Lawmakers: Senate addresses telemarketing, dog fighting and vaping in public on Day 19

Caption

Smoking is prohibited in state-owned buildings, indoor public spaces, and most indoor work spaces due to the 2005 Smoke-Free Air Act.

Credit: VAPING360

The Georgia Senate passed bills to address telemarketing, vaping in public and dogfighting on Day 19. 

Senate Bill 73, sponsored by Blake Tillery (R - Vidalia) aims to reinforce protections against telephone solicitations for Georgians. The bill recognizes the entities making the phone calls as liable, and paves way for class-action lawsuits against telephone solicitation companies that call Georgians on the "do not call" list. Often times, these entities are out-of-state or out-of-country and are not under Georgia jurisdiction. SB 73 would hold the Georgia companies that employ these third-party entities accountable.

The Senate passed a similar bill last year, but it was held up in the House. 

"The whole purpose of this is to try to return a little bit of peace to families at dinnertime and make sure that the Georgia Do Not Call Act actually has teeth," Tillery said. 

The bill passed unanimously and now moves to the House. 

Senators also passed a bill that would restrict e-cigarette use in public. SB 47, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R - Rome) would extend current indoor smoking restrictions to vaping. Smoking is prohibited in state-owned buildings, indoor public spaces, and most indoor work spaces due to the 2005 Smoke-Free Air Act. 

SB 47 passed 51 to 3 and now moves to the House.

A bill increasing the penalty for dogfighting also passed the Senate. SB 68, sponsored by Sen. Rick Williams (R - Milledgeville), would allow prosecutors to go after repeat dogfighting organizers using the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute.  

"This protects our animals who can't protect themselves and prevents them from being used as deviant entertainment for people who otherwise have nothing better to do," Williams said. 

Supporters of SB 68 say that the RICO statue helps prosecutors address the entire enterprise of dogfighting and will deter dogfight organizers. But opponents say the increased penalty may not actually deter crime. Repeat offenders already face a felony charge if convicted under current law. 

SB 68 passed the Senate 47 to 7. It now moves to the House.