Republican Georgia state legislator Bobby Franklin thinks that driver’s licenses impose undue restrictions on the right of citizens to travel. So he’s proposed legislation to stop the state from issuing them. 
 
 “Free people have a common law and constitutional right to travel on the roads and highways that are provided by their government for that purpose,” Franklin’s legislation states. “Licensing of drivers cannot be required of free people, because taking on the restrictions of a license requires the surrender of an inalienable right.” 
 
 In an interview with CBS Atlanta News, Franklin claimed driver’s licenses are a throw back to oppressive times. 
 
 “Agents of the state demanding your papers,” he said. “We’re getting that way here.” 
 
 He said there wasn’t a reason for people to need to know who was whom on the roads, and that there’s nothing in place to stop children from driving anyways. 
 
 Notably, Georgia has a law which requires residents to show photo identification when voting in person — a law cleared by the Civil Rights Division during the Bush administration, reportedly against the recommendation of most of the career staff of the Voting Section. 
 
 That’s not the only eyebrow raising legislation Franklin has introduced: he’s also proposed bills requiring the exclusive use of gold and silver as tender in payment of debts by or to the state; a bill seeking to eliminate crop management regulations; another bill banning forced vaccinations; a bill to stop the collection of the Georgia income tax; another to stop all property taxes and yet another to end eminent domain. 
 
 He has also sought to abolish the State Road and Tollway Authority, the Department of Health and Human Services and any social services Georgia provides. 
 
 In one bill that reads as his philosophical statement on the roots of government, Franklin laments the fall of religious and family authority. The bill — called the “Life, Liberty, and Property Restoration Act” — begins by acknowledging the existence of “an almighty, everlasting, creator God, the God of the Bible, the only God there is.” The bill then notes that God created “four, not one spheres of government”: self-government, family government, church government, and finally “the fourth, and least” — civil government. 
 
 Using an example from the Bible, Franklin’s legislation goes on to lament how the civil government has usurped the powers of the other three. In order to rectify this imbalance, Franklin proposed in the same bill that a six person legal repeals committee, comprised exclusively of members that have never received a law degree. “None of the members shall have graduated from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association or have ever been admitted to the practice of law in any state.” 
 
 The committee would highlight all laws that were enacted and “fail to comply with the foundational principles of civil government articulated in the unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America.” 
 
 Franklin also proposed a “Freedom of Choice and Security Act,” guaranteeing the right of all people to potentially inflict violence on others. “The mere potential to deprive someone of life, liberty, or property should never be considered a crime in a free and just society,” the bill read. 
 
 Franklin has often been concerned about protecting gun rights. He has suggested amending Georgia law to remove Georgia’s governor’s power to suspend gun and firearm sales in emergency situations, and another bill would make it legal to carry firearms into houses of worship. 
 
 His sights have extended to the Georgia’s courts as well. Franklin proposed a bill that would make appellate decisions binding only for the parties immediately involved, instead of being binding for other similar but unrelated cases. Instead of having courts determine the constitutionality of laws passed, Franklin proposes a bill “to provide that any citizen of this state shall have standing to bring an action to challenge the constitutionality of any law enacted by the Georgia General Assembly.” 
 
 Additional reporting by Alex Sciuto. 
 
 Ryan J. Reilly Ryan J. Reilly is a D.C.-based reporter for TPM. Prior to joining TPM, he worked for a news website covering the Justice Department and was a researcher for Bloomberg News. His email address is ryan(at)talkingpointsmemo.com. 
 
 Share This Article Tweet ||||| POSTED: 10:04 am EST January 31, 2011 
 
 A state lawmaker from Marietta is sponsoring a bill that seeks to do away with Georgia driver's licenses. 
 
 State Rep. Bobby Franklin, R-Marietta, has filed House Bill 7, calling it the "Right to Travel Act." 
 
 In his bill, Franklin states, "Free people have a common law and constitutional right to travel on the roads and highways that are provided by their government for that purpose. Licensing of drivers cannot be required of free people, because taking on the restrictions of a license requires the surrender of an inalienable right." 
 
 Franklin told CBS Atlanta News that driver's licenses are a throw back to oppressive times. “Agents of the state demanding your papers," he said. "We’re getting that way here.” 
 
 CBS Atlanta's Rebekka Schramm asked Franklin, “How are we going to keep up with who’s who and who’s on the roads and who’s not supposed to be on the roads?” 
 
 “That’s a great question," Franklin said. "And I would have to answer that with a question, ‘Why do you need to know who’s who?’” 
 
 “What about 12-14-year-olds who want to drive? What would stop them?" Schramm asked. 
 
 “Well, what’s stopping them now anyway?” Franklin answered. 
 
 But not all drivers are on board with the lawmaker's idea. 
 
 "I think people should be qualified in some way to drive," Susan Cotton said. 
 
 "It’s kind of dumb. We need to focus on more important things. The system is working," Sheriyar Sarkari said. 
 
 Franklin’s name is on the first 21 bills of the legislative session, including one that would require the exclusive use of gold and silver as tender in payment of debts by or to the state, as required in the Georgia Constitution. 
 
 “Can the state really pay in gold and silver?” Schramm asked. 
 
 “Sure, and they can write checks on it," Franklin said. "They can use a debit card as long as what’s denominated behind it is gold and silver.” 
 
 Franklin is also behind House Bill 11, which would repeal the authority of the governor to issue mandatory vaccination orders. “I’m a firm believer that no person should be subjected to an invasive medical procedure without their consent,” he said. 
 
 “Have you ever had critics say, ‘Look, some of these bills are a waste of paper?’” Schramm asked. 
 
 “I can’t speak for what other people think," Franklin said. "I just know I took an oath to uphold the Constitution, and that’s what I’m trying to do.” 
 
 You can view all of the bills submitted so far by State Rep. Bobby Franklin. 
 
 Just go to http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/Search.aspx, go under Member Name and scroll down to Franklin.
– Driver’s licenses—who needs ‘em? No one, according to a Republican lawmaker in Georgia. State Rep. Bobby Franklin is sponsoring the “Right to Travel Act,” a bill that says everyone has the “constitutional right to travel on the roads and highways”—and that, therefore, requiring drivers to be licensed infringes on that right. “Agents of the state demanding your papers,” Franklin explains to CBS Atlanta. “We’re getting that way here. … Why do you need to know who’s who” on the roads? What about the problem of kids driving? Franklin answers that there’s nothing stopping them from driving now anyway. This isn’t the first weird bill Franklin’s behind, Talking Points Memo notes: He’s also introduced a bill that would require gold and silver to be used when paying debts to the state, a bill that would ban forced vaccinations, bills to do away with Georgia’s income tax and all property taxes, and one especially strange one that would guarantee everyone’s right to potentially harm another person.