HR 754: House Study Committee on Street Lighting Along State Routes; create

House Resolution 754

By: Representatives Beckles of the 96th, Williams of the 168th, and Mitchell of the 88th

A RESOLUTION

Creating the House Study Committee on Street Lighting Along State Routes; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, proper street lighting is critical for public safety, reducing traffic accidents, enhancing pedestrian security, and improving overall roadway visibility; and

WHEREAS, many state routes suffer from inadequate lighting due to aging infrastructure, storm damage, or lack of initial installation; and

WHEREAS, a state-wide assessment is needed to determine where street lights are nonfunctional, outdated, or absent; and

WHEREAS, engagement with local governments, utility providers, and the Department of Transportation is necessary to identify funding and jurisdictional challenges relating to street lighting; and

WHEREAS, study is needed determine what mechanism can be developed for ongoing tracking and reporting of street lighting issues, ensuring that citizens and local officials can notify the appropriate state agency about street light issues in a timely manner; and

WHEREAS, study of policy solutions to address issues relating to street lights such as repair backlogs, optimized placement, and improvement of maintenance response times is needed.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:

(1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee on Street Lighting Along State Routes.

(2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of five members of the House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Speaker shall designate a member of the committee as chairperson of the committee.

(3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs, issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.

(4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.

(5) Allowances and funding. The legislative members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member of the committee for more than five days unless additional days are authorized. Funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds appropriated to the House of Representatives.

(6) Report.

(A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution, subject to subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.

(B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.

(C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee. A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

(D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Clerk of the House of Representatives a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu thereof.

(7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2025.