Comité Retirement de la Cámara de Representantes, 10 de febrero de 2026

Transcripción

467 turnos. Seleccione un tiempo para reproducir ese momento del video.

1. 0:13:10

   Okay, folks, we're gonna get started real quick in the House Retirement Committee meeting. Thank you, everybody, for being here. Chairman Tarvin, if you'd lead us in an invocation.

2. 0:13:23

   Thank you, Mister. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, we'll get started. We got a good crowd here, and we, not gonna put it in a prayer, but I hope we leave here making everybody on the committee happy, and everybody in the audience happy, and everyone tuning in happy. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time we have together, and we pray, Lord, that you would be with us, and that we'd be mindful of what's pleasing to you, and that you would lead, guide, and direct in decisions we make for the state of Georgia and our people, for which in Christ's name I pray, amen.

3. 0:13:55

   Amen.

4. 0:13:56

   Thank you, Steve. Okay. Um,

5. 0:14:06

   um, we got five bills on the agenda. We're waiting on a certification on one substitute, and I think that's en route. Um, the first one I wanna call up is House Bill 1113, just based on conflicting, uh, committee schedules. Is Representative Barrett here? Yes.

6. 0:14:36

   Is that about this bill or another bill? I hope it's about another bill. The lizard.

7. 0:14:42

   Thank you, Mr. Chairman. No, this is a prop for my next presentation.

8. 0:14:45

   Okay, fair enough.

9. 0:14:46

   Thank you for your, uh...

10. 0:14:48

    Hold on a second. Try it again.

11. 0:14:51

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

12. 0:14:52

    Okay.

13. 0:14:53

    Um, that's a prop for my next presentation. Um-

14. 0:14:55

    Got it

15. 0:14:56

    ... but a- as you'll know, you'll see that prop in my office, and I carry it everywhere I go.

16. 0:15:00

    I understand.

17. 0:15:01

    I have, uh, Mark Peavy from, uh, Tech- Technical College System of Georgia joining us today as well. He can, might be able to add some additional, uh, background color to the, to the bill. But, uh, gentleman and ladies, um, thank y'all for, uh, letting us present today. We're presenting House Bill 1113, um, LC number 560501.

18. 0:15:22

    Mr. Chairman-

19. 0:15:23

    Can we hold on a second? I don't know that we have a copy of that.

20. 0:15:26

    1113.

21. 0:15:31

    Yes.

22. 0:15:34

    One moment.

23. 0:15:34

    We have copies.

24. 0:15:50

    We have two. No, two bills in our packet.

25. 0:15:50

    Yeah, 1113. Thank you.

26. 0:15:50

    Does anybody else have it in their, in their packets?

27. 0:15:52

    Which had the first two bills?

28. 0:15:54

    I believe 72 and 818.

29. 0:15:55

    Yeah. Mm-hmm. How many copies are there of the bills?

30. 0:16:00

    He also wrote the 1020s.

31. 0:16:04

    Okay. We need copies of the bills. We need them fast. Yeah. And Jesse can help you with those as well.

32. 0:16:13

    I very much apologize.

33. 0:16:19

    Are you making copies here, or you getting somebody to print?

34. 0:16:21

    Yeah.

35. 0:16:38

    There should be...

36. 0:16:38

    You do have it?

37. 0:16:42

    Yes.

38. 0:16:42

    Let's just be at ease while we pass out copies of the bill.

39. 0:16:54

    Okay.

40. 0:17:48

    It wasn't simple when I was reading it last night at 2:00 in the morning.

41. 0:17:52

    Speed with the certification and all that.

42. 0:17:54

    Yeah.

43. 0:17:59

    I'm glad they have copies.

44. 0:18:04

    Okay. Do y'all think I can get this signed by, what's his, do y'all think I can get this signed by the chairman?

45. 0:18:12

    I've got to leave.

46. 0:18:14

    Yeah?

47. 0:18:14

    Uh, the-

48. 0:18:15

    He's gotta sign it for me to get it in the rules.

49. 0:18:18

    Okay.

50. 0:18:20

    Certainly.

51. 0:18:20

    Sam knows how to do that.

52. 0:18:24

    You want me to mention that when you're done, you gotta go and, uh, have Sam do it?

53. 0:18:27

    I didn't realize.

54. 0:18:30

    Definitely get that done.

55. 0:18:35

    Okay. I think, uh, the committee has all been handed a copy of House Bill 1113. Appreciate your patience. We, uh... This is one of the bills that was added, I think, Friday afternoon to, to today's agenda. So, um...

56. 0:18:51

    Does everybo- does everybody on the committee have a Hou- a, a copy of HB 1113 now?

57. 0:18:55

    Yes, sir.

58. 0:18:55

    And we're gonna work on the other bills, getting those out. Okay? Do we have a quorum? I, I think we have eight.

59. 0:19:02

    We got a quorum.

60. 0:19:02

    Yeah, we do. Good deal. All right.

61. 0:19:05

    Representative Barrett, apologize for that. Go ahead. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, House Bill 1113, LC56-0501. Um, this is a, a... I'm not about to say it's a simple bill. Um, this bill serves- They all are. This serves as a necessary administrative update to the Georgia Defined Contribution Plan. Uh, the bill simply proposes to amend the Georgia Defined Contribution Plan by excluding part-time students from being considered as employees for the purpose of membership in the plan.

62. 0:19:35

    Currently, uh, full-time students are, are exempt. Uh, and the practice, practically speaking, part-time students are being treated that way as well, but the code actually says something different. So we're just trying to add part-time students into the code to go along with full-time students. And Mark Peevey, uh, from TCSG can probably add additional background if you'd like it. Go ahead, Mark. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, uh, members of the committee. As, as the state is rolling out its Workday implementation, this piece popped up. This is for federal work-study students.

63. 0:20:05

    Um, the code already captures the fact that full-time federal work-study students are, are excluded, um, from needing to be a part of the plan. Um, as we were going through that, uh, and, and as, uh, uh, Representative Barrett mentioned, in practice we already do this, but as we looked at it and we're beginning to roll, uh, the efforts to, to move all of our, uh, employees into, uh, Workday, we realized that the code does not capture, um, part-time students as it does full-time students. So this was the, this was a, a change that we requested as an agency. We're probably the only ones in the state.

64. 0:20:37

    Most of our USG partners don't, uh, have part-time students, but the, the nature of our students, we have lots of part-time students who are in the federal work-study program, and so we needed to update the code to capture, uh, to follow along with the practice that we're doing right now. So that's why we're asking for this bill, so. Thank you, sir. And so just to be clear, we're not talking about pensions at all. We're talking about defined contribution plans, probably either 403, 403(c), or 401. That is correct. And in regard to this, you're work- looking at kids, uh, I, I use that term loosely, but kids that are working in the work-study program.

