House bill would let Georgia probe out-of-state election actors; committee advances measure to floor

Representative Jones introduced a substitute to House Bill 414 on Feb. 4, saying the change would add a long-arm provision within Georgia elections law so out-of-state participants in Georgia elections must follow the same rules and disclosures as in-state participants. "What it effectively does is create a long arm statute within our elections law," Representative Jones said.

Jones emphasized the substitute does not expand the statutory powers of the State Ethics Commission. "I wanna be crystal clear, it does not expand the scope or the power of the ethics commission," he said, adding the measure would give investigators the ability to pursue inquiries beyond Georgia’s borders. "If you're gonna play in our football field, you're subject to our referees no matter where you live," Jones said.

The sponsor said the bill requires the same filings, regulations and disclosures from out-of-state actors as from Georgians and would provide authority for outside investigations that some current committees do not have. Committee members asked no follow-up questions during the Rules Calendar hearing.

The Rules Calendar Committee moved House Bill 414 to the Senate floor by voice vote; the motion carried unanimously.

The next step for the bill is consideration by the full chamber. No committee amendments or formal vote tallies beyond the committee's unanimous voice approval were recorded in the committee transcript.