Sesión en el pleno de la Cámara de Representantes, 9 de febrero de 2026 (día legislativo 15)

Transcripción

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1. 0:10:58

   The hour for convening having arrived, all members will please take their seats. The clerk will please ring the bell.

2. 0:11:40

   We're going to have the morning roll call. All members present will please vote green to signify their presence in the chamber. And the clerk will unlock the machines.

3. 0:12:20

   Have all members voted?

4. 0:12:39

   Have all members voted?

5. 0:12:48

   If so, the clerk will lock the machines. Doorkeepers will please close the doors and keep them closed. We will begin our day with scripture reading and prayer by the chaplain, after which we will pledge allegiance to the flag of our country. Our chaplain this morning will be introduced by the lady from the 135th House District, Representative Beth Camp.

6. 0:13:13

   Thank you, Madam Pro Tem. It's an honor to be here today on this beautiful Monday morning. And colleagues, it's truly a pleasure to introduce Billy Smith, pastor of Christ Chapel Church in Zebulon, which he serves in West Central Georgia, and the church has eight beautiful campuses. Pastor Billy is known for his servant leadership, strong faith, and his genuine heart for people. Under his leadership, Christ Chapel has done tremendous things through outreach and volunteer efforts, meeting real needs, strengthening families, and making meaningful differ- uh, difference across our communities.

7. 0:13:47

   Beyond his ministry, Billy is the proud father of four beautiful children and the loving wife, loving husband to his wife, Tina. He leads through humility, speaks with conviction, and serves with consistently, consistently. I am very pleased to call Billy Smith my friend. He is always there. I've reached out to him many times over the years, just needing to have a sounding board to hear his opinion. He's always very kind and very generous in that. And so this morning, I'd like to introduce Pastor Billy Smith.

8. 0:14:19

   Thank you.

9. 0:14:24

   Good morning, everybody. Good morning. I was told years ago, uh, by an older pastor, he gave me some advice. He said, "He who is short-winded shall be heard again." Uh, so if you wanna share that with your pastor for Sunday services, that'll be fine. Thank you, Representative Camp, for the invitation today. Uh, she represents our district so well. And thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity. Uh, I can do three points in three minutes if you can listen fast. How about that? We'll make a deal right now.

10. 0:14:56

    Faith that lasts. Faith that lasts. Point number one, faith has to believe when it can't see. Uh, often in, in the Christian faith, uh, God's asking us to step out and do things that we can't really see how it's gonna turn out. We like to face situations that have obvious answers, but they're not always so obvious. Sometimes the bills stack up, our health sh- uh, has a shift, uh, we have a relationship that's stretched or strained, and life doesn't always just give us what we ask for.

11. 0:15:27

    Hebrews 11:1 says, "Faith is confident in what we hope for in the assurance of what we do not see." Uh, and let's be honest, some of you here are my age or older. There's a few of you may be younger, but I have these things I call cheaters. These are reading glasses. Most of you have those. We probably have 25 pair at my house. We can't find them, but we have 25 pair. And last week, I was walking around the house looking for a pair, and I went into the bathroom. I thought maybe I left them on the counter there, and, uh, they weren't there.

12. 0:15:57

    But I looked over the sink in the mirror, and they were on top of my head. I don- I know none of you have ever done that before, but even, even sometimes when God doesn't seem near, our, our faith seems a little bit lost, He's always close. Even if we're not seeing Him, we don't feel Him, He's always near. So faith believes when it can't see. Point number two, faith obeys when it doesn't understand. And sometimes God just asks us to do stuff that doesn't seem to have a clear explanation. We like timelines and guarantees in life, but that's not what faith is about.

13. 0:16:29

    Um, faith rarely comes with a blueprint. James says it this way in scripture. He says that, "Faith without works is dead." It requires us to do something. Uh, sometimes God's instructions feels a little bit like a GPS system, the navigation in your car. Uh, I'm from an hour and a half south of here, hour and 10 minutes south of here, and I'm in a rural area. And sometimes when the GPS, uh, tells me to go in a certain direction, I get confused because it sends me through a cornfield or it takes me down an old dirt road. And you know what I found out, though?

14. 0:16:59

    Typically, that GPS gets me where I'm supposed to go if I'll just follow it. Even though I don't understand the steps sometimes, if I'll just follow, I get where I'm supposed to be.

15. 0:17:08

    And it's like that with our faith often. Noah in the Old Testament was building a boat, a crazy sized boat with limited instructions. But his faith just allowed him to continue to build even though he didn't understand all the pieces yet, his faith in God was strong. Point number three, faith endures when it wants to quit. I don't know about you guys, but there have been a few moments in my life, a few times that I felt like throwing the towel in. I felt like quitting. Uh, I have board meetings as well with Christian men usually and women, and, uh, you would think that would always turn out well, but sometimes it's difficult.

16. 0:17:41

    It's hard sometimes. And somebody giggled because they've been in one of those recently, right? We all sometimes wanna quit. Um, it's easy to be excited about things in the beginning, but I like people who finish stuff. Uh, at the, at the first of the year this year, we know that gyms, uh, local gyms had a, uh, had record numbers of people sign up to get in shape. Uh, some of you may have signed up to get in shape. Uh, the third Friday of January is called National Quitters Day, in case you're wondering.

17. 0:18:12

    The road to hell is paved with good intentions, right? And, but faith needs to be something that helps us finish this journey that God's given us all to do. Everybody in this room has an amazing calling on your life, and I wanna have the kind of faith that lets me finish. Trials really do refine our faith the way that gold is refined in fire. The Apostle Paul wrote half of the New Testament almost, and he said this: "We walk by faith not by sight." Meaning we keep walking even when the path is hard and the path is difficult.

18. 0:18:42

    Three points in three minutes. Faith endures when it wants to quit, faith believes when it can't see, and faith obeys when it doesn't understand. And I pray today that your faith in Christ remains strong. Would you stand today and allow me to pray over you?

19. 0:19:02

    Lord, thank you for this day and your goodness and your kindness. I'm grateful for the men and women in this room who serve our state so well. Would you give them today the, uh, wisdom and discernment and clarity as they make decisions? Uh, thank you for allowing us to live in this wonderful state. I think it's the best in the whole USA. I really do. I love Georgia. Thank you for your blessings. We love you today in Christ's name, and we say together amen. Would you join me for the pledge today? I pledge allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

20. 0:19:42

    Thank you for your time.

21. 0:19:48

    Doorkeepers will unlock the doors. Members may meet the chaplain in the south ante room.

22. 0:20:49

    Chair recognizes Chairman Hilton, the chair of the Committee on Information and Audits. Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Committee on Information and Audits has reviewed the journal of the previous legislative day and we have found it to be correct. Chairman Hilton, the chair of the Committee on Information and Audits reports that the journal of the previous legislative day has been read and found to be correct. Is there any objection to dispense with the reading of the journal? The chair hears none. The reading of the journal is dispensed with. Is there any objection to the confirmation of the journal?

23. 0:21:20

    The chair hears none, and the journal is confirmed. The clerk will read the resolutions establishing the order of the business of the day. Representative Efstration of the 104th moves the following be established as the order of business during the first part of the period of unanimous consent. Introduction of bills and resolutions. First reading and reference of House bills and resolutions. Second reading of bills and resolutions. Reports of standing committees. First reading and reference of Senate bills and resolutions.

24. 0:21:50

    Morning orders.

25. 0:21:54

    Is there any objection to the adoption of the resolution establishing the order of business for the day? The chair hears none. The resolution is adopted. First reading of bills.

26. 0:22:31

    First reading of bills and resolutions, the clerk will read. House Bill 1230 by Representative Jones of the 25th, Thomas of the 21st, Crowe of the 118th, Hitchens of the 161st, and Lumsden of the 12th. The bill will be titled an Act to Amend Chapter One of Title Six of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to general provisions regarding aviation. Technology and infrastructure innovation. House Bill 1231 by Representative Corbett of the 174th, Momtahan of the 17th, Parsons of the 44th, Green of the 154th, Wilkerson of the 38th.

27. 0:23:04

    The bill will be titled an Act to Amend Subpart Two of Part Six of Article Six of Chapter Two of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to conditions of employment. Education.

28. 0:23:16

    House Bill 1232 by Representative Cheokas of the 151st, Irwin of the 32nd, Dubnik of the 29th, Ballard of the 147th, Hilton of the 48th, and others. Will be titled an act to amend Subpart 2, Part 1 of Article 16 to Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to compulsory attendance. Education.

29. 0:23:40

    House Bill 1233 by Representative Carpenter of the 4th, Crowe of the 118th, Clifton of the 131st, Fry of the 122nd, Washburn of the 144th. Will be titled an act to amend Chapter 7 of Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to development impact fees. Governmental Affairs. House Bill 1234 by Representative Taylor of the 173rd, McDonald of the 26th, Mathis of the 133rd, Santos of the 117th, Stinson of the 150th.

30. 0:24:10

    Will be titled an act to amend Chapter 19, Title 47 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to state employees assurance department. Retirement. House Bill 1235 by Representative Hilton of the 48th, Momtahan of the 17th, Reeves of the 99th, Gullett of the 19th, Herring of the 145th, and others. Will be titled an act to amend Chapter 5 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to government transparency and campaign finance. Governmental Affairs. House Bill 1236 by Representative Kelly of the 16th, Newton of the 127th, Hatchett of the 155th, Mathiak of the 82nd, Douglas of the 78th, and others.

31. 0:24:49

    Will be titled an act to amend Code Section 3346-6 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to requirements for certification. Health, Health. House Bill 1237 by Representative Bell of the 75th, Tran of the 80th, Davis of the 87th, Carter of the 93rd, Bazemore of the 69th, and others. Will be titled an act to amend Chapter 8 of Title 12 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to waste management. Natural Resources and Environment. House Bill 1238 by Representative Dempsey of the 13th, Hawkins of the 27th, Cameron of the 1st, Crawford of the 89th, Cooper of the 45th.

32. 0:25:25

    Will be titled an act to amend Article 7 of Chapter 4, Title 49 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to medical assistance generally. Human Relations and Aging. House Bill 1239 by Representative Berry of the 56th, Wilkerson of the 38th, Olaleye of the 106th, Clark of the 108th, Lupton of the 83rd. Will be titled an act to amend Subpart 2, Part 1 of Article 16 to Chapter 2, Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to compulsory attendance relative to elementary and secondary education.

33. 0:25:58

    Education. House Bill 1240 by Representative Martin of the 49th, Cox of the 28th, Kelly of the 16th, Hilton of the 48th, Cannon of the 172nd. Will be titled an act to amend Chapter 44, Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to redevelopment powers. Ways and Means. House Bill 1241 by Representative Crawford of the 89th and Oliver of the 84th. Will be titled an act to amend an act providing a new charter for the City of Decatur. Intergovernmental Coordination. House Bill 1242 by Representative Byrd of the 20th, Kahaian of the 81st, Horner of the 3rd, Mathiak of the 82nd, Ridley of the 22nd.