65. 0:21:07

    Chances are, what we're trying to do is protect a 25, 26-year-old who's teaching one, two, well, well maybe three or six semester hours a quarter at, at a technical college or what have you, and what you're trying to do here is you're making sure that they're not required to join the 401plan? That is correct. Not, not, not, not... They wouldn't be eligible- They, they wouldn't be eligible to do so ... while they are in that part-time work-study student status. That is correct. Okay.

66. 0:21:38

    Any questions from the committee for the author?

67. 0:21:44

    No questions. Okay. I think Mr. Potvin, uh, you wanted to come up. He's... Can you cross that out with one of the speakers? Uh, go ahead, sir. Yes, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. If I may just offer a quick point of clarification. It's one very specific defined contribution plan. The Georgia Defined Contribution Plan is a mandatory savings plan for certain part-time and seasonal employees, um, that are required to participate in this particular, uh, savings plan.

68. 0:22:14

    What they're s- seeking to do is to codify excluding that requirement from this class of, of, uh, student employee. Okay. Thank you. Um, Representative Barrett, correct me if I'm wrong, but w- we're talking not just about part-time, but t- well, they're... In addition to that, they're m- more often than not temporary. In other words, they're probably gonna teach one to three years maybe, and then move on to something else outside of TCSG. Am I incorrect or cor- No, you're exactly correct. Uh, yeah, all this does is really reduces the administrative burden that goes with people who are, who are very, working a very small amount of time.

69. 0:22:51

    It provides flexibility for them. Th- So there's not withholding necessary for them and they're, for a very small number of hours that they're working anyway. Okay. M- Mr. Peevey, anything else? I just appreciate that. And, and I appreciate, Mr. Potvin, I appreciate that clarification. He's exactly right. Just that one small change. Again, it already applies to full-time students. They're, uh, they're in, uh, they're excluded already. Uh, we are probably one of the only, uh, places in the state of Georgia where you're gonna have part-time students that are like this anyway. And so- Right ... we appreciate just being able to do the same thing. Okay.

70. 0:23:22

    Any questions to the committee? It sounds straightforward to me, but I, I, I'm, w- wanted to know if you have any questions. Move to pass. Second. We've got a move to pass. We've got a senate from, uh, a second from Chairman Williams. Move to pass from Representative Evans. Any other, uh, any other questions?

71. 0:23:43

    All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed. Congratulations, sir. Thank, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. I'm sorry, did I not- No, I had an observation, Mr. Chairman. Sure, go ahead. I feel like we're at a eighth grade dance. Hey, boys.

72. 0:24:04

    I just noticed. Which one do you wanna dance with?

73. 0:24:15

    Alrighty then.

74. 0:24:19

    Anybody else?

75. 0:24:23

    Okay. There's no speakers for 1113. There you go. Okay. Karla was just on.

76. 0:24:39

    Chairman Martin, might you be ready for the next bill? I'd like to hear it if I can, 'cause I know you're tied between two meetings. I'd be honored to. I'm ready. Okay. I mean, if you're, yeah. Let me find it. Yes, sir.

77. 0:24:57

    Chairman Martin, House Bill 818. I'm hope... You know, we always say this around here, but this, uh, this also is a fairly simple bill in regard to classification, uh-

78. 0:25:08

    818, but Chairman Martin. It's okay, Mr. Chairman. I- it's completely fine. I just need to know your number. Okay, 12.

79. 0:25:18

    Go ahead, sir. Yes, sir. It's, um, Chairman Carson, thank, thank you for doing that, and I apologize to the chair and the committee, um, indulgence, I was over in Ways and Means. I had one of those days where it was 4:15, 3:41, 4:06. So I got my steps in today. Yeah, what we're seeking to do here on, on, um, in, in House Bill 8- 18 is basically move the position that used to be the, the, um, judge at the tax tribunal, uh, that it will become the judge at the tax court. We're trying to move that retirement system for, from ERS to JRS because the position itself moved from the administrative branch, the executive branch, into the judicial branch.

80. 0:25:57

    So many times in this, um, you know, sometimes people question about, "Are you doing this because an individual has left one position, another position?" This, the position actually moved from one branch of government to the other branch of government. So we just seek to, uh, pass this law so that, uh, the judge at the tax court, um, which if, if the members recall, the reason we did that is to, um, make the appeals process, uh, um- It was about making it smoother, I believe. It- Yeah, it was making, it was making it smoother.

81. 0:26:28

    When, when it was part of the administrative branch, the first appeal was the superior court. Superior court's not appellate branch. It just made it hard. So now this is a true court, so the first level of appeal will go to the appeals court of the state of Georgia. So it made that process better for the taxpayer. So we did that last year. We've, we've done that. What this does, um ... Well, actually, we did that through a constitutional amendment in 2024. What this does is now moves, uh, the, the retirement to that position, has this retirement plan in the proper branch. So really, to, to your point, all we're doing here is we're moving, uh, this beneficiary and the contributions from ERS to JRS because the bill basically, uh, last year's bill, after the constitutional amendment, moved that individual from the executive to the judicial branch, correct?

82. 0:27:10

    That is, that is correct. So this position now lives in the judicial branch, and we seek to make it part of the judicial retirement system. Any questions from the committee? Do you have any speak- do you have anybody signed up to ... Okay. Go ahead. I just want to- Vice Chairman Franklin. Just one quick, just one quick question. Did, am I reading this right, that they can, if they want to, they can elect to remain in the ERS if they want to, or do you foresee anybody doing that, or ...

83. 0:27:40

    Or why, why was that put in there, I guess? It, well, the, the, the ... We didn't know it at the time, but, but the gentleman that has been appointed to that position is in ERS now. So we were hesitant, I think as, as a general rule in the state, is to, to force anybody's benefits away from them in the retirement system. So I think that's the reason, you know, that that would be, uh, allowed for them. I think in, in the future, um, when somebody starts, they would just be in the judicial retirement system. Okay. Thank you, sir.

84. 0:28:14

    Any other questions from the committee? We do have one speaker signed up. Uh, Mr. Potvin from ERS. Any other speakers? Okay. That's all the speakers. Note for the record, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Potvin and I agree on this bill. Sometimes we don't. You agree on a retirement bill with Jim Potvin? I appreciate that, gentlemen. Is that what you're saying to me? I appreciate that, gentlemen, this fine day. Wow. Yes, uh, ca- cats are sleeping with dogs. Yes, sir. We got a

85. 0:28:43

    we got a move to pass from Chairman Williams. Any second? Second. Second from Chairman Greene. Any further discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed. Motion passes. Thank you, Chairman Martin. World record.

