Call the Senate Rules Committee and Your State Senator
Today. Tell them to vote NO on HB310.
The Senate Public Safety Committee passed the HB310 [http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20152016/HB/310]
"Big Brother" bill late Monday afternoon over unanimous objections
from the general public who testified during a grueling double session that was
postponed after the first hour and resulted in all witnesses being forced to
return two hours later. Rep. Alan Powell, who sponsored the bill contended
that:
the bill was simply an "unplugging and re-plugging"
of criminal defense functions, there
were no new police powers granted, that
no issues were raised in the House hearing and
that recent new opposition was suffering from "paranoia".
Attorneys Catherine Bernard and Rose McConnell started the
unanimous public opposition with detailed critiques of the bill by refuting
these claims. The session included some heated exchanges after Attorney
Catherine Bernard repeatedly told the committee that Rep. Alan Powell had
misrepresented the bill to the committee and her contention was supported by
VoterGA founder, Garland Favorito, who knew Rep. Powell personally. Powell
later complained to the Committee that Attorney Barnard was merely an indigent
defense lawyer who had called him a liar.
Testimony focused on the massive expansion of power that the
governor had incorporated into the bill even though that power was unnecessary
to implement the criminal justice reforms that the bill contained. This
included:
The massive expansion of government that is allowable in the
bill (including what could become hundreds of new community supervision units
and thousands of new community supervision employees) The potential for a governor to politicize
the newly proposed Department of Community Supervision with centralized
decision making and politically generated contracts rather than the current
criminal justice model that supports more localized control Scenarios of how a governor could use the
new police powers to arrest those who disagree with his policies and then to
impose sanctions against them in a new pre-trial release program even though
they had never been convicted of a crime
The Senators had little or no response for the issue of how
a Governor could use his newly defined police powers against political
adversaries. Some Senators implied that since the governor presides over most
of the current departments there would not be a significant risk of
politicizing other aspects of the new Department of Community Supervision.
However, Hank Sullivan of the Lanier Tea Party countered
eloquently about how the centralization and consolidation of locally controlled
power and decision making will lead to the Department of Community Supervision
becoming a political arm of the governor.
Some Senators also contended that the legislature could
control the expansion of government through appropriations, however, that
argument lacks credibility. It is based on the assumption that they would
suddenly muster enough courage to challenge the governor's demands when they
don't even have enough courage to vote against the bill now when it is
overwhelming opposed by the general public.
Former U.S. Senate candidate Derrick Grayson explained to
the committee that this bill did not benefit the black community despite claims
to the contrary and Dave Rittenhouse closed with an historical analogy
entailing similarities between HB310 and regulations implemented in Nazi
Germany prior to World War II.
Senator Harold Jones was not present for the vote since the
meeting was rescheduled for the exact same time that he had a previously
scheduled Non-Civil Judiciary Committee hearing.
All of the remaining Senators who voted for the "Big
Brother" bill were inundated prior to the hearing with calls and Emails
from the general public opposing the bill. Ironically, Republicans were
responsible for passing the bill even though all of the opposition testimony
came from Republicans or Independents. John Albers voted for the bill after two
of his own constituents testified against it. Michael Williams voted for the
bill even though his recent campaign had benefited from supportive videos made by
Nydia Tisdale whose testified against the bill.
The passage of HB310 is a definitive measure of what is
wrong with the Republican Party. At least three witnesses admonished the
Senators that most of them ran on a limited government platform but were growing
the government dramatically by voting for this bill. Witnesses also explained
how the bill could jeopardize their constituents' freedom, which they were
obligated to protect. But it was all to no avail. HB310 now moves to the Rules
Committee and will likely receive a floor vote unless Majority Leader David
Shafer or chairman Jeff Mullis, decide not to move the bill this year because
of public opposition. You can contact them and your Senators to voice your
concern either way.
Majority Leader Sen. David Shafer (404) 656-0048, [http://david.shafer@senate.ga.gov]
Rules Chairman Sen. Jeff Mullis (404) 656-0057,
[http://jeff.mullis@senate.ga.gov]
Senate List
[http://www.senate.ga.gov/SENATORS/en-US/SenateMembersList.aspx]
This message is forwarded by In Defense Of Liberty for:
Garland Favorito, 770 993 3622, [http://www.Voterga.org]
Public Safety Committee
Harper, Tyler
[http://tyler.harper@senate.ga.gov] (404) 463-5263 Chair
Albers, John
[http://john.albers@senate.ga.gov] (404) 463-4161 Vice Chair
Dugan, Mike
[http://mike.dugan@senate.ga.gov] (404) 656-7454
Seay, Valencia
[http://valencia.seay@senate.ga.gov] (404) 656-5095
Williams, Michael
[http://michael.williams@senate.ga.gov] (404) 656-7127
Watson, Ben
[http://ben.watson@senate.ga.gov] (404) 656-7880
Jones II, Harold V.
[http://harold.jones@senate.ga.gov] (404) 463-3942 (not present for
vote)
Please share with your friends, neighbors and contact lists.
Source:http://email.indefenseofliberty.tv/t/r-fb-qhjhudt-irjhdulyli-z/
Comments
This is a dangerous, disruptive, expensive
bill that establishes an appointed committee to be the Georgia Czars for state
and local agencies who deal with the criminal justice system. Appointed, unelected governance isn’t working
elsewhere. The Regional Commissions are but one example of the folly of
removing local control from local governments and using appointed committees. This
could become the state’s version of homeland security, unwieldy, expansive and
out of control.
If counties want to shirk their jailing and
probation responsibilities, they are doing a disservice. Private companies who
want to overcharge to run prisons, probation services and “social services”
would need to be avoided. Somehow, I don’t think an appointed board would avoid
them.
We are already dealing with a totalitarian
federal government and don’t need another tyrannical entity at the local level.
Parents are already dealing with medical and foster-care kidnapping.
Regionalism already threatens our rights.
The EPA already threatens to impose a 500% increase in our electric
bills and take our property and our water. Enough Police State Bills already.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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