This makes the no-knock search warrant bills look like
amateur hour. Secret search warrants,
probable cause extended to include crimes "about to be committed", inclusion
of specific surveillance methods in the Code, expands who can apply for and
issue search warrants (so it can include all DCS officers I presume), allows
surveillance
without regard to jurisdiction, limits defendants' right to
suppress illegally gathered evidence (including a weird substitution of
"constitutional" for "lawful" that is really pernicious),
and officers are immune to virtually all legal restrictions on their behavior when they're in performance
of their official duties in "ferretting out offender or suspected
offenders of the law or in secretly watching an individual
suspected of violating the laws..." GA Senator Charlie
Bethel is the sponsor. Call him at 404-463-1383 or 706-270-1685.
1. SB94 has not had a Non-Civil Judiciary House hearing yet
after it crossed over.
2. SB94 should be heard by the Non-Civil Judiciary Committee
next week
3. Charlie Bethel, the author of SB94, has the power to
allow or disallow the committee to attach HB430 to SB94 at that time
4. We need to contact Sen. Bethel's office now to get him to
oppose the attachment of HB430 before the hearing next week
5. If Bethel opposes it as he should, HB430 is dead for the
session unless they find another bill they can attach it to
6. If Bethel allows HB430 to be attached, the committee
amended SB94 must then go to Rules prior to going to the House floor for a vote
7. If the amended SB94 passes the House, it then goes to a
special Joint House & Senate committee because the House and Senate
versions that were passed are different
8. When the amended SB94 is scheduled for a Joint House
Senate meeting we can lobby the selected members to remove HB430 prior to the
meeting once we identify who they will be for that bill
9. When the special Joint House & Senate Committee
meeting is held to resolve the differences between the two versions for the
amended SB94 we can video tape the
meeting but we cannot speak.
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