Bills begin to arrive for coming legislative session

<p>Bills began to trickle in slowly on Wednesday for the coming legislative session, providing an early glimpse of some of the issues lawmakers will be busy with when they reconvene under the state Capitol's gold dome in January.</p><p>The first bill filed would make it a felony to perform an abortion in Georgia. The sponsor, Rep. Bobby Franklin, R-Marietta, has introduced similar legislation in past years which has gone nowhere.</p><p>Rep. Ron Sailor, D-Decatur, held a news conference promoting his bill to give fathers the right to seek custody of their newborn child before the infant is given up for adoption.</p><p>"Rashad's Law" was inspired by 17-year-old Jeffrey Rashad Head, of Lawrenceville, who is fighting to gain custody of his five-month-old son after the boy's mother gave him up for adoption. Head said he told the baby's mother he wanted to raise him with help from his family but she ignored his wishes and the infant is living with adoptive parents somewhere in Florida.</p><p>Surrounded by his family in the state Capitol on Tuesday, Head said he had never been allowed to see his son and had only one picture.</p><p>"I wouldn't want him to feel like he didn't have a place in this world. That he was not wanted," Head said.</p><p>Head's lawyer, Leslie Gresham, said under Georgia law if the parents are not married, the mother can give away her child for adoption without ever consulting the biological father.</p><p>The legislation would require that the mother inform the father of her plans to surrender her parental rights. The father would then have 30 days to object in writing to her plans. If the mother still wanted to terminate her rights the father could take custody of the child.</p><p>The Republican-led state Legislature has shown a willingness to go to bat for fathers. Earlier this year they approved changes to child support laws being sought by some noncustodial fathers.</p><p>Meanwhile, the House Democratic caucus gathered on Wednesday to re-elect leaders, welcome new members and begin to plot strategy as they prepare for another year in the minority.</p><p>House Democratic Leader DuBose Porter, of Dublin, evoked the sea change in other parts of the country on election day that handed control of both chambers of Congress back to Democrats. Georgia bucked that trend, re-electing a Republican governor and handing the open seats of lieutenant governor and secretary of state to the GOP. Porter said Democrats in the state must learn from the national gains and focus on kitchen table issues like education, health care and the environment.</p><p>"We've got to come back as one voice for Georgia," Porter said.</p><p>______</p><p>HASH(0x1cdc3c0)</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2006/11/113056