State Rep. Cheokas Reports On Week At Capitol

Mike Cheokas
The Americus Times-Recorder
April 3, 2010

AMERICUS — March 30 was Legislative Day 31. With Crossover Day behind us, most of the legislation we are considering on the floor of the House and in Committee are Senate bills. In turn, the Senate is reviewing House legislation. Each Bill must pass both chambers identically, before it can go to the Governor to be signed or vetoed. This is where the negotiations between the House and Senate really pick up pace. If there is a measure of importance to a senator, then the House may hold it until a House measure in the Senate is released for consideration. Which Committee the respective legislation is assigned, who will sponsor it, and how rapidly it is passed out of Committee determines each Chambers Debate Calendar. As you can imagine, this adds another dimension to the process. Up until the Crossover Day deadline, we were considering mostly House measures and the Senate was considering mostly Senate measures. Now, in the House Committees, senators are scheduled to present their bills and in the Senate, House members are doing the same. Each Senate bill must have a House member to carry it on the floor for debate. This is when the House and Senate collaboration is all-important.

Before we started the Debate Calendar, we had a visit from the very talented performer Jennifer Nettles from the country duo Sugarland. She spoke of the importance of the 4-H program and how it was a major influence in her life. She said that 4-H helped her develop the self-confidence she needed for her successful singing career and that through 4-H as a teen, she performed for audiences as large as 500.

SB 296 presented by Rep. Bob Lane (District 158) would simply re-name the Office of Treasury and Fiscal Services to the Office of the State Treasurer and re-name its director as the State Treasurer. This measure passed by a vote of 164-0.

SR 274 was presented by Rep. Roger Williams (District 4). This resolution will designate a tulip poplar tree in Dalton as the liberty tree of Georgia. This sapling was taken from the last living liberty tree planted at the time of the American Revolution. It passed 158-1.

Receiving the most debate was SB 250. This measure seeks to add the clear intent requirement to the current law that makes it a misdemeanor to disrupt or interfere with the operation of public school, public school bus, or bus stop. Rep. Mike Jacobs (District 80) offered an amendment to this measure that would expand the definition of “bullying.” It would require the Department of Education to develop a model bullying policy for all grade levels. It further would require school employees to report bullying, prohibit retaliation from reporting bullying and notify parents of incidents of bullying. The amendment passed by a vote of 99-55 and SB 250 passed 119-45.

To read the whole article please tap on link: http://americustimesrecorder.com/columns/x993486716/State-Rep-Cheokas-reports-on-week-at-Capitol

Americus Times-Recorder, Americus, Georgia P.O. BOX 1247 Americus GA 31709

© 2010 Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. · CNHI Classified Advertising Network · CNHI News Service Associated Press content © 2010. All rights reserved.