Mitch in the News Archive
Georgia’s Lawful Carry Act Signed into Law
SHARPSBURG (June 8, 2010) – The Georgia Common Sense Lawful Carry Act, authored by State
Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg), was signed into law today by Gov. Sonny Perdue. Georgia’s
400,000 lawfully carrying citizens and Georgia’s law enforcement officials now have clearer
guidelines as to where weapons can and cannot be carried.
“Georgia’s Common Sense Lawful Carry Act protects lawfully carrying citizens from unknowingly
becoming criminals by clarifying where they can and cannot carry their weapons. They know all too
well that a license to carry is not a license to commit a crime. This law was truly written by the
citizens of Georgia, with input from all interested constituents. Government should work for the
people to protect their freedoms and constitutionally guaranteed rights,” said Seabaugh. “I want to
thank Gov. Perdue and my colleagues in the Legislature for their support and willingness to work on
this legislation. I also want to thank everyone who provided valuable input into writing this bill to help
achieve a law that makes sense.”
The confusing public gathering clause no longer exists in Georgia law and the new law provides
specifics as to where it is lawful for properly licensed citizens to carry a weapon and clearer penalties
for infractions. Property owner rights were successfully preserved by allowing their discretion as to
having weapons on their property. No weapons will be allowed in any K-12 school. Additionally, no
weapons will be allowed in government buildings, courtrooms, jails or prisons, and churches. Properly
licensed individuals will be able to keep their weapon in their vehicle parked on the lot. Lawfully
carrying citizens can also leave their weapon secured in their parked vehicle at the airport and have
them in their vehicle when driving through the airport. Citizens with a carry license will be able to
leave their weapon in a parked vehicle on college and university campuses. However, it will be a
misdemeanor if they have a license and carry onto a college or university campus. It will still be a
felony crime to carry a weapon onto a campus without a license to carry.
Seabaugh worked to move the bill through
the Senate and House by walking legislators through each
section of the bill. He talked to the process of working with all
parties who had interest in the
legislation, including gun safety advocates. Since introduction of the
bill in January, Seabaugh met
with representatives from the Board of Regents, Georgians for Gun
Safety, Georgia Carry, churches,educators, law enforcement officials,
prosecutors, and judges. Each of them had the opportunity to learn about
the Lawful Carry bill and had suggestions of their own for
improvements. The final outcome includes their input.
The Lawful Carry Act takes effect upon the governor’s signature. The
complete law can be found at
http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/fulltext/sb308.htm .
Newnan High School Drama Students
Visit State Capitol
NEWNAN (May 17, 2010) - Thirteen students from the Newnan High School
drama department recently visited the Georgia State Capitol to meet
with Gov. Sonny Perdue and state legislators about representing Georgia
and the United States in their upcoming performance in Scotland.
In
February 2009, Newnan High School drama director Bob Ramseur received
notification that Newnan High School had been nominated for
participation in the American High School Theatre Festival. The
nomination came from high school and college level adjudicators who
attended productions by the drama department over the past three years.
The nomination included an extensive application that was completed and
returned to the organizers of the Festival. In April 2009, Ramseur was
notified that the application had been approved and an invitation to
perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival was awarded to Newnan High
School. The performance trip was approved by the Board of Education and
then announced to the students of the drama department during the last
week of school last May.
No school funds or public dollars are used to support student
activities such as this. Each individual family must raise the necessary
funds for their student to participate. For the Newnan High drama
students, this is $6,000.00 per student. Several of the parents have
created a Drama Club Boosters group to assist in fundraising raising
efforts. While they have held several events and participated in many
fundraising activities, the funding has come up short of their goal. The
booster group has also applied to several local groups and
organizations for grants to help cover the costs, but none have yet to
approve any awards.
The American High School Theatre Festival selects the finest high
school theatre programs in the country to perform at the Edinburgh
Fringe Festival. The Edinburgh Fringe is the largest performing arts
festival in the world attracting performers and visitors from all
corners of the globe. For their entry in the 2010 Fringe, Newnan will
revive their recent production of Bambi: A Life in the Woods. This
family-friendly play by American playwright James DeVita returns to the
Felix Salten novel as inspiration for this famous coming of age story.
In the play, the fawn Bambi grows to assume the title of Great Prince of
the Forest while encountering feelings of loss, loneliness, and love.
The performance by Newnan High School’s Drama Department will mark the
UK premiere of DeVita’s play.
