Legislative Update

January 7, 2000          A review of current developments from the Georgia Bankers Association
 

Ready, Set….

 

The 2000 Session of the Georgia General Assembly kicks off on Monday, January 10, as Governor Roy Barnes readies for his second session as Governor of Georgia.  One thing that is certain is that he will once again set forth an ambitious agenda that will include education reform as the principal initiative.  Other issues that he is likely to tackle are greenspace set-asides, tobacco settlement allocations and the many other areas related to the state’s budget.

Holdover Issues

Since the 2000 Session of the General Assembly is the second year of the term, all bills introduced last year that did not pass the legislature are still active this year.  Therefore, there are several pieces of legislation that the GBA will continue to work for or against during this year’s Session.  These issues include S.B. 114 which would institute a procedure for the titling of boats; H.B. 50 and H.B. 481 that would prohibit banks from fingerprinting non-customers who wish to cash a check; H.B. 369 which would allow for venue shopping by plaintiffs attorneys when bringing a case to trial; H.B. 515 that would require regulation of the deferred presentment (payday loan) industry; and H.B. 1084 that provides for the regulation of the sale of title insurance.

The GBA lobbying staff will focus on several areas this year including the removal of the town of 5,000 restriction for banks interested in selling insurance.  We also anticipate facing ATM fee legislation and possibly a move to further restrict privacy laws.  In both cases, the GBA has taken preemptive steps to try and curb any legislation, which would hinder banks from operating as they do today.

GBA Keeps You Informed

GBA’s Legislative Update is intended to keep you apprised of the bills that the GBA is tracking on the industry’s behalf.  Subsequent issues will be mailed on alternate Fridays except when the legislature is in recess.  On Fridays that the Update is not mailed, GBA’s LegisFAX will be sent via fax to all CEO’s, Contact Bankers, Bank Counsel Section members and those interested in tracking issues on a weekly basis. The electronic version of both the Legislative Update and the LegisFAX will be sent by e-mail to those on our e-mail list.  The ‘State Issues’ section of GBA Online, GBA’s home page at www.gabankers.com, 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.

GBA’s Lobbyists at the Capitol

The lobbying team for the GBA will be at the Capitol full-time throughout the session.  If you need to get in touch with any of them on a particular issue, several ways are available. Call the main number at the GBA, (404) 522-1501, or leave a message on their direct voice mail, or send them an e-mail. They will get back to you at the earliest opportunity.

Joe Brannen, Direct phone (404) 420-2026, E-mail: jbrannen@gabankers.com

Don Browne, Direct phone, (404) E-mail: dbrowne@gabankers.com

Elizabeth Way, Direct phone, (404) 420-2027, E-mail: eway@gabankers.com

Dan Thomason, Direct phone, (404) 420-2016, E-mail: dthomason@gabankers.com

Cheeks and Parrish Continue
as Committee Chairmen 		Senator Don Cheeks of Augusta and Representative Butch Parrish of Swainsboro will continue to chair the banking committees in the Senate and the House.  We are grateful to both Chairmen for their leadership in their respective chambers and in both committees, and we look forward to working with them during the Session and throughout the year. 

Senator Cheeks is currently in his fourth term in the Senate while Representative Parrish is in his eighth term in the House.  Both are seasoned legislators and are committed to continuing Georgia’s history of strong banking laws.


Cheeks


Parrish

Senator Roberts Passes Away


Roberts
We were saddened to hear of the death of Senator Sam P. Roberts of Douglasville who passed away on January 4, 2000.  Senator Roberts had served on the Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee since his election to the Senate in 1996.  Our deepest sympathies are extended to his family

Listed below are 2000 banking committee members, along with phone numbers for their Capitol offices.  Call (404) 656- (plus the EXTENSION listed below).

Senate Banking & Financial Institutions:

Don Cheeks, Chairman

0045

Ed Harbison, Vice Chairman

0074

Connie Stokes, Secretary

651-7741

Mike D. Crotts

0071

Steve Thompson

651-7738

David Scott

0090

J. Phil Gingrey

0150

Paul Broun

5095

Casey Cagle

6578

Bill Stephens

0036

 

House Banks & Banking:

Larry J. “Butch” Parrish, Chairman

5096

Tracy Stallings, Vice Chairman

0202

Arnold Ragas, Secretary

0220

Alberta J. Anderson

7859

Kathy Ashe

0116

Frank I. Bailey, Jr.

0305

Ron Borders

0287

Ben Bridges, Sr.

0220

Steve J. Cash

7859

Bill Clark

0265

Michael Coan

0325

Tommy H. Davis

0116

Earl Ehrhart

5058

Carl Von Epps

0116

Johnny W. Floyd

0152

Bobby Franklin

0152

Henry L. Howard

7859

Ralph Hudgens

0137

Lynmore James

0213

W. Jeff Lewis

0188

J.E. (Billy) McKinney

0188

James Mills

0126

Dan E. Ponder, Jr.

0152

Tom Rice

0325

Chuck Scheid

0137

Larry Smith

5943

Pamela Stanley

7859

Stephanie Stuckey

6372

Don E. Wix

0314

The electronic version of GBA's Legislative Update will be published regularly during the 2000 session of the Georgia General Assembly.  Let GBA's Lydia Thomas know of others you would like to add to our distribution list.

State Legislative Issues l Georgia House of Representatives l Georgia State Senate l Governor
Federal Legislative Issues l Georgia Members of Congress