Local Legislator Honored for Keeping Teen Drivers Safe

Virginia Gibbs, Fayette Chamber President; Representative Matt Ramsey; Mark Gray, State Farm Insurance

State Representative Matt Ramsey of Peachtree City has taken action to keep teen drivers safe and is receiving the Graduated Driver Licensing Champion Award, presented by State Farm®. This award is given in recognition of Ramsey’s efforts to pass legislation that would ban the usage of cell phones by teen drivers last year. This bill plugged one of the major gaps in Georgia’s Graduated Drivers License (or GDL) laws.

“Rep. Ramsey has taken steps to help reduce the number of teen crashes and ultimately save lives here in Georgia“, said State Farm Agent Mark Gray of Peachtree City.

The award was presented to Rep. Ramsey by Mr. Gray at the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce Business after Hours on Tuesday, October 19th at the Dogwood Forest Assisted Living Community on Highway 54 in Fayetteville.

Motor vehicle crashes are the #1 killer of American teens. In Georgia in 2008, 233 young people were involved in fatal car crashes. Graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws have been proven to help prevent these tragedies. GDL is a system designed to introduce driving privileges in phases; this approach keeps new teen drivers out of high-risk situations, protecting them and others on the road while they gain driving experience. According to the National Safety Council, states with strong GDL laws have as much as a 40% reduction in crashes involving teen drivers.

State Farm has awarded legislators from four states with the 2010 Graduated Driver Licensing Champion Award. The honorees were instrumental in helping to enact stronger teen driving safety laws in their states. The winners include Senator Quinton Ross and Representative Mac Gipson of Alabama, Senator Jack Murphy and Representative Matt Ramsey of Georgia, Representative Hollis Downs of Louisiana, and Senator Tracey Eide of Washington.

Photo Source:  Fayette County Chamber of Commerce

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Peachtree City Golf Cart Drivers Win! Governor Vetoes Bill Requiring Driver's License

Governor Perdue Vetoes Senate Bill 519

Governor Perdue today (June 4) vetoed Senate Bill 519, legislation that would have had the unintended consequence of requiring drivers’ licenses for anyone operating a motorized cart. This requirement would have had a serious impact on communities such as Peachtree City, where cart paths are used by residents to do everything from going shopping, making a trip to the grocery story and performing other routine errands. Rep. Matt Ramsey and Sen. Ronnie Chance visited Governor Perdue to express their concerns over the bill.

“The unintended consequences of this legislation would have had a detrimental impact on the citizens of Peachtree City,” said Governor Perdue. “Thanks to Rep. Ramsey and Sen. Chance, we recognized the problems with the bill and asked the sponsors to come back next year with legislation without the language in question.”

The specific language is in Section 2 of the bill: “Operators of golf carts and landscape type vehicles must possess a valid driver’s license.” The intent of the bill was for that provision to apply to motorized carts used for companies distributing packages and other seasonal deliveries. The language, however, was not specific enough to only target those vehicles, and could have been applied to all carts, including golf carts.

“Senator Chance and I, on behalf of the citizens of Peachtree City, truly appreciate Governor Perdue hearing our concerns regarding the potential legal confusion that could have been created by SB 519 and its possible impact on Peachtree City’s long standing motorized cart ordinances,” said Rep. Ramsey.

The official veto message is below:

SB 519 changes certain rules regarding golf carts and other motorized carts.  The language of a late amendment to the bill, however, has the unintended effect of requiring every person who drives a golf cart to have a drivers’ license.  Although that consequence was not intended by the legislature, the language of the bill is plain and cannot be disregarded.  As our Supreme Court has recognized, plain statutory language is “the sole evidence of the ultimate legislative intent.”  Hollowell v. Jove, 247 Ga. 678, 681 (1981); see also I.N.S. v. Cardoza-Fonseca, 480 U.S. 421, 452-453 (1987) (Scalia, J., concurring) (“Where the language of [a law] is clear, we are not free to replace it with an unenacted legislative intent.”).  I have discussed the devastating impact this bill would have on communities with substantial investments in golf cart paths such as Peachtree City with Rep. Matt Ramsey and Sen. Ronnie Chance.  I support the original intent of the bill and encourage legislators to revisit the issue next session without the language in question, and so I VETO SB 519.


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