Newnan High students met briefly with Gov. Perdue and House District
70 Rep. Lynn Smith, House District 71 Rep. Billy Horne, and Senate
District 28 Sen. Mitch Seabaugh. The governor and legislators asked
questions and offered advice to the students, many of whom will be
first-time international travelers. Representative Smith encouraged the
students to become very familiar with poet Robert Burns, whose work is
beloved throughout Scotland.
The students were accompanied by Newnan Principal Doug Moore, Coweta
County Commissioner Tim Lassetter, Newnan drama director Bob Ramseur and
Drama Booster Club representatives Tony and Janet Hughes. In August,
Ramseur and the students will represent Newnan, Georgia, and the United
States when they travel to the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland to
perform as part of the American High School Theatre Festival.
Lawful
Carry Act passes General Assembly
ATLANTA (April 29, 2010) – The Georgia General Assembly voted today
in favor of clearer laws for Georgia’s 400,000 lawfully carrying
citizens and Georgia’s law enforcement officials with the passage of the
Lawful Carry Act in the General Assembly. The Georgia House voted today
in favor of the Georgia Common Sense Lawful Carry Act (SB 308), which
will remove confusing provisions from the current law. Senator Mitch
Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) sponsored the Act.
“Today
was a victory for lawfully carrying citizens and law enforcement
officials with the General Assembly’s support to clear up confusion in
Georgia’s firearms laws. Any time we can clear up confusing laws, every
citizen benefits. Property owners retained their personal rights and law
enforcement will be able to properly enforce the law to keep citizens
safe,” said Seabaugh. “I want to thank my colleagues in the Senate and
House for their support and willingness to work on this legislation.
This is truly a bill written by the citizens of Georgia. I want to thank
everyone who provided valuable input into writing this bill to help achieve a law that makes sense.”
The
final bill successfully removed the confusing public gathering clause
and provided specifics as to where it is lawful to carry a weapon and
clearer penalties for infractions. Property owner rights were
successfully preserved by allowing their discretion as to having weapons
on their property. No weapons will be allowed in any K-12 school, but
those with a license will be able to keep them in their vehicle parked
on the lot. This is the same provision that teachers have currently.
Citizens with a carry license will be able to leave their weapon in a
parked vehicle on college and university campuses. However, it will be a
misdemeanor if they have a license and carry onto a college or
university campus. It will still be a felony crime to carry a weapon
onto a campus if one does not have a license to carry.
Seabaugh
worked to move the bill through the Senate and House by walking
legislators through each section of the bill and talked to the process
of working with all parties who had interest in the legislation,
including gun safety advocates. Since introduction of the bill in
January, Seabaugh met with representatives from the Board of Regents,
Georgians for Gun Safety, Georgia Carry, churches, educators, law
enforcement officials and prosecutors. Each of them had the opportunity
to learn about the Lawful Carry bill and had suggestions of their own
for improvements. The final outcome includes their input.
Georgia’s Common Sense Lawful Carry Act passes in the Senate
ATLANTA (March 24, 2009) – Georgia’s 400,000 lawfully carrying
citizens and Georgia’s law enforcement officials are another step closer
to having clearer carrying laws. The Georgia Senate voted today in
favor of the Georgia Common Sense Lawful Carry Act (SB 308), which will
remove confusing provisions from the current law. Senate Majority Whip
Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) sponsored the Act. The Lawful Carry Act
passed 41-12.
“Lawfully carrying citizens and Georgia’s law enforcement officials
were victorious today in the Georgia Senate. The majority of lawfully
carrying citizens want to obey the laws. They asked for a cleaner law
that doesn’t put them in a ‘gotcha’ situation and the Senate delivered,”
said Seabaugh. “I want to thank my colleagues in the Senate for working
with me during this process. I especially want to thank all the
citizens and stakeholders that provided valuable input and truly made
this their law.”
Seabaugh went before the Senate, walked senators through each section
of the bill and talked to the process of working with all parties who
had interest in the legislation, including gun safety advocates. Since
introduction of the bill in January, Seabaugh met with representatives
from the Board of Regents, Georgians for Gun Safety, Georgia Carry,
churches, educators and law enforcement officials. Each of them had the
opportunity to learn about the Lawful Carry bill and had suggestions of
their own for improvements. The final outcome includes their input.
In the final bill, property owner rights were preserved by allowing
their discretion as to having weapons on their property. Clearer
penalties for infractions of carry laws were also added. Universities
will have the authority to determine if lawfully carried weapons will be
allowed on campuses and at athletic events.
