Georgia House of Representatives - 1995/1996 Sessions

HB 53 - Legislative information; public distribution in electronic format

Page Numbers - 1/ 2

Code Sections - 28-3-24.1/ 50-25-14

1. Grindley  35th         2. Klein  39th             3. Ehrhart  36th


House Comm: Ind        /                Senate Comm: ST&I       /               
House Vote: Yeas 118   Nays 1           Senate Vote: Yeas 49  Nays 0            
              ----------------------------------------                          
               House          Action         Senate                             
              ----------------------------------------                          
              1/11/95  Read 1st Time         2/20/95                            
              1/12/95  Read 2nd Time         2/27/95                            
              2/8/95   Favorably Reported    2/22/95                            
              Sub      Committee Amend/Sub                                      
              2/17/95  Read 3rd Time         3/9/95                             
              2/17/95  Passed/Adopted        3/9/95                             
              CS       Comm/Floor Amend/Sub  FA                                 
              3/13/95  Amend/Sub Agreed To                                      
              3/29/95  Sent to Governor                                         
              4/18/95  Signed by Governor                                       
              354      Act/Veto Number                                          
              7/1/95   Effective Date                                           
              ----------------------------------------                          
                                                                                
Code Sections amended: 28-3-24.1, 50-25-14                                      


HB 53                                               HB 53/AP

      H. B. No. 53 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
      By:  Representatives Grindley of the 35th, Klein of the 39th
      and Ehrhart of the 36th


                        A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                               AN ACT


  1- 1  To amend Article 2 of Chapter 3 of Title 28 of the Official
  1- 2  Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the Secretary of the
  1- 3  Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives, and
  1- 4  Chapter 25 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia
  1- 5  Annotated, relating to the GeorgiaNet Authority, so as to
  1- 6  provide for public distribution of legislative information
  1- 7  in electronic format; to provide for provision of data by
  1- 8  the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House to
  1- 9  the GeorgiaNet Authority; to provide for distribution by the
  1-10  authority and through the PeachNet to public schools and to
  1-11  public libraries and their patrons; to provide for other
  1-12  related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other
  1-13  purposes.

  1-14       BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

                         SECTION 1.

  1-15  Article 2 of Chapter 3 of Title 28 of the Official Code of
  1-16  Georgia Annotated, relating to the Secretary of the Senate
  1-17  and the Clerk of the House of Representatives, is amended by
  1-18  adding after Code Section 28-3-24 a new Code Section
  1-19  28-3-24.1 to read as follows:

  1-20    "28-3-24.1. (Index)

  1-21    (a) It is the policy of the General Assembly that
  1-22    legislative information concerning the activities of the
  1-23    General Assembly may be made readily and widely available
  1-24    in electronic format on a timely basis.

  1-25    (b) The Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House
  1-26    of Representatives may provide legislative information in
  1-27    electronic format to the GeorgiaNet Authority for purposes
  1-28    of public distribution as provided in Code Section
  1-29    50-25-14. The information may be provided on at least a
  1-30    daily basis in the most current format available. The
  1-31    information provided may include at a minimum: available
  1-32    schedules and agenda for committee meetings; available
  1-33    bill and resolution status information; and full text of

                              H. B. No. 53
                                 -1- (Index)

                                                    HB 53/AP

  2- 1    all available prefiled and introduced versions of bills
  2- 2    and resolutions, including amendments and substitutes. The
  2- 3    information provided may include such other matters as
  2- 4    will in the determination of the Secretary and the Clerk
  2- 5    contribute to the purposes of this Code section."

                         SECTION 2.

  2- 6  Chapter 25 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia
  2- 7  Annotated, relating to the GeorgiaNet Authority, is amended
  2- 8  by adding at its end a new Code Section 50-25-14 to read as
  2- 9  follows:

  2-10    "50-25-14. (Index)

  2-11    (a) The authority shall provide for the distribution in
  2-12    electronic format of the legislative information provided
  2-13    to the authority pursuant to Code Section 28-3-24.1. Such
  2-14    information may be made available in a dial-up bulletin
  2-15    board format or in such other formats as may be determined
  2-16    to be appropriate by the authority.

  2-17    (b) Such legislative information shall be provided free of
  2-18    charge to public schools, their students and faculty, and
  2-19    to public libraries and their patrons. However, the
  2-20    GeorgiaNet Authority is authorized to provide for and
  2-21    collect a charge of $250.00 per year per computer station
  2-22    to cover its communication costs. When PeachNet becomes
  2-23    available to an individual school or library, such school
  2-24    or library may have the option of connection to PeachNet
  2-25    and may then receive such legislative information from
  2-26    GeorgiaNet through PeachNet free of charge. For this
  2-27    purpose, 'free of charge' may include the provision of
  2-28    legislative information without charge. For this purpose,
  2-29    'public schools' may include all schools operated by this
  2-30    state's local public school systems, all units of the
  2-31    University System of Georgia, and all units of the
  2-32    Department of Technical and Adult Education.  For this
  2-33    purpose, 'public libraries' may include all city, county,
  2-34    and regional public libraries."

                         SECTION 3.

  2-35  All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are
  2-36  repealed.






                              H. B. No. 53
                                 -2- (Index)