34. 0:26:37

    Will be titled an act to amend Chapter 12 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to control of hazardous conditions. Public and Community Health. House Bill 1243 by Representative Holcomb of the 101st, Jones of the 25th, Barrett of the 24th, and Miller of the 62nd. Will be titled an act to amend Chapter 18 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to state printing and documents. Judiciary. House Bill 1244 by Representative Ali of the 106th, Ballard of the 147th, Glaize of the 67th, Green of the 154th, Carter of the 93rd.

35. 0:27:16

    Will be titled an act to amend Code Section 20-2-218 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to duty-free lunch period and planning period required. Education. House Resolution 1269 by Representative Glaize of the 67th, Barrett of the 24th, Fry of the 122nd, Erwin of the 32nd, Prince of the 132nd, and others. A resolution urging the Department of Education to provide informational support to school districts. Special Rules. House Resolution 1270 by Representative Seabaugh of the 34th, Hawkins of the 27th, Franklin of the 160th, Stevens of the 164th, Rice of the 139th, and others.

36. 0:27:57

    A resolution recognizing May 2026 as Save Your Tooth Month. Special Rules. House Resolution 1271 by Representative Cannon of the 172nd and Ford of the 170th. A resolution honoring the life of Mr. William Brown Lovett and dedicating an interchange in his memory. Transportation. Senate Bill 383 by Senator Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Albers of the 56th, Hatchett of the 50th, Roberts of the 29th, Jackson of the 41st, and others.

37. 0:28:29

    Will be titled an act to amend Chapter 15 to Title 19 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to child abuse.

38. 0:28:38

    Did I speak too soon? That's the

39. 0:28:45

    train. I have that one. Say... Oh, yeah, I... No? I don't have that one. SB what? SB 382.

40. 0:29:08

    382? Juvenile. Judiciary Juvenile. Senate Bill 402 by Senator Kil- uh, Tillery of the 19th, Kirkpatrick of the 32nd. Dixon the forty-fifth, Walker the twentieth, Anitobarta the thirty-first and others. Bill be titled an Act to Amend Chapter five of Title forty-nine of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to programs and protections for children and youth.

41. 0:29:33

    Judiciary Juvenile.

42. 0:29:35

    Senate Bill four thirty-one by Senator Kirkpatrick of the thirty-second, Hatchett of the fiftieth, Payne of the fifty-fourth, Gooch of the fifty-first and Parent of the forty-fourth. Bill be titled an Act to Amend Code Section twenty-two six seventy of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to disclosures and information required.

43. 0:29:53

    Education.

44. 0:29:54

    Senate Resolution six twenty-two by Senator Kirkpatrick of the thirty-second, Hatchett of the fiftieth, Parent of the forty-fourth, Payne of the fifty-fourth, Brass of the sixth and others. A resolution creating the Joint Study Committee on evaluating escalating costs in Georgia's foster care system.

45. 0:30:12

    Judiciary Juvenile.

46. 0:30:13

    That completes first readers.

47. 0:30:18

    Does he want to go now?

48. 0:30:21

    Second reading of bills and resolutions. Mr. Clerk will read.

49. 0:30:50

    House Bill 1197 by Representative Powell of the thirty-third, Jaspers of the eleventh, Wilkerson of the thirty-eighth, Oliver of the eighty-fourth, Carpenter of the fourth and others. A bill to amend the Georgia Lottery for Education Act. House Bill 1198 by Representative Gullett of the nineteenth, Lumsden of the twelfth. A bill relating to agents, agencies, subagents, counselors, and adjusters relative to insurance licensing. House Bill 1199 by Representative Carpenter of the forty-sixth, Blackmon of the hundred and forty-sixth, Kelly of the sixteenth, Williamson of the hundred and twelfth. A bill relating to definitions regarding revenue and taxation. House Bill 1200 by Representative Stevens of the hundred and sixty-fourth, Petrea of the hundred and sixty-sixth, Hitchens of the hundred and sixty-first, Gilliard of the hundred and sixty-second, Westbrook of the hundred and sixty-third.

50. 0:31:27

    A bill to amend an act providing for a base year assessed value homestead exemption from Chatham County and City of Savannah School District ad valorem taxes for educational purposes. House Bill 1201 by Representative Gullett of the nineteenth, Lumsden of the twelfth. A bill relating to smoke detectors required in new dwellings and dwelling units and exceptions. House Bill 1202 by Representative Corbett of the hundred and seventy-fourth, Mathis of the hundred and thirty-third, Smith of the hundred and thirty-eighth. A bill relating to Georgia Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Advisory Board membership and termination. House Bill 1203 by Representative Stevens of the hundred and sixty-fourth, Petrea of the hundred and sixty-sixth, Hitchens of the one hundred and sixty-first, Gilliard of the hundred and sixty-second, Westbrook of the hundred and sixty-third.

51. 0:32:02

    A bill to amend an act providing a homestead exemption from Chatham County School District ad valorem taxes for educational purposes. House Bill 1204 by Representative Schofield of the sixty-third, Green of the hundred and fifty-fourth, McClain of the one hundred and ninth, Townsend of the hundred and seventy-ninth, Davis of the eighty-seventh. A bill relating to prohibition of age discrimination in employment. House Bill 1205 by Representative Dickey of the hundred and thirty-fourth. A bill to provide a new charter for the City of Gatesville. House Bill 1206 by Representative Jones of the twenty-fifth, Dubnik of the twenty-ninth, Irwin of the thirty-second, Jones of the forty-seventh, Townsend of the hundred and seventy-ninth. A bill relating to instructional materials and content relative to elementary and secondary education.

52. 0:32:36

    House Bill 1207 by Representative Reese of the hundred and fortieth, Lupton of the eighty-third, Campbell of the thirty-fifth, Jones of the sixtieth, Olaleye of the fifty-ninth. A bill relating to domestic relations. House Bill 1208 by Representative Gunter of the eighth, Burchett of the hundred and seventy-sixth, Leverett of the hundred and twenty-third, Smith of the eighteenth, Kelly of the sixteenth and others. A bill relating to depositions and discoveries. House Bill 1209 by Representative Stevens of the hundred and sixty-fourth, Blackmon of the hundred and forty-sixth, Petrea of the hundred and sixty-sixth, Gilliard of the hundred and sixty-second, Gaines of the hundred and twentieth. A bill relating to exemptions relative to state sales and use taxes. House Bill 1210 by Representative Kahani of the eighty-first, Byrd of the twentieth, Dunahoo of the thirty-first, Washburn of the hundred and forty-fourth, Bonner of the seventy-third.

53. 0:33:11

    A bill relating to general provisions relative to dependency proceedings. House Bill 1211 by Representative Kelly of the sixteenth, Hawkins of the twenty-seventh, Newton of the hundred and twenty-seventh, Gullett of the nineteenth, Gambill of the fifteenth and others. A bill relating to colorectal cancer screening and testing. House Bill 1212 by Representative Stevens of the hundred and sixty-fourth, Carpenter of the fourth, Barton of the fifth, Cannon of the hundred and seventy-second, LaHood of the hundred and seventy-fifth and others. A bill relating to specific business occupation taxes.

54. 0:33:38

    House Bill 1213 by Representative Cummings of the thirty-ninth, McQueen of the sixty-first, Sanchez of the forty-second, Smith of the forty-first, Ridley of the twenty-second and others. A bill to authorize the City of Mableton to exercise all redevelopment and other powers under the Redevelopment Powers Law. House Bill 1214 by Representative O'Steen of the hundred and sixty-ninth, Burchett of the hundred and seventy-sixth, Williams of the hundred and forty-eighth, Kelly of the sixteenth, Corbett of the hundred and seventy-fourth and others. A bill relating to sales and use taxes. House Bill 1216 by Representative Stevens of the hundred and sixty-fourth, Green of the hundred and fifty-fourth, Carpenter of the fourth, Dempsey of the thirteenth, Jones of the hundred and forty-third and others. A bill relating to excise tax on rooms, lodgings, and accommodations.

55. 0:34:13

    House Bill 1217 by Representative Berry of the fifty-sixth, Cannon of the fifty-eighth, Jackson of the hundred and sixty-fifth, Westbrook of the hundred and sixty-third, Willis of the fifty-fifth. A bill relating to s- health-

56. 0:34:25

    Proceed.

57. 0:34:26

    Health of the Department of Economic Development. House Bill 1218 by Representative Flournoy of the seventy-fourth, Hilton of the forty-eighth, Neal of the seventy-ninth, Olaleye of the fifty-ninth, Berry of the fifty-sixth. A bill relating to other educational programs under the Quality Basic Education Act. House Bill 1219 by Representative Lewis-Ward of the hundred and fifteenth, Powell of the thirty-third, Hugley of the hundred and forty-first, McQueen of the hundred and fifty-fourth, Mitchell of the eighty-eighth and others. A bill relating to property owners associations. House Bill 1220 by Representative Ballard of the hundred and forty-seventh, Efstration of the hundred and fourth, Hilton of the forty-eighth, Jones of the forty-seventh, Donatucci of the hundred and fifth.

58. 0:34:58

    A bill relating to student scholarship organizations. House Bill 1221 by Representative Draper of the ninetieth, Oliver of the eighty-fourth, Evans of the fifty-seventh, Gunter of the eighth, Leverett of the hundred and twenty-third. A bill relating to property owners associations. House Bill 1222 by Representative Lewis-Ward of the hundred and fifteenth, Powell of the thirty-third, Hugley of the hundred and forty-first, Washburn of the hundred and forty-fourth, Mitchell of the eighty-eighth and others. A bill relating to regulation of specialized land transactions. House Bill 1223 by Representative Gullett of the 19th, Crowe of the 118th, Momtahan of the 17th, Esteem of the 169th, Herring of the 145th, and others, a bill relating to when public disclosure not required.

59. 0:35:30

    House Bill 1224 by Representative Barrett of the 24th, Efstration of the 104th, Gaines of the 120th, Holcomb of the 101st, Camp of the 135th, and others, a bill relating to automatic renewal of provisions. House Bill 1225 by Representative Barrett of the 100- of the 24th, Efstration of the 104th, Gaines of the 220th, Holcomb of the 101st, Camp of the 135th, and others, a bill relating to automatic renewal provisions. House Bill 1226 by Representative Clark of the 100th, Smith of the 18th, Ridley of the 22nd, Powell of the 33rd, Bonner of the 73rd, and others, a bill relating to justification, excuse, and defense of criminal prosecutions.

60. 0:36:04

    House Bill 1227 by Representative Gullett of the 19th, Fleming of the 114th, Momtahan of the 17th, Sainz of the 180th, Thomas of the 21st, and others, a bill relating to elections and primaries. House Bill 1228 by Representative McCollum of the 30th, Oliver of the 84th, Olaleye of the 59th, Panitch of the 51st, Gullett of the 19th, and others, a bill relating to ad valorem taxation of property. House Bill 1229 by Representative Stevens of the 164th, Carpenter of the 4th, Washburn of the 144th, DeLoach of the 167th, McDonald of the 26th, and others, a bill relating to alcoholic beverages. House Resolution 1242 by Representative Glaze of the 67th, Carter of the 93rd, Griffin of the 149th, Paris of the 142nd, Jackson of the 165th, resolution supporting the revision of the quality-based education and full-time equivalent funding formulas.