Seabaugh also shared with Senate members a letter from the Technical
Schools of Georgia in support of the bill. They were encouraged by the
right to determine if weapons were permitted on school property and
asked for an amendment to include Technical Schools in the bill. The
amendment passed along with the final legislation.
Seabaugh announces Superior Court Reductions
Millions in savings to help $1.1 billion shortfall
ATLANTA (Mar. 10, 2010) – Senate
Majority Whip Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) dropped legislation today
that would reduce the number of Superior Court judges in an effort to
find budget savings. Currently Georgia has 205 Superior Court judges.
Seabaugh’s bill would reduce that number to 186.
“Due to declining revenues for over 20 months and significant budget
cuts over the past few years, we are now forced to find efficiencies and
savings everywhere possible. In some cases, this requires legislative
action to reduce the size and scope of government. By eliminating 19
Superior Court judge positions, we’ll achieve approximately $13- $14
million in savings to the state budget,” said Seabaugh. “We looked at
the overall cases filed per judge and found a more efficient balance of
cases filed. Projected budget revenues return us to 2004-2005 levels.
This is an area the legislature could find savings by reducing the
number of judges to near 2004-2005 levels.”
The determination of judgeships to be eliminated in the 16 circuits
was made after evaluating the number of cases filed per judge. Those
areas which only have two judges will not be reduced. In many areas,
the average workload of Superior Court judges is 3,200 cases. The
judgeships to be eliminated averaged approximately 1,200 cases per
judge. Those cases will be disbursed among the remaining judges in that
circuit. Seabaugh suggests decreasing the number of judges in those
areas that have much lighter number of cases filed.
“In this budget atmosphere, nobody is exempt from cuts. If we can
find significant savings in areas where we can consolidate, those are
cuts we won’t have to make to education. This is an initial proposal.
I’m asking for input from the courts to ensure that the right judgeships
are eliminated,” said Seabaugh.
The Fiscal Year 2010 budget is over seven percent lower than the 2009
budget and it is 8.5 percent lower than the governor’s original 2010
budget estimate. In these previous year budgets, the Senate has cut
spending to state golf courses, set forth a plan to make the hall of
fames self-sustaining, and consolidated services in certain
departments. Every department’s budget has been affected by budget
cuts, including Natural Resources, the Forestry Commission, the State
Accounting Office and Administrative Services. The number Superior
Court Judges has increased each year for the past several budget
cycles. This legislation proposes to scale back in circuits where the
number of cases has gone down.
To balance the Fiscal Year 2011 budget, the Senate is looking for an
additional $1.1 billion in cuts from the governor’s recommended FY 2011
budget. The majority of cuts to the FY 2011 budget will come through
the appropriations process. This is one of the few items that require
statutory action. The Senate only has 7 days left to work legislation
through the committee process and over to the House by Legislative Day
30 on March 25.
The Senate Goes Red for Republican Women
ATLANTA
– (Mar. 2, 2010) State Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) last week
welcomed the Georgia Federation of Republican Women to the State Capitol
for “Red Coat Day.” The women wore red coats in support of their
organization, which has been instrumental in advocating on behalf of
conservative ideals for the citizens of Georgia.
“The Georgia Federation of Republican Women dedicate themselves to
protecting the concerns and issues that I continue to fight for in the
Georgia Senate,” said Sen. Seabaugh. “It was an honor to host them at
the Capitol and to share what we’re working on here in Georgia.”
The
Georgia Federation of Republican began as a grassroots organization
with the goal of educating voters and increasing their participation in
state and local elections. Beginning in 1957, the group affiliated with
the national association to support conservative platforms in the state
of Georgia. Today they support a platform which fights against measures
that damage the economy, increase the national debt, give the federal
government unprecedented power and make our nation vulnerable to our
enemies. For more information about the Georgia Federation of Georgia
Federation of Republican Women, visit www.gfrw.org.
Sen. Mitch Seabaugh Champions Utilities Contractor's
Bill to a Unanimous Vote in the State Senate
ATLANTA
- (February 16, 2010) - State Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg)
championed legislation through the State Senate that will ensure utility
contractors are not prohibited from bidding on projects
if they do not possess a general contractor license. The bill passed the Senate with a vote of 53-0.
