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SESSION from 1A
provide prosecutors with an
appropriate tool to charge indi
viduals whose criminal negli
gence causes cruel or excessive
mental or physical pain to a
child.
The governor’s Child
Protection legislation also cre
ates the offense of causing or
permitting a child to be present
where any person is manufac
turing or possessing metham
phetamine or a chemical sub
stance intended to be used in
the manufacture of metham
phetamine. This offense is a
felony punishable by imprison
ment for two to 15 years. The
bill makes the same conduct
punishable by five to 20 years if
the child suffers serious injury
from such contact.
The second bill, Levi’s Call,
exempts media from liability
for the broadcast of information
included in a Levi’s Call.
Georgia's version of what is
known in some other states as
an Amber Alert. This will help
facilitate the prompt and safe
return of any abducted child.
Levi's Call is a voluntary part
nership between law enforce
ment, emergency management
and the media to activate an
urgent bulletin in child abduc
tion cases.
The governor already has
signed a midyear budget that
trims state spending for the
final quarter of the state's fiscal
year ending June 30. Most state
agencies will feel a cut of about
2.5 percent. Most of the savings
will be redirected to the finan
cially-strapped Medicaid pro
gram and for Peach Care, the
health plan for the working
poor.
The lawmakers gave
approval to a proposed amend
ment to the state Constitution
which would ban same-sex
marriages. Same-sex marriages
already are illegal in Georgia. If
approved by voters in
November, the marriage ques
tion would be addressed addi
tionally in the Constitution.
Meanwhile. Murphy and
Knox are awaiting word from
Perdue on a call for a special
session to address a shortfall in
the budget. Lawmakers reached
a compromise on the state
budget and passed the bill dur
ing the 11th hour of the ses
sion's final day. However, the
governor declared the budget
unacceptable.
"There is one must-do item
for the General Assembly each
year; one constitutional duty
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that must be carried out pass
a balanced annual budget.
Every member of the General
Assembly knew going in that
this would not be an easy budg
et year. We knew it last fall,”
said Perdue. "When 1 presented
my budget proposal to the
Legislature in January, 1 told
them I would not accept anoth
er round of budget gimmicks. I
told them we were not going to
spend money we don't have.”
The Legislature failed to act
on a bill which directed $52
million to $57 million in exist
ing court fines to establish a
new Indigent Defense program.
The proposed bill allowed the
Republican governor rather
than the judiciary to administer
the funds, which did not sit well
with the Democrat-controlled
House. Without the bill, the
budget would have a shortfall
equal to the amount of the fines
which already are included
on the revenue side.
Perdue admits that the mat
ter could be addressed when
lawmakers return next year, but
the governor said that he will
call lawmakers back to bring
the budget into compliance
before the fiscal year begins on
July 1.
When a special session is
called, the governor can specify
the matters that will be
addressed by the Legislature
during the session. Perdue has
not announced if he will expand
the call to include other matters
such as tort reform and faith
based charities. The two items
were high on the governor’s
agenda but were not acted upon
before the session ended on
Wednesday.
Knox . an attorney, said he
has some ideas on addressing
the indigent defense issue. “I'm
going to try to make some sug
gestions to the governor on
indigent defense," he said. "1
think we can do that and not
have to go back and start over."
At stake for Forsyth County
in the special session is funding
for the growing public school
system, as well as funds for an
expansion of the Forsyth
County Public Library and
planning funds for a major
expansion of the Forsyth cam
pus of Lanier Technical
College.
The budget approved last
week included $2 million for
the library and $155,000 to
begin planning the expansion.
“Everything is now up for
grabs." said Knox.
BUSES from 1A
“[MARTA] voted 12-0
yesterday to approve [the
agreement],” Mecke said
Friday.
He said GRTA officials on
Wednesday, April 14, will
discuss proposed fees of $3
for a one way bus trip, $5 for
a round trip, $45 for a 20-
ride ticket and SBO for
66
We expect by May
to have design
work started.
99
monthly tick
ets.
Ritchie,
during his
presentation,
said, in addi
tion to the
Castleberry
Road stop,
commuters also will eventu
ally be able to board buses at
a location off Old Atlanta
Road near where Kmart was
located.
“It’s actually right at the
intersection between Old
Atlanta Road and Ga. 400.
It's next to what was the old
Kmart," he said, adding it
will take about 19 months to
construct that park and ride
lot.
A third site at Ga. 400 and
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McFarland Road has not
been determined.
Ritchie said when the
transit services begin out of
Forsyth County, there will be
about 250 seats available.
“You have to realize that
on this particular route that
we’re starting [out of Forsyth
County], we have five ...
morning
trips,” said
Ritchie.
"We are full
[in Forsyth]
at roughly
250 cus
tomers.”
The bus-
es seat 57 passengers, have
laptop computer outlets, and
i will be operated through a
. contract with McDonald
Transit the same company
that maintains bus operations
I in Athens and Gwinnett
County.
I Metro Atlanta counties
t have paid $21.25 million to
> GRTA to assist in the transit
: operation costs in exchange
for funding for road projects
I totaling $263.5 million.
FORBYTH COUNTY NEWS Sunduy, April 11,2004
Proposed bus
schedules:
Morning from the Cumming
Park and Ride lot on
Castleberry Road every half
hour from 5:15-7:15 a.m.
Evening from the North
Springs MARTA station every
half hour from 4:05-6:05 p.m.
The Forsyth County gov
ernment contributed $1.65
million toward the bus opera
tions in exchange for $20.6
million for the McGinnis
Ferry Road widening project
and sll million to widen
Highway 141, according to
Ritchie’s presentation.
He said the funding for
bus operations should last
about three or four years, at
which time additional fund
ing will be needed.
At least 40 percent of
those funds will need to
come from state and local
sources, he said.
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