61. 0:36:47

    House Resolution 1243 by Representative Martin of the 49th, Burns of the 159th, Hugley of the 141st, Crowe of the 118th, Camp of the 135th, and others, a resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution so as to authorize the creation of the Georgia Next Generation 911 Fund. House Resolution 1244 by Representative McCollum of the 30th, Oliver of the 84th, Olaleye of the 59th, Panitch of the 51st, Gullett of the 19th, and others, resolution proposing amendment to the Constitution of the State of Georgia so as to provide any business enterprise, including but not limited to private equity having an interest in 1,000 or more single-family resident properties within this state shall be subject to ad valorem tax assessment of 100%.

62. 0:37:23

    House Resolution 1245 by Representative Ford of the 170th, Dickey of the 134th, Campbell of the 171st, O'Steen of the 169th, Cannon of the 172nd, and others, resolution commending the Georgia peanut industry and recognizing March 2026 as Georgia Peanut Month at the State Capitol. House Resolution 1246 by Representative Baker of the 64th, Barnes of the 86th, Douglas of the 78th, McCollum of the 30th, and Ali of the 106th, a resolution recognizing February as National Canned Food Month in the State of Georgia. Senate Bill 239 by Senator Walker of the 20th, Robertson of the 29th, Harvin of the 16th, Mello of the 2nd, Williams of the 25th, a bill relating to funding funeral directors and establishments, embalmers, and crematories.

63. 0:38:02

    Senate Bill 403 by Senator Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Walker of the 20th, Anderson of Archley of the 31st, Parent of the 44th, Albers of the 56th, and others, a bill relating to disposition of unclaimed property. Through second readers.

64. 0:38:13

    Outstanding.

65. 0:38:26

    Reports of standing committees. Mr. Clerk, will you read?

66. 0:38:31

    Representative Smith of the 18th District, Chairman of the Committee on Judiciary Non-Civil, submitted the following report. Mr. Speaker, your committee on Judiciary Non-Civils had under its consideration the following bill of the Senate. It's instructed me to report the same back to the House with the following recommendation. Senate Bill 74, due pass by substitute, respectfully submitted. Representative Smith of the 18th District, Chairman. That completes the reading of the reports of standing committees.

67. 0:38:59

    Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Members, I'll ask you all if you'll come to the floor. We have a lot of guests in our gallery. We're getting ready to move on to morning orders.

68. 0:39:19

    Thank you, members. Members, we have a lot of guests in the gallery, gallery. We getting, we're getting ready to recognize them and honor some of them, but we also have a special guest on the floor, one of the members of our congressional delegation from the 10th Congressional District, Mike Collins. Let's give Mike a hand.

69. 0:39:51

    Mike has been a strong player in Congress. We appreciate him. He certainly worked a couple t- couple of years and was able to pass the Laken Riley Act, which has been so important to keeping our, our state safe. Uh, we appreciate that, Congressman. He also told me that he's, uh, pretty, pretty happy about this. They just passed some appropriations bills, and they're working on some more. But I certainly know Mike, knowing him personally and working with him on, on issues that are important to this House, and that's work on some, working on forestry issues and a number of ag- of agricultural issues that, um, protects our number-one indus- industry in the state.

70. 0:40:29

    Congressman, appreciate your friendship and appreciate your support and appreciate your hard work as well. Thanks, thanks for being with us here today.

71. 0:40:49

    Members, we have a whole slew of morning orders. I'm going to ask you to do your very level best to hold those morning orders to, um, one minute. I want you to have time to recognize our guest. But at this time, I'm going to represent Representative Schofield for a two-minute morning order. She'll have a little extra time. Representative Schofield.

72. 0:41:20

    Cheers. You are recognized for a moment in Black history, up to two minutes. Thank you, ma'am.

73. 0:41:26

    Thank you, sir.

74. 0:41:27

    Lady's recognized

75. 0:41:30

    Mr. Speaker and members of the House, today I rise to honor the life and legacy of Melvin Kent, a gifted songwriter from New York. Although Melvin Kent never reached his full potential in his lifetime and faced profound hardship, including homelessness and moments of lost hope, his story did not end there. One day, he discovered that a song he had written in the '60s or '70s had been recorded by Alicia Keys, a globally respected artist known for her authenticity, artistry, and cultural impact.

76. 0:42:02

    You Don't Know My Name has reached audiences far beyond states and international lines. In that moment, Melvin Kent was given a second chance and a second wind. He returned to his songwriting dream with renewed purpose. Tragically, he passed away just six months laters, later, never fully knowing how widely his work would be celebrated. Today, his song continues to live on, including being featured in the stage production of Hell's Kitchen.

77. 0:42:33

    Melvin Kent never knew how famous his work would become, but his legacy will forever be enjoyed. I'm proud to say Melvin Kent is and always will be my uncle. Thank you, Uncle Melvin. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I yield the well. Thank you for that moment.

78. 0:42:54

    Appreciate the lady. Chairman Corbett is recognized for

79. 0:43:04

    some discussion and maybe a talk about a resolution as well. Chairman Corbett.

80. 0:43:14

    Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Cannon is ... Okay. The gentleman's recognized. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, members of the House. It is my honor today to recognize a group of unsung heroes that are here with us today in the gallery. We have four forest rangers from Charlton County. Our forest rangers risk their lives every day to protect people and property. But on April the 10th of last year, Chief Ranger Roger Todd and members from his unit, Kenny Lee, Casey Harris, and Bill Murray, they heard a single engine aircraft overturned upon landing at the Davis Airport.

81. 0:43:51

    The plane immediately became engulfed in flames. Chief Todd and members of his unit responded without hesitation, placing themselves in harm's way to protect the lives of others. The plane had six passengers on board, including two young children. Under Chief Ch- Todd's directions, the responding personnel worked swiftly, decisively, and courageously to suppress the fire and rescue the trapped passengers, actions that prevented loss of life and ensured all six occupants survived the crash, including the two sh- young kids.

82. 0:44:25

    In recognition of his exemplary service, leadership excellence, and lifesaving action, Chief Ranger Todd was selected as the 2025 Director's Award recipient, one of the highest honors bestowed by the Georgia Forest Commission. I'm gonna ask Roger, Chief Ranger Todd and his, his unit to stand and be recognized by this House. Let's give them a congratulations, please.

83. 0:44:54

    Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thanks for being with us today, and thank you for your service every day, but especially when those times come when you save lives. We most appreciate y'all's service. Thank you.

84. 0:45:11

    Representative Doreen Carter. Y'all give her your attention. She's also gonna have a video clip. Give the lady your attention, please. Good morning. Today we have the Boykins, a remarkable rising sister quartet from Snellville, Georgia. To the left. To the left. Yeah, turn the wheel. Left. Left. Left. Left. Down.

85. 0:46:09

    Down. Down. Down. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Boykin family. This audience asked for a golden buzzer, and I'm gonna give you one right now. Y'all, I was scrolling social media in the middle of the night, and I heard Snellville. I had to stop what I was doing, and I would say, "Oh, my God, the Boykins", and y'all know I love country music.

86. 0:46:40

    Ladies, would you please stand and allow us to acknowledge you? We have Kaylin, Analee, Natiri, and Alana, and their parents are here with us. If you all would stand. Mom and Dad, please stand. Their siblings are here. And, uh, y'all, they brought a whole busload of folk. If you can, stand. We wanna acknowledge the family as well. Yes. We are so proud of you. Y'all, these are our babies.

87. 0:47:11

    Yes. Georgia's own. Yes. Well, thank you for joining us. And again, the Boykins is, has earned the prestigious Golden Buzzer, as you saw, from America's Got Talent. And, um, thank you for joining us. And if you want to, they will be joining us, us in the ante room if you'd like to take pictures. Thank you, and we yield the will. Ladies, yield the will. Congratulations.

88. 0:47:38

    Now, one, sisters. One's got a black hat, one's got a white hat. All right. We appreciate y'all. Congratulations. I know y'all gonna do great things. Snellville, Georgia, come on down and let's get some photos of y'all. We appreciate you. Representative Bazemore.

89. 0:48:03

    Give Representative Bazemore your attention as she comes to the well, please. Representative Bazemore, she has some friends here today, and she has friends joining her in the well. Lady's recognized.

90. 0:48:14

    I don't know.

91. 0:48:18

    Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm not sure if everybody made it here in the well, but this morning we have the Fayette County Democratic Committee in the gallery, hopefully.

92. 0:48:32

    Clayton County.

93. 0:48:33

    And Clayton County also. I'm sure most of you remember one of the former colleagues, Representative Camilla Jackson, who has to, to, is honorably the chair of the Fayette County Democratic Committee. Their mission and determination is to get out the vote, find opportunities to increase voter participation and turnout, and above all, FCDC stands for social and economic justice for all.

94. 0:49:09

    Please stand and recognize the guests. Are they there? Okay. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

95. 0:49:22

    Are those folks from Fayette and Clayton?

96. 0:49:24

    Yes.

97. 0:49:25

    Good to have y'all. Representative Jackson.

98. 0:49:28

    Okay.

99. 0:49:28

    Was that my favorite Jackson she was talking about?

100. 0:49:31

     Yeah, she's here.

101. 0:49:32

     Where, where is she?

102. 0:49:35

     Oh, oh.

103. 0:49:40

     Oh.

104. 0:49:40

     I'm good. I'm good. I'm good. I'm good. I'm good. Back up. Looking for my wife.

105. 0:49:48

     They may have been stopped, taking that picture.

106. 0:49:50

     We'll, we'll find her. We'll be, we'll recognize her as a former member in a moment. You okay?

107. 0:49:56

     I'm good.

108. 0:49:56

     Good.

109. 0:49:57

     I'm just backing up.

110. 0:50:00

     You had it in reverse. Should had, should've had your camera on, but you didn't.

111. 0:50:07

     I fought for it.

112. 0:50:07

     Uh, Representative Jackson, you're recognized. You ready? Representative Derrick Jackson's recognized for a morning order.

113. 0:50:16

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

114. 0:50:18

     League of Women.

115. 0:50:18

     Yeah. Uh, League of We- League of Women. I'm looking for my bride. See, I will fall for my bride, Mr. Speaker.

116. 0:50:25

     I hear you.

117. 0:50:25

     I'm looking for her. But listen, um, yes, uh, the Honorable Camilla Jackson is here along with also the League of Women of Voters of Georgia, if you all may stand and be recognized if you're in the gallery. And give them a hand if, if we could, um, colleagues.

118. 0:50:49

     Yeah, I don't see her. Thank you. Welcome League, League of Women Voters. Representative Roberts. Representative Shea Roberts is recognized for a morning order.

