By AP / Staff

A controversial proposal to overhaul Georgia's gun carry law has been approved by the Senate.

Senators debated for nearly two hours before voting in favor of the bill 41-12. The measure would allow licensed gun owners to carry firearms onto college campuses and into churches and bars.

Bill sponsor Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) says the bill clarifies the firearms carry law for the state's 300,000 gun owners with permits to carry weapons and leaves the decision up to private property owners as to whether to exclude people from carrying guns on their property.

The Board of Regents would determine the policy for the state's college campuses and has opposed the legislation.

The proposal would also transfer issuing of licenses from the state's 159 county probate judges to the Secretary of State's Office.

HOUSE SAYS UTILITIES MUST PAY FOR WITNESSES

The Georgia House has approved a bill that requires utilities to pay for witnesses who come before the state Public Service Commission to help make the case for rate hikes.

Currently, those expert witnesses are paid for by taxpayers.

The measure from state Rep. John Lunsford, a McDonough Republican, passed 114-49 on Wednesday.

Opponents say the legislation allows utilities to pass the costs along to consumers and could lead to higher gas and electric rates.

SHATTERED WINDOW FOUND AT ATLANTA COURTHOUSE

The Fulton County sheriff's office is investigating the shattering of a window at the county courthouse, possibly by an automatic weapon.

Sheriff's office spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan says deputies discovered Friday morning that the eighth-floor window had been broken.

Flanagan says an investigation revealed that a shot had been fired at the window and a wall to an office. No one was injured.

She says the window apparently was broken outside of regular business hours.

Sheriff Theodore Jackson has asked Atlanta Police to investigate.

SENATE APPROVES INCENTIVES FOR IMMIGRANT CRACKDOWN

The Senate has approved legislation that would provide financial incentives to encourage local law enforcement to use a federal program aimed at identifying illegal immigrants arrested in Georgia.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. John Wiles and approved 37-11, would provide a 20 percent bonus from the state to local governments that use a federal program that helps them identify illegal immigrants already in custody.

It also would provide a 10 percent bonus for another program that allows arrestee fingerprint information to be checked against FBI criminal history records.

Wiles, a Kennesaw Republican, says people moving to Georgia from other countries who are committing crimes are often not identified because local governments don't participate in the federal program to identify them.

SENATE OKAYS BAN ON RACE BASED ABORTIONS

The state Senate has approved a bill that would make it a crime to perform an abortion on a woman based upon the race or gender of the parent or child.

After more than three hours of debate, senators passed the measure 33-14 in a vote that broke down along party lines.

Republican Sen. Chip Pearson of Dawsonville, the bill's sponsor, says the proposal addresses the prevalence of gender- and race-based abortions in Georgia, especially among African-American women. The bill would make it illegal to coerce a woman into an abortion on those grounds.

Democratic Sen. Donzella James of Atlanta says the idea that black women are being targeted for abortion is unfounded and inflammatory and fails to address the health care disparity that is the real cause of the disproportionate abortion rate for black women.

BAKERY GETS MARAJUANA SHIPMENT

A Marietta bakery used to getting shipments of flour and sugar was surprised to get a large shipment of marijuana Friday.

Marietta police say the Flowers Baking Company, located on Powers Ferry Road, received a large package of marijuana at about 11:05 a.m. Friday.

Employees called the police, who estimate the package contained hundreds of pounds of the illegal drug.

Marietta Police Officer Michael Gardner says the bakery was expecting a package containing parts to repair a loading dock.

Police are trying to figure out who shipped the 600-pound package.