ATLANTA – Georgians won’t have to travel to Atlanta to drop in on Senate committee meetings next legislative session.

State Sen. David Shafer, R-Duluth, announced Friday that all Senate committee meetings are ready to be broadcast live over the Internet.

“I think we do a better job when people are watching us,” Shafer said in an interview. “And Georgians should not have to take off time from work or travel to Atlanta to see their legislators at work – at least not in the 21st century.”

Lawmakers budgeted $485,000 earlier this year for the project, which included wiring three rooms in the state Capitol – a 19th Century building that Shafer noted was not built to accommodate air conditioning and electricity, much less broadband technologies.

Two other rooms in the adjacent Coverdell Legislative Office Building, as well as the Senate’s press conference room, are also now hooked up for livestreaming.

Senate committees typically pack the room, leaving people standing or dragging in extra chairs.

 The House, meanwhile, has been livestreaming its meetings since 2006. A live broadcast has been available for both chambers when the full bodies are in session.

Shafer said Senate subcommittee meetings, where legislators often delve into the nitty gritty of proposals, and other meetings may be added in the future.  

“We wanted to make sure that the meetings of the standing committees were covered because that’s where legislation is perfected,” Shafer said.

 The livestreaming will officially start when state lawmakers return to Atlanta for the next legislative session, which starts in January. Some study committees, such as one focused on homelessness, will have their meetings broadcast live in the meantime.

The livestreamed videos, as well as archival footage, can be found by going to http://www.senate.ga.gov and clicking on “live broadcast.”

Jill Nolin covers the Georgia Statehouse for CNHI’s newspapers and websites. Reach her at jnolin@cnhi.com.