119. 0:50:57

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, we are welcoming our favorite folks in the red shirts to the gallery, Moms Demand Action. We've got a couple up there. They're spread out all throughout the Capitol. They are advocates who carry the weight of every parent's fear and turn it into fearless action. We cannot honor them without confronting the truth. In Georgia, approximately 2,000 people are killed by guns each year, and 1,000 more are wounded, placing our state among the highest in the nation for firearm deaths.

120. 0:51:29

     And we know it firsthand right here in Georgia. Amy St. Pierre died a few years ago in a midtown doctor's office. And just over a year ago, a 14-year-old armed with a semi-automatic rifle killed two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School, a horror that reminds us all how fragile school safety can be. When we talk about school safety, metal detectors and panic buttons are fine, but they are a Band-Aid. They react after the gun has arrived and the harm has begun. What we need are laws that make guns less accessible to people who shouldn't have them, safe storage, comprehensive background checks, and sensible limits.

121. 0:52:06

     Please talk to these folks who are all around the Capitol today. Do not run from them. 60 to 80% of Georgians want common sense solutions, including in your districts. And so please give them your time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I yield the well.

122. 0:52:24

     Welcome to the Capitol. Representative Floyd Griffin is recognized for a morning order. He have some folks here from Jones County, right? Give the, give the member your attention as we welcome some guests. Representative Griffin.

123. 0:52:39

     Uh, thank, thank you very much, uh, Mr. Speaker. I'm here also representing the, the, um,

124. 0:52:48

     a, a House member from District 144, uh, who was not able to, uh, be here this morning. We are recognizing the Family Career and Community Leaders of America. Are you all up, are you all here? Okay, there they are. Uh, Family Career and Community Leaders of America is a national career and technical student organization for students in, in family and consumer science education in public and private schools through grade 12.

125. 0:53:26

     FCCLA offer intra-cu- curricular resources and opportunities for students to pursue careers that support families. Since 1945- FCC a members have been making a difference in their communities. I'd like for you all to please stand and recognize the students from this great organization. Will you all stand if you... Oh, there they are back there.

126. 0:54:01

     They're in the back corner up on our left. Welcome.

127. 0:54:05

     Thank, thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I yield the will.

128. 0:54:08

     Thank you, Representative Griffin. Um, Representative Washburn is a little under the weather, so thanks for standing u- standing in for him. Representative Mathis.

129. 0:54:24

     He has a group w- as well, but we'll, um, he's probably with them right now, so Representative Crawford and Reese.

130. 0:54:36

     Are y'all ready? Representative Omari Crawford and Teddy Reese. Gentleman's recognized.

131. 0:54:43

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Friends, today I rise to recognize and commend a very special group of visitors. Today I'll be recognizing the Junior League movement on the occasion of its 125th anniversary, and honoring its enduring legacy of advocacy throughout our communities within the state. The Association of Junior League supports a global network of nearly 100,000 women, over 300 cou- countries represented throughout our world.

132. 0:55:15

     They are here. If you would stand and be recognized. Welcome to the Capitol.

133. 0:55:19

     There they are.

134. 0:55:19

     Help me welcome them to the Capitol.

135. 0:55:30

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I now yield the will.

136. 0:55:33

     Welcome, Junior League. We ap- how many years did you say? 125. 125. Wow. Impressive. Thank y'all for carrying on that tradition.

137. 0:55:48

     Representative Reese, why don't you stay down here, I'm gonna recognize you, Representative Mitchell, Representative Derrick Jackson again, Representative Prince, Representative Herring, uh, and-

138. 0:56:00

     And friends

139. 0:56:00

     ... I think that's all. And other friends too.

140. 0:56:02

     Yes, sir. Other friends of Jack and Jill.

141. 0:56:04

     Jack and Jill, if you're a friend of Jack and Jill, that's what we're getting ready to recognize and welcome them to the Capitol. Soon as you... I think everybody... One more.

142. 0:56:16

     Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

143. 0:56:18

     Gentleman's recognized.

144. 0:56:20

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ladies and gentlemen of the House chamber, my colleagues, visitors in the gallery, it is my honor to recognize a very special group that's with us here today. Today we have over 200 young folks from all over the state of Georgia representing the phenomenal organization of Jack and Jill of America.

145. 0:56:45

     Yay.

146. 0:56:45

     There they are over there and some over here. Jack and Jill of America is a membership organization of mothers with children ages two through 19 dedicated to nurturing future African American leaders by strengthening children through leadership development, volunteer service, philanthropic giving and civic duty. The late Marian Stubbs founded Jack and Jill on January the 24th, 1938 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, as a proud father of Jack and Jill, I can tell you just how phenomenal this org- organization is, and the impact that it has on our children.

147. 0:57:20

     And I'm honored that my wife, uh, Dr. Chastity Reese, and my daughter Catherine Reese, of Jack and Jill, is with us today. Sweetheart, if you will wave.

148. 0:57:28

     There they are.

149. 0:57:29

     Catherine. And Mr. Speaker, if I can get my colleagues to stand with me in welcoming to our State Capitol, Jack and Jill of America.

150. 0:57:44

     Whoo. Stand up.

151. 0:57:44

     I know, right?

152. 0:57:45

     Stand up. You have some on both sides of the gallery. Welcome to the People's House. Uh, that was a nice Valentine shout-out there.

153. 0:57:52

     Get you with the camera.

154. 0:57:53

     Kudos to you, sir. Representative Mathis.

155. 0:58:04

     Representative Danny Mathis from down Cochran way, is recognized for a morning order.

156. 0:58:10

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hope my group's got there. We were taking a picture earlier. We got the, uh, Bleckley County FCCLA up there. They're coming in now, Mr. Speaker, so I'm gonna get them. Ms. Cheryl Parks has brought this group up from my hometown, Cochran, Bleckley County, and I'm so proud of them. And they do a wonderful job down there, and they're gonna have a pancakes and politics down there they want me to come to, so I'm gonna, I'm looking forward to that, too. So if I could get y'all just to wave and stand, the Bleckley County FCCLA.

157. 0:58:44

     If y'all would do that. I appreciate you so much, and thank you, Mr. Speaker.

158. 0:58:52

     Thank y'all down in Bleckley. We appreciate it. Thanks for being here. A great organization. A lot of folks from FCCLA are here today, so thanks for, um, FCCLA. Yes.

159. 0:59:08

     She's not ready yet. Representative Hong, are you ready? Representative Hong is recognized for a morning order. Give the lady your attention please, and friends.

160. 0:59:22

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning. Um-

161. 0:59:24

     The lady will suspend just for a minute.

162. 0:59:31

     Okay, proceed.

163. 0:59:32

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have a great group of our AAPI community here celebrating the Lunar New Year. Um, this year the Lunar New Year falls on February 17th. And we have approximately 495,000 AAPI community here in Georgia. Um, this year is the, um, year of the fire horse, which comes every 60 years, which symbolizes rapid change, high energy, independence, and ambition.

164. 1:00:05

     Um, if we can stand, our AAPI community here, they're dressed very pretty. Um, and we can give them a hand. And our AAPI caucus will be having an official Lunar New Year celebration on February 17th, so I hope you all can join. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

165. 1:00:31

     Welcome. Lunar New Year. What'd you say? Fire horse?

166. 1:00:35

     Yes.

167. 1:00:35

     Awesome. That is, we're kind of rapidly changing, aren't we? Welcome to the People's House. We appreciate y'all. Representative Mar- Representative Martinez, Representative Donatucci, other friends. Gentleman's recognized.

168. 1:00:53

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

169. 1:00:54

     Oh, if you'll pause for a minute, let's get every, all your friends. Su- suspend just for a minute.

170. 1:01:07

     Proceed.

171. 1:01:14

     Gentleman may proceed.

172. 1:01:16

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Black Americans have played a pivotal role advancing the principles of liberty, justice, and equal opportunity. Black entrepreneurs, inventors, scholars, and leaders have contributed and strengthened our economic culture and mobile fabric of our nation. The principles of limited government, free enterprise, have been championed by great Black leaders such as Booker T. Washington, Clarence Thomas, and Condoleezza Rice.

173. 1:01:49

     Therefore, today, colleagues and Mr. Speaker, I wanted to congratulate and thank our members of the Georgia Association Black Republican Council for their contribution to our state and for being here today. Thank you.

174. 1:02:04

     And you can welcome them, Representatives. There's some of them up there. There's some also to your right over here by me. They're all over the place here, so thanks for being here. Thanks for being engaged. Chairman Crowe. Chairman Clint Crowe is recognized to let us know about some good old local folks that are here.

175. 1:02:27

     Yes, sir.

176. 1:02:27

     Chairman Crowe.

177. 1:02:28

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Colleagues, I, uh, am honored today to welcome a group from, uh, our community in Butts County. We've got some members from the Butts County Chamber of Commerce, uh, and other local leaders here today. We've got 'em up in the gallery. And also, if you, uh, on your desk, you should've had a, uh, flyer that, uh, tells you about our legislative reception we're gonna have today from 4:00 to 6:00 in the blue room at, uh, the Freight Depot. Hope y'all can join us. We're gonna have Fresh Air Barbecue, so, uh, that should be enough of a draw for anybody.

178. 1:02:58

     So if you would please, join me in welcoming folks from Butts County to the Capitol.

179. 1:03:11

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

180. 1:03:13

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That's a good barbecue, too. Thanks for being here. Appreciate y'all. Chairman Williamson, are you ready?

181. 1:03:23

     Ladies and gentlemen, I'm gonna ask that you pay special attention for this morning order.

182. 1:03:31

     It's important to all of us what the chairman's gonna speak to us about in this morning order. Chairman Williamson.

183. 1:03:37

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Colleagues, I need a show of hands for any member in this chamber that's a survivor of cancer. Do we have any hands? Chairman, anybody else? I know-

184. 1:03:50

     To your left. There's some over here

185. 1:03:52

     ... Chairman. Where? I need y'all to join me down here at the well, please. Please come up and join me at the well, if you don't mind, please. I know, uh, uh, Chair Lady, uh, Silcox is not with us. I know that she's a cancer survivor. Um, ladies, c- please come on up. It's important. And we've got cancer survivors right here. Well, I'm, uh, here to- this morning to welcome your latest member of this special fraternity, Chairman Stan Gunter. And Stan, if you'd come up here.

186. 1:04:23

     Uh, his wife Rita shared with us that, uh, Stan was declared cancer free, uh, uh, on Friday.

187. 1:04:46

     It's something to celebrate. I asked Rita if he got to ring the bell. He was outpatient, didn't have that chance, so I'm asking Stan to ring this bell right here in celebration of his cancer-free diagnosis.

188. 1:05:04

     Thank you. Thank you.

189. 1:05:06

     Go ahead, sir.

190. 1:05:07

     Okay. If I may, uh, thank you. About, about two years ago this time, I got the, uh, diagnosis that I had metastatic prostate cancer. Um, pretty scary when knowing that my daughter-in-law died of metastatic breast cancer. So I, I knew that, uh, kinda had a death sentence hanging over me. For a while there, I wasn't sharing that information with anybody, uh, except I did with Bruce, and he reminded me that I'm not relying on the power of prayer

191. 1:05:47

     And so I started sharing that information. And I wanna thank you and Vicky for the prayers you've given me and all of y'all that knew about my situation, the whip here. Um, thank y'all for praying for me. I've been in God's hands the whole time one way or the other, and I'm satisfied with that. And, uh, let me just say to the men and the women in here, get your annual physical. Have all the tests done, because that's how I got ...

