Fresh Loaf

In 5,000 years, when a humanoid alien race sifts through the wasteland we ultimately created here on Earth, they will reach into the rubble of what once was the Georgia Capitol and find one piece of paper that, despite the ravages of time and the post-apocalyptic elements, will be preserved. It will be unripped. It will shine from under ash. It will have been the finest moment in this edifice’s history.

It will read:

Eureka! On Monday, state Sen. Seth Harp, R-Midland — along with three co-sponsors — pre-filed a bill that, if passed and signed by Gov. Sonny Perdue, would allow Georgia cities and counties to vote whether alcohol could be sold on the Sabbath inside their boundaries.

If you’ve long wanted to purchase booze on Sunday — be it for cooking, sporting events or to self-medicate — this is the bill you want to watch. And if you’ve ever just wanted to have a voice in the issue, it’s that too. Andre at Peach Pundit writes more on the possible political dynamics.

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The collection of pre-filed bills before the start of each General Assembly usually falls into one of three categories: frivolous legislation by wack-job House members, such as Bobby Franklin and Martin Scott; important bills by big-cheese sponsors who want to give the rank-and-file time to prepare; and one-shot bills by single-issue lawmakers who’ve devoted themselves to achieving a particular goal.

However, Rep. Kevin Levitas, D-DeKalb, has upended the model by pre-filing an astonishing 17 separate pieces of legislation – not including a bill that he apparently rewrote and resubmitted the next day. And the subject matter runs the gamut from insurance fraud to the governor’s veto power to the election of law-enforcement officials.

Lawmaking is politics, and politics is a game of knowing how hard to push and when and who’s likely to help. The mere fact that he’s willing to draw this kind of attention to himself before the session begins made me wonder if Levitas – the son of a former congressman, let’s not forget – had become frustrated with the sausage-making process and decided to throw caution to the wind.

(more…)

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