Wednesday, February 7, 2001
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Wednesday, February 7, 2001 |
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'Pleased' with flag vote, Cox moves on By MONROE
ROARK
With the furor over the flag vote simmering somewhat, Rep. Kathy Cox is moving on to other issues. After voting in favor of the new Georgia state flag, she says she has not received as many calls about it as other legislators, but most of those who have contacted her have sent favorable messages. "It was about 50-50 before the vote," she said. "After the vote, calls to me have been about three to one in support of my vote. People are glad I did what I did." As for the new design, she said that she is "just glad we have a flag that can represent everyone in the state. I'm glad we included Georgia's history as well as 'In God We Trust.' I'm pleased with that." As for new issues, Cox plans to introduce legislation tomorrow that addresses another hot-button topic teen driving. Her measure, one that she hopes will become part of the proposed driver training bill, would allow employers who pay for their employees' driver training to get the same $150 tax credit that parents currently get for their children's driver training. She said that this goes hand-in-hand with the stipulations now being proposed that would require any 16-year-old to get driver training before becoming licensed or else wait until he or she turns 17. Her suggested measure might be an incentive for employers now competing fiercely for a piece of the teen labor force, she said, and it could also encourage 16-year-olds to find jobs if their parents cannot afford to pay for their driver training. Cox's bill addressing drug screening fraud has received a second reading and is now with the Judiciary Committee. She said Monday that she has not pushed the bill very much yet, but she might talk to House Speaker Tom Murphy about it fairly soon. This bill came about because Georgia law does not currently address the selling of clean urine for drug tests. While someone who used another person's urine for a drug test is in violation of the law, the person who provides that urine is not. Cox wants to make the sale of clean urine used in fraudulent drug tests a crime. The representative from Peachtree City has also introduced resolutions commending students for outstanding achievement in a variety of fields. The varsity boys and girls soccer teams from McIntosh and Starr's Mill high schools visited the Gold Dome in mid-January after Cox's resolution saluting their state championship seasons. "I'm not sure, but it probably made state history to have four state champions from the same county in one year," she said. A commendation was also sent to Rachel Hubbard, who made the news recently when she helped her mother, a school bus driver, safely park her vehicle after the mother was injured by a deer. Also recognized with a Cox resolution was Andrew Thompson Roy of Peachtree City, currently a senior at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis and holding the rank of brigade commander, the highest ranking leadership position at the academy.
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