HB857 stuck in Rules Committee

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR

House Bill 857 has been sent to the State Senate Rules Committee and appears to be stuck there.

The bill that would make it illegal for biofuel plants to burn creosote-coated railroad ties in Georgia passed unanimously in the State Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee last Friday.

It was expected to be taken up in the Rules Committee on Monday, but it was not, and it was not on their agenda for Tuesday.

WNEG’s sister station WLHR reached out to State Representative Alan Powell who said he did not know when the Rules Committee would vote on it.

HB857 had its second reading on the Senate Floor last Saturday.

The Rules Committee is the last stop before a bill gets sent to the full Senate for a vote.

The Madison Clean Power Coalition along with the Franklin County GRP Fallout group have been working feverishly to get informational packets into the hands of state lawmakers.

Tuesday, they sent out yet another email blast to every State Senator urging them to vote for the bill and to the Chair of the Rules Committee urging him to take up the bill and pass it.

HB857 was set to be considered by the State Senate in March when Governor Kemp abruptly shut down the General Assembly on Crossover Day due to the coronavirus pandemic.

State Lawmakers went back to the Gold Dome last week to pick up where they left off with their top priority being to get a new fiscal 2021 state budget passed before the June 30 deadline.

Another priority, before the session ends next week, is passing a revised Hate Crimes Bill, which went to the floor on Tuesday.

If HB857 is not voted on by the Senate before June 30, it will have to wait until the next General Assembly in January 2021.