Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Chamber of Commerce

9th Congressional District Runoff on June 8
If you live in the 9th Congressional District, don't forget to vote on June 8.  Former General Assembly members Tom Graves and Lee Hawkins are in a runoff to fill former Congressman Nathan Deal's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.  The winner of the runoff will find themselves right back on the campaign trail as one of six Republicans who qualified to run for the full two-year term.

Voter Registration Deadline is June 21
To be eligible to vote in the July 20 primary election, you must be registered to vote by June 21.  Visit sos.ga.gov for information and helpful links.

Governor Perdue Signs Georgia Chamber-Supported Bills
Governor Perdue has until June 8 to sign or veto bills passed during the 2010 legislative session.

• HB1016 has been signed into law.  This bill, sponsored by Representative Rich Golick (Smyrna) will ensure that Georgia businesses receive the same identity theft protections as individuals.
  
• SB370, or the Georgia Water Stewardship Act of 2010, was signed this morning by Governor Perdue during an event that included many members of the Water Contingency Planning Task Force.  This committee worked throughout the fall of 2009 to develop recommendations centered on the concepts of conservation, capture and control of water - many of which were ultimately included in this important legislation.
  
• HB1405 was also signed by Governor Perdue today.  This bill creates the Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness, on which Georgia Chamber Chair Suzanne Sitherwood will serve, along with other key elected officials and business leaders.  The Council has been charged with developing recommendations to overhaul Georgia's tax code in time for the 2011 session of the General Assembly.
  
• Governor Perdue last week signed HB 1221, which will allow Georgia to be part of the Streamlined Sales Tax Project. This will allow Georgia to work with online retailers to voluntarily capture sales tax revenue from normally exempted online sales.