192. 1:06:20

     That's what saved my life. They caught it early. I had it only in one place in my shoulder. They got that, they got the prostate, and then here I am today. So thank y'all.

193. 1:06:40

     Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yield the well.

194. 1:06:46

     I can't really add to that. Power of prayer works. There's no doubt about that. Congratulations, Chairman Guenther.

195. 1:07:08

     Representative Meeks and Representative DeLoach.

196. 1:07:16

     Okay, let's see. That Darien area, McIntosh and kind of around Jessup. Yeah. Gentleman recognized.

197. 1:07:25

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ladies and gentlemen, we have today, uh, Wayne County, uh, Chamber of Commerce's Youth Leadership Group, uh, up here in the chamber today. Wanna say, uh, welcome to the chamber, and, uh, their fearless leader, the mayor of small, number one small town in USA, Jason Weaver, thank you for being here. Uh, and Representative Bell, I understand one of the, uh, students in that group has, uh, a, an issue with you and a piece of legislation you have on chicken wings. So if you're around, they're gonna find you. But, uh, welcome to the chamber today. Thank you.

198. 1:07:55

     Th- and yield the will, Mr. Speaker.

199. 1:07:59

     Thanks to Leadership Wayne. Mayor, good to see you. Appreciate you and what you're doing. Representative Santos, did your folks, have your folks arrived?

200. 1:08:14

     Well, let's give them one more minute. I've got something I can do, and we'll give you one more minute and then we'll, you have to proceed with it then. We'll, we'll have completed morning orders.

201. 1:08:25

     They're here.

202. 1:08:26

     Oh, they're here? Well, come on down then. The lady's gonna be recognized, and she has some friends gonna come with her, I believe.

203. 1:08:35

     Representative Santos is recognized to recognize some folks in the gallery. Lady's recognized.

204. 1:08:42

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This morning we gather here, Henry County delegation, to welcome the very em- very beautiful geranium city, the City of McDonough. Could you please stand?

205. 1:08:59

     Nice. All right.

206. 1:09:02

     The City of McDonough goes back to 1823, and we're located south of Atlanta, about 30 miles south, and we just wanna welcome you to the house. This is your house, and we thank you, and we appreciate, uh, Mayor Kamali Varner. I don't think she's up there with you, but she might be in the Senate. But we welcome you all. Thank you. We have the, uh, officers here for the City of McDonough as well, and we appreciate your service to the City of McDonough and beyond.

207. 1:09:34

     Thank you.

208. 1:09:38

     Thank you for those, our good friends from McDonough. Fast-growing part of our state.

209. 1:09:46

     Completes our morning orders. We do have a invite resolution. I'm gonna invite Representative Terry Cummings to join me

210. 1:09:59

     and Sonic Edge. Terry.

211. 1:10:40

     All right, members, get your attention please.

212. 1:10:44

     Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption of House Reso- Resolution 1137? 1137. Members, give the clerk your attention, and then we'll recognize Representative Cummings to speak to the resolution. Mr. Clerk.

213. 1:10:57

     House Resolution 1137 by Representative Cummings of the 39th, Parsons of the 44th, Williams of the 37th, Adesanya of the thir- 43rd, Campbell of the 35th and others. A resolution congratulating Sonic Edge of Pebblebrook High School for winning the 2025 International Championship of High School A Capella, and for other purposes.

214. 1:11:23

     Yeah, I'm, I'm excited to hear about this. What an accomplishment. Um, we also have Representative Campbell as a part of representing this folk- these folks. So at this point in time, we're gonna turn it over to, um, Representative Cummings and let her, let her tell us a little bit about this great honor and this, um, great talent. Lady's recognized.

215. 1:11:47

     Good morning, everyone. Thank you. Is indeed an honor this morning to bring this group to you. I was reading the newspaper and I saw a clip about a high school group called Sonic Edge winning an acapella national competition twice in a row. So when I saw that they went to the high school in my district, I really had to get them down here. Um, these students are a part of the Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts at Pebblebrook High School.

216. 1:12:20

     So they represent all sectors of Cobb County. There are five students here with me today, but there are 17 students in Cobb County that are a part of this group. I have with me today Elise Lloyd, who also won for best soloist.

217. 1:12:37

     Raise your hand. I'm gonna call you.

218. 1:12:43

     Ms. Elena Higgins.

219. 1:12:49

     Gabriela Umanzor-Silva.

220. 1:12:55

     Christopher Hendrix.

221. 1:12:59

     And Matthew McKenna.

222. 1:13:04

     If you've ever seen the movie Pitch Perfect, picture, um, this with high school kids. These kids have only, this group has only been in existence for four years. And I'm going to let the directors, um, talk to you a, a little bit about the group. But Dr., um, Dana Giles, who is with us today, she's the principal, she saw a need to bring in another aspect of the performing arts, and she's the reason why we have this wonderful group of very talented students with us today.

223. 1:13:38

     Again, they won the national, the International Championship of High School Acapella Competition 2024 and 2025.

224. 1:13:48

     Wow.

225. 1:13:49

     That's right.

226. 1:13:56

     Hi, my name is Trey Giddens, and I am the proud director of Sonic Edge Acapella. On behalf of Pebblebrook High School, our principal, Dr. Dana Giles, and our magnet director, Mr. Robert Connor, I wanna thank you so much for recognizing the efforts and the accomplishments of our students. Sonic Edge Acapella is a group that's in its, uh, fourth year of existence but our third year of being a competition group. And in the first two years, they won both rounds of competition for the International Championship of High School Acapella, uh, beating out over 3,000 other students from all across the nation and traveling to New York.

227. 1:14:28

     We were, uh, blessed and privileged enough to just get back this weekend from starting this year's competition cycle, where we traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee to compete in this year's competition for the International Championship of High School Acapella. And we are proud to say that Elise, once again, won best soloist, and they won, uh, quarterfinal champions. So we will be heading back out on the road next month to Durham, North Carolina, to compete for the semifinals. So keep your fingers crossed, and thank you again so much for recognizing our students and all the efforts, excuse me, that they put in every single day.

228. 1:14:59

     Thank you so much.

229. 1:15:04

     Congratulations. I know this didn't happen, y'all all very beautiful and very handsome, but I su- suspect you have some, a lot of talent as well. So congratulations for your hard work, and Mr. Director, for helping develop that talent. But what a great honor. Hey, we know Georgia's the best place to live, work, and raise a family, don't we? But we have the best, some of the best talent. We recognized some others today in anywhere in the world, international. That's pretty strong. Thank y'all. Good luck to you in '26. '24, '25, '26.

230. 1:15:34

     That's right.

231. 1:15:34

     I can feel a three-peat coming on, y'all.

232. 1:15:40

     Members, we're gonna take a photo up here or two, and then if you would like to join, um, join them in the, in any room and get a photo and congratulate them, that'd be perfect. Thank you.

233. 1:15:56

     Other members of the Cobb delegation, if you wanna hang around, we'll get you in the photo as well.

234. 1:17:38

     Members, my favorite part of the Jackson family, I'll just have to be honest about it.

235. 1:17:45

     Former Representative Camille Jackson, Camille Hobson Jackson, we're so glad to have her back.

236. 1:17:50

     Thank you.

237. 1:17:50

     Uh, she's a, a dear friend and, uh, mother to two wonderful boys, I think.

238. 1:17:55

     Three.

239. 1:17:55

     Three wonderful boys. Are they here?

240. 1:17:58

     No, no.

241. 1:17:58

     They're not here. They're working.

242. 1:17:59

     They... Yes.

243. 1:18:00

     So-

244. 1:18:00

     As they should be.

245. 1:18:01

     Absolutely. Y'all help me w-

246. 1:18:03

     And four girls. And four girls too.

247. 1:18:05

     And four girls. We don't leave those out. Um, y'all join me in welcoming her back here to the people's house. She was a great member of this house.

248. 1:19:09

     Thank you all. Thank you.

249. 1:19:10

     Members, thank you for your participation this morning and your attention to folks that are here visiting us from all over the state. We appreciate your patience and your attention. We'll move on now to the rules calendar.

250. 1:19:35

     Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption to House Bill 1215, 1215?

251. 1:19:44

     House Bill 1215 by Representative Parrish of the 158th and others to be entitled An Act to Amend Code Section 15-6-2 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to the number of judges of superior courts so as to provide for a third judge of the superior courts of the Middle Judicial Circuit. This bill having been referred to the Committee on Judiciary, that committee recommends that this bill do pass.

252. 1:20:08

     Chairman Butch Parrish from Emmanuel, Candler, Bullock-

253. 1:20:13

     Trutlen

254. 1:20:14

     ... Trutlen. Come on down and tend to business. The gentleman is recognized to present House Bill 1215.

255. 1:20:24

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ladies and gentlemen of the House, uh, this bill simply appoints or, uh, makes a third judge available to the, uh, Middle Judicial Circuit. Uh, this, this was recommended by the Judicial Council. The governor has placed the money in the budget for this additional judge, and I would ask you to, uh, vote yes on this with me so that we could add this additional judge to help with the increased workload that they have down in the Middle Judicial Circuit.

256. 1:20:55

     Mr. Speaker, if there are any questions, I'll be happy to answer them. If not, I'd ask for favorable consideration.

257. 1:21:03

     The gentleman has no questions.

258. 1:21:10

     Yes.

259. 1:21:10

     And there's no questions, no speakers. Is there any objection to the previous question being ordered? Hearing none, the previous question is ordered. Is there any objection to agreeing to the report of the committee, which was favorable to the passage of the bill? Hearing none, the report of the committee is agreed to. Shall this bill now pass? All in favor of the passage of the bill will vote yes. All those opposed will vote no. And Mr. Clerk, will you unlock the machine?

260. 1:22:25

     Have all members voted?

261. 1:22:27

     They were.

262. 1:22:28

     All members voted? If so, Mr. Clerk, will you lock the machine? On the passage of House Bill 1215, the yays are 166, the nays are 0. This bill, having received the requisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed.

263. 1:22:54

     Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption to House Bill 957, 957.

264. 1:23:00

     House Bill 957 by Representative Clifton of the 131st and others to be entitled An Act to Amend Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to motor vehicles and traffic so as to provide for the operation of miniature on-road vehicles on certain highways. This bill having been referred to the Committee on Motor Vehicles, that committee recommends that this bill do pass.

265. 1:23:35

     Representative Rob Clifton from over in Columbia County and some other parts is recognized to present House Bill 957. Representative Clifton.

266. 1:23:45

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Uh, ladies and gentlemen, I'll be quick. Uh, this is the mini truck bill. It's the exact same bill we passed out of the House last year. Um, hoping to get it a little bit further along this year. So, um, I'll be real quick about the bill. We are adding mini trucks and allowing them to be driven on county and city roads. Um, the vehicles have to be older than 25 years old. This is very similar to what we did with side-by-sides, um, a couple, few years back. Um, we're just adding, we're creating a definition for mini truck and adding that word, um, into the section.

