The Georgia Association of Solicitors General recognized Senator Randy Robertson as one of this year’s Legislators of the Year. The award was given in recognition for his leadership in the passage of House Bill 471, which makes possible the continued prosecution of DUI cases in the state.

According to Troup County Solicitor General Sandra Taylor, HB 471 clarified the process of investigation into DUI cases, resolving questions raised by a recent court case.

“In February, just about two months before the end of this year’s General Assembly, the Georgia Supreme Court issued its opinion in the case of Elliott vs. the State, which left the prosecution of DUIs in Georgia in an unsettled state,” Taylor said. “Solicitors, who are primarily responsible for the prosecution of DUIs, recognized that the matter was too important to be allowed to sit and wait for another session of the General Assembly. This matter needed to be addressed quickly. We reached out to Senator Robertson, and he was quick to take the lead in getting legislation through Senate and the House, which cleared up the areas left in question and was signed immediately into law by Governor Kemp on April 29 — just over two months after the Elliott decision.”

This year was Robertson’s first year at the Georgia State Senate, following a 30-year law enforcement career, and Taylor said HB 471 will help law enforcement and solicitor generals do their jobs.

“He changed and clarified the law so that there would not be any doubt with regard to how the DUI law would be enforced,” Taylor said.  

The law still places a condition of submitting to DUI testing on having a license in Georgia.

“When you get your driver’s license, it is conditioned upon you agreeing to submit to requests to test,” Taylor said. “If you refuse to, then your license could be suspended — conviction or no conviction.”