This week at the Georgia House
The House passed several important pieces of legislation this week, most notably dealing with illegal pill mills and improvements to Georgia's real estate laws and professions.
HB 178 the Georgia Pain Management Clinic Act seeks to reign in the proliferation of illegal pill mills. The bill upon becoming law would require, among other provisions, that Pain Management Clinics be owned by a licensed physician.
HB 83 provides that Real Estate Agents assisting buyers and sellers in a short sale are NOT acting as Mortgage Brokers. The Georgia Department of Banking has interpreted such assistance differently than most other states and HB 83 simply clarifies that Real Estate Brokers and Salespeople may provide such assistance without the need to be licensed as a Mortgage Broker.
HB 160 revises provisions to vacant and foreclosed property registries and prohibits fees for future conveyances of property except under limited circumstances.
HB 122 that I co-sponsored with Rep. Kevin Tanner permits the state Sexual Offender Registry Review Board to access and utilize records of the Board of Pardons and Paroles when evaluating the status and making assessments of sexual offenders.
Next Week
The House begins a busy week on Monday with two Ethics bills.
HB 142 relates to the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance (Ethics) Commission and modifies requirements for lobbyists registration and disclosures, regulates lobbyist spending on Legislators, and restores rule-making authority to the Commission.
HB 143 changes provisions to campaign contributions and disclosure reports revising both local official reporting as well as mandating that contributions to Legislators between January 1 and the first day of the Legislative Session be reported within five days of the beginning of that Session.
In Committee
HB 159 my Property Protection Bill received a robust and positive first hearing before the Public Finance and Policy Subcommittee of Ways & Means. Americans for Prosperity Georgia interviewed me recently on the proposal (click link below to watch). You may also view the video interview here. AFP's Joel Aaron also wrote about the bill "Hide & Seek In Your Property Taxes."
As always, I remain appreciative that you allow me to serve as your state Representative. I encourage you to contact me with any comments or questions you have about the legislation being considered at the state Capitol. You can reach me at my Capitol office at 404-656-0254 or on my cell at 404-966-5804 or via email at brett.harrell@house.ga.gov.
Thank you,
Brett
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