ATLANTA— Gov. Nathan Deal signed three bills: House Bills 597, 598 and 599. Representative Scott Holcomb (D-Atlanta) was the lead sponsor of these measures and attended the signing ceremony at the Georgia State Capitol with colleagues from the House and Senate as well as elected officials and citizen-leaders from DeKalb.
“The passage of these important reform bills was a team effort,” said Rep. Holcomb. “In the House, we had bi-partisan support and every member of the delegation supported these bills. I want to thank Rep. Howard Mosby (D-Atlanta), the Chair of the DeKalb delegation for his support, and I want to commend Sen. Elena Parent (D-Atlanta) for her leadership in the Senate, where she authored the Senate versions of these bills. In addition, I want to especially thank and congratulate the citizens who served on BluePrint DeKalb and the DeKalb Operations Task Force. These citizen-leaders stepped up, brought these ideas forward, and worked hard to pass them into law.”
“Ensuring our citizens that their elected officials are trustworthy and moral individuals is paramount to the successful operation of the DeKalb County Government,” said Sen. Parent. “These three bills work in conjunction with one another to guarantee public trust is not only earned, but kept. I worked alongside Rep. Holcomb and Sen. Butler (D-Stone Mountain) to pass this legislation, and I want to thank them both for their unwavering commitment and support on the issue.”
HB 597 strengthens DeKalb County’s code of ethics by establishing the full-time salaried position of an Ethics Officer, increasing the Board of Ethics’ ability to investigate complaints and establishing new language that clearly defines what constitutes conflicts-of-interest.
HB 598 establishes procedures and limitations for purchases made by the DeKalb County government, including requiring formal sealed bids for all purchases exceeding $50,000.00. The new law also gives the County Commission the sole right to approve all purchases and contracts exceeding $100,000.00, with the exception of employment contracts. Additionally, any vendor requiring more than one contract within one Fiscal Year requires approval by the commission as well.
HB 599 will allow the DeKalb County government to conduct independent internal audits to provide objective information on the operations of government programs, assist the county manager in carrying out their responsibilities, and help ensure transparency and accountability to the public. The audits will determine whether government funds are being handled properly and in compliance with current laws and regulations.
Legislators worked with two groups, the Blueprint DeKalb Group and the DeKalb Operation Task Froce, to create this legislative package. Citizens of the Blueprint DeKalb Group include Hon. Patricia Killingsworth, Beth Nathan, Robert Glover, Brenda Pace, Dan Wright, Jana Johnson, Gil Turman and Martha Pacini.
Members of the DeKalb Operations Task Force, established by Interim DeKalb County CEO Lee May, include John Shelton, Vaughn Irons, Sen. Gloria Butler, Sen. Fran Millar, Sen. Elena Parent, Rep. Billy Mitchell, Rep. Mike Jacobs, DeKalb County School System Board Member Jim McMahan, Commissioner Jeff Rader, Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton, Patrick Ejike, Dr. David Sjoquist, Jim Grubiak and Bill Floyd.
All three bills go into effect immediately.
For more information on HB 597, click here.
For more information on HB 598, click here.
For more information on HB 599, click here.
Representative Scott Holcomb represents the citizens of District 81, which includes portions of DeKalb and Gwinnett counties. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2010, and currently serves on the Defense & Veterans, Higher Education, Juvenile Justice, and Public Safety and Homeland Security committees.
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