Friday, February 20, 2004
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Friday, February 20, 2004 |
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Governor seeking ‘protocol’ to sign PTC’s golf cart law By J. FRANK LYNCH Peachtree City Police Chief James Murray said his department will not back off on enforcing laws against underaged or unlicensed drivers from operating golf carts, even though both sides of the Georgia Legislature have approved the bill. That’s because the governor has yet to sign the bill, and nobody is sure when he will. It’s a matter of appearances, said Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Sharpsburg, the bill’s sponsor. Peachtree City’s golf cart legislation is one of just two bills the General Assembly has voted on and passed so far this year, even though the 40-day session is more than half over. House Bill 1063 was unanimously approved by the House Jan. 29, the first of the year. It passed the Senate Feb. 6, remarkable not just for its speed but because House-sponsored legislation rarely makes it through the Senate. But Perdue’s office isn’t exactly sure how to proceed signing the bill into law even though language in it specifically authorizes the governor to do so effective immediately. “It’s a matter of protocol,” said Westmoreland Wednesday. “They’re looking for the proper way to handle it.” This being politics and impressions meaning everything, Westmoreland suggested that the Republican governor was hesitant about how it might look to sign into law a golf cart ordinance that’s very local in focus, while two huge issues weigh heavy — the state budget, and redistricting. Westmoreland said he’s working with the governor’s office to find the right opportunity. But even then, it might not be automatic. The City Council would potentially have to vote to reinstate the resolution authorizing the change before the golf cart ban is lifted. Chief Murray said this was an ideal time of year to lift the ban. “This is a slow time of year anyway,” he said, “with frequent cold and rainy weather deminishing the number of carts out and about.“ The teenaged drivers who once flooded a parking lot at McIntosh High School especially designed for golf carts are patiently waiting for the governor’s signature. No huge leap in golf carts on campus was noted after Feb. 6. “Our teenagers at McIntosh High are being very respectful of the law,” commended Mayor Steve Brown.
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