267. 1:24:21

     Mr. Speaker, with that, I will yield for questions.

268. 1:24:35

     Gentleman has a couple of questions. Uh, Park Whip. Whip Park. I'll get that right. Has a question. You can either one, either way you wanna go with that. There we go. The gentleman's recognized for a question.

269. 1:24:47

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the gentleman yield?

270. 1:24:49

     Yes.

271. 1:24:49

     Uh, so I had two questions. Um, first, on line 19, the definition of a miniature on-road vehicle states that these are imported vehicles. Are any of these miniature trucks domestically manufactured?

272. 1:25:02

     So domestic manufacturers would have to re- meet the federal guidelines, um, and therefore they would not apply to this bill. They would already be allowed to be driven.

273. 1:25:10

     So, so this would just permit foreign imported vehicles on our county and local roads?

274. 1:25:15

     That's correct.

275. 1:25:16

     Do you know how many manufacturers this would potentially benefit, foreign manufacturers this potentially, potentially benefit?

276. 1:25:22

     I do not. I know there's a lot of these vehicles already over here because people are bringing them over and using them for personal use. So we're just allowing individuals to be able to use them on county and city roads.

277. 1:25:31

     Does the gentleman yield for one more question?

278. 1:25:32

     Yes.

279. 1:25:33

     Uh, with respect to, um, the local control aspect, um, uh, you know, I know the bill allows for cities and counties to opt out, but does it require any sort of affirmative action from local governments in order to opt out? Does it require any additional funds or expenditures, uh, for a city or a county to say, "We don't want these on our, on our streets"?

280. 1:25:56

     Um, so as far as local control, if cities do not want these on their city and county roads, then they can, um, enforce that and, um, get that message out there however they deem fit.

281. 1:26:08

     Thank you.

282. 1:26:09

     Yes, sir.

283. 1:26:13

     Representative Chas Cannon to your right is recognized for a question.

284. 1:26:17

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the gentleman yield?

285. 1:26:19

     Yes, I do.

286. 1:26:19

     If I were to have one of these, uh, mini trucks on private property, could I use it to shoot feral hogs with?

287. 1:26:26

     Uh, if we can get this bill passed and the governor will sign it, absolutely. Yes, sir, we can.

288. 1:26:30

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

289. 1:26:36

     Leader Efstration is recognized for a question.

290. 1:26:39

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the gentleman yield?

291. 1:26:41

     Yes, sir.

292. 1:26:42

     Representative, uh, what are the differences in this legislation compared to the mini truck legislation that this House has passed overwhelmingly what seems like several years in a row?

293. 1:26:56

     The only difference between this bill and last year's bill is the date. We changed, uh, 2025 of last year to 2026 this year for when it will go into effect. There's nothing else that has been changed.

294. 1:27:07

     No other change from when this House has previously passed this same language, it sounds like, repeatedly over the past few years-

295. 1:27:13

     That's-

296. 1:27:14

     ... as I recall.

297. 1:27:14

     That's correct.

298. 1:27:15

     And, uh, do you yield for one other question?

299. 1:27:17

     Yes, sir.

300. 1:27:18

     You, uh, referenced that this follows the, um, side-by-side structure in that it's local roads, speed restriction. Um, is that framework consistent with how local governments would deal with types of vehicles like these as prepar- as proposed in this legislation? In other words, with respect to how we've treated similar vehicles, does your bill follow that framework?

301. 1:27:45

     Yes, sir. Absolutely.

302. 1:27:47

     Thank you.

303. 1:27:52

     Representative Jasmine Clark to your left is recognized for a question.

304. 1:27:58

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the gentleman yield?

305. 1:28:00

     Yes.

306. 1:28:01

     Um, can you explain just, I'm very curious about why they need to have been manufactured for 25 years. So these are quite old by the time they're allowed to be on our roads. Is that correct?

307. 1:28:16

     Yes, it is. Federal guidelines requires any, um, automobile, um, within, earlier or outside of this timeframe to meet federal guidelines, and therefore that is not something we are trying to overrule at this point.

308. 1:28:28

     So this brings parity with federal guidelines?

309. 1:28:34

     I, I believe so.

310. 1:28:35

     All right. Thank you.

311. 1:28:38

     Representative Gamble up center aisle is recognized for a question.

312. 1:28:43

     Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the gentleman yield?

313. 1:28:45

     Yes, sir.

314. 1:28:46

     Uh, is it not true that you and I have had extensive conversations about this legislation and, and why we need this clarity, and that, um, I have a lot of constituents who have talked to me about how important this is, and I'm looking forward to, uh, voting in support of this legislation?

315. 1:29:02

     Yes, sir. I appreciate it, and I will add, you would be very surprised to see the amount of emails I have gotten on this bill with support asking, um, me to run it, get it all the way through. Um, there's a lot of support behind these vehicles that people are very unaware of. Thank you.

316. 1:29:17

     Sounds like you got two votes anyway. Let's see. Uh, Chairman Gullett is recognized for the final question.

317. 1:29:24

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Gentleman yield?

318. 1:29:26

     Yes, sir.

319. 1:29:26

     Doesn't this just really set clear minimum requirements for these vehicles to be used on roads safely?

320. 1:29:31

     Absolutely.

321. 1:29:32

     Thank you so much.

322. 1:29:33

     Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I will yield the well and ask for your fisal- favorable consideration.

323. 1:29:40

     The gentleman has yielded the well. We have no further discussion on the bill. Is there any objection to the previous question being ordered? Hearing none, the previous question is ordered. Is there any objection to agreeing to the report of the committee, which was favorable to the, to the passage of the bill? Hearing none, the report of the committee is agreed to. Shall this bill now pass? All in favor of the passage of the bill will vote yes. All those opposed will vote no. And Mr. Clerk, will you unlock the machine.

324. 1:30:28

     For what purpose does Chairman Thomas rise?

325. 1:30:32

     Parliamentary inquiry.

326. 1:30:34

     State your inquiry.

327. 1:30:35

     Is it not true that I was the only member of this body to vote against this bill last year, but I am voting for it this year?

328. 1:30:42

     Well, I think a lot of, lot of other people changed their mind, too, I guess. Well, you've seen the light, I can tell, so I'm glad you were educated. That's what we do here. When we disagree with each other, we, um, we educate those members. For what purpose does Representative Whit Burchett rise?

329. 1:31:02

     Parliamentary inquiry.

330. 1:31:03

     State your inquiry.

331. 1:31:04

     Is it not true that the bill allows for local control by allowing for the city or county to prohibit by ordinance or resolution these mini trucks? Is that not true, Mr. Speaker?

332. 1:31:14

     Sounds like you've read the bill.

333. 1:31:19

     No further questions. Have all members voted? All members voted. If so, Mr. Clerk, will you lock the machine. On the passage of House Bill 957, the yays are 162, the nays are five. This bill, having received the requisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed.

334. 1:31:44

     Boy, y'all, I have a great honor. I got the Boykins up here with me. We're gonna take a photo soon as we call this next bill. Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption to House Bill 676? 676.

335. 1:32:00

     House Bill 676 by Representative Clifton of the 131st and others to be entitled an act to amend Part 3 of Article 8 of Chapter 14 in Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to mechanics and materialmen relative to liens so as to provide for a fine for any frivolous mechanic lien filed. This bill had been referred to the Committee on Judiciary. That committee recommends that this bill do pass.

336. 1:33:02

     Representative Rob Clifton is recognized to present another bill. There's a reason you're kind of doing these things today, isn't it?

337. 1:33:08

     Yes, sir. And if I could take a moment, I wanna thank you and leadership for allowing me to run these bills today. My wife, uh, started contractions yesterday, so, um, this baby is coming sooner than later. So I'm gonna try to get all this done, and, uh, I appreciate you and your leadership, sir.

338. 1:33:24

     You have 30 seconds to be done with your bill. You need to get home.

339. 1:33:31

     The gentleman's recognized.

340. 1:33:33

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Um, today I have House Bill 676. Um, this is a frivolous lien bill. So the law and the code is very specific on what you need to do o- in order to have lien rights. Uh, unfortunately, in today's day and age, uh, filing a lien on a property has been co- become a tactic for, um, entities that may not have rights to bully their way into getting what they want. All we are doing here is adding a penalty so that if someone does, uh, file a frivolous lien, uh, the penalty would be $1,500 in addition to attorney's fees and court fees.

341. 1:34:12

     Uh, with that, Mr. Speaker, I will yield for questions.

342. 1:34:15

     You did pretty good. Let's see how you do with the questions. Rep- Representative Flournoy, to your left, is recognized for a question.

343. 1:34:25

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the gentleman yield?

344. 1:34:26

     Yes.

345. 1:34:28

     So as a former, uh, commercial and residential title examiner, um, will this bill not only be beneficial to clearing title, but also, uh, prevent from hindering those who are trying to purchase homes from getting homes?

346. 1:34:42

     Absolutely.

347. 1:34:43

     Thank you for the bill.

348. 1:34:45

     The gentleman has no further questions.

349. 1:34:47

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Oh, my goodness. I, I've got baby brain. I blame it on my wife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I ask for your favorable consideration.

350. 1:34:55

     We know where you need to be. Go take care of Mama and all, all those other children and your baby. Boy or girl?

351. 1:35:02

     We got one of each, and it's a surprise.

352. 1:35:04

     All right. Congratulations to you. We wish you all the best. Let's say a prayer for he and his family and that new child, if you will.

353. 1:35:18

     Is there any objection to the previous question being ordered? Hearing none, the previous question is ordered. Is there any objection to agreeing to the report of the committee, which was favorable to the passage of the bill? Hearing none, the report of the committee is agreed to. Shall this bill now pass? All in favor of the passage of the bill will vote yes. Those opposed will vote no. Mr. Clerk, will you unlock the machine?

354. 1:35:43

     What's next?

355. 1:36:20

     Have all members voted? All members voted.

356. 1:36:29

     All members voted. If so, Mr. Clerk, will you lock the machine? On the passage of House Bill 676, the yays are 165, the nays are zero. This bill having received the requisite, requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed. Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption to House Bill 657, 657.

357. 1:36:56

     House Bill 657 by Representative Hagan of the 156th and others to be entitled an act to amend Title 37 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to mental health so as to provide for the qualifications of recovery community organizations for substance use. This bill had been referred to the Committee on Public and Community Health. That committee recommends that this bill do pass.

358. 1:37:33

     Charlice Hagan from Lyons, Georgia is recognized to present the bill. Not to be confused with Vidalia. It's its own set of folks down there in Lyons. You're recognized.

359. 1:37:45

     Absolutely correct, Mr. Speaker, and thank you very much. And I don't know if y'all noticed how high this mic was after Rob Clifton was up here. He is very tall. Um, um, members, colleagues, and friends, uh, we know that substance addiction is an epidemic in Georgia and in the whole United States. But also in Georgia, we know that there is Hope for many because the recovery community in Georgia is so strong.

