Conclusions:
HB 81: SUPPORT Rating: 9
HB 82: OPPOSE Rating: 2
HB 83: SUPPORT Rating: 9
HB 84: SUPPORT Rating: 9
HB 85: SUPPORT Rating: 10
HB 86: SUPPORT Rating: 10
HB 87: SUPPORT Rating: 10
HB 88: SUPPORT Rating: 10
HB 89: SUPPORT Rating: 6
HB 90: OPPOSE Rating: 1
Commentary:
HB 81 would prevent a person who does not lawfully have a social security number from having to obtain one to get a license, specifically from the Department of Driver Services or the Department of Natural Resources. I know that the Representative that introduced this is looking at it from a privacy angle, and I agree with him. Therefore, because it enhances personal privacy protections, I SUPPORT this bill.
HB 81: SUPPORT
Rating: 9
HB 82 would create the Office of the State Inspector General, tasked with investigating State executive agencies and any agency they do business with for fraud, corruption, and waste. It also prohibits public disclosure of some documents that office creates. I believe the GBI already handles these cases, and that this would only add to the government bureaucracy. Because of this, I must OPPOSE this bill for now, though if it turns out that no other agency already performs these functions, I will reconsider.
HB 82: OPPOSE
Rating: 2
HB 83 basically updates the laws regarding towing and storage of abandoned vehicles, and by and large is pretty straightforward. The only objection I have here is that any personal property within the vehicle is deemed to be abandonded along with the vehicle and therefore subject to the same reclamation procedures as the vehicle itself. However, that is only a slight objection, as the car itself is, indeed, personal property to begin with, and it makes sense that its contents would be deemed to have been abandoned at the point the car is so deemed. Therefore, I have no real objection here, and I SUPPORT this bill.
HB 83: SUPPORT
Rating: 9
HB 84 would allow the Department of Corrections to use its discretion to place serious violent felon first offenders in a halfway house or similar program in preparation for their release from prison. I’m going to get called a bleeding heart liberal here, but I actually think this is a good thing that could reduce recidivism by allowing a more gradual transition between ‘in prison’ and ‘out of prison’ life. Therefore I SUPPORT this bill.
HB 84: SUPPORT
Rating: 10
HB 85 would make elections for Sheriff, Probate Court Judge, Tax Receiver, Tax Collector, Tax Commissioner, and Clerk of Superior Court nonpartisan. These are all positions that I would hope would not have partisan politics come into play, so this is a good thing. Additionally, it allows more people to vote in the Primary of their choice and not have as much of the current situations we see in this area quite frequently of having to vote in one party’s primary if you want to have a say in your local government. Because of both of these factors, I SUPPORT this bill.
HB 85: SUPPORT
Rating: 10
HB 86 would force all absentee ballots to be reported by precinct, rather than as a system-wide group. This sounds like a great thing to me, and I SUPPORT this bill.
HB 86: SUPPORT
Rating: 10
HB 87 makes some language gender neutral in regards to an arresting officer taking someone before a judge, and also allows any other law enforcement officer that actually has the person in custody to take the person before the judge, not just the arresting officer. Again, this sounds like a good thing to me and I SUPPORT this bill.
HB 87: SUPPORT
Rating: 10
HB 88 is a redo of HB 85, above, that simply makes it more explicit that the offices named will be nonpartisan. Like I said above, I think this is a good idea, and I SUPPORT this bill.
HB 88: SUPPORT
Rating: 10
HB 89 defines the term ‘radiologist assistant’ as it relates to Code Section 43-34-4. I have no reason to OPPOSE this measure, and therefor it has my SUPPORT.
HB 89: SUPPORT
Rating: 6
HB 90 would allow the General Assembly to force anyone testifying before them to swear to tell the truth, same as in a court proceeding. It would also allow them to convict a person of false testimony and fine them up to $1,000 or imprison them for 1-10 years. My problem here is that the General Assembly is a legislative body, not a judicial one, and giving it the powers of the judiciary is a very dangerous thing indeed. Because it goes against the very principle of separation of powers, I must most strenuously OPPOSE this bill.
