A New Session Begins
By Eric Cochling, VP of Public Policy
January 18, 2012
Last week marked the start of the 2012 legislative session at the state Capitol. Although the General Assembly will be "in session" only 40 days, the session will likely not come to a close until some time in April (under our state Constitution, those 40 days do not have to be consecutive).
While the legislature got off to a relatively quick start last week - the Senate passed a bill on its very first day, which is very unusual - there continues to be a power struggle within the Senate that has left many wondering how much will actually be accomplished.
Last year, the conflict between Lt. Governor Casey Cagle and Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers meant that many very important bills did not receive a hearing in the Senate - including Rogers' own bill providing educational choice to children of military service members. Last week, after peace had seemingly been brokered by Governor Deal, it was clear that the division in the Senate remained. Will this mean a repeat of last session? Only time will tell.
What is clear is that there are many important issues to be addressed, including finding a way to undo our State Supreme Court's May ruling striking down the State Charter Schools Commission (and effectively saying that the state should not have a say in public education).
Regardless of what happens in the Senate, GFC will be working to advance ideas that contribute to human thriving, including:
- Marriage reconciliation
- Educational choice for parents and students
- Child welfare reform
- Systemic public school reform
- Criminal justice reform
In the coming weeks, we will be introducing you to pieces of legislation that we are supporting and describing how you can help. We will also be actively tracking legislation that we believe represents a risk to human well-being and doing our part to insure those bills are stopped.
Should you have questions or comments, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Bills to Watch
Below are the bills we're tracking so far this session. These are quick summaries only, so please email us if you have any questions. If you would like to read the text of the legislation, just click on the bill number to access the bill online.
Bills listed with status info in green have passed both chambers and are now waiting on the Governor's signature to become law.
Also, please remember that the listing of a bill below does not necessarily mean that GFC supports the legislation.
| Bill # |
Topic | Sponsor | Summary | Status |
| HB 1 |
Life | Franklin |
prenatal murder defined as unlawful |
1/24/11 - House Second Reader |
| HB 89 |
Life | Peake et al. |
outlaw abortions starting at gestational age at which fetal pain is likely |
1/31/11 - House Second Reader |
| SB 209 | Life |
Loudermilk et al. |
outlaw abortions starting at gestational age at which fetal pain is likely |
3/4/11 - In Rules Committee |
| SB 210 | Life | Loudermilk |
provide for civil liability for violations of abortion laws |
3/22/11 - Passed by Senate; House Second Reader |
| HB 529 |
Child Welfare |
Sheldon et al. |
expand mandatory reporting requirements for suspected child abuse |
3/14/11 - House Second Reader |
| HB 633 |
Child Welfare |
Oliver et al. |
create a statewide child abuse reporting system |
4/12/11 - House Second Reader |
| HB 641 |
Child Welfare |
Willard et al. |
juvenile code re-write |
4/14/11 - House Second Reader |
| SB 13 |
Child Welfare |
Jackson et al. |
make driving under the influence with a minor in the vehicle a felony |
1/9/12 - House Special Judiciary Committee |
| SB 164 |
Child Welfare |
McKoon et al. |
expand mandatory reporting requirements for suspected child abuse |
2/28/11 - Senate Judiciary Committee |
| SB 247 |
Adoption | Stone et al. |
allow courts to consider living arrangements of prospective single adoptive parent |
3/10/11 - Senate Special Judiciary Committee |
| HB 62 |
Education | Jacobs et al. |
special needs scholarship - expand notification to parents and students |
4/14/11 - House Higher Education Committee |
| HB 181 |
Education | Golick et al. |
special needs scholarship - reduce amount of time Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) must be in place in order for student to qualify for scholarship |
1/9/12 - Passed by House; Senate Education Committee |
| HB 369 |
Education | Austin et al. |
tax credit scholarships - expand eligibility and clarify eligibility requirements |
3/1/11 - House Second Reader |
| HB 661 |
Education | Heard et al. |
require charter school personnel to comply with state certification requirements of other public school employees |
1/10/12 - House Second Reader |
| HB 692 |
Education | Mitchell |
salary reductions for teachers found to falsify test scores |
1/11/12 - House Second Reader |
| HB 705 |
Education | Dudgeon et al. |
expand definition of "direct classroom expenditures" to include the costs of transportation, technology, instructional supports and guidance counselors |
1/12/12 - House Education Committee favorably reported |
| SB 34 |
Education | Rogers et al. |
authorize charter and virtual school students to participate in extracurricular activities at local district schools |
3/4/11 - Passed by Senate; House Second Reader |
| SB 38 |
Education | Rogers et al. |
give State School Superintendent power to hire and fire employees of the Department of Education and expand ability of Superintendent to enter into contracts |
1/9/12 - House Substitute Passed House and Senate Agreed; on way to Governor
|
| SB 68 |
Education | Albers et al. |
Parent Trigger Act - allow parents of students in low-achieving schools to seek new school governance model by petition of 50% or more of parents/legal guardians of students |
2/10/11 - Senate Education and Youth Committee |
| SB 87 |
Education | Rogers et al. |
Educational Freedom Act - provide educational scholarships to children of military service members, children in foster care, and children with Section 504 disabilities |
1/9/12 - Recommitted to Senate Education and Youth Committee |
| SB 184 |
Education |
Williams et al. |
forbid the use of tenure as the primary or sole factor in making the decision to fire teachers |
1/26/11 - House substitute passed by Senate; on way to Governor |
| HB 644 |
Healthcare |
Bell et al. |
establish a commission to implement the federal healthcare law (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) |
1/9/12 - House Second Readers |
| SB 20 |
Healthcare |
Hill |
prevent state agencies from enforcing the federal healthcare law (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) until certain reports are provided |
1/26/11 - Senate Health and Human Services Committee |
| SB 23 |
Healthcare |
Hill et al. |
prevent state agencies from making any rules or regulations related to the federal healthcare law (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) until expressly authorized to do so by the General Assembly |
1/27/11 - Senate Health and Human Services Committee |
| SB 25 |
Healthcare |
Hill et al. |
limit the enforcement of the federal healthcare law (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) |
1/27/11 - Senate Health and Human Services Committee |
| HB 33 |
Budget Reform |
Allison et al. |
require zero-base budgeting to be used in state budget process |
3/16/11 - Passed by House; in Senate Appropriations Committee |
| SB 33 |
Budget Reform |
Shafer et al. |
require zero-base budgeting to be used in state budget process |
4/14/11 - Different versions passed both chambers; now in Conference Committee |