"If
we want to recover from this economic recession, we must create and
laws that get Georgians back to work. Thanks to the bipartisan support
from my colleagues in the Senate, Georgians will have additional job
opportunities," said Seabaugh
Under
this legislation, any utility contractor holding a valid utility
contractor's license is authorized to bid for and perform work on any
utility system in Georgia without having to obtaining a general
contractor's license. Under the "Residential and General Contractors"
bill, only those with a valid general contractor's license could bid and
work on utility systems. Seabaugh's legislation allows electrical
contractors, plumbers, conditioned air contractors, low-voltage
contractors, and utility
contractors to bid upon and perform work on any utility system.
The
bill was originally heard in the Senate Economic Development Committee.
During the hearing, members of the utilities contractors' community
voiced their support of Senate Bill 339. A representative from the
Georgia Utilities Contractors Association said that municipalities often
confuse the law to interpret only those with a general contractors'
license can bid for utility jobs, excluding utility contactors from
getting their own work.
Senator Seabaugh Hosts Annual Page Day
ATLANTA
(Feb. 22, 2010) - State Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R- Sharpsburg) hosted his
annual Page Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 10. Students sixth
grade and above from local schools in his district served as pages in
the Senate Chamber, delivering messages to the senators on the floor.
"Every
year I look forward to welcoming students in my district to assist in
the Senate Chamber for the legislative session," said Seabaugh. "Being a
page at the Capitol is an excellent opportunity to experience the
legislative process first-hand and it is a chance for students to
experience Georgia politics at work."
Slots for the 2010 legislative session closed quickly with all 20
spots filled within one day. Parents and teachers keep this in mind when
nominating students for next year's session. Students must be 12 years
of age or older and the day will count as an excused absence from
school.
Seabaugh Voluntarily Takes Furlough Days through June 2010
ATLANTA
(Jan. 26, 2010) - State Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) is
voluntarily taking a furlough day a month for the remainder of the
fiscal year. With these additional days, Seabaugh will have taken a
total of eleven furlough days in fiscal year 2010. The money will be
returned to the State Treasury to help fill additional budget gaps.
"The
State Legislature is not immune to the economic recession and just like
many Georgia families and businesses, we must limit our spending. We
cannot ask others to make sacrifices that we wouldn't make ourselves.
We have a duty and responsibility to our citizens to make the right
choices and that includes reducing our own budgets. We're in this
together and must work collectively to find solutions to our budget
crisis. Volunteering to take eleven furlough days is the least we can
do as legislators to mitigate the deep cuts to the budget," said
Seabaugh.
Seabaugh and other legislators took one furlough day a month between
August and December of 2009 and are now voluntarily agreeing to another
day per month through the end of June. State Agencies have taken
anywhere between 3 and 12 furlough days. The legislator furlough days
will be in addition to the $3.08 million cut in appropriations the
General Assembly voted to give itself in 2010 general budget, plus any
potential further cuts that may be needed to balance the 2010 budget.
Seabaugh, with other senate leaders,
has worked diligently to balance the state budget by making the
appropriate reductions in government spending and government programs.
The General Assembly also returned $2.7 million in FY2009 surplus funds
to the Treasury. This fiscal constraint has been noticed by the Bond
rating agencies in New York, making Georgia one of only seven states to
earn and maintain a Triple-A Bond rating. Georgia is one of the lowest
taxed states in the nation and has the lowest dept per capita among the
50 states.
Senator Seabaugh to Host Page Day at Capitol
ATLANTA (January 15, 2010) - State
Senator Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) will host his annual Page Day at
the Capitol on Wednesday, February 10, 2010. Students serving as pages
will assist in the Senate Chamber and enjoy lunch with Sen. Seabaugh.
"I encourage students, particularly those interested in civics and
government, to take advantage of this excellent opportunity to
experience the legislative process first-hand," Sen. Seabaugh said.
"This is a chance for students to experience American politics and watch
the state legislature work."
Pages are granted access to the Senate Chamber for the day and are
responsible for delivering messages to the senators on the floor. They
may also be called on by senators to run special errands. Each page is
sponsored by their local senator. They will receive a certificate and
$10 honorarium and are scheduled to have their pictures taken with Lt.
Governor Cagle and Sen. Seabaugh.
Parents and teachers who would like to nominate students to serve as
pages should contact Sen. Seabaugh's office at 404-656-6446. Students
must be 12 years of age or older. The day will count as an excused
absence from school. Please submit any page requests as soon as
possible. There are six slots remaining this year and students will be
considered on a first come, first serve basis.
