07 HR
609/RCSFA
House
Resolution 609 (RULES COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE) (AM)
By:
Representatives Lunsford of the
110th,
Lewis of the
15th,
Martin of the
47th,
Cox of the
102nd,
Smith of the
113th,
and others
A
RESOLUTION
Creating
the House Study Committee on Prepaid Telecommunications Homeland Security
Interests; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
prepaid cellular users are reportedly expected to reach over 1.35 billion users
by 2009 with 59 percent of the total global wireless market; and
WHEREAS,
there are unique concerns to prepaid cellular service including issues of user
anonymity inherent in the current prepaid service model which pose a threat to
the security of the citizens of Georgia; and
WHEREAS,
the use of prepaid cell phones has been linked to terrorist activities, gang
activity, and drug dealing; and
WHEREAS,
prepaid cell phones are notoriously hard to trace and provide a steady supply of
"clean" phone numbers making it difficult for law enforcement to pinpoint and
keep track of those engaging in drug trafficking and other illegal activities;
and
WHEREAS,
it has become public that some Al Qaeda militants used prepaid phones to
communicate with one another and that such phones were used in the 9/11 attack;
and
WHEREAS,
governments in other countries have taken action on this issue such as the Swiss
Bundesrat which requires that the personal details of all buyers be obtained and
stored, the government of Thailand which has made it mandatory for new prepaid
phone users to produce national identification cards when buying prepaid SIM
cards, and the government of Taiwan which allows each person only one SIM card;
and
WHEREAS,
there is no difference in how a prepaid cell phone and a regular phone operate
and, therefore, it is unclear why they should be sold differently or why such
sales should be taxed differently.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that there is created the House Study Committee on Prepaid Telecommunications Homeland Security Interests to be composed of six members of the House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House. The Speaker of the House shall designate a member of the committee as chairperson of the committee. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that there is created the House Study Committee on Prepaid Telecommunications Homeland Security Interests to be composed of six members of the House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House. The Speaker of the House shall designate a member of the committee as chairperson of the committee. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee shall undertake a study of the
conditions, needs, and issues mentioned above or related thereto and recommend
any action or legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.
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. The 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 three days unless additional days are authorized.
The funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come
from the funds appropriated to the House of Representatives. In the event the
committee makes a report of its findings and recommendations, with suggestions
for proposed legislation, if any, such report shall be made on or before the
convening of the 2008 session of the General Assembly, at which time the
committee shall stand abolished.