5 State Bills That Could Profoundly Affect Georgians

ATLANTA, GA - As the Georgia Assembly's legislative session enters its third month, lawmakers are working on several bills that could have significant impact on how Georgians live.

From approval of self-driving cars to a "Religious Liberty Bill," here are several pieces of milestone legislation on the table in Georgia:

HB 280: The 'Campus Carry' bill -- The Georgia House approved the legislation permitting guns on the state’s public colleges and universities. This is the second consecutive year that the House has voted in favor of the bill, which is opposed by Gov. Nathan Deal. The bill now move to the Senate.

HB 7: Hands free driving: This bill would outlaw driving while talking on a cell phone. The only exception would be if motorists make "hands-free telephone calls."

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HB 248: Self-driving cars -- House Bill 248 would open the way for self-driving vehicles on the state's public roads. Five other states, including Washington, D.C, California, Florida, Michigan, Nevada and Tennessee, have laws on autonomous driving.

SB 223: Religious liberty bill -- This is a second pass at the religious liberty bill vetoed last year by Gov. Nathan Deal. The bill's language says that the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act would be applicable in Georgia. This one is not likely to pass muster with Deal.

SB 45: Ban on 'upskirting' -- Upskirting, the act of taking photos or video-recording a person’s private parts in a public place, would be a misdemeanor for the first offense and felony a second time. The bill, according to its language, is "relating to invasions of privacy, so as to prohibit the use of a device to film under or through a person's clothing under certain circumstances." A similar bill is in the House, as previously reported by Patch.

HR 36: Medical marijuana for medicinal use -- This bill would amend the state's Constitution to give voters the chance to decide whether Georgia should permit the growth and distribution of medicinal-use marijuana. On Monday, the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee advanced a similar bill that would expand the list of conditions for access to medical marijuana.

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When it's all said and done, this year will mark one of the busiest legislative sessions on record as bills covering everything from technology to immigration and transportation dominate the state House and Senate.

Image courtesy of Tiffany Johnson