Legislators want to block tax defaulters from office
(AP) -- A House panel considered a pair of measures designed to bar Georgians who default on their taxes from holding elected office.
The House Ethics Committee delayed a vote Tuesday on the legislation - one a bill and the other a constitutional amendment -
to clear up some technical questions. The bills could also be rolled into a larger ethics package expected to move in the coming days. Under the proposals, a person would be ineligible to hold state or local office if they had failed to file state or federal income tax returns in a timely manner. There were some exceptions for those who had made arrangements to file returns or pay taxes. One House member is being investigated this year for failing to file a tax return.
Last year, officials said 19 legislators failed to file state income taxes.
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