86. 0:29:01

    Oh. Oh. Just another day. Keep, keep, keep 'em coming. I get it. I get it. If I could help it. I could follow up, Mr. Chairman, if I could. Oh, no. What have we got?

87. 0:29:15

    House Bill 372. Is, uh, Bethany here? There she is.

88. 0:29:23

    I've had a few people at this Capitol ask me about this. I'm sure you have. Did you want anybody to join you, or, uh, is this fine if you don't? I, I think I'm fine by myself. Good, good. Okay. Go ahead and tell us about House Bill 372. Hey. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. I've got House Bill 372, and the copy that I have is LC560420S. Yes. That's what we have. Okay. Great. So what this bill does, it moves out the sunset of HB 385, which was, um, in the 2021-2022 legislative session.

89. 0:29:57

    And what that bill, uh, did, it allowed teachers with 30 years of creditable service to return to the classroom in a high-need subject area after being, uh, retired for one year. The new sunset date will be 2030. Uh, one change that I've made from the original legislation, uh, this will allow each public school system to set their area of highest needs. In the previous bill it was the RESA that was setting, um, that, that list, and that this just allows for more local control because our RESAs are so varied, and the county needs are so varied.

90. 0:30:36

    Um, lists out the high needs, um, areas in the bill there, and then, um, on the last page, um, if a subject area rolls off the high needs list, we will not require the termination of that teacher. We wanna keep our good teachers. Um, so if you have any questions, that's the bill, um, and I'd love to be able to answer them. This is an extension of existing program, basically- Yes ... what we're talking about. Uh, I think I saw some ...

91. 0:31:06

    Uh, I'm not trying to, uh, micr-

92. 0:31:10

    interrupt any committee members, but, uh, uh, this program has been going on since, what, about three years now? Is that right?

93. 0:31:17

    Um, it was passed in the '21, '22 session.

94. 0:31:22

    Okay.

95. 0:31:22

    So, yeah.

96. 0:31:23

    Got it. And I think there's about 300, 300, maybe 400 teachers that elected to be in the part of this program?

97. 0:31:31

    We have approximately 450 teachers currently. It-

98. 0:31:35

    Statewide?

99. 0:31:36

    Yes, statewide. It's been as high as, uh, 635, but it's, lately it's been around 450. Um, not every school district utilizes this program. Um, some just have one or two participants, but it is a- an integral piece of the puzzle for the districts that use it.

100. 0:31:54

     I understand. Um, I saw two light up at the same time, but I think the first one was Chairman Martin.

101. 0:32:00

     Mr. Chair-

102. 0:32:01

     Uh, Chairman Martin, go ahead.

103. 0:32:02

     Yeah, Mr. Chairman, th- this... I don't want to hold up the lady's bill, so this question is a general one for later on this. I just note on this, the first paragraph of the second page, it, it says there's no immediate cost, but should the, um, um, program be extended, I'm gonna assume this is beyond the lady, what the lady's looking for here at 2030, that it could impact TRS. I would just like to suggest that the chair maybe ask TRS, because I, I could see if this is a successful program, people coming back and looking for an extension.

104. 0:32:33

     Mm-hmm.

105. 0:32:33

     Maybe us be proactive, um, under your leadership, Mr. Chairman, as Retirement Committee and get TRS to look at what that impact so we can plan for it going forward. If this-

106. 0:32:42

     I completely agree

107. 0:32:42

     ... you know, if this is working, let's plan, if there's gonna be a cost to it, to be prepared.

108. 0:32:46

     Completely agreed. The... Thank you, Mr. Chairman Martin. Uh, the next question I had was number 24. I guess that's, uh, Representative Horner.

109. 0:32:55

     Thank you, Chair.

110. 0:32:56

     Go ahead.

111. 0:32:56

     Thank you, Chairman. You have the DOA, A report by-

112. 0:32:58

     It was not sent to me.

113. 0:33:00

     Oh, I'm sorry. Well, I-

114. 0:33:01

     We, we have it right... Oh, you... Oh, okay.

115. 0:33:03

     I was wondering if she had it. I just wanted-

116. 0:33:04

     Can we get a copy to Bethany of the, uh...

117. 0:33:13

     Thank you.

118. 0:33:16

     Um, last page, please. Even, um... So my question, I guess, was kind of the... Um, just looking at this real quick, um, even with the giving local control and giving, um, these changes to this, uh, program, it doesn't change the employer rate, um, currently in effect, correct?

119. 0:33:35

     Correct.

120. 0:33:39

     And I do wanna thank the author for her patience. She's, she's asked me about it several times. I think, uh, my office is supposed to get this to you, uh, the, the DOAA, uh, actuarial report. Um, I, I know I sent it to the speaker's office, they had asked, and I appreciate the lady's patience. Um, I don't know who was n- I think it was 28. Is that Noel? Is that you?

121. 0:33:58

     That was me.

122. 0:33:58

     Go ahead.

123. 0:33:59

     Thank you. Um, Chair Lady, um, Camp- uh, Bethany Ballard- ... can you tell me how this... Yeah, I was thinking of Beth Camp. Can you tell me exactly, okay, so this person is drawing their full-time retirement, and they come back, then are they gonna be compensated on top of that at the regular? How does that... And then are they eligible-

124. 0:34:19

     Well, they'll-

125. 0:34:20

     ... for, to contribute more to retirement on top of that? Or how does that exactly work?

126. 0:34:24

     No, no, no. They'll, they'll get paid for teaching.

127. 0:34:25

     Right.

128. 0:34:26

     But they won't earn more years of creditable service.

129. 0:34:29

     So they're just paid, you know, per day or how does it, or it's paid just a normal-

130. 0:34:32

     Yes

131. 0:34:32

     ... depends on if they're gonna teach for a year or-

132. 0:34:34

     Not per day, no. Per, like, the salary for the year, but they don't-

133. 0:34:37

     So it's not a part-time, it's a full-time deal?

134. 0:34:39

     Yes.

135. 0:34:40

     Okay, that's what-

136. 0:34:40

     But they won't get more, um... Like, they're not gonna be, like, 31 years of service, 32 years of service. It, it stops the retirement.

137. 0:34:47

     So is it not true, um, with that, that we might lose Chairman Green because he might be drawing his retirement and, and teaching and he might decide to go back and teach full-time?

