Senate Loses Official

We were saddened to learn last weekend that longtime Secretary of the Georgia Senate Frank Eldridge, Jr., died early Saturday morning (February 4, 2006) of an apparent heart attack. He was 73.  Governor Sonny Perdue ordered flags on the State Capitol building and grounds be flown at half-staff in memory of Mr. Eldridge the day of his funeral.  A former State Senator from Waycross, Mr. Eldridge served as the Senate’s administrative officer and unofficial parliamentarian for nearly 14 legislative sessions. He was initially hired under former Lt. Governor Pierre Howard and retained his position under Lt. Governor Mark Taylor and Senate President Pro Tempore Eric Johnson.  "Frank Eldridge was the true definition of a public servant. He dedicated his life to the people of Georgia by serving on the Public Service Commission, the State Senate and was elected by his peers to serve as the Secretary of the Senate,” Sen. Johnson said. "Frank Eldridge was always someone you could count on to give you a straight answer about the sometimes complicated process by which the Senate operates," said GBA Joe Brannen.  "I can remember several times where his advice was invaluable in helping us make sure we were on top of the process.  Frank was imminently fair to everyone he came in contact with and he will be sorely missed," Joe concluded. Mr. Eldridge was also on the board of WB&T Bankshares, Inc., the holding company for Waycross Bank and Trust and Guardian Bank in Valdosta.
 

ATM Bill Not Yet Moving

The Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee posted a notice of a committee meeting this week to discuss S.B. 513, by Senator John Wiles (R-Marietta), legislation that would mandate every outside ATM be equipped with a button to be used in an emergency to call the local 911 office.  The agenda for the meeting was later changed, but the committee finally decided not to meet at all.  We expect the committee to meet on the bill sometime soon.  Our thanks to a number of bankers who responded to our request to learn more about these 911 buttons which were once more common than they are today.  We heard from several bankers who had installed the 911 buttons, but have since removed them.  We did not hear of a single incident where the call button was used to report a robbery or similar emergency.  When the buttons were used, the customers were using the buttons to ask about their PIN not working, a deposit not being credited or a night-deposit bag getting stuck in the drawer - not something the local 911 dispatcher could do much about.  In a couple of instances, we understand law enforcement asked the banks to deactivate the call buttons to stop the false calls.  A local Atlanta television station ran a story this week on the reverse PIN technology that was originally contemplated by Senator Wiles to incorporate in his bill.  GBA was quoted in the story that the ATMs simply would not work unless the international standards recognizing the PIN as a 4 digit number entered in exact order were changed..  If you have not shared with us your own bank's experience with the 911 call buttons, please contact GBA President Joe Brannen at (404) 420-2026 or Elizabeth Chandler at (404) 420-2027.
 

House Committee Reports Wire Transfer Bill

The House Banks and Banking Committee met twice this week to consider H.B. 1238 by Representative Tom Rice (R-Peachtree Corners ) and others.  The bill requires money transmitters sending wires out of the country to collect a 5% fee from anyone wiring money who cannot show they are in the U.S. legally. Because of some uncertainty about wording in the bill, Committee Chairman James Mills (R-Gainesville) asked the author to work with Legislative Counsel to make sure the bill was drawn correctly.  After the bill was perfected, it was passed out of Committee in a subsequent meeting.  When the bill was first being discussed in draft form, the language would have also covered banks and the wire transfers our members were initiating for customers.  We appreciate Rep. Rice understanding the difference between wires generated by bank customers versus wires generated by companies such as MoneyGram and Western Union for people who are not customers.  The bill as reported does not include wires initiated by our members.  At the first hearing on the bill, the spokesman for Western Union discussed how similar legislation had been considered but not enacted in Texas.  The spokesman for MoneyGram criticized the concept of excluding banks from the bill.  The bill was finally reported with only two dissenting votes.
 

