Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2016
THE COMMERCE NEWS • THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PAGE 15A
Legislative recap
Legislators explain votes on controversial bills
Members of Jackson Coun
ty’s legislative delegation
explained their reasoning last
Thursday for how they voted
on some of the 2016 General
Assembly’s most high-profile
legislation.
Rep. Tommy Benton and
Senators Frank Ginn and John
Wilkinson, all Republicans,
explained their reasons for
supporting both the Religious
Freedom Act (House Bill 757)
and the Campus Carry Act
(HB 859), and their motives
for how they voted on legisla
tion that would have extended
the maladies for which med
ical cannabis could be pre
scribed.
Rep. Regina Quick was
unable to attend.
The post-legislative forum
was sponsored by the Legis
lative Affairs Committee of the
Jackson County Area Cham
ber of Commerce. Approxi
mately 50 people turned out
for the breakfast event at Jack-
son EMC.
Religious Freedom Act
All three legislators support
ed the final version of House
Bill 757, termed the “religious
freedom act.”
Benton, who represents
most of Jackson County in
the Georgia House, traced the
bill back to its origin, Senate
Bill 129.
After HB 757 passed the
House, the Senate amend
ed it with language from SB
129, changed the wording
to remove troublesome lan
guage, Benton said, and
passed it with 104 votes — all
from Republicans.
“I voted for it,” he said. “I
read the bill numerous times
and went to several lawyers I
know and respect. ...75 per
cent of people who called or
emailed me from Jackson
Countywereforit.”
Benton said he would not
speculate on Gov. Nathan
Deal’s reasoning for vetoing
the bill, but did quip, “His opin
ion was the most important
opinion because he got in the
last say.”
Ginn, whose 47th Senate
District includes the lower half
of Jackson County said the
bill was necessary because
while citizens have protection
from the federal government,
they lack the same protections
from the state. He offered the
example of a local government
passing a law requiring Chick-
fil-A to be open on Sundays
(the restaurant chain does not
operate on Sundays).
“You don’t’ have protec
tion from state and local gov
ernments until we pass that
bill,” Ginn said.
He also challenged the
audience to read the legisla
tion.
“If you can find anything in
there that takes away some
body’s right or that discrimi
nates against anybody I’d like
to see it,” he advised.
Wilkinson, whose 50th Sen
ate District covers the top half
of Jackson County echoed
Ginn: “I really think if you read
the legislation, it does not dis
criminate against anyone,”
Wilkinson said, adding that
the bill “protects the right to
observe the Sabbath.”
Asked by moderator Lee
Chapman to address the idea
of a special legislative session
to override Deal’s veto, all
three legislators pointed out
that the three-fifths to convene
the session “is not there.”
Campus Carry
All three legislators voted
for the Campus Carry bill,
which remains on Gov. Deal’s
desk. The bill would allow
persons 21 or older (or 18
and older if in the military) to
carry concealed firearms on
college campuses, with some
restrictions.
Wilkinson said the bill con
tained more good than bad.
“At the end of the day we
have to decide whether to
push the green button or the
red button,” he noted.
He told the group that his
research found more on-cam-
pus shooting incidents in
states that did not allow cam
pus carry. He also stated that
less than one percent of Geor
gia residents have concealed
carry permits and with the
law restricting campus carry
primarily to those 21 or over,
“it’s a very small percentage of
the population you’re talking
about.”
Wilkinson also indicated
that he felt armed students
might have been able to miti
gate some campus shooting
incidents in the past.
Ginn told the group, “it takes
a good guy with a gun to stop
a bad guy with a gun,” and
said it was counterproductive
to build “an artificial gun-free
zone.”
His comments suggested
a concern about terrorists.
“There are a lot of people in
this country that didn’t come
here with the welcome mat
out,” he said. “They don’t like
this country; they came here
to do us harm.”
Benton said “the idea of a
law-abiding citizen 21 or older
carrying concealed is some
thing we in the House feel
strongly about.” He said cam
lackson County government
Sign ordinance vote postponed
A major update of Jack-
son County’s sign ordinance
won’t be voted on until June.
That was the decision Mon
day night of the Jackson
County Board of Commis
sioners following discussion
about a proposed new sign
ordinance.
The rewrite was prompt
ed by a U.S. Supreme Court
decision last year, which
said regulation of signs has
to be “content neutral.” The
county’s current code has ref
erences to “real estate” and
other content in its regula
tions.
The Jackson County Plan
ning Commission recom
mended approval of the new
wording in March. But BOC
chairman Tom Crow said he’d
been contacted by several
people with questions about
the rewrite and thought the
board needed some time to
study it before calling a vote.
In other action by the BOC
Monday night, the board:
• approved Curt Collier,
Archie Chaney and Mar
tha Martin to serve on the
county’s Historic Courthouse
Committee.
•approved updating the
county’s alcohol and drug
zero tolerance plan.
• approved a contract to fix
the Gordon Street gym’s floor
at a cost of $49,000.
•awarded bids to install
new bleachers and new bas
ketball goals at the Gordon
Street Gym.
•authorized a resolution
to dissolve the BJC Hospital
Authority.
• approved the creation of
a special tax district for The
Estate at Allen Creek Subdi
vision.
•authorized a resolution
to recognize the Historical
Society of Jackson County
as custodians of the county’s
historic archives at the old
courthouse.
•approved amending the
county’s land use map for 10
acres on Bill Write Road from
commercial to industrial.
• approved a rezoning
request from R-l to A-2 for 33
acres on Belmont Hwy.
