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Abortion limits, tax changes loom in 2013
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ATLANTA — Tax breaks for manufacturers and higher unemployment taxes for employers take effect with the new year in Georgia, but it remains to be seen whether the state’s newest abortion restrictions will be enforced.
Among the most significant changes from lawmakers in 2012 was a law banning doctors from performing abortions five months or more after an egg is fertilized, except when doctors decide a fetus has a defect so severe that it is unlikely to live. The law also would permit abortions to protect the life or health of the mother, though those exceptions would not apply to a mother’s mental health.
However, a Fulton County judge has temporarily blocked the law from taking effect Jan. 1. Superior Court Judge Doris Downs is expected to rule sometime in 2013 on an American Civil Liberties Union challenge of the law based on the Georgia Constitution’s individual privacy protections.
Under current law, women can seek abortions for any reason in the first six months of a pregnancy. During the last three months, doctors can perform abortions only to protect the life or health of the mother.
Georgia became the seventh state in the country in 2012 to pass a version of the so-called fetal pain act.
The bill was modeled off a 2010 measure in Nebraska that inspired bills in Kansas, Alabama, Idaho, Indiana and Oklahoma. The legislation departs from standards established by the U.S. Supreme Court, which allow states to limit abortions when there is a reasonable chance the fetus could survive outside of the womb, generally considered to be around 23 or 24 weeks — about six months.
Georgia voters approved a new amendment to the state constitution this fall allowing the state to authorize the creation of new charter schools over the objection of local school boards. Given that vote, a new law specifying how the approval process will work takes effect Jan. 1, re-establishing a seven-person Georgia Charter Schools Commission.
The commission was originally created in 2008, but the state Supreme Court ruled two years later that it was unconstitutional. Gov. Nathan Deal has said his office is already vetting potential nominees for the commission. House Speaker David Ralston and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle have said they are also prepared to name their appointees.
Meanwhile, a series of tax laws will also change.
Married couples filing their tax returns jointly will not have to pay state taxes on their first $7,400 of income, an increase from the current $5,400. Manufacturers will not have to pay the state sales tax on the energy they consume while producing their goods, though local governments can still keep their portion of the tax. Agricultural firms will enjoy a similar tax break on the energy and raw products used to create their goods in the coming year.
Employers will be forced to pay more in taxes to support an unemployment insurance system stressed by a chronically high jobless rate. A new law forces companies to pay the unemployment insurance tax on the first $9,500 of an employee’s taxable wages, an increase over the current level of $8,500.

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Georgia Motorcycle Safety Program announces grant
Funds earmarked for Share the Road initiatives
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Grant funding totaling $93,458 has been awarded to the Georgia Motorcycle Safety Program (GMSP) by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. The approved funding will be used to increase motorcycle safety awareness and outreach by encouraging all motorists and motorcyclists to Share the Road.

“The need for motorcycle safety programs is greater than ever, and this support from GOHS enables motorcycle safety programs and impaired riding initiatives to reach riders and non-riders alike” said Commissioner Spencer R. Moore. “Thank you GOHS for helping (the Department of Driver Services) and GMSP educate and encourage all Georgia drivers to ‘Share the Road.’”

The grant allows DDS to further develop the Motorcycle Safety Outreach Program by continuing to fund a position to promote state and national safety initiatives. The GMSP outreach coordinator researches, coordinates and helps maintain an adequate presence at industry events, local schools and colleges, regional meetings and festivals to increase awareness of motorcycles on the roadways and provide the most current information on motorcycle safety initiatives.

Visitors to a GMSP event display are also encouraged to sign up for regular newsletters which provide additional safety information, as well as review the motorcycle safety message on other social media platforms.

GMSP regulates motorcycle training for new riders, as well as seasoned riders, who want to learn how to ride a motorcycle legally and safely. The program is based on a continuum of learning and therefore offers three entry points to rider education.

Students participating in the Basic Riders Course do not need specialized motorcycle equipment, as the GMSP provides both a motorcycle and a helmet to class participants. Upon successful completion of the course, participants receive a 90-day license waiver card that exempts them from both the written and on-cycle skills tests needed to obtain a Class M license in the state of Georgia.

Please visit the DDS website at www.dds.georgia.gov for many online services including the convenience of enrolling in a GMSP training class and accessing many licensing services.

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