Senator Seabaugh Hosts Chaplain Day at Capitol
SHARPSBURG (Jan. 14, 2010)
- This week State Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) hosted Pastor Jeff
Chandler of SouthCrest Church in Newnan, GA, as chaplain for the day in
the Georgia Senate. Following Lt. Governor Cagle's opening remarks,
Chandler gave the morning devotional prior to the Senate convening their
daily business.
"It
was my pleasure to introduce Jeff Chandler to my colleagues in the
Senate," said Sen. Seabaugh. "His message was inspirational to all those
within the chamber as we begin this new legislative session."
His messaged centered on life's moments and how those shape each
individual. He reminded the Senators that although they face great
challenges, they also have an opportunity to shape the state of Georgia
and its citizens in a profound way.
Chandler received his degree in Religion and Psychology
from Mercer University and his Master's in Ministry
from Tennessee Temple University, and is currently pursing his
doctorate. He first interned at New Hope Baptist Church and then went on
to serve at First Baptist in Woodstock, GA. There, as the Minister of
Students, his weekly meetings were attended by more than 1,000 members.
A native of Atlanta, Chandler resides in Newnan with his wife Dawn and his three children: Madison, Morgan, and Jay.
Seabaugh Introduces Common Sense
Lawful Carry Act
ATLANTA (Jan. 12, 2010) -
Today Majority Whip Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) filed Georgia's
Common Sense Lawful Carry Act, which amends the current firearms
legislation. Seabaugh cited confusion in the current law and presented
how his bill will make the necessary corrections to provide lawfully
carrying citizens and law enforcement clear guidelines.
"Laws should be easy to follow, simple to enforce and always balance
public safety and private citizens' rights. This legislation will get
us there," said Seabaugh. "This legislation is fair to lawfully carrying
citizens and ensures that any infractions and prohibitions are
monitored and reported correctly, effectively and efficiently. This is
common sense legislation that upholds community safety and personal
freedoms."
The Common Sense Lawful Carry Act provides clearly defined carry
areas, a more streamlined system for permitting and reporting of
violations, and greater personal property rights by allowing property
owners to determine whether firearms can be carried on their property.
The legislation still provides strong consistencies for public and
private K-12 and secondary schools, school functions and government
agency offices.
 Seabaugh
is pushing two major features of the bill - removing the confusion
behind what constitutes a "public gathering" and bringing all rules
regulations and licensing under the guidance of the Secretary of State's
office. Many law enforcement officials throughout the state have
expressed their confusion of how to enforce and even prosecute offenders
under the current "public gathering" definitions. In addition, each of
Georgia's 159 counties has a different way of processing and issuing
licenses. By bringing the system under the Secretary of State's office,
each county will have the same standards. The amendment maintains all
background checks currently in place while imposing new disqualifiers on
who can obtain a license.
Sen. Seabaugh also noted that he has reached out to representatives
from Georgians for Gun Safety and Million Moms March so he may have a
chance to walk them through these updates. His plan is to have a
productive conversation without speculation and present the facts of the
legislation.
All federal firearms laws and regulations still apply. With this
legislation, Georgia's firearms laws will be in addition to federal laws
without being contradictory or duplicative. Restaurant owners,
churches and any other private property owners will have the choice to
permit lawfully carried weapons on their property, or not to permit
these weapons. Law-abiding citizens will be able to secure their
weapons in a locked compartment in a vehicle that is parked in the
parking facility of a government building, courtroom, jail, prison, any
public school or private entity prohibiting their weapons.
Schools are still protected by school safety zones in which firearms
cannot be carried at all. These zones are noted to be within 1,000 feet
of any real property owned or leased to any public or private
elementary school, secondary school, or school board and used for
elementary or secondary education. This includes school functions as
well as school property.
"Last year I held a series of study committee meetings that were an
open forum for Georgians to express their concerns about the current
carry laws. I listened to those concerns and developed this bill. As
we go through the process of amending this law, I'm committed to working
with all concerned parties to create a law that is sensible and
realistic," said Seabaugh.
The Comprehensive Firearms Law Study Committee was created in the
2008 session to examine Georgia's firearms laws and the way these laws
are applied in our state. Seabaugh chaired the committee and held a
series of public hearings regarding Georgia's firearms law. The
committee heard testimony from a variety of constituent groups including
Georgians for Gun Safety, Georgia Trial Lawyers, Georgia Sheriff's
Association, Georgia Carry, the University System of Georgia and various
religious groups.
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