Despite an impassioned plea from Glynn County Commission Chairman Mike Browning, the State Senate Government Oversight Committee passed SB 317 through the committee by a narrow 5-4 vote. The bill by Senator William Ligon will now move on to a hearing before the Rules committee. If it passes it will then move on to the Senate for a full vote.
Ligon's SB 317 would force the Glynn County Commission to allow a vote on whether or not the county should continue to support the existence of its police department or allow the sheriff to take over all law enforcement responsibilities in Glynn County. Representative Don Hogan is expected to drop similar legislation in the House shortly.
The third member of the Glynn County's legislative delegation, Rep Jeff Jones, has expressed disagreement with the bill, insisting on investigating whether the bill is constitutional. The delegation has a long-standing tradition of not moving forward with legislation that directly affects Glynn County without all being in agreement and without the involvement of the Glynn County Commission. Jones's opposition has led the delegation to abandon the tradition. SB 317 was also drafted without the county's knowledge.