Stop Bad GA Bills

Monday is Crossover Day in GA Legislature

There are more abridgements to your liberty at the local and state level than at the federal level.  The following 2 bills in the Georgia Legislature purport to address a concern but may make the problem worse.  Monday is crossover day.  Please get informed and get engaged with your representative and senator.  Call the committee members listed below and urge them to reject.

H.B. 929 - National Popular Vote [http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20152016/HB/929]

H.B. 941 - Unconstitutional Double Standards Bill for Grand Jury [http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20152016/HB/941]

H.B. 929 - National Popular Vote

The U.S. Constitution provides a unique set of checks and balances so that one state does not have more power than another in the Electoral College process of selecting the President and Vice-President.  It created a republic where the rights of the minority are protected, not a democracy.

The National Popular Vote Compact (which is being pitched to legislators in all states across the nation) is an agreement between the compact states which mandates that the compact state throw their electors in with all of the other compact states for whichever presidential candidate gets the most votes, regardless of how the voters in each state cast their ballots.

NPV is an end-run around the U.S. Constitution that established the Electoral College as the most balanced way to elect U.S. presidents and vice presidents.

If the National Popular Vote movement attains 270 electoral votes, the Electoral College process would be misdirected, and less populated states would become less important, perhaps irrelevant, in presidential elections.

Currently, ten states and the District of Columbia have passed the NPV agreement. As a result, the NPV movement has 165 electoral votes. Currently, five Republican states, including Georgia, have pending NPV legislation. If all five pass, the NPV movement would acquire 55 additional electoral votes for a total of 220, only 50 votes shy of the 270 needed to divert the outcome of presidential elections. Read the Georgia bill here:  HB 929.  [http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122930124441705413]

Other articles:

The Heritage Foundation:  Destroying The Electoral College: The Anti-Federalist National Popular Vote Scheme by Hans von Spakovsky [http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/10/destroying-the-electoral-college-the-anti-federalist-national-popular-vote-scheme]

Wall Street Journal:  It's Time to Junk the Electoral College by Jonathan Soros Chairman of Soros Fund Management [http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122930124441705413]

Townhall:  Breaking the Constitution – National Popular Vote Interstate Compact [http://m.townhall.com/columnists/hankadler/2014/05/03/breaking-the-constitution--national-popular-vote-interstate-compact-n1832757/page/full]

American Thinker:  Countering the National Popular Vote Initiative [http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2012/10/countering_the_national_popular_vote_initiative.html]

Washington Times:  NRC stomps Electoral College switch [http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/aug/5/rnc-nixes-national-popular-vote-initiative/]

The Weekly Standard:  George Soros Supports the Tea Party? [http://www.weeklystandard.com/george-soros-supports-the-tea-party/article/590271]

Reasons to Keep the Electoral College As Is

Five densely populated states – California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Texas – with residents totaling 115,863,717 (which is over 1/3 of the U.S. population of 313,281,717) would control presidential elections if NPV is implemented.  Five sparsely populated states – Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota, Alaska, South Dakota – have fewer than a million residents each. Altogether, the residents of those five states total only 3,339,406, and would become insignificant in presidential elections.  The five densely populated states outnumber the five sparsely populated states 34 to 1.  NPV presents a HUGE, INSURMOUNTABLE disadvantage to residents of less populated states.  The Electoral College levels the playing field for all states in presidential elections.  The NPV movement changes the rules and muddies that playing field.

ACTION ITEM: Contact one or more of the Committee members below and ask them to reject this bill.

Message: Vote NO on H.B. 929 and keep it in committee. Under the national popular vote system, the densely populated states would ALWAYS control the outcome of presidential elections. Less populated states would be powerless to change the outcome.

The National Popular Vote would further destroy Georgia's sovereignty by breaking the balance of power between large states and small states.  Remember that HB 929, the National Popular Vote, would mean that the most populous states would elect the president and that means California and New York would decide your president.  Contact these representatives today.