138. 0:34:58

     We would hate to lose him.

139. 0:35:02

     Thank you, ma'am.

140. 0:35:06

     Uh, next one I had up is, uh, number 25. I think that's Chairman Erwin.

141. 0:35:10

     Yes.

142. 0:35:10

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and, uh, um, thank you for this bill, uh, Chairwoman, uh, uh, Ballard. I appreciate it. The... Th- there are currently, uh, a little over 5,000 certified positions open in the state of Georgia. Children do not have that in their classrooms. If we don't extend this sunset, do you see that number dr- growing by over 400 vacant-

143. 0:35:38

     I would think so

144. 0:35:39

     ... certified positions this time?

145. 0:35:41

     Yes.

146. 0:35:41

     Okay. Well, again, thank you, and Mr. Chairman, at the appropriate time.

147. 0:35:47

     Noted. I think we have one more question, number 25.

148. 0:35:53

     Is that me?

149. 0:35:53

     Oh, I'm sorry, 27.

150. 0:35:55

     Yeah.

151. 0:35:55

     Go ahead, Steve.

152. 0:35:56

     Uh, Chairman Green and I just had that discussion, that he had 10 more years here and then going back into teaching. Hon- honestly, we did. Remind-

153. 0:36:05

     Oh, yeah

154. 0:36:05

     ... it may be in here, but when those teachers come back, their insurance, who pay? Does the system pay all that or the... And the, there's not any, say it, the, the system pays all of their insurance? Is that-

155. 0:36:16

     Um, I believe so, yes.

156. 0:36:18

     Is that-

157. 0:36:20

     I understand Medicare more

158. 0:36:21

     ... before they retire, who pays it? Just the system?

159. 0:36:26

     System.

160. 0:36:27

     The, the, okay.

161. 0:36:28

     The system covers it.

162. 0:36:30

     Um-

163. 0:36:31

     Chair?

164. 0:36:31

     With contributions from the, the member.

165. 0:36:35

     We're gonna pay. We pay.

166. 0:36:36

     Chairman, Chairman Erwin, did you have something?

167. 0:36:38

     Yes, if I can. Um, n- not that I need to respond, Chairman, to your, your comment, but, um, to clarify, what I understand is that the system pays the employer retirement part and the retirement part for the employee, the employee part. I see the head shaking of the director back there for TRS. But not the health insurance. That is still paid, uh, by the employee.

168. 0:37:10

     Mm-hmm.

169. 0:37:10

     Even when they retire, they're still paying their own health insurance.

170. 0:37:15

     Yes.

171. 0:37:15

     So, uh, the, so a, a teacher is treated the exact same As a teacher, except for the fact the teacher is not paying her own into the retirement because she will not benefit any greater from it.

172. 0:37:30

     Exactly, yes.

173. 0:37:35

     Any other questions from the committee? We had, we do have a number of speakers, uh, lined up for, uh, to speak. Um, I'll go ahead and call them. Um, Mr. Aycock from PAGE.

174. 0:37:47

     Thank you, Chairman. Um, my name is Robert Aycock with Professional Association of Georgia Educators, and I'm happy to come here today and briefly speak in support of HB 372. Uh, PAGE's support for 372, not only because we've heard from our members how important it is to continue this program, but because we've also heard from our friends in the districts how vital this is to, uh, find and supply highly qualified teachers in hard-to-fill positions. It's not a widely used program, but when it is needed, when that position goes unfilled, it's definitely useful.

175. 0:38:19

     Uh, and we think 372 would not only continue the program, um, it would add much needed extra flexibility and do all of that in a way that remains targeted and fiscally responsible. So with that, happy to answer any questions, but just humbly ask your favorable consideration. Thank you.

176. 0:38:36

     Any questions for Mr. Aycock? Thank you, Robert.

177. 0:38:39

     Thank you.

178. 0:38:39

     Uh, we do have one other speaker, unless there's any that... Well, I'm sorry, we have two other speakers. Um, Stephanie Tanner, GSA, GSBA.

179. 0:38:49

     Yes.

180. 0:38:49

     Hi, Stephanie.

181. 0:38:52

     Hi. Okay, I think I'm good. Um, I'm Stephanie Tanner, the governmental relations manager at GSBA. Wanna say thank you to Chairman Carson and Representative Ballard for bringing this bill forward today. GSBA has a member position not only in support of Return to Work, but specifically in support of how Representative Ballard has laid this out with the local flexibility. It's also one of our joint priorities with our friends at PAGE, GALE, and GSSA.

182. 0:39:26

     So, uh, we are really hoping to, um, get this bill passed as soon as possible. When I travel the state, Return to Work is one of the top issues I hear about from school districts. Even though it's not widely used, it is greatly needed to fill those high needs areas, and this bill allows districts to do that. Um, GSBA also participated in the work of SR 372 with the Professional Standards Commission, and one of the recommendations from that working group is to continue the efforts of Return to Work like House Bill 372.

183. 0:40:06

     We wanna get veteran teachers back in the classroom so that students have a real live teacher who's also highly qualified. This legislation is good for teachers, students, and schools as a whole, and, um, we just look forward to seeing it get to final passage. Thank you so much.

184. 0:40:25

     Any questions for Ms. Tanner? We have one... Thank you, ma'am. We have one more speaker. I think I recognize him. Superintendent Richard Woods.

185. 0:40:36

     Yeah.

186. 0:40:36

     Thank you for being here today.

187. 0:40:37

     Yes, sir.

188. 0:40:37

     Tell us about House Bill 372 from your perspective.

189. 0:40:40

     Well, again, uh, just to thank you, Mr. Chairman, again, members of, uh, of the committee, and, uh, Representative Ballard, uh, for this bill. Um, you know, for myself, it does mean a lot. It, you know, I get, uh, text messages on my own personal phone from educators who, uh, have been asking about the bill and want to see the, the extension so that, that this, uh, this legislation does not sunset. Uh, it does so many good things for us. Again, thinking about teacher recruitment and retention, but especially the retention part of not, uh, losing veteran teachers who still have much more to add, but it does, uh, also with the expansion of flexibility.

190. 0:41:16

     Uh, we roughly have 181 school districts, and you add charter, we're over 200, and I assure you each one has their own different niche. And by allowing, uh, their dec- these decisions to be made at the local level, it does give us flexibility. And whether it's 400 or four, I can assure you it is meeting a need of a district, uh, you know, as, as we look and still contemplate, uh, teacher shortages throughout the state. So again, I just, uh, come and stand in support and ask for a due pass of this legislation. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

191. 0:41:47

     I have a question if, if you have, Superintendent has time. Any questions from the committee? Um, Mr. Superintendent, if, if, let's say, just as the, the author pointed out, this legislation is, I mean, the statute is set to expire June 30th-

192. 0:42:02

     Yes

193. 0:42:02

     ... of this year. If we did not pass this, could you tell us what would happen and the impact on school systems and the, the, the state DOE?

