SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) – Savannah fell to British troops in the American Revolution and surrendered to the Union Army during the Civil War. Now Georgia’s oldest city is preparing to retreat from a law that for decades has required tour guides to prove to City Hall that they know history.
The Savannah City Council is scheduled to vote Thursday on a proposed repeal of tour guide regulations – in place since 1978 – that require all guides to earn a city license by passing a history test before they can take paying customers sightseeing. The repeal is expected to pass as the city faces litigation by tour guides who sued in federal court.
Attorney W. Brooks Stillwell, who represents the city, has advised council members to scrap the regulations before a federal judge decides the lawsuit.
“I’m disappointed,” said Councilman Van Johnson, who refrained from defending the regulations at a recent meeting. “But I also realize that when you come up against the U.S. Constitution, you lose.”
A small group of local tour guides sued City Hall in U.S. District Court last November, saying Savannah’s licensing ordinance violates the free-speech protections guaranteed by the First Amendment by unfairly singling out tourism workers who talk for a living. To earn a license, guides must pass a 100-question test covering topics from Savannah’s 1820 yellow fever outbreak to the architects of its historic homes. The study guide for the test is a 111-page book produced by City Hall.