HB 90: OPPOSE
Rating: 1
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State House Bills I Find Interesting (HB 81 – HB 90)
Conclusions:
HB 81: SUPPORT Rating: 9
HB 82: OPPOSE Rating: 2
HB 83: SUPPORT Rating: 9
HB 84: SUPPORT Rating: 9
HB 85: SUPPORT Rating: 10
HB 86: SUPPORT Rating: 10
HB 87: SUPPORT Rating: 10
HB 88: SUPPORT Rating: 10
HB 89: SUPPORT Rating: 6
HB 90: OPPOSE Rating: 1
Commentary:
HB 81 would prevent a person who does not lawfully have a social security number from having to obtain one to get a license, specifically from the Department of Driver Services or the Department of Natural Resources. I know that the Representative that introduced this is looking at it from a privacy angle, and I agree with him. Therefore, because it enhances personal privacy protections, I SUPPORT this bill.
HB 81: SUPPORT
Rating: 9
HB 82 would create the Office of the State Inspector General, tasked with investigating State executive agencies and any agency they do business with for fraud, corruption, and waste. It also prohibits public disclosure of some documents that office creates. I believe the GBI already handles these cases, and that this would only add to the government bureaucracy. Because of this, I must OPPOSE this bill for now, though if it turns out that no other agency already performs these functions, I will reconsider.
HB 82: OPPOSE
Rating: 2
HB 83 basically updates the laws regarding towing and storage of abandoned vehicles, and by and large is pretty straightforward. The only objection I have here is that any personal property within the vehicle is deemed to be abandonded along with the vehicle and therefore subject to the same reclamation procedures as the vehicle itself. However, that is only a slight objection, as the car itself is, indeed, personal property to begin with, and it makes sense that its contents would be deemed to have been abandoned at the point the car is so deemed. Therefore, I have no real objection here, and I SUPPORT this bill.
HB 83: SUPPORT
Rating: 9
HB 84 would allow the Department of Corrections to use its discretion to place serious violent felon first offenders in a halfway house or similar program in preparation for their release from prison. I’m going to get called a bleeding heart liberal here, but I actually think this is a good thing that could reduce recidivism by allowing a more gradual transition between ‘in prison’ and ‘out of prison’ life. Therefore I SUPPORT this bill.
HB 84: SUPPORT
Rating: 10
HB 85 would make elections for Sheriff, Probate Court Judge, Tax Receiver, Tax Collector, Tax Commissioner, and Clerk of Superior Court nonpartisan. These are all positions that I would hope would not have partisan politics come into play, so this is a good thing. Additionally, it allows more people to vote in the Primary of their choice and not have as much of the current situations we see in this area quite frequently of having to vote in one party’s primary if you want to have a say in your local government. Because of both of these factors, I SUPPORT this bill.
HB 85: SUPPORT
Rating: 10
HB 86 would force all absentee ballots to be reported by precinct, rather than as a system-wide group. This sounds like a great thing to me, and I SUPPORT this bill.
HB 86: SUPPORT
Rating: 10
HB 87 makes some language gender neutral in regards to an arresting officer taking someone before a judge, and also allows any other law enforcement officer that actually has the person in custody to take the person before the judge, not just the arresting officer. Again, this sounds like a good thing to me and I SUPPORT this bill.
HB 87: SUPPORT
Rating: 10
HB 88 is a redo of HB 85, above, that simply makes it more explicit that the offices named will be nonpartisan. Like I said above, I think this is a good idea, and I SUPPORT this bill.
HB 88: SUPPORT
Rating: 10
HB 89 defines the term ‘radiologist assistant’ as it relates to Code Section 43-34-4. I have no reason to OPPOSE this measure, and therefor it has my SUPPORT.
HB 89: SUPPORT
Rating: 6
HB 90 would allow the General Assembly to force anyone testifying before them to swear to tell the truth, same as in a court proceeding. It would also allow them to convict a person of false testimony and fine them up to $1,000 or imprison them for 1-10 years. My problem here is that the General Assembly is a legislative body, not a judicial one, and giving it the powers of the judiciary is a very dangerous thing indeed. Because it goes against the very principle of separation of powers, I must most strenuously OPPOSE this bill.
HB 90: OPPOSE
Rating: 1