Bills Authored and Passed

By working across party lines, David has compiled one of the most accomplished legislative records in the Senate. He is a pro-business moderate legislator.

In the 2003 Session of the General Assembly, his first, David authored and passed legislation relating to child safety and corporate shareholder protection.

In the 2004 Session, David authored and passed the Family Violence Shelter Confidentiality Act of 2004 which protects domestic violence shelters and victims of domestic violence. He was a co-sponsor of many measures including those relating to indigent defense, consumer protection, alternative transportation, child endangerment and public safety. That same year, David authored the landmark Georgia legislation providing for DNA testing of evidence first made available after a conviction. That law led to the release of several Georgians who were wrongfully convicted of crimes. David was recognized by the Georgia Innocence Project for successfully passing this important law.

In the 2005 Session, David authored and passed legislation cracking down on cyberpredators, increasing safety on public transit and creating a "Share the Road" license tag with proceeds to be used for bicycle safety programs. He co-sponsored many other measures including the "HEROES" legislation which establishes increased benefits for Georgia National Guardsmen.

In the 2006 Session he authored and passed legislation that provides public access to campus police department records. The Georgia First Amendment Foundation has said this legislation is the first change in Georgia law since 1999 that increases the public's right to know. Also in 2006, David was the chief Senate sponsor of the Resolution which will eliminate "back door" property tax increases in DeKalb County. This legislation allowed the people of DeKalb County to vote to freeze property tax assessments. The voters approved the measure overwhelmingly and created a "floating homestead exemption" applicable to general county taxes -- not to revenues collected for schools. The exemption benefits all DeKalb County residents including those who reside in the cities of Decatur and Atlanta.

In 2007 and 2008, David co-authored the legislation that created the Georgia Trauma Commission and worked diligently to secure $53 million dollars in the 2008 budget for trauma care. He was the only Democratic Senator appointed to the Conference Committee that considered a far reaching proposal to fund a statewide trauma care network. The compromise negotiated by the Conference Committee failed to reach the floor of the House of Representatives. Also in 2008, David was a co-author of the legislation reforming DeKalb County's form of government to create more checks and balances on the CEO's authority. David's county government reform proposal passed overwhelmingly in the referendum on the 2008 General Election ballot.

In 2009 David authored and passed important legislation prohibiting companies who do business with the regime in Sudan from contracting with the State of Georgia. Georgia is one of four states to enact these economic sanctions which are intended to add to the pressure on the Sudanese government to end its sponsorship of the genocide in Darfur.

For a complete listing of the bills authored or co-sponsored by David, visit his official legislation page.