ATLANTA- The Georgia House of Representatives today passed House Bill 1321 by a vote of 168-1.  Sponsored by State Representative Ben Harbin (R-Evans), HB 1321 only affects Georgia counties that have a fully-funded 911 system that is capable of identifying the exact location of all wireless and land line carriers within their service area.  The bill allows those counties to use any remaining fee revenue generated by the Emergency Telephone System Fund to upgrade their public radio system.

“Local governments, unlike the state, have very little flexibility in reallocating various revenue streams.  This lack of flexibility can cause overspending on certain services while creating pressure for more taxes or dramatic cuts in other services,” said Representative Harbin. “This measure authorizes local flexibility in utilizing fee revenue in lieu of tax revenue to pay for communications upgrades when the local government has proven that it can efficiently run a top performing 911 system.”

Currently, money from the Emergency Telephone System Fund is made available for certain activities involving emergency response services.  HB 1321 adds that the Emergency Telephone System Fund can also be used for the lease, purchase, or maintenance of public safety wireless voice and data communication systems.