State Rep. John Carson

East Cobb legislator named to MUST Ministries board of directors

by

State Rep. John Carson, a Republican who represents part of East Cobb, has been appointed to the  board of directors for MUST Ministries, which serves the needs of homeless people and others in need in metro Atlanta.State Rep. John Carson

“I look forward to joining the MUST Ministries leadership team and serving my constituents in this new capacity,” Carson said in a release. “For half a century, this organization has effectively changed the lives of Cobb and Cherokee County residents with compassion and without judgement, and I am honored to become a part of their mission.”

MUST has been serving Cobb, Cherokee and surrounding counties for 50 years, providing emergency shelters for unhoused individuals and families and provides food to those in need. MUST also has workforce development programs and a health clinic.

According to the organization’s website, MUST encompasses more than 17,000 volunteers and typically serves 33,000 people in a year. Since March 2020, MUST has fed almost 173,000 people two million pounds of food.

For more information about MUST Ministries, please visit www.mustministries.org.

Carson represents District 46, which includes part of Northeast Cobb and Cherokee counties.

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

State Rep. John Carson: No grace period for enforcing new Georgia hands free law

by

State Rep. John Carson, a Republican from Northeast Cobb who was the primary sponsor of Georgia’s new hands free law that takes effect July 1, sent this message out today:State Rep. John Carson, Georgia hands-free law

ATLANTA – State Representative John Carson (R-Marietta) today clarified that Georgia drivers may utilize music streaming applications and that there will not be a set enforcement grace period after House Bill 673, the Hands-Free Georgia Act, takes effect on July 1, 2018. Rep. Carson sponsored HB 673 during the 2018 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly, and Governor Nathan Deal recently signed this measure into law to create a hands-free driving law in Georgia. 

“According to recent data, we believe the public awareness of this new law is already saving lives,” said Rep. Carson. “We encourage all Georgians to implement the best practices stated in the Hands-Free Georgia Act prior to July 1, 2018, for the safety of all commuters on Georgia’s roadways.”

According to a recent press release from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, drivers can listen to music streaming apps on their phone while driving under the new law, but they cannot activate their apps or change music through their phone while driving. Music streaming apps that are programmed and controlled through the vehicle’s radio system are allowed. However, music streaming apps that have video are not allowed since the law specifically prohibits drivers from watching videos.

Additionally, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, the Georgia Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement officers recently reminded Georgia drivers that the law does not contain a 90-day grace period for enforcement. Many officers will be issuing warnings for violations in the first months of the law as part of the education effort, but citations can and will be issued starting July 1 where law enforcement officers believe they are warranted, especially those violations that involve traffic crashes.

This new hands-free driving law will prohibit drivers from holding or supporting a wireless telecommunication device or a stand-alone electronic device while operating a vehicle. Additionally, this measure will maintain the ban on texting, emailing and internet browsing while driving, but will also prohibit watching or recording videos while driving. GPS navigation and voice-to-text features will still be permitted.

For more information on HB 673, please click here.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

State Rep. John Carson to discuss Georgia distracted driving legislation

by

State Rep. John Carson

State Rep. John Carson, chairman of the House Study Committee on Distracted Driving, said Wednesday he is holding a press conference a week from now, on Jan. 10, to detail Georgia distracted driving legislation for the upcoming session of the legislature.

Carson, a Republican from Northeast Cobb, will also discuss the committee’s final report, which was issued in December and includes legislative recommendations (full report is here).

On Tuesday, the City of Smyrna became the first municipality in the state to pass a hands-free driving ordinance (report here via the Cobb County Courier), but only after Mayor Max Bacon voted to break a tie on the city council.

A poll cited by Carson’s study committee found that two-thirds of Georgians favor a hands-free driving law in Georgia (66.4 percent), with nearly 22 percent undecided.

“I’m encouraged to see that the majority of Georgia voters are supportive of a hands-free driving law in our state,” Carson said in a statement in December. “Last year alone, over 1,500 people died in automobile accidents on Georgia roads, and according to a recent poll, over 82 percent of Georgia voters believe that texting while driving is a major contributing factor to the increased number of auto accidents. Distracted diving is an extremely serious public safety concern, and it is absolutely essential that this issue is addressed in the 2018 General Assembly session to prevent further distracted driving-related car crashes and fatalities.”

The poll was conducted by in October by Landmark Communications, Inc. of Alpharetta, and surveyed 700 randomly selected active Georgia voters.

The study committee also is recommending an increase in the current $150 fine for distract driving on a staggering scale, up to $1,000 for serious, repeat offenders, and to boost the driver’s license penalty by 2 to 4 points on a staggering scale, from the current 1-point penalty for a distracted driving offense.

The committee recommended against a total ban on use of mobile devices in vehicles, saying it’s not realistic. No other state has such a law.

Carson’s study committee found that 13 of the 15 states with hands-free laws have seen an average decrease of 17.5 percent in traffic fatalities two years after passing and enforcing those laws.

The panel also noted that Georgia’s anti-texting law, which went into effect in 2010, has been difficult to enforce because law enforcement officers are unable to determine whether motorists are using their phones to text or for other purposes.

The 2018 legislative session begins on Monday. Carson’s press conference is Wednesday, Jan. 10, at 2 p.m on the second floor of the rotunda of the Georgia State Capitol,  206 Washington St. SW, Atlanta.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!