How Ga. legislation fared on lawmakers' final day

Here's how some legislation fared on the final day of Georgia's 40-day legislative session:

Georgia lawmakers have signed off on a $17.9 billion budget for the next fiscal year that slashes spending but balances the budget with more than $90 million in new fees and more than $200 million in taxes on hospitals. The measure also infuses about $800,000 to the Georgia Council for the Arts, which had been slated to be eliminated. And it provides $10 million to buy land for the new College Football Hall of Fame, which is moving to Atlanta.

It could soon be illegal to text while driving. The Legislature passed two measures that would ban teens from using their cell phone while driving. Another would ban all motorists from texting, checking e-mail or using the Internet behind the wheel. The measure now goes to Gov. Sonny Perdue.

Georgia voters will soon be asked to decide whether to tack a $10 fee on their car registration to shore up the state's network of trauma hospitals under a resolution that has cleared both chambers. If voters approve the constitutional amendment, it could raise up to $80 million to help trauma hospitals and expand health care access in rural Georgia.

A low-income tax credit for people who earn less than $20,000 has been eliminated by Georgia lawmakers. The bill will likely affect many seniors. The Senate voted 40-9 and the House voted 97-62 to approve the measure, which was originally intended to offset sales taxes paid by the poor. It also allows Atlanta to hold a referendum to recover $125 million each year in new sales taxes that the city would lose from water customers in south Fulton County.

Georgia lawmakers voted to back a sweeping gun rights expansion, approving a measure that would allow permit-holders to carry guns into some bars and the parking lots of colleges, courthouses, airports and jails. The measure, which was approved by both chambers in the final hour of the 40-day legislative session, comes days after a bipartisan group of legislators adopted a separate proposal that allows gun owners to carry their firearms into parts of airports throughout the state.

A wide-ranging overhaul of property taxes in Georgia is headed to Gov. Sonny Perdue. The measure would require that homes be assessed every year and extends the appeal process from 30 to 45 days. It also requires that all comparable sales including foreclosures must be applied when officials set an assessed value.

Both chambers have adopted a measure that aims to restrict the government from mandating that residents have health insurance. The Senate voted 33-16 in favor of the bill, which the House previously approved. The proposal bans the government from requiring any resident, employer or health care provider to participate in a health care system. It says it aims to ``preserve the freedom of citizens of this state to provide for their health care.''

Hit a bear in Georgia and you can take it home under a bill passed by the Legislature. The bill, which is headed to the governor for his signature, clarifies that people who run over and kill bears or deer can keep the animals instead of turning them over to the state Department of Natural Resources. Sen. Don Thomas, R-Dalton, sponsored the bill after two bears were accidentally killed in his district.

The release of crime scene photos showing dismembered body parts or exposed genitalia would be banned under a measure that has cleared the Georgia Legislature. The measure now goes to Gov. Sonny Perdue. It was prompted by a Hustler Magazine inquiry for graphic crime scene photos of Meredith Emerson, the hiker whose naked, dismembered body was found in January 2008 in the north Georgia woods. A judge barred authorities from releasing those photos.

Georgia governors would be able to officiate weddings under a proposal that has cleared both chambers. The House and Senate both overwhelmingly adopted a proposal allowing past and current governors to perform the ceremonies. The measure, fittingly, now goes to Gov. Sonny Perdue.

Georgia residents will be able to give money to the state's general fund under a proposal that was cleared by the state Legislature. The House voted 145-6 to send the measure to Gov. Sonny Perdue. The bill also allows the state to promote and solicit from citizens on their income tax return forms voluntary contributions for lupus and kidney research programs.

Gov. Sonny Perdue says lawmakers had one of their most productive sessions this year and he thanked them for their hard work as he stopped by both chambers for the last time as head of the state. Perdue praised senators for putting aside partisan and provincial differences to pass legislation on water conservation, transportation and ethics reform.

The man who has stood watch over the Senate chamber for more than two decades is retiring after 23 legislative sessions. Lorenzo Wallace Sr., who will turn 91 next month, was honored by the Senate leadership with a resolution on the last day of the legislative session. Wallace says he considers himself lucky to have worked in the Senate for so long and thanked the senators for what he calls ``a very pleasurable experience.''

Funding for local arts programs was saved. A one cent sales tax referendum proposal that could help pay for zoos, botanical gardens, museums and performing arts centers was approved 37-13 minutes before the Senate adjourned.