Georgia House of Representatives
House Media Services Office
ATLANTA – State Representative B.J. Pak (R-Lilburn) hosted Mayor Johnny Crist, the Mayor of Lilburn and former pastor of the Atlanta Vineyard Church, as the “Chaplain of the Day” for the Georgia House of Representatives on Thursday, March 7, 2013.
Continue reading “Rep. B.J. Pak Hosts Mayor Johnny Crist as Chaplain of the Day at Georgia House”
ATLANTA – State Representative B.J. Pak (R-Lilburn) was recently appointed to serve on the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Law and Criminal Justice Committee by House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge).
Continue reading “Rep. B.J. Pak Appointed to NCSL Law and Criminal Justice Committee”
ATLANTA – The Georgia House of Representatives’ Committee on Assignments named state Representative B.J. Pak (R-Lilburn) as the new Vice Chairman of the Judiciary Non-Civil Committee and Secretary of the Code Revision Committee. Rep. Pak was also tapped to serve on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, and will continue to serve on the Health & Human Services committee.
ATLANTA – State Representative B.J. Pak (R-Lilburn) led the Georgia House of Representatives today in welcoming to the House Floor Consulate General He-beom Kim, the Consulate General in Atlanta for the Republic of Korea. As introduced by Rep. Pak, House Resolution 1338 recognized Kim for his many accomplishments, which include fostering outstanding trade relations between Korea and the State of Georgia. Continue reading “Rep. Pak Welcomes South Korean Consulate General to Georgia House of Representatives”
ATLANTA – State Representative B.J. Pak (R-Lilburn) today announced the introduction of House Bill 997, which protects law enforcement personnel and other public servants from the growing problem of having false liens filed against their personal property by individuals calling themselves “sovereign citizens.”
“False liens can threaten an individual’s ability to obtain credit or sell property,” said Rep. Pak. “Our law enforcement officers work long hours to keep us safe. We must make all efforts to deter the criminal elements from filing these fraudulent liens that are designed to harass and intimidate our men and women in uniform.”
“Sovereign citizens” believe that federal, state, and local governments operate illegally. By declaring themselves as sovereign citizens, these individuals believe they are emancipated from the responsibilities of being a U.S. citizen, and therefore no longer need to pay taxes, possess a state driver’s license, or obey the law.
While simply refusing to obey the law is the most basic premise of the sovereign citizen movement, some take their beliefs a step further and actively harass law enforcement, officers of the court, and other government officials by filing fraudulent liens against their property Some of these false liens have disclosed individuals’ social security numbers and other personal indentifying information.
Members of the group also convene their own special courts that issue fake, but realistic-looking indictments, warrants, and other documents. The FBI considers sovereign-citizen extremists to be a domestic terrorist organization.
To combat this growing problem, HB 997 makes it a separate crime for a person to knowingly file a false lien or encumbrance in a public record or private record that is generally available to the public, against the real or personal property of a public officer or a public employee. Individuals found guilty of this crime will be punished by imprisonment between one and ten years, a fine less than $10,000, or both.
For more information on HB 997, please click here.
Representative B.J. Pak represents the citizens of District 102, which includes portions of Gwinnett County. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2010 and currently serves on the Health & Human Services, Judiciary Non-Civil, and the Code Revision committees.
# # #