194. 0:42:10

     Well, currently what it would mean for school systems, that they're already planning for next year. So they're looking at hires, contracts will probably begin going out in March and April. And so for our districts to be able to plan for teacher needs, this is something that we need to go ahead and make sure that we move. Uh, 'cause it will allow them to, if they need to, to expand, uh, opportunities or, uh, to fill certain areas, they need to have time to do so. Uh, because again, this is a very competitive market, and we wanna make sure that our rural districts, you know, have equal, you know, time to compete with those that are around.

195. 0:42:41

     So, um, you know, for us, you know, across the state, it, it, you know, uh, it means we're, we're filling positions at department level. You know, I can't tell you that if a s- if these teachers are teaching in critical areas such as math, reading, I mean, this shows up on milestones. It shows up on, you know, on our testing. So we wanna make sure our kids have the very best qualified teacher and not, you know, put in a position where we're getting some, you know, someone perhaps less than or with less experience, uh, because we're not able to meet a, meet a need.

196. 0:43:12

     Very good.

197. 0:43:14

     Okay.

198. 0:43:14

     More questions from the committee? Okay. At the proper time. This is the proper time.

199. 0:43:23

     Chairman Erwin, I think you had one.

200. 0:43:28

     Move pass on HB 372, LC560420S.

201. 0:43:35

     Second.

202. 0:43:37

     We have a move to pass from Chairman Erwin. Recommended second by Representative Horner. Any further discussion? All in favor, all say aye.

203. 0:43:48

     Aye.

204. 0:43:49

     All opposed. Congratulations, ma'am.

205. 0:43:52

     Thank you very much.

206. 0:43:52

     Thank you.

207. 0:44:06

     Where's Matt here? I don't see Matt.

208. 0:44:10

     HB 969, Representative Townsend.

209. 0:44:19

     I think we have that.

210. 0:44:20

     I have a substitute. Does-

211. 0:44:21

     Yes, this, it's gonna be a ... Excuse me, Mr. Chair. It's gonna be a substitute. It's gonna be LC521017S.

212. 0:44:29

     Do, does everybody have that?

213. 0:44:31

     No. We have the 969 and the-

214. 0:44:35

     It should be in the packet. The office said they would have it printed plenty of time.

215. 0:44:38

     Do you have that?

216. 0:44:40

     Is the substitute-

217. 0:44:41

     Be at ease for one moment.

218. 0:44:43

     Where's the folder? I don't

219. 0:45:05

     like to poach. I think I have that.

220. 0:45:08

     I don't think you have it yet from the inside.

221. 0:45:28

     Okay, we're passing the bill out right now.

222. 0:45:31

     Thanks, Mr. Chairman.

223. 0:45:33

     Tell us about 969.

224. 0:45:36

     Mr. Chairman, 969 is a constituent-based bill. Basically, I had a retired teacher, who's actually here today to testify, uh, who retired from a great career in education and, uh, served Glenn County well. Uh, she ran for school board and won, and so we all congratulated her, of course. And then when she ran for school board, um, she was forced to get out of her, uh, state health benefit plan insurance for retirees and step into a full-time mode insurance as a full-time employee of Glenn County Schools.

225. 0:46:10

     And when she did that, she took a financial hit because she won. And so what this bill does is basically ensure state employees, including, uh, people in ERS, who receive state health benefit plan benefits have the choice of either sticking to their insurance plan under SHPP as a retiree, even though they're working on the school board or another state office, such as a representative, like when I took a hit, or, uh, when, um-

226. 0:46:40

     Hit.

227. 0:46:40

     Yeah, or, yeah, or pick the full-time status, um, and go that route. And leave it up to the employee to decide which way they wanna go. Right now, the, the retirees who run for office, who run for an office that, uh, has the benefit of the SHPP plan cannot make that choice, and so they will take a hit. And that's basically what the bill is. And I've worked with, um, luckily TRS, uh, have, they've been essential in helping writing this bill, tweaking it.

228. 0:47:11

     Even as of yesterday afternoon, Buster and the, Jason Branch over here, appreciate all their help. I've had support from, uh, the other educational groups too, that you know of. They all support this as well. So, uh, I'll t- be glad to take any questions or explain anything or ...

229. 0:47:29

     Well, with, well, with Chuck Martin in the room, be careful what you ask for. Representative Martin. Thank you, Mr. Chair. There's nothing but love here, Chuck, you know that. To my ju- to my neighbor from Cobb County, I believe you- ... today. Um, no, a serious question about this.

230. 0:47:47

     Sure.

231. 0:47:47

     You mentioned, you know, you did it. You don't have to take the, uh, an insurance plan when you get elected to the s- to the state office. It-

232. 0:47:55

     I didn't have a choice.

233. 0:47:58

     Chairman, when I, when I- No, no, I'm, well, Matt, you have a choice whether or not to take the legislative health benefits or not. You can decline those.

234. 0:48:05

     Well, the question-

235. 0:48:06

     My question is, if, if, and, but I think you're gonna answer my question while I'm-

236. 0:48:09

     Yeah

237. 0:48:09

     ... I'm just leading up to it.

238. 0:48:09

     Okay.

239. 0:48:10

     It's not a question of if you decline the benefits. The fact that they're available to you and you choose not to take them renders you ineligible for your retirement benefits. That, that's-

240. 0:48:20

     Correct.

241. 0:48:20

     Okay, that's the, that's just what I wanted to-

242. 0:48:21

     Correct. Thank you

243. 0:48:22

     ... to cl- clarify that.

244. 0:48:23

     For clarification.

245. 0:48:23

     That's what I was trying to get at.

246. 0:48:26

     Thank you.

247. 0:48:28

     Yeah. Thank you, Chairman Martin. Any other questions?

248. 0:48:32

     Do we have speakers in the ...

249. 0:48:33

     Yeah.

250. 0:48:34

     Okay.

251. 0:48:37

     Vice Chairman Leverett.

252. 0:48:40

     Representative Townsend, is this the same situation that, uh, Ken Vance had as well? Do you remember the, his situation or?