Rep. John Meadows [mailto:john.meadows@house.ga.gov]  404.656.5141  Chairman

Rep. Brett Harrell [mailto:brett.harrell@house.ga.gov]  404.656.0254 Vice Chair

Rep. Richard Smith [mailto:richard.smith@house.ga.gov]  404.656.6831 Secretary

Rep. Stacey Abrams [mailto:stacey.abrams@house.ga.gov]  404.656.5058

Rep. Mandi Ballinger [mailto:mandi.ballinger@house.ga.gov]  404.656.0254

Rep. Tommy Benton [mailto:tommy.benton@house.ga.gov]  404.463.3793

Rep. Jon Burns [mailto:jon.burns@house.ga.gov]  404.656.5052

Rep. Sharon Cooper [mailto:sharon.cooper@house.ga.gov]  404.656.5069

Rep. Katie Dempsey [mailto:katie.dempsey@house.ga.gov]  404.463-2247

Rep. Tom Dickson [mailto:tom.dickson@house.ga.gov]  404.463.2247

Rep. Karla Drenner [mailto:karla.drenner@house.ga.gov]  404.656.0202

Rep. Earl Ehrhart  [mailto:earl.ehrhart@house.ga.gov] 404.463.2247

Rep. Stacey Evans [mailto:stacey.evans@house.ga.gov]  404.656.6372

Rep. Barry Fleming [mailto:barry.fleming@house.ga.gov]  404.656.0152

Rep. Rich Golick [mailto:rich.golick@house.ga.gov]  404.656.5943

Rep. Gerald Greene [mailto:gerald.greene@house.ga.gov]  404.656.0202

Rep. Matt Hatchett  [mailto:matt.hatchett@house.ga.gov] 404.656.5025

Rep. Carolyn Hugley [mailto:carolyn.hugley@house.ga.gov]  404.656.5058

Rep. Mack Jackson [mailto:mack.jackson@house.ga.gov]  404.656.0314

Rep. Jan Jones [mailto:jan.jones@house.ga.gov]  404.656.5072

Rep. David Knight [mailto:david.knight@house.ga.gov]  404.656.5099

Rep. Greg Morris [mailto:greg.morris@house.ga.gov]  404.656.5115

Rep. Butch Parrish [mailto:larry.parrish@house.ga.gov]  404.463.2247

Rep. Allen Peake [mailto:allen.peake@house.ga.gov]  404.656.5132

Rep. Jay Powell [mailto:jay.powell@house.ga.gov] 404.656.7855

Rep. Alan Powell [mailto:alan.powell@house.ga.gov]  404.463.3793

Rep. Matt Ramsey [mailto:matt.ramsey@house.ga.gov]  404.656.5024

Rep. Tom Rice [mailto:tom.rice@house.ga.gov]  404.656.5912

Rep. Carl Rogers [mailto:carl.rogers@house.ga.gov]  404.656.7855

Rep. Terry Rogers [mailto:terry.rogers@house.ga.gov]  404.651.7737

Rep. Ed Setzler [mailto:ed.setzler@house.ga.gov]  404.656.7857

Rep. Barbara Sims [mailto:barbara.sims@house.ga.gov]  404.656.7857

Rep. Lynn Smith [mailto:lynn.smith@house.ga.gov]  404.656.7149

Rep. Calvin Smyre [mailto:calvin.smyre@house.ga.gov]  404.656.0116

Rep. Ron Stephens [mailto:ron.stephens@house.ga.gov]  404.656.5111

Rep. Tom Weldon [mailto:tom.weldon@house.ga.gov]  404.656.5105

Rep. Wendell Willard [mailto:wendell.willard@house.ga.gov]  404.656.5125

Rep. Coach Williams [mailto:coach.williams@house.ga.gov]  404.656.0202

H.B. 941 - Unconstitutional Double Standards Bill for Grand Jury

A memo circulating in the Georgia House from HB941 sponsor Rich Golick states that 5 police, sheriff and District Attorney (D.A.) Associations have endorsed his bill. That may normally be a good thing but HB941 contains unconstitutional language favoring law enforcers who face a grand jury indictment. Grand juries are already required to notify Georgia "peace officers" of an investigation and allow them to testify during the investigation with an attorney present.

No other class of Georgia citizens has those unequal privileges prior to an indictment and trial. HB941 allows officers to be cross examined and excludes them from the rest of the hearing but instead of correcting the offending code section, it introduces new code sections with new double standards that defy Equal Protection Clauses in the Georgia and U.S. Constitutions.

Read the Georgia bill  here:  HB 941 [http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20152016/HB/941].

ACTION ITEM:  Contact one or more of the Committee members below and ask them to reject this bill.

Non-Civil Judiciary Committee Member

Sen. Jesse Stone (404) 463-1381,  [jesse.stone@senate.ga.gov]

Sen. Vincent Fort (404) 656-5091,  [vincent.fort@senate.ga.gov],

Sen. William Ligon (404) 656-0045, wil liam.ligon@senate.ga.gov [mailto:william.ligon@senate.ga.gov]

Sen. Joshua McCoon (404) 463-3931, jos hua.mccoon@senate.ga.gov [mailto:joshua.mccoon@senate.ga.gov]

Sen. John F. Kennedy (404) 656-7454,  [john.kennedy@senate.ga.gov]

Sen. Mike Crane, (404) 656-6446,  [mike.crane@senate.ga.gov]

Sen. Charlie Bethel, (404) 463-1383,  [charlie.bethel@senate.ga.gov]

Sen. Harold Jones (404) 463-3942,  [harold.jones@senate.ga.gov]

Sen. Elena Parent (404) 656-5109,  [elena.parent@senate.ga.gov]

Sen. Hunter Hill (404) 463-2518, hun ter.hill@senate.ga.gov [mailto:hunter.hill@senate.ga.gov]

Message:

Dear Senators,

We, the people of Georgia, are requesting that you abide by the Georgia and U.S. Constitutions as your oath of office requires and not pass House Bill 941 in the Senate Judiciary Non-Civil Committee. This bill contains a variety of double standards that are in direct conflict with the clear, plain text of the Equal Protection Clauses in both the Georgia and U.S. Constitutions.

The bill objective stated by the authors is to "dial back" special privileges that Georgia Peace Officers receive at grand jury hearings. If true, that can be accomplished simply by modifying that special privilege clause O.C.G.A. 17-7-52. Instead, this bill proposes to implement a variety of new double standards in different code sections that subvert the current grand jury process. It also retains the existing double standards that would likely be found unconstitutional if challenged in court. The details are explained in these articles that include related references:

Police, Sheriffs, D.A. Groups Back Unconstitutional Bill to Shield Officers from Criminal Charges  [https://voterga.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/press-release-police-sherriffs-da-groups-back-unconstitutional-bill.pdf]

HB941 Double Standard of Justice Refutes Authors' Claims  [https://voterga.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/press-release-hb941-double-standard-of-justice-refutes-authors-claims.pdf]

Submitted by Garland Favorito at  Voterga.org [http://voterga.org/]

http://email.indefenseofliberty.tv/t/ViewEmail/r/55FDB91025EEFC072540EF23F30FEDED/E7F7BA7F7CECA9F481176E9AA71FFAE9