ATLANTA – State Representative Penny Houston (R-Nashville) makes constituents aware that there will be five constitutional amendments and two referendums on the November 6 ballot. Rep. Houston has provided a guideline on these amendments and referendums below.
“I want to make the community aware of the amendments and referendums that will be on the ballot this November because it is important that voters are educated on these issues ahead of the election,” said Rep. Houston.
Below is a guideline on the amendments/referendums that will be on the ballot:
- Amendment One: The first amendment would create the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund, to which up to 80 percent of sales taxes collected at sporting goods stores, including gun stores, would be redirected. The fund would be used to conserve and acquire land for uses such as wildlife habitats, recreation and buffering around military installations.
- Amendment Two: The second amendment would create a “state-wide business court” with statewide jurisdiction in an effort to streamline and improve handling of business cases.
- Amendment Three: The third amendment would change the rules for assessing the value of forest land for property tax purposes and allows the state revenue commissioner to collect up to five percent of forest conservation grants to cover certain costs.
- Amendment Four: The fourth amendment, modeled on “Marsy’s Law,” the crime victim’s bill of rights, would require the court to notify and include the alleged victims of crimes in most court proceedings.
- Amendment Five: The fifth amendment would affect counties with more than one school system and would allow the system with the most students to call for a sales tax referendum to fund school construction without getting approval from the smaller system.
- Referendum Question One: The first statewide referendum question would impose a property tax cap on the city of Atlanta.
- Referendum Question Two: The second question would expand a property tax exemption on homes for the mentally disabled.
Early voting for the general election begins on Monday, October 15, 2018 and ends on Friday, November 2, 2018. Election Day is Tuesday, November 6, 2018.
Representative Penny Houston represents the citizens of District 170, which includes all of Berrien and Cook counties and portions of Tift County. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 1997 and currently serves as Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Economic Development. She also serves on the Banks and Banking, Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight, Economic Development & Tourism and Ways and Means committees.
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