253. 0:48:47

     I, I do remember that, and this is what I remember. He was on the ERS, but he had the same issue. And so when, uh, uh, Ms. Lee Down or Ms. Susan came to me and we talked about it, that kind of did, did ring a bell. And this, uh, this is happening across the state, and so we're just trying to allow good people to run for office if they want to without taking a hit. That was a good point.

254. 0:49:09

     Thank you. I, I knew something that was there, but I didn't know the, the correlation. Thank you.

255. 0:49:14

     Thank you.

256. 0:49:15

     Just as a housekeeping item, we, we have a sub. I think the author covered the LC number. We do not yet have a certification letter. We have a certification letter for the original, uh, and it was deemed non-fiscal

257. 0:49:28

     Therefore, it would not have to go through the two-year period. Uh, we believe this isn't one... It will be non-fiscal as well. If the committee, at the pleasure of the committee, if we, if we choose to move forward on it, it just cannot go out of rules or to the House floor until it has that certification letter, which I presume is not gonna be too much longer, um, or what have you. But I just want to be clear to the author.

258. 0:49:50

     No, definitely. We appreciate that, respect that. We, we, we did this, uh, yesterday. We made sure we tightened up. We saw, could be a little gap or misinterpretation. Legal counsel tell us we were fine, don't worry about it. But looking at it again and get, uh, talking with TRS, uh, Buster Evans, uh, his team, we, we decided to go ahead and make that just really tighten up anything we could in the bill to make sure down the road there wouldn't be any misinterpret- inter- interpretations.

259. 0:50:18

     I understand. Chairman Martin.

260. 0:50:20

     Mr. Chairman, I, I don't want to slow the gentleman's proposition down, but the way I'm reading this, we're taking care of a member that's related to a local school board, and that's, that's it, right?

261. 0:50:34

     If you read further.

262. 0:50:36

     For retirees cur- currently ser- or, or currently serving on a local school board. My, my point is, we may have retired people that are mayors or council members or, for goodness sake, governor of the state of Georgia. Um, I just, while we're at this, if we find this to be, um... I mean, I understand, I believe, um, and I'm trying to put this in the form of a question or if we're discussing, if you'll allow me to.

263. 0:51:02

     Right. Mm-hmm.

264. 0:51:02

     I, I understand why we do this, because if you go to work full time for, you know, Joe Private Company-

265. 0:51:08

     Right

266. 0:51:08

     ... you have to take their health insurance. I mean, and you, you, and you come back to the retirement thing.

267. 0:51:12

     Not necessarily.

268. 0:51:14

     Well, you don't have to take it, but you would, you wouldn't be, you would not be eligible to keep the, the state plan if you have another one available. I think what the gentleman's trying to do here is if you choose to serve in public office and are elected, we don't want to penalize you. I just suggest that while he's here, again, without slowing down his proposition-

269. 0:51:31

     Right

270. 0:51:31

     ... that being elected a mayor, a city council member, a, a county commissioner is just as important, um, for allowing people the flexibility. They shouldn't be penalized for, for service to their community, and I wonder if we could do that without a fiscal impact. Um, or if, if we crawl before we walk and it come back and, and do it in the future, I understand, but I would just suggest that it would be, assembly- the- there's something... You know, there had been talk about electing superintendents.

271. 0:52:02

     I think somebody was, had a bill or a constitutional amendment to do that the other day. What if you're elected a superintendent's job?

272. 0:52:06

     So I hear what you're saying. So at the, uh, on line 28, after elected member of a local board of education, would you recommend an amendment? And I'm not, I'm not feeding the gentleman. Yeah. Uh, but, but if you, would you recommend an amendment to say, comma,

273. 0:52:24

     because of service as an elected member of a local board of education, comma, municipality, comma, county, or, or is that what you're going at?

274. 0:52:32

     I, I would, I would go some- I would ask the, our, our learned counsel over there, but it would go something like an, an elected office in Georgia, the state of Georgia, or a political subdivision thereof, something of, of that nature.

275. 0:52:44

     Would a local... To leg counsel, would a local board of education qualify as a political jurisdiction thereof?

276. 0:52:51

     A subdivision thereof.

277. 0:52:52

     Subdivision thereof?

278. 0:52:54

     Uh, I think so, but, uh, just sitting here without, uh, figuring out the co- I'd probably want to just include them in the list.

279. 0:53:02

     Right.

280. 0:53:04

     Um, the political board and state-

281. 0:53:06

     Does that-

282. 0:53:06

     ... board and political subdivisions.

283. 0:53:10

     Okay. So legislative counsel, could you, could you write out wording real quick, and we'll come back to you in about 30 seconds, and then we'll see if Chairman Martin wants to propose an amendment. Rick, I think we're getting to where you want to be. We just, we just don't want to... To Chairman Martin's point, we don't want to come back here in 2027 and have to address this again.

284. 0:53:31

     Yeah, appreciate that. Uh, the key is gonna be to make sure, uh, uh, those employees would be eligible for a state he- health retirement plan.

285. 0:53:39

     Okay.

286. 0:53:45

     Ben, whenever you're ready.

287. 0:54:15

     I tell you what, can we, um... Well, legislative counsel, I don't want to rush, uh, your work, so why don't we hear from some speakers? Unless there's other questions from the committee, why don't we hear from some other speakers on this bill, and then, Ben, we'll then give you few, few more minutes and, and we'll come back to you. How does that sound? Okay. Um, to the author, is that okay?

288. 0:54:35

     That's perfect. Thank you.

289. 0:54:36

     Okay. Uh, I see there is a Susan Lee from Glenn County Board of Education. Is Susan here?

290. 0:54:42

     Yeah.

291. 0:54:42

     Come on up, please.

292. 0:54:46

     Thank you.

293. 0:54:47

     You can be at the table with Representative Townsend, or you, you can be at the podium, either one.

294. 0:54:53

     With that laptop there and my notes, I probably need to be-

295. 0:54:57

     Oh, fair enough. Fair enough.

296. 0:55:05

     Thank you, Mr. Chairperson and committee members. My name is Susan Lee, and I'm coming from the perspective of a teacher, a retired educator. I know we're talking about others and, but I am a retired Glenn County educator and a current member of the Glenn County Board of Education, and I'm thankful for this opportunity to speak today. I retired from the Glenn County School System after 30 years of service, all in Glenn County. And following retirement, I accepted a 49% position as a project manager for the 21st Century After School Grant, overseeing after school programs in seven elementary and three middle schools.