House Subcommittee Hears File Freeze Bill

A subcommittee of the House Banks and Banking Committee chaired by Calvin Hill (R-Woodstock) met this week to consider H.B. 966 by Representative Rob Teilhet (D-Smyrna) and others that would allow consumers to place freezes on their credit reports with the credit reporting agencies.  Rep. Tielhet told the committee his intent is to prevent people from becoming victims of identity theft.  Representatives from Equifax and CheckFree also testified, but in opposition to the bill.  In states where similar legislation has been enacted, consumers have had difficulty enjoying both the protections the concept provides while still having access to a variety of financing options.  Another meeting of the Subcommittee is expected to be held later in the session.
 

Phishing Bill in House

The Senate has passed S.B. 394 by Senator Cecil Staton (R-Macon) and others.  The bill attacks the practice commonly known as phishing and prohibits the sending of emails pretending to be another with the purpose of getting personal identifying information.  The bill been  assigned to the House Judiciary - Non-Civil Committee chaired by Rep. David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge).  Identity theft continues to be a significant problem and we applaud the approach taken by Senator Staton in trying to prevent the problems people encounter in trying to reclaim their identities.  No action has yet been scheduled on the bill in the House Committee.
 

Four New Bills Added to GBA Watch List

We have added four new bills to our Watch List that were introduced this week:

• H.B. 1273 by Representative Larry O'Neal (R-Warner Robbins) and others amends the current statute requiring tenant escrow deposits to be placed in a bank account to remove the provision that requires the landlord to inform the tenant of the account number.  The requirement to notify the tenant of where the account is established remains in effect.  The bill has been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee.

• H.B. 1282 by Representative David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) and others creates a "Notice of Settlements" form that any party to the transfer of ownership of real estate or who creates a lien or mortgage on the property by way of a deed to secure debt, mortgage, or other instrument may file with the Clerk of Superior Court.  If a lien is filed during the 45 day existence of the Notice of Settlements and the title has not changed hands, the lien will attach to the property.  The bill has been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee.

• H.B. 1280 by Representative Tyronne Brooks and others is similar to H.B. 964 introduced by Representative Brooks earlier in the session.  Among other things, the bill prohibits the state from using a depository which has any direct or knowledge of indirect loans to certain entities in the Republic of Sudan. 

• S.B. 530 by Senator Dan Weber (R-Dunwoody) and Senator Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) amends the current provisions of the law dealing with mechanics and materialmen to allow a lien to attach to property for improvements done at the request of a tenant or subcontractor acting on behalf of the owner; the lien could also extend to improvements authorized by the tenant or subcontractor to the adjacent easement or public right of way.

O'Neal

Brooks
 

Ralston

Weber

Seabaugh

GBA Monitoring More Than Three Dozen Bills

The Georgia Bankers Association is following a number of bills carried over from the 2005 legislative session all those introduced in teh 2006 session.  All the 2005 bills are eligible for consideration at any time and many are of serious concern.  We have substantially revised GBA's website and particularly the Government Relations area.  Please check this area frequently as we update the State Government Relations page daily while the General Assembly is in session.  Please click here to see the bills currently on our watch list.
 

GBA's Lobbyists

GBA is represented this year at the Capitol by our three lobbyists:  Joe Brannen, Elizabeth Chandler and Don Browne.  Give them a call if you have questions about any legislation.  Don’t forget to check the 2006 State Issues link on GBA’s website for up-to-the-minute status of bills being followed this session.

Joe Brannen, Direct phone, (404) 420-2026
Elizabeth Chandler, Direct phone, (404) 420-2027
Don Browne, Phone, (404) 522-1501

GBA Keeps You Informed

GBA’s e-Legislative Update is intended to keep you apprised of the bills that the GBA is tracking on the industry’s behalf and is sent on Fridays during the session.  On Fridays when the Update is not mailed, it will be sent electronically to those who have provided us with their email addresses.  The ‘State Issues’ section of GBA’s website, is linked to the website maintained by the General Assembly and assures that you will have the latest version of any bill being tracked by the GBA.

The e-version of GBA's Legislative Update will be published regularly during the 2006 session of the Georgia General Assembly.  Please let GBA's Lydia Thomas know of others you would like added to our distribution list.
 

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Georgia Bankers Association - 50 Hurt Plaza, Suite 1050, Atlanta, GA 30303 • Phone 404.522.1501 • Fax 404.522.9848