Sam Moore (Georgia politician)

Sam Moore (born May 12, 1976) is a Republican former member of the Georgia House of Representatives, representing the 22nd House District from February 2014 through January 2015. The district primarily includes parts of Cherokee County and also includes parts of Forsyth County and Fulton county.

Sam Moore
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives
from the 22nd district
In office
February 11, 2014 – January 2015
Preceded byCalvin Hill
Succeeded byWes Cantrell
Personal details
BornMay 12, 1976 (1976-05-12) (age 44)
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Galina Dribinski
ResidenceMacedonia, Georgia, U.S.[1]
Alma materGeorgia Institute of Technology
Websitehouse.ga.gov/...

Education and early career

Moore grew up in Cherokee County and attended Sequoyah High School. Moore graduated from Georgia Tech in 2000 with a degree in Computer Science. After graduating, he worked in the computer industry in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. In 2013 he retired from the computer industry.[2]

Georgia House of Representatives

Special election 2014

The sitting house district 22 representative, Calvin Hill, died from Leukemia on October 30, 2013 and a special election was called for January 7, 2014. On November 20, 2013, Sam Moore qualified to run for the state house district 22 along with 3 other candidates – Meagan Biello, Jeff Duncan and Nate Cochran.[3] Moore won a plurality of the special election with 38 percent of the 2,433 votes cast. Meagan Biello came in second with 24 percent of the vote.[4] Moore defeated Biello at the runoff with 57.7 percent of the 2,632 votes cast on February 4, 2014 after running a campaign on fighting for liberty and fighting corruption in the Georgia State Government.[5]

Tenure

Moore was sworn into the Georgia House of Representatives on February 11, 2014.[6] By the time he was sworn in, the Legislative session was half over[7] and "Crossover Day" on March 3, 2014 was rapidly approaching. During his short tenure as part of the 152nd Georgia General Assembly, Sam Moore authored or cosponsored 15 different bills and 3 house resolutions.[8]

Controversy

On Wednesday, February 19, 2014, Moore introduced House Bill 1033 which repealed Georgia's Loitering Laws. However, by removing the Georgia loitering laws, the bill also removed restrictions on Sex Offenders from loitering near schools and playgrounds.

On Friday February 21, 2014, an article was printed in the Cherokee Tribune discussing HB 1033. In that article Mr. Moore admitted to turning in a bill that made it legal for "registered sex offenders who aren't otherwise barred from going to schools or places children gather (so that sex offenders) could go to those places freely."[9] Representative Moore was quoted in the article as saying, "I am OK with that...Am I saying it's not creepy? It's definitely creepy."[9] Cherokee Sheriff Roger Garrison called the bill "simply insane." and went on to say, "In my 34 years of law enforcement I have never heard of such an insane law having been introduced," Garrison said Friday. "Sexual predators are one of this country's most violent (type of) offenders. If there's any equal it would be an out-and-out serial killer."[9]

On Friday February 21, 2014, the Republican Leadership publicly denounced HB 1033. The speaker of the house, David Ralston stated "The Republican majority in the House chose to stand with Georgia's families and with children. That bill chooses to stand with sex offenders and pedophiles. And that's something that I can't fathom." Moore defended his bill stating: "There's already laws on the books to handle everything that I've heard thus far as far as child molesters or whatever they're worried about attacking children, or whatever; there's already existing laws for that. This is kind of a vague blanket law that applies to everyone, so I didn't see a problem with removing it, and until I hear something specific I still don't have a problem."[10][11]

On Monday, February 24, 2014, Sam Moore withdrew his bill and publicly apologized for his bill in what the Atlanta Journal And Constitution described as "an extraordinary speech delivered on the House floor." Moore stated "In hindsight, this rookie mistake was silly. I am mature enough to admit that. At the time though, I believed that I was fulfilling a campaign promise to hit the ground running."[12]

According to current Georgia Law, O.C.G.A. 16-11-36,[13] Title 20, Section 20-2-1180: Child Protection Act,[14] 42-1-15, State Sexual Offender Registry,[15] 42-1-14 Sexual Offender Registry.[16] According to 20-2-1180 Loitering upon school premises or within a school safety zone:[17] Parents of children attending Georgia School's are not allowed to be on school property, without first checking into the front office. The law clearly defines, in Section A thru F,[13] that the facilitators of the school are directed to demand that any unauthorized person leave school grounds.

References
  1. News, Cherokee Tribune Ledger. "tribuneledgernews.com - Powered by the Cherokee Tribune and Ledger". Cherokee Tribune Ledger News.
  2. http://cherokeecountygop.com/about-ccrp/cherokee-legislators/representatives/sam-moore
  3. "Four Republicans qualify for State House District 22 special election". www.accessnorthga.com. 2013-11-20. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
  4. "District 22 special election race heads to runoff". Cherokee Tribune. 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
  5. "Moore wins District 22 runoff". Cherokee Tribune. 2014-02-04. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
  6. "Representative Sam Moore". www.house.ga.gov.
  7. "House Calendars". www.house.ga.gov.
  8. "Member Legislation". www.legis.ga.gov.
  9. "Bill would allow sex offenders at schools". Cherokee Tribune. 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
  10. "Republicans target their own over bill easing sex offender restrictions". The Atlanta Journal and Constitution. 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
  11. "Republicans Slam Bill Easing Restrictions For Sex Offenders". Georgia Public Broadcasting. 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
  12. "Georgia lawmaker apologizes for bill scrapping sex offender loitering statute". The Atlanta Journal and Constitution. 2014-02-24. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
  13. "2010 Georgia Code :: TITLE 16 - CRIMES AND OFFENSES :: CHAPTER 11 - OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ORDER AND SAFETY :: ARTICLE 2 - OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ORDER :: § 16-11-36 - Loitering or prowling".
  14. http://law.onecle.com/georgia/20/20-2-1180.html
  15. "42-1-15 State Sexual Offender Registry - Georgia Bureau of Investigation". gbi.georgia.gov.
  16. "42-1-14 State Sexual Offender Registry - Georgia Bureau of Investigation". gbi.georgia.gov.
  17. "2010 Georgia Code :: TITLE 20 - EDUCATION :: CHAPTER 2 - ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION :: ARTICLE 27 - LOITERING AT OR DISRUPTING SCHOOLS :: § 20-2-1180 - Loitering upon school premises or within a school safety zone; penalty; required check in of visitors; posting signs of required check in".
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