The dropping of the ceremonial peach on New Year's Eve will usher in a handful of new laws in Georgia.
Sixteen-year-olds will either have to complete an approved driver education course or wait until they turn 17 to apply for a driver's license.
Newborn babies will be screened for more potentially deadly metabolic and genetic disorders.
And the state will have more muscle to go after Georgians who coast through toll booths without paying up.
Most new laws in Georgia take effect with the July 1 start of the fiscal year. But a number of measures passed by the state Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Sonny Perdue kick in Jan. 1.
The teen driver measure was passed in 2005 but a lag time was built in to get a new Georgia Driver Education Commission up and running. "Joshua's Law" was named after Cartersville teen, Joshua Brown, who was killed in a vehicle accident. Alan Brown said his son had insufficient experience in the road conditions he encountered.
Perdue signed the measure in 2005 but questioned the funding mechanism. The law imposes a 5 percent surcharge on traffic fines to help pay for the driver's ed courses. Students unable to take a course at their local schools would have to pay for private courses or wait a year for their license, under the law.
The law also requires teen drivers to complete 40 hours of supervised driving before applying for a license, with six of those hours behind the wheel at night. A parent or guardian must verify that the supervised driving mandate has been met.
Another law set to take effect on Monday would bring Georgia in line with recommendations from the March of Dimes when it comes to screening newborn babies for potentially deadly disorders.
Georgia had tested for 13 conditions. It will now test for 28, and offer a voluntary hearing screen.
Brian Ziegler, state director for the March of Dimes Georgia Chapter, said all of the disorders can be successfully managed or treated to prevent severe consequences, if diagnosed early.
"Increased screenings simply translates into increased protection for our newborns," Ziegler said.
The tests are conducted on a single sample of blood drawn from a baby soon after birth. The cost, about $40, is covered by insurance. Some 135,000 babies are born in Georgia every year.
The state Department of Human Resources estimates that 88 children will be identified each year with treatable conditions that cause mental retardation, developmental disability or death, according to the Georgia chapter of the March of Dimes.
And toll deadbeats had better beware in the new year.
A new law will now link toll violations to the vehicle that passed through the toll booth without paying, rather than the driver. Motorists had been able to argue that they weren't behind the wheel when the toll wasn't paid.
Last year's unpaid tolls and surcharges amounted to $906,000. Some drivers have hundreds of violations worth thousands of dollars, according to the state Road and Tollway Authority.
The new legislation would fine the car owner $70 per violation, regardless of whether he or she was driving. The owner's registration would be revoked upon failure to pay up
Lisa Thompson, a spokeswoman for the state Road and Tollway Authority, said news earlier this year the law had passed already seemed to be having an effect.
"We immediately started receiving phone calls from people with outstanding violation notices who were offering to pay," Thompson said.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Sunday
May 11th, 2025
3:40PM
