House committee approves substitute to let Ethics Commission seek out-of-state evidence in election probes

The House Governmental Affairs Committee approved a substitute for House Bill 414, a measure sponsors said would let the Georgia Ethics Commission obtain evidence held by out-of-state vendors in election-related investigations and, when needed, perfect those requests through Georgia courts.

Representative Todd Jones, who presented the substitute, said the bill is meant “to ensure that there is a level playing field” for participants in Georgia elections. Jones told the committee that current subpoenas by the Georgia Ethics Commission “end at the state line,” and the substitute would define nonresidents and give the commission a process to obtain necessary evidence when vendors or consultants are located outside Georgia.

The substitute incorporates the state’s long-arm concept for nonresidents and outlines…