A bill that would effectively ban companies from booting vehicles on private property is gaining momentum in the Georgia House of Representatives.
The bill, known as HB 469, was authored by Rep. Matt Dollar, would ban companies from booting vehicles parked on private property unless a tow truck driver provides a written statement that the vehicle could not be towed away because of the way that it was parked. The bill would also place a cap on booting fees at $65.
Many truck drivers have reported that they’ve had to pay $500 or more to have a boot removed from their vehicles in the state of Georgia in the past few years.
The bill would still allow for booting on university campuses and public roads.
On Monday, March 4, HB 469 passed though the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee and is now awaiting a vote before the full House, according to a report form the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
“I would like to see some very tight guardrails put on this industry now. There is a lot, a lot of bad stuff going on out there,” Dollar said.
Booting companies say that the bill would eliminate hundreds of jobs in Georgia.
Authorities in Georgia have recently taken other steps to regulate the controversial booting industry.
In December 2018, DeKalb County authorities answered complaints about excessive boot removal fees by passing a law capping boot removal fees at $150.
However, local authorities say that inspite of the fact that the law went into effect on December 6, some booting companies are still charging fees in excess of $600 to remove a boot from a vehicle.
We told you earlier this week about a guy that had to pay $650 to get a boot removed in DeKalb County. Now, the county confirms that charging this much is against a new law. What the owner of ABL Booting said when we asked him if he would refund the business their money. At 11. pic.twitter.com/C9Bmy2G3zk
— Christian Jennings (@CJenningsWSB) February 10, 2019
The controversy over booting in Georgia has even turned violent in the past year. Last July, a booting company worker was charged with assault after hitting a truck driver with his car during a dispute over booting in a Walmart parking lot in Perry, Georgia.