Georgia governor signs bill to honor Dr. King’s legacy on Capitol grounds

ATLANTA — A statue honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be placed on the grounds of the Georgia Capitol.

Under House Bill 1080, which Gov. Nathan Deal signed into law on Tuesday, the Georgia Capitol Arts Standards Commission lead the effort to design a statue of King and lead fund-raising efforts.

“Every year in January we honor Dr. King, who inspired our nation with his dream of hope, justice and human rights,” Deal said in a statement. “This legislation goes beyond our words of praise by placing a physical monument at the state Capitol to commemorate this great Georgian’s legacy for many years to come.

“Not many states can boast a native son who merited a national holiday, but we Georgians can,” Deal added. “Dr. King is a point of pride for our state, and he deserves to hold a place of honor on our Capitol grounds. I commend the General Assembly for its partnership in finding the proper tribute.”

Deal also signed the following bills:

• HB 943, legislation that requires health insurance policies that provide coverage for intravenously administered chemotherapy to provide at least the same level of coverage for orally administered chemotherapy. The bill also prohibits state and local governments from advocating for the expansion of Medicaid coverage in Georgia and prohibits state and local governments from establishing or operating a health care exchange or navigator program
• HB 753, legislation that will allow the Department of Transportation (GDOT) to close or limit access to certain roadways during a declared state of emergency due to inclement weather, require commercial motor vehicles to install tire chains when required during a state of emergency and instills a fine for any noncompliance and clarify language that specifies which commercial vehicles are allowed inside the I-285 perimeter of Atlanta.