297. 0:55:45

     And throughout my career and into retirement, I was covered under the state health benefit plan through UnitedHealthcare. At age 62, I began receiving Social Security, and that coverage transitioned to UnitedHealthcare/Medicare Advantage. And for many years after retiring, so many of my friends, so many retirees said, "Please, please run for the Board of Education." So I did. November 24, I was elected, and I was sworn in January the 9th, 2025, and that is when the unexpected insurance debacle began.

298. 0:56:24

     So many problems. In early March 2025, my doctor's ap- um, office informed me that my UnitedHealthcare claim had been denied. Now, UnitedHealthcare had paid it, this $400, but now they were requal- requiring me to pay them before I could see the doctor at all for any future appointments. Because more than 60 days had passed, that claim could not be resubmitted. If I wanted to receive the care, I'd have to pay it, so I paid it up front.

299. 0:56:57

     After many phone calls and frustration and a lot of tears, the board's insurance office explained that I was placed on a new plan and required to take Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. I was told that this was required because I was a retired educator and had to fall under that plan. Now, the other members on the board were allowed to choose. They were allowed to choose to take the board's insurance or keep their own or go elsewhere for insurance.

300. 0:57:28

     I was not. I was given no choice, like, because I was a retired educator, and this policy was never explained to me before I ran for election, or I might have changed my mind. Had I been given a choice, I would have stayed with that UnitedHealthcare plan where my co-payment was $20 per visit. Now, last week, $150 every time I go to the doctor, co-pay upfront until deductible is met.

301. 0:58:02

     The financial impact was immediate. I went to pick up my CPAP supplies last week, and instead of $10.84, I was informed that the same supplies were now $213.38. I later learned that the last educator that we had on the board was almost 17 years ago. That's how long it's been since a teacher has been on the board. I feel like teachers should be on the board.

302. 0:58:32

     It's the Board of Education, and I think we bring a different perspective to that. But I learned from that teacher that she had a nightmare with insurance, and I'm, I'm living that now. I am grateful, very grateful to Representative Rick Townsend for writing and sponsoring this Bill 969, and to those who will support it. This legislation ensures the future of retired educators, and they can actually run for school board without fear of losing their retired health insurance or facing unlin- unexpected financial hardships.

303. 0:59:10

     Retired educators bring a unique and invaluable perspective to boards of education. We have been in the trenches. We understand the classroom and the challenges that educators face and the needs of students. It would be a trave- a travesty if insurance concerns prevented qualified retired educators from serving their communities. I thank you for your time, your consideration, and I respectfully urge you to support House Bill 969.

304. 0:59:44

     Thank you.

305. 0:59:47

     Thank you, Ms. Lee. Any questions for Ms. Susan Lee? Thank you, ma'am, so much, and thank you for making a five-hour trip up here.

306. 1:00:01

     Um, next I have Mike Blackerby with Glenn County Schools.

307. 1:00:09

     Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If it's all right, I'll speak from here.

308. 1:00:11

     Yeah, absolutely.

309. 1:00:12

     Um, couple of, couple of points that came up, the, Representative Martin's, uh, point about including others. In, uh, OCG 20-2-55, I think it's B3, it, uh, it specifically states in there, uh, uh, that employees covered underneath the, uh, state health insurance plan under Article 1, I'd... Somebody'd have to look those numbers up for me. But anyway, uh, so what we wanna, what we wanna do is address that particular section, so anybody who is covered underneath, um, underneath, again, that 22-255 B3 would be the ones we're trying to target in that.

310. 1:00:50

     So that would encompass anybody else who, who may not be a schoolteacher but may be coming from o- some other agency that, that falls underneath those, um, uh, that, that particular health insurance plan. Also, going back to House Bill 372, uh, it would almost be the same provision that we're offering those retired teachers that are coming back in. The retired teachers that are coming back in after one year of service, if I'm not mistaken, they have the option whether or not to take the, uh, the, the, uh, the active employee plan or stay on the retired plan.

311. 1:01:20

     So it would be s- essentially the same provision that we would like, like to see for a school board member coming back in, that they have that same opportunity if they are a retired teacher or, again, back to Representative Martin's, uh, uh, point that if they were coming from some other state agency as well, that, that were covered underneath the state health benefit plan as a retiree. But again, I, I, I thank you for your time and, and listening to, uh, to, to our concerns and, um, you know, please, uh, know that we do support it from the, uh, Glenn County Schools perspective.

312. 1:01:51

     Thank you, sir, very much. We have one question. Do you, do you- We have one more speaker after this. Do you wanna ask a question here or-

313. 1:01:56

     If I could just clarify what I did earlier, 'cause, uh, based on what the gentleman said, and I have to get to a energy meeting.

314. 1:02:02

     Okay.

315. 1:02:02

     Um, I think that the issue that the gen- uh, Representative Townsend's saying, Representative, is you have a teacher who was in, in, in the teacher and healthcare system, and then the Board of Education uses that same insurance system. We might not have a exactly the same situation if we had a retired state employee going to work for, be, being the mayor of the city of Alpharetta 'cause they might be covered by a different plan. But, but I, I do suggest, maybe it doesn't go in this bill, that we look at the fact that if we're putting elected people that are running for election, whatever branch they decide to, that we put them in a bind.

316. 1:02:38

     Because it's not like they chose to go to work for IBM or they chose to go to work for Dell Computer.

317. 1:02:43

     Right.

318. 1:02:43

     They're, they're, they're seeking service. So I would-

319. 1:02:46

     Yeah.

320. 1:02:46

     I, I s- I see what the gentleman's after, and I understand what you're after. I'm just su- suggesting that what you're trying to do to help your teachers, it doesn't matter if they're running for mayor or, um, or city council. It just so happened that you had a teacher that was in, in a s- the same healthcare system that they go back into as a board member, um, Mr. Chairman. So I ... Maybe his bill goes forward like this, and we deal with this, you know, under a different, um, a different, you know, uh, set of, set of facts, facts.

321. 1:03:15

     So if I understand you correctly-

322. 1:03:19

     It may not be-

323. 1:03:19

     ... you would not be re- re- recommending an amendment to this because it might be a different scenario.

324. 1:03:24

     I don't think the amendment hurts us, but, uh, it's probably not as apt to happen when it's a te- not a teacher going back to the school board. Like, had she gone to work for Glenn County, it would've probably been a different insurance company-

325. 1:03:40

     Right

326. 1:03:40

     ... so it wouldn't have been a- as complicated. Um, so I, I suppose-

327. 1:03:44

     The county commission or some, some, some-

328. 1:03:45

     Right. I, I still ... Right. Not the count- not the school board, but the county. I, I s- still suggest we look at it, but I don't believe it is, is a, if you would say-

329. 1:03:52

     Yeah

330. 1:03:53

     ... legally on, on, on the exact point.

