remained a part of Georgia law. Most notably, the repeal included the so called “Jim Crow” laws that imposed demeaning segregation standards in Georgia’s past. Bills were repealed that dealt with the education system and the Governor’s power to close any school under the control of the board of regents, to suspend compulsory education, and the use of educational grants. In addition, a law was repealed that allowed any school employee covered by a local retirement system to continue membership in the local system if they became employed in a nonsectarian private school in Georgia. This historic Saturday session was an excellent opportunity for those who have work and school during the week to get a first hand glimpse of their legislators in action. We thank all of those who were able to attend and we hope you were able to learn more about the state’s legislative process.

Last week we passed a pivotal day in the General Assembly. Day 30, “crossover day,” is the day in which a bill must be approved by one chamber in order to be reviewed by another and have the possibility of being signed into law by the Governor. Several notable bills were passed by the Senate in the days preceding the crossover deadline. Senate Bill 226, also known as “Joshua Brown’s Law,” requires a person of 16 years of age seeking an initial driver’s license to complete an approved driver’s education course. Without the driver’s education course, teens must wait until they turn 17 to apply for a license. This bill will help to ensure that the young drivers of our state are properly trained to operate a vehicle and increase the safety of our roads for teens and everyone else.

Senate Bill 1 is a family friendly bill that aims to increase the success of our children in school by providing parents and families with the necessary information about early learning. The Department of Early Care and Learning will develop and implement a plan focusing on the learning experiences of children ages birth to five that will provide valuable practices that can aide parents and teachers in making effective decisions about the early learning of children. A variety of voluntary parenting classes will be provided to help parents participate and support their children’s early learning experiences. This bill will provide a valuable mechanism to improve the educational success of children in our state.

Shortly after the Choice Point Company revealed it had mistakenly provided personal information to identity thieves, the Senate passed Senate Bill 230, which requires that any investigative consumer reporting agency immediately notify Georgia residents if it has reason to believe a breach in the security of the data has occurred. As an additional measure to further protect the citizens of our state from identity theft and fraudulent attacks on their personal credit history, this bill will allow consumers to monitor their own credit reports for suspicious or unauthorized activity.

As always, please let me know your thoughts and concerns on proposed legislation. I look forward to working with you as we move our state forward and plan for the future of Georgia’s families. My staff and I are here working for you. Contact us at 404.656.0048 or email me at bstephen@legis.state.ga.us. Also, please visit my website: www.billstephens.com.