• approved a rezoning
request from R-l to A-2 on
two tracts of 16 and 17 acres
in Nicholson.
• learned that the BOC will
only hold one meeting in May
— on May 16.
Public health
Annual series of rabies clinics coming up in May
The Jackson Coun
ty Health Department
announces its annual rabies
clinics May 4-7 throughout
the county in conjunction
with the Commerce Veteri
nary Hospital and Jefferson
Animal Hospital.
Vaccinations cost $9.
Cash, checks and credit
cards are accepted.
All other yearly vacci
nations and testing will be
available at a discounted rate
during the clinic. Georgia law
requires that all dogs and
cats that are at least three
months or older have a cur
rent rabies vaccination.
The clinic is sponsored
by the Jackson County 4-H
Club.
For more information, call
the Commerce Veterinary
Hospital at 706-335-5111 or
706-367-5161.
Inoculation of pets against
rabies is considered the
most important step to pre
vent people from becoming
infected.
Last year, officials tested
31 animals for rabies and
eight of those — four rac
coons, two skunks, one
bat and one fox — tested
positive. In addition, 11
pets unprotected by rabies
vaccines, were euthanized
and two people in Jackson
County had to undergo
post-exposure treatment
for rabies. So far in 2016,
six cats and five dogs were
euthanized to test for rabies,
but there have been no pos
itive cases.
In Madison County last
year, officials tested 32 ani
mals for rabies. Ten were
positive, including six
skunks, two raccoons, one
cat and one fox. Two people
exposed to rabies under
went treatment.
Banks County officials,
between December 2014
and this past February,
reported positive rabies
results from six skunks three
raccoons and one dog, and
a number of people were
referred for post-exposure
treatment.
pus carry was something the
House wanted in a bill passed
two years earlier, but took out
at the request of the Board of
Regents.
Medical Marijuana
Regarding HB 722 —
expanding the uses for and
improving the availability of
cannabis oil — the legislators
were split on the issue. Benton
and Ginn voted for the bill,
while Wilkinson opposed it.
Wilkinson told the group
that the previous year when
the use of cannabis oil was
approved for the treatment of
seizures, the “pro cannabis”
groups assured that if that bill
passed, it would not come
back in 2016 seeking expan
sion.
He said the Senate rejected
the 2016 legislation because
members wanted to give last
year’s legislation time to work.
Ginn said he felt that the
bill’s sponsor, Rep. Allen
Peake, failed to follow normal
Senate protocol in holding
hearings on the bill. “He was
pretty hard and adamant that
it was not going to change,”
Ginn said, in spite of the fact
that Gov. Nathan Deal had
signaled that he would veto
the bill.
“The number one thing we
need is for the federal govern
ment to move marijuana from
a Class 1 drug, which has no
medicinal value, to a Class 2
or lower,” Ginn said.
While he called the bill
a “Pandora’s box” for law
enforcement, Ginn supported
the legislation and advocated
for medical trials on its use.
“There’s some benefit (of
cannabis) there, I can’t deny
it,” he concluded.
Benton said he was “alright
with the adding to the list of
maladies that could be treated
with” cannabis and speculated
that Peake will continue to pur
sue the issue.
“When you see these films
of children having the sei
zures, it kind of tugs at you,”
he said.
Casino Gambling
Benton also responded
to a question about casino
gambling, saying the House
is “very close” to having the
votes to put a constitutional
amendment on the issue
on the ballot for Georgia
voters.
“I would like to hear from
more people about whether
they want to vote on it,” he
said.
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Schedule of 2016 rabies clinics
Wednesday, May 4
• Commerce Veterinary Hospital, 2-4 p.m.
• Maysville (city park), 4:30-5:15 p.m.
• Dry Pond (Country Store), 5:30-6:15 p.m.
•Holly Springs (Our Store on Hwy. 82),
6:30-7:15 p.m.
Thursday, May 5
• Jefferson Animal Hospital, 24 p.m.
• Maddox Feed and Seed, 5-5:45 p.m.
• Arcade (City Hall), 6-6:45 p.m.
• Commerce Veterinary Hospital, 24 p.m.
• Center (D’s Food Store U.S. 441 and Hwy.
334), 4:30-5:15 p.m.
• Nicholson (Benton Elementary School),
5:30-6:15 p.m.
• Thyatira/Harrisburg Fire Dept., 6:30-7:15
p.m.
Friday, May 6
•Braselton (across form Old Braselton
Store), 3:30-5:15 p.m.
•Hoschton (City Hall, across from train
depot), 5:30-6:15 p.m.
•Country Corner Store (Hwy. 124), 6:30-
7:15 p.m.
• Pendergrass (North Jackson Elementary
School, 7:30-8:15 p.m.
• Boots Etc. (U.S. 441 South at Banks Cross
ing), 2:30-3:30 p.m.
• South Jackson Elementary School (Kings
Bridge), 4:15-5 p.m.
• East Jackson Comprehensive High
School, 5:15-6 p.m.
Saturday, May 7
• Commerce Veterinary Hospital, 9-11 a.m.
• Jefferson Animal Hospital, 9-11 a.m.
•Jackson County Comprehensive High
School (Winder Hwy.), 1-3 p.m.
•Southside Church (U.S.. 129), 3:304:30
p.m.
Second chance days are set Saturday, May
14, from 9-11 a.m. at Jefferson Animal Hospi
tal, and on Wednesday, May 18, from 10 a.m.
to 5 p.m. at Commerce Veterinary Hospital.
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