360. 1:38:15

     Um, House Bill 657 provides consistency of care and quality of support for a person or family in substance abuse recovery by defining certified peer specialists and laying out requirements for recovery community organizations. And I don't know if y'all knew this, but Georgia has the second largest number of RCOs in the nation, um, only behind Texas. And the beauty of our recovery community organizations is their uniqueness.

361. 1:38:50

     In some states, they have such strict guidelines on the RCOs that they all are the same. But in Georgia, ours are unique, and that is important because a person who is, especially newly in recovery and seeking help, they need to go somewhere where they feel comfortable. So our RCOs are known to be very specific to their community so that they can be as supportive and welcoming to people who need their help as possible. So, um, all of the RCOs in Georgia are supportive of this legislation.

362. 1:39:24

     Um, it is not a department bill, but I have spoken with Commissioner Tanner of DBHDD, and he's also supportive of this language. It provides quality and consistency, but it also allows for our RCOs to maintain their individuality. So Mr. Speaker, that is the bill.

363. 1:39:47

     Lady has no questions. Good job. Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members. I ask for your favorable consideration. I yield the floor. We do have a member who signed up to speak in favor of the bill. Representative Park Cannon is recognized to speak to the bill. Give the lady your attention as she enters. Will. Representative Cannon is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Hi, members. I'm here excited about this bill. I think there's been a lot of thought and discussion with the community about this bill, which is really great. And particularly, I'm interested because this could provide improved support for pregnant and postpartum people with substance use disorders.

364. 1:40:28

     This can help create more clear standards for RCOs and certified peer specialists who really do the behind-the-scenes work of helping ensure that pregnant and postpartum families receive consistent support at various times of the day and night, individualized support, and most importantly, evidence-based support that is culturally sensitive. You know, often families go through different treatments after having a baby and are sometimes considered more eligible to relapse.

365. 1:41:07

     After they've had a baby, their risk of relapsing and overdosing is actually higher than even when they were pregnant. And so anything our state can do for better coordination and continuity of care is a great thing to do for our maternal and infant health outcomes. Secondly, I'm excited about us recognizing that medication-assisted treatment and harm reduction approaches work when you put them together, when you explicitly recognize that there are multiple pathways to recovery, which can be medication, but a lot of times is harm reduction.

366. 1:41:46

     And this bill really looks at some of the best practices around harm reduction. Many medical organizations consider Medicaid medication-assisted treatment as the standard of care, um, and that's typically the standard of care for pregnant patients with opioid use with a disorder in this way because it reduces their risk of overdose. However, it's only best practice when it's accompanied with harm reduction, which means that maybe somebody is using again, and maybe they won't get in trouble for using again.

367. 1:42:24

     And so not just having this almost abstinence-only minded perspective, but truly a harm reduction mindset helps encourage people get the care that they need in the postpartum period. I'm excited about the greater consistency and quality control that peer support service organizations have been working on. I think requiring a certification through DPH is a good idea. It does create training and professional standards that maternal health advocates have seen be really important to have, just simply standardizing training, standardizing some of the social needs and the way that we talk about them, help people with perinatal depression, help people with birth trauma that they've experienced, and decrease their use for risk for substance use.

368. 1:43:20

     Lastly, I just want to thank everybody who worked on this because it's better when we have a stronger statewide coordination of our recur- recovery resources. And hopefully, we will have funding at some point, and that funding could help create more programs and reduce some of the service gaps that even LGBTQ Georgians have spoken to seeing. And for folks in rural districts, this is important for your districts, most importantly, who have low levels of obstetric providers or are considered what March of Dimes would say to be in a maternal, uh, care desert and would allow for some of those underserved families to get the maternal recovery resources they need.

369. 1:44:13

     I encourage everybody to go to support.org and to sign up so that you start to get some more information about this. And thank you. I yield the floor.

370. 1:44:23

     Lady's yielded the well. She had a question, but that question is also...

371. 1:44:30

     It's not going to be asked, so we'll move forward. That completes the, uh, discu- the presentation and discussion on House Bill 657. Is there any objection to the previous question being ordered? Hearing none, the previous question is ordered. Is there any objection to agreeing to the report of the committee, which was favorable to the passage of the bill? Hearing none, the report of the committee is agreed to. Shall this bill now pass? All in favor of the passage of the bill will vote yes. All those opposed, no. And Mr. Clerk will unlock the machine.

372. 1:45:31

     For what purpose does Chair Lady Camp rise?

373. 1:45:33

     Parliamentary inquiry.

374. 1:45:34

     State your inquiry.

375. 1:45:35

     Mr. Speaker, isn't it true that when individuals in recovery have the opportu- opportunity and option to work with peer counselors, their rate of recovery is higher because they're dealing with individuals who are actually, have they've been where they've been. And I appreciate this bill for my community because we have a wonderful peer-to-peer recovery community organization, and they're, have success stories every day. Thank you.

376. 1:46:02

     Thank you for making us aware of that. For what purpose does Represent- Representative Barnes rise?

377. 1:46:07

     Parliamentary inquiry.

378. 1:46:09

     State your inquiry.

379. 1:46:10

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is it not true that this bill will also, uh, bring services to our youth who are in recovery as well?

380. 1:46:20

     Thank you for making that point. I think I agree with you as well. That completes, uh, our discussion. Is... And I think we've all voted. So have all members so voted? If so, Mr. Clerk, will you lock the machine? On the passage of House Bill 657, the yays are 167, the nays are two. This bill having received the requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed. Congratulations. Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption to House Bill 632?

381. 1:46:53

     Six three two.

382. 1:46:54

     House Bill 632 by Representative Bonner of the 73rd and others, to be entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 12 of Title 43 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to disabled veterans and blind persons engaging in peddling, operating businesses or practicing professions so as to clarify certain veterans' eligibility for exemptions. This bill has been referred to the Committee on Regulated Industries. That committee recommends that this bill do pass.

383. 1:47:21

     I like clarifying. Chairman Bonner is recognized to present House Bill 632.

384. 1:47:29

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. House Bill 632 simply clarifies an existing benefit for our disabled veterans, uh, that makes them exempt from the payment of occupational taxes. This bill updates eligible dates of service consistent with federal code and establishes a formal process through the Georgia Department of Veterans Services, uh, for this. Again, this simply clarifies an existing benefit due our disabled veterans in Georgia. Uh, with that, Mr. Speaker, I'll be happy to take any questions.

385. 1:47:59

     Uh, to your left up front, Whip Park is recognized for a question.

386. 1:48:02

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Uh, to the gentleman, thank you for the bill. Does, do you yield?

387. 1:48:06

     I do.

388. 1:48:06

     On line 55, it increases the physical disability rating from 25 to 30. Is there anybody currently receiving the exemption that would lose it by this change?

389. 1:48:18

     No, uh, because the, uh, the VA awards these, uh, credits in multiples of 10. So if someone has a 25, uh, percent disability, it's basically rounded up to 30.

390. 1:48:29

     Thank you.

391. 1:48:32

     Representative Car- Carmen Rice, to your left.

392. 1:48:35

     Thank you, Mr. Sp-

393. 1:48:35

     To your left. Lady's recognized.

394. 1:48:37

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the gentleman yield?

395. 1:48:39

     I do.

396. 1:48:41

     Is it not true that House Bill 632 helps disabled bil- veterans build stable lives, making it easier for them to work and start small businesses?

397. 1:48:50

     Absolutely. Well said. Thank you.

398. 1:48:53

     The gentleman has no further questions.

399. 1:48:56

     All right. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I yield the well and ask for your favorable consideration.

400. 1:49:00

     The gentleman has yielded the well. Is there any objection to the previous question being ordered? Hearing none, the previous question is ordered. Is there any objection to agreeing to the report of the committee, which was favorable, favorable to the passage of the bill? Hearing none, the report of the committee is agreed to. Shall this bill now pass? All in favor of the passage of the bill will vote yes. All those opposed will vote no. And Mr. Clerk will unlock the machine.

401. 1:49:58

     Have all members voted? All members voted. If so, Mr. Clerk, will you lock the machine? On the passage of House Bill 632, the yays are 169, the nays are zero. This bill, having received the requisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed. Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption to Senate Bill 162? 162.

402. 1:50:27

     Senate Bill 162 by Senators Hofstetter to the 52nd and others to be entitled an Act to amend Article 1 of Chapter 34, Title 43 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to Georgia Composite Medical Board so as to provide for the board to implement an automated credentialing system for healthcare providers in this state. This bill having been referred to the Committee on Public and Community Health, that committee recommends this bill do pass by committee substitute.

403. 1:50:56

     Chair Lady Cooper is recognized to present Sen- Senate Bill 162. The lady's recognized.

404. 1:51:04

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Uh, ladies and gentlemen of the House, uh, I think there's not one single person in this chamber that doesn't reali- does not realize how short of doctors-

405. 1:51:13

     Lady will suspend for a moment.

406. 1:51:19

     Please continue.

407. 1:51:20

     Thank you. I think everybody in this chamber realizes how short of doctors we are, and one of the problems we have is when we find a young doctor that wants to come or a doctor from another state, they have to find, get a license in this state. Then they have to get credentialed at a hospital or wherever they're going to work. And then if they want to, uh, have Medicaid, they have to be credentialed by the federal government. All of this takes time. So what this bill does, as of January the 1st, 2027, it instructs the board to update its data management system, and we would have a one process, not for the federal part for Medicaid, but at least for getting a doctor his license and credentialing for other hospitals.

408. 1:52:06

     It would allow the board to collect all that data as it is licensing the physician, and it would also know what the hospitals wanted for credentialing. And if they had a special thing that they wanted at a special hospital, then they could add that, too. And the board would look at that and be able to give the doctor his license quicker and his credentialing quicker. And that would be a major concern, uh, thing, major positive things for Georgia going forth and getting more physicians and getting them to where they can practice more quickly.

409. 1:52:41

     If there are any questions, I'll be glad to yield. Well, if not, I'll ask for your favorable vote.

410. 1:52:45

     Leader Hugley, to your left, right in front, has a question. Lady's recognized.

411. 1:52:50

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the gentlelady yield?

412. 1:52:53

     I will.

413. 1:52:54

     Um, can you tell us the estimated time of going to this new system, how fast doctors would be able to get their license? I mean, how much time are we saving? I appreciate the bill because it is-

414. 1:53:07

     Okay. Oh, I-

415. 1:53:07

     ... taking too long right now.

416. 1:53:09

     Thank you. That is on an individual basis 'cause we have to rely on the physicians to get their, when they first come, to get their school creden- credentials and where they graduated from medical school and where they did their residency, and a lot of it has to do with how fast that comes in. But usually, that's not the holdup. The other thing this does is once all that information is in place, let's say the information arrived on the 3rd of February and the board hadn't met on w- on the 1st of February, this would allow the executive director of the board to go ahead and give temporary license and let them start working until the board could meet to confirm that, if everything was in and everything met the standard.

