Georgia lawmakers introduce bill that would make booting cars illegal statewide

A new bill introduced in the Georgia Senate is aiming to give the boot to companies booting cars across the state.

Democratic Senator Josh McLaurin sponsored a bill in the Senate that would make the enforcement of booting illegal in Georgia.

So far, the bill received bi-partisan support in the Senate in addition to the support of many of metro Atlanta’s drivers who say they have had to deal with the unpleasant experience for far too long.

It's possible these drivers may not ever have to deal with it again if Senate Bill 247 passes in the state legislature.

"The whole idea is that this is a practice that has been overused and abused, and it’s not something that’s done fairly,"  McLaurin said. 

McLaurin represents North Fulton County where he says many booting services operate using questionable, and sometimes predatory, practices.

"In some cases, drivers are trapped for hours at a time. They might pay fines of upwards of $75, hundreds of dollars, and I’ve heard stories of people being booted in their own parking lots in their own apartment complexes," the senator said.

He told FOX 5 while in some cases, the cause for booting a car is legitimate, he knows the frustration when that's not the case all too well. 

"I had some friends that had gone through it unfairly, and I realized this seems like something that’s really increasing. These booting companies are getting a lot more cavalier about the way that they just throw the devices on cars and then ask drivers to figure it out," he said.

SB 247 would make it illegal for booting services to attach the device to any car with a fine of up to $1,000.

In its current form, local governments would also not be allowed to boot cars as a means of parking enforcement. McLaurin believes ticketing is just as good of an option.

"We’ll find an alternative that works for property owners," the senator said. "But in the meantime, booting’s gotta go."

With support from state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, he says it’s now a race against the clock to try and get it passed.

Cross over day is Mar. 6. McLaurin told FOX 5 that even if the booting bill doesn’t pass during this year’s legislative session, he’s confident with the amount of support it’s received, that it will be one of the first on the docket for next year’s session.