Comprehensive coverage
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has Georgia's largest team under the Gold Dome for this year's legislative session. To find the most expertise on issues that matter to taxpayers, go to myAJC.com/georgialegislature. To see where particular bills and resolutions stand, check out the Georgia Legislative Navigator at http://legislativenavigator.myajc.com/. You can also follow the proceedings on Twitter at twitter.com/GAPoliticsNews or on Facebook at facebook.com/gapoliticsnewsnow.
Stricter rules for when and where you could set off fireworks passed the Georgia Senate on Friday, a move that came after some Georgians got a little too enthusiastic last year and left neighbors fuming and making late-night noise complaints.
Senate Bill 369 would set new limits on the time fireworks could be ignited during the holidays, set new restrictions where fireworks could be set off and give local authorities more control over regulating fireworks in their communities. One example: The bill would set a midnight cut-off for backyard fireworks on July 3-4 and Jan. 1, up from 2 a.m.
It would tighten what Senate Rules Committee Chairman Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, who is sponsoring the changes, called common-sense rules, such as not igniting fireworks in the middle of a public street.
The bill would also make it illegal to shoot off fireworks when under the influence of drugs or alcohol, prompting Mullis to quip: “I’m not saying watching the fireworks is shut off, but I mean striking a match.”
Mullis helped pass the law last year that for the first time made it legal to sell, buy and possess many types of fireworks in the state. That law took effect July 1, and he was among state lawmakers who got complaints from residents about people shooting off fireworks into the early-morning hours.
Earlier this week, he sponsored two other fireworks-related measures that would mandate that their sale would be used to help fund trauma care in Georgia.
Senate Resolution 558 proposes to add that requirement to the Georgia Constitution, essentially guaranteeing a revenue source for trauma care across the state if voters approve the idea in November.
Senate Bill 350 would establish the nuts and bolts of how to dish out the money from SR 558. It would dedicate an existing 5 percent sales tax on fireworks to go toward the state's trauma care network, training and equipment for Georgia firefighters, and local governments where the fireworks are sold to be used for public safety purposes.
All three measures now go to the state House for consideration, where SR 558 faces a higher bar for passage. Because it proposes to change the state constitution, SR 558 must receive a two-thirds majority before it could be placed on the ballot for voters to have the final say.
About the Author