417. 1:53:52

     So there's no way to tell, but it can take months now for us to get a doctor credentialed. Mr. Chair?

418. 1:53:59

     Uh, lady, yield for another question. Representative Cameron, Representative Mike Cameron to your right.

419. 1:54:05

     I will, sir.

420. 1:54:06

     Oh, s-

421. 1:54:06

     Does the gentlelady yield?

422. 1:54:08

     I ...

423. 1:54:08

     Will this have any effect on, uh, after a doctor's credentialed for a hospital, like getting credentialing for a, a health insurance company? As I come out of that, that, uh, area and, uh, it takes sometimes a long time for physicians to get, uh, credentialed.

424. 1:54:23

     It should help, but that depends on the health insurance company. But it definitely will on placing them in hospitals, and I hope that they would use the same information because it will be compiled in one place.

425. 1:54:36

     Lady has one more question. Representative Reese, on your left in the back.

426. 1:54:40

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the lady yield?

427. 1:54:42

     Yes, I will.

428. 1:54:43

     Isn't it true that this bill will help us get doctors through the process faster, hopefully helping some of our rural areas where we are in desperate need of healthcare providers?

429. 1:54:53

     It certainly will. It's even helping, and I will tell you that, uh, our medical school came up with helping us think about doing this because they were having to get people that had residency credentialed at different hospitals, and that was causing a backup of our kids in residency being able to go through their rotations. And they, one of the doctors up in Athens came up with this, one of the faculty, and we are sort of mirroring that. So thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will yield the well now and ask for your favorable consideration of the Senate Bill 162.

430. 1:55:29

     The lady has yielded the well. Is there any objection to the previous question being ordered? Hearing none, the previous question is ordered. Is there any objection to adopting the committee substitute? Hearing none, the committee substitute is adopted. Is there any objection agreeing to the report of the committee, which was favorable to the passage of the bill? Hearing none, the report of the committee is agreed to. Shall this bill now pass? All in favor of the passage of the bill will vote yes. All those opposed will vote no. And Mr.

431. 1:55:59

     Clerk will unlock the machine.

432. 1:56:33

     Have, have all member, have all members voted?

433. 1:56:45

     All members voted. If so,

434. 1:56:51

     Mr. Clerk, will you lock the machine? On the passage of Senate Bill 162, the yeas are 167, the nays are 0. This bill having received the requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed.

435. 1:57:20

     We're moving on to afternoon orders. We're gonna recognize first for afternoon orders. You'll have a maximum, max of two minutes, max. See if you can beat it. Chair Lady Camp, you're recognized. Representative Ali, you're on deck. Then it'll be Chair Mathiak.

436. 1:57:44

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members of the House. Bullying and dehu- dehumanizing rhetoric have no place in this chamber, our state, or in this country. As elected officials, we are tasked the duty of doing the people's business and representing those who entrusted us with their votes. Disagreement is expected, but intimidation and dehumanization are not. When individuals are mo- labeled or treated less than human, it does real harm. It silences voices, erodes trust, and weakens our institutions.

437. 1:58:15

     Words matter, especially rhetoric used by those entrusted with public authority. Civility is not weakness. It is leadership and it requires discipline, restraint, respect, even in moments of disagreement. The tone we set here shapes the discourse in our communities and the conduct we are willing to tolerate. If we want a stronger Georgia and a stronger democracy, we must reject bullying in all of its forms and commit ourselves to civil, respectful discourse. Thank you.

438. 1:58:43

     Lady has presented her afternoon order. Representative Ali.

439. 1:58:55

     He won't, he'll be in in a few minutes, I guess.

440. 1:58:59

     Yeah, he's gonna be.

441. 1:58:59

     Okay, he's coming up now. The gentleman's recognized. Chair Mathiak, you're next.

442. 1:59:09

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members of this house. As is the time-honored tradition that has been started by my predecessor, I want to direct your attention to the screen where we have, uh, a child that is up for adoption. As you all know, the foster care system is very near and dear to my heart, as is many people in this room. Uh, this, this son of, uh, Georgia is up for adoption, and one of the things that we can make a difference through more than just legislation is to show folks family and to show folks human connection and to show folks community.

443. 1:59:42

     And so, once again, it always is through d- itismyturnnow.dhs.georgia.gov. Thank you so much for the opportunity.

444. 1:59:53

     Thank you, Representative. Chair Lady Mathiak, Chairman Powell, and Representative, Representative Wilkerson, you're on deck.

445. 2:00:01

     Can I bring a friend with me?

446. 2:00:03

     If you have one, you can bring them. She has a friend. She's gonna bring you along. Ladies recognized.

447. 2:00:08

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. T- this a- or the, this morning, um, Representative LaHood and I would like to remind you that tonight is, um, a little reception for seniors, and everybody's in, invited at the Painted Park on Highland Avenue tonight at 5:00. But I also wanted to remind you that Wednesday, our seniors from all over the state will be here, and I invite you to visit with them on Wednesday as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

448. 2:00:40

     Thank you very much. Chairman Powell, Representative Wilkerson. Gentlemen are recognized.

449. 2:00:50

     Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the House. Today, Representative Wilkerson and I are bringing to you a piece of bipartisan legislation. In the early '90s, the state, uh, the current, that law that we elected state school su- uh, our local school superintendents, but local governments could have an appointed superintendent. That changed in '94, and it went into effect of all appointed. What we brought to you today is because a lot of the constituents have talked to us about the desires to elect a superintendent, those people who are directly responsible for spending so much of the local monies to education and setting education policy.

450. 2:01:28

     So what we're proposing in this today would be that a constitutional amendment to allow by local legislation and referendum for those counties that wanna have a, an elected school superintendent, that they can do so.

451. 2:01:44

     Now, this would be an option. It would not be mandatory. You would keep your current process in place, and if you decide to do it in the local community, you could. So it's giving an option to the local communities that would love to see them electing their superintendent as it was years ago. So if you're interested, please see Chairman Powell and, and, uh, or myself.

452. 2:02:02

     Thanks. Appreciate it.

453. 2:02:03

     Thanks. Thank you. Love you.

454. 2:02:06

     Strong team right there.

455. 2:02:13

     We have one more afternoon order. Representative Park Cannon. Lady's recognized for afternoon order. Give the lady your attention, please.

456. 2:02:22

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today marks one year since the tragic loss of Adrianna Smith. I spoke with her mother again last evening, and she wanted to share with everyone that there will be 10 billboards digitally placed throughout Atlanta, Georgia. So that people don't forget her. She says she thanks everyone for their support. This has been a very hard time for her and her family, and she just wants to say thank you for all the prayers and the messages that she has received.

457. 2:02:57

     She hopes that no one else gets hurt and hopes that there are changes in Georgia laws for this. As you may remember, Adrianna Smith was pregnant, a nurse, and unfortunately suffered, um, an issue in her brain and was not able to regain her consciousness, and she remained pregnant up until, um, 20-something weeks. And, um, Baby Chance, um, was delivered, and Baby Chance is still fighting for his life.

458. 2:03:27

     He's in his second hospital now after many, many surgeries. Um, and their family is still very much grieving. But today, we just think about Adrianna Smith and about her mom, Ms. April Newkirk. I love you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Representative, Representative. That concludes our afternoon orders. Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption to a group of privileged resolutions?

459. 2:03:57

     Honoring the life and memory of Brian Daniel Waters. Commending and congratulating Dr. Ekaterina Mirzakhalova. Recognizing and commending Ms. Stacey Maybre. Recognizing commending Ms. Noella Sargento. Recognizing commending Jason Colbert. Recognizing February 19th, 2026 Alpha Day at the State Capitol.

460. 2:04:28

     Recognizing commending T.E. Moye Jr. Recognizing Eden Pethel. Recognizing the City of McDonough, Georgia, upon its first annual McDonough Day at the State Capitol. Commending Georgia Trauma Professionals, the Georgia Trauma Commission, and the Georgia Trauma Foundation in recognizing February 24th, 2026 as Trauma Awareness Day at the State Capitol. Recognizing the first full week in May as Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week 2026.

461. 2:05:03

     And for other purposes, that completes the reading of the privileged resolutions.

462. 2:05:17

     Is there any objection to adopting the privileged resolutions? Hearing none, the resolutions are adopted. We'll move on to announcements now. Chairman Cheokas. You can slow down. I don't want you to injure yourself or anything like that. Take your time. It's all right. I'm getting ready for the marathon. Um, anyway, tomorrow m- thank you, Mr. Speaker. Tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM, Room 506, uh, Small Business Development will be meeting, and we've got some great presentations, so hope to see you there.

463. 2:05:51

     506, 8:00 AM. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

464. 2:05:58

     Representative Tran. Gentleman's recognized. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Dekalb delegation, we have a meeting today upon adjournment in Room 514. Dekalb delegation meeting in Room five four- 514 upon adjournment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

465. 2:06:24

     Representative Ballard.

466. 2:06:29

     Representative Bethany Ballard is recognized for an announcement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We will have a Curriculum and Academic Achievement Subcommittee meeting today at 1:00 in CLOB 506. Thank you. Chairman Gunther. Gentleman's recognized. Rang the bell. Now he's gonna make an announcement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Uh, we have a Judiciary Committee meeting this afternoon. Currently, it's scheduled at 1:00. I have a, uh, chairman's lunch to go to, so when we get back, or I get back from that, that's when we'll start up.

467. 2:07:07

     1:32, Judiciary, uh, Committee meeting. Thank you.

468. 2:07:28

     Representative Vance Smith is recognized for an announcement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Uh, y'all, I know these may get pushed back, but there's a 1:30 subcommittee meeting of Ways and Means on the Ad Valorem tax. That's at 1:30 in Room 406 CLOB. And then at 2:00, there's a subcommittee meeting of the Natural Resources Committee, the Resource Management Subcommittee. And it's supposed to be at 2:00, but you're gonna pay attention. I think things may get pushed back just a little bit.

469. 2:07:59

     But both of those in the CLOB. 406 for Ways and Means, 415 for Natural Resources. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Representative Smith. I hate to be a party pooper, but we're gonna move all committee meetings back one hour. All committee meetings this afternoon will be moved back one hour, so you can plan accordingly. Same place, but not the same time. One hour later. That completes our announcements. Members.

470. 2:08:38

     So some people don't want to age, so evidently Trey Rhodes does not wanna acknowledge he has a birthday today. So he skipped out on us. So let's all wish Chairman Trey Rhodes a happy birthday when you see him.

471. 2:08:58

     If you have pages, we're gonna take some page photos down front, so I ask you to join me down front. We'll take some page photos.

472. 2:09:11

     The leader of this House, Leader Efstration, is recognized for a motion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that this House stand adjourned until Tuesday, February 10th, 2026 at 10:00 AM. On the motion of the majority leader that this House adjourn, stand adjourned until 10:00 AM tomorrow, Tuesday, Fe- February the 10th, 2026. All those in favor, listen clearly now, will say aye.

473. 2:09:45

     Aye. All opposed, no. No. Y'all were not listening, but the ayes have it. We are adjourned.