Legislative Notebook: Ralston reacts to Democrat-sponsored gun bill proposal
When a Democrat lawmaker from Decatur filed a bill to prohibit the possession of certain guns and ammunition, the man in charge of the state House of Representatives let it be known her bill would not progress.
The bill from state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver will not get any House time and energy, said House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, the day after Oliver's announcement.
"It is taking away the right to possess and bear arms, and you can put lipstick on that pig all you want, but it's still a pig, and it's not going to be something that we're going to deal with in this House," Ralston said.
Oliver said her bill was about ensuring public safety and that she wants an intelligent discussion about assault weapons. Her House Bill 731 lists the semiautomatic and automatic firearms that it would ban.
CASINO POLITICS MAKES FOR STRANGE BEDFELLOWS
If all the members of the Georgia state Senate were ranked by where they stand on the left-to-right political spectrum, probably none would be farther apart than state Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, and state Sen. Josh McKoon, R-Columbus.
So when they unite, it's something interesting.
When Fort first filed a bill that would require all casino lobbyists to disclose every expenditure they make, McKoon was his only co-sponsor.
Fort's Senate Bill 266 would mean a higher standard of disclosure for the casino industry than for any of the other dozens of industries that lobby at the Capitol in Atlanta.
Some casino firms have been scouting Georgia sites, and a Savannah lawmaker has filed a bill that would legalize casino gambling.
It's not clear yet how much success the firms or would-be gamblers will have.
Fort said Georgians deserve to know about "every red cent" the industry is spending.
"If they give money to an organization, a sponsorship for a dinner, they're not doing it out of good government, they're doing it to curry favor in the community," Fort said.
NO GAY WEDDING BELLS FOR SOME
In the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year recognizing the rights of gay couples to wed, some new bills in the state Legislature aim to address the concerns of people who do not support gay marriage.
The first probably has a very good chance of passing the House at least, as it counts among its supporters House Speaker David Ralston.
That one, House Bill 757, says that no minister of the Gospel, cleric or religious practitioner shall be forced to marry gay couples.
The other, House Bill 756, says businesses could decline to provide services to weddings of any sort, gay weddings included.
State Rep. Kevin Tanner, R-Dawsonville, is sponsoring both.
Another bill, soon to be published by state Sen. Greg Kirk, R-Americus, would allow court clerks to decline to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, but the bill will say that some clerk or judge must step in and issue the license.
Telegraph writer Maggie Lee compiled this report. Contact her at mlee@macon.com.
This story was originally published January 15, 2016 at 5:42 PM with the headline "Legislative Notebook: Ralston reacts to Democrat-sponsored gun bill proposal ."