331. 1:03:55

     Okay. If I could make a comment with that. Yeah. And Chair- The author. This, this particularly only applies to any- anybody running for something that runs for an office that receives the State Health Benefit Plan. So like running for mayor, they don't have the option of the SHBP plan. Then this wouldn't affect them. They could keep their regular and retirement insurance and not be affected at all. Okay. So currently. But this would help out those who enter another entity, you know, receiving the SHBP.

332. 1:04:26

     So.

333. 1:04:26

     It's the insurance companies. You're gonna have subrogation and all that jazz.

334. 1:04:29

     Okay. A- a- and, and just so I ... It, I did have the ... It's, it's those that are covered under Article 1, Chapter 18, Title 45. That's what's in the current code right now. Got it. Chairman Williams.

335. 1:04:39

     You know, um, to the author, the, uh, gentlelady said something about Medicare Advantage. Was, was she covered under Medicare Advantage, and then when she went to the school s- Is that what you said? Or were you under the traditional health plan as a retiree and, you know, 'cause you're under 65, so you were under a, um, a retiree health plan? Is that what you were telling us?

336. 1:04:59

     If you're asking the lady a question, we need, we need it recorded.

337. 1:05:02

     I ... Well, Rick, can you translate for me?

338. 1:05:03

     I can. We just need it spoken into the microphone-

339. 1:05:05

     Yeah, just because of-

340. 1:05:06

     ... just because we're telecasting. That's all ... audio.

341. 1:05:08

     Yeah. I was on, until I turned 62, I was just on UnitedHealthcare retiree plan.

342. 1:05:12

     But when you-

343. 1:05:12

     But-

344. 1:05:13

     ... went to the school board, were you 60? What age were you when you went on the school board?

345. 1:05:17

     I've been on it one year. This is my second year. So I was 72 when I-

346. 1:05:22

     That's what I was a-

347. 1:05:22

     Okay.

348. 1:05:23

     That's what I'm, I'm wondering if it's more like a reti- a, a Medicare Advantage issue versus ... Because say I'm military, say I'm 60 years old, and I'm, I'm out of the military, and I go work for Home Depot. Home Depot offers me health insurance, and I say, "No, I'm staying under my CHAMPUS coverage," 'cause I'd been crazy not to stay under my military plan. You know, are you telling me the same rules would apply? Or because this was a Medicare Advantage plan, and Medicare Advantage plans can really be head-scratchers because once I turn 65, I'm gonna be on plan, on A, B, and I'm gonna be on Plan G.

349. 1:05:57

     I'm not gonna be on Medicare Advantage.

350. 1:05:59

     Yeah.

351. 1:06:00

     And I didn't know if we were talking about a Medicare Advantage situation versus traditional health insurance, because they're totally opposite of what we're talking about here, and I'm wondering if that's not what we're discussing here.

352. 1:06:11

     I don't think so, because she would ... Good question. Thank you, Chairman. Um, but she was already of the age and receiving the Medicare Advantage plan when she had to switch. So she was able to allow to stay on the current plan she had as a retiree.

353. 1:06:24

     That, that just does not make any sense, because once you're on a Medicare plan, you don't have to switch. It doesn't matter where you are. If you're on a Medicare plan and you have a supplement, that's your coverage.

354. 1:06:35

     But-

355. 1:06:35

     So I don't, I don't know how this happened.

356. 1:06:37

     That or, um, it's happened to other teachers as well, unfortunately, within state when they ran for office and, and won. So right now there's a glitch in the system or whatever else. This should tighten that up.

357. 1:06:49

     Have we talked with any attorneys about this, um, any ARISA attorneys or-

358. 1:06:54

     Leg's counsel.

359. 1:06:55

     Yeah. What have they said about it?

360. 1:06:57

     Uh, no, they, they agreed. So did TRS, officials at TRS, when they checked into it.

361. 1:07:03

     Okay.

362. 1:07:04

     And Buster Evans said he's seen this over the years. He said, "Rick, this has been going on for a while. What took you so long?"

363. 1:07:10

     That just came out.

364. 1:07:11

     Last five years. So, you know, 10 years ago, that wasn't an issue. It was just part A and B and Plan F. I, I'm not trying to be har-

365. 1:07:19

     I under-

366. 1:07:19

     I'm just trying to understand it-

367. 1:07:20

     No, I get it

368. 1:07:20

     ... because I do this stuff every day.

369. 1:07:21

     Yeah.

370. 1:07:21

     And so when you're telling me this, I'm like, "Wow, I, I've been doing this for 30-plus years, and I've, I've never run into something like that."

371. 1:07:28

     I understand.

372. 1:07:28

     Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Thanks, Chairman.

373. 1:07:33

     Any further discussion? We have, uh, we have one more speaker to this bill, um, Stephanie Tanner again

374. 1:07:42

     Long time no see.

375. 1:07:43

     I know. Hello again. Stephanie Tanner from the Georgia School Boards Association representing all 180 school districts. Just want to say thank you to Representative Townsend for flagging this issue for your constituent and one of our members. While we don't have a member position in support of the legislation, we're supportive of the bill. Um, it's important to us that anyone who wants to continue serving their community be able to do so. You know, if you served in the classroom or you served at the state level at an agency or otherwise, we want you to have the opportunity not only to run for office and continue that service, but to hold it and continue to receive your well-deserved benefits.

376. 1:08:25

     So we're glad that, um, board members will be able to elect to continue receiving those retiree health benefits through this bill. Um, I'm not an attorney, so I can't comment on that, but I'm, I'm thinking that part of it is just the way board members receive health insurance is so different from how the certified employees are. But I, I don't know also how TRS plays into that. But, um, so I, I just am wondering if it, part of it is they just, their, their benefits are totally different from how they do the certified educators.

377. 1:09:04

     Um, and they have, they have to pay a lot more, board members do, towards it. So I'm sure that, that hurt her as well. Anyway, thank you.

378. 1:09:13

     Any questions for Ms. Tanner? That's all our speakers. Mr. DeLoach, anything additional?

379. 1:09:19

     Uh, no, sir. I appreciate the, uh, the questions and the, you hearing this, and, uh, uh, hopefully get your favorable support.

380. 1:09:27

     Um, Mr. Chair- uh, Chairman Martin's not here to, uh, offer any type of amendment or, or a vote or what have you, but I don't think he was going to, based on his commentary, I don't think he was going to offer one in the immediate anyways. Any further discussion from the committee? Uh, move to do pass from, uh, Vice Chairman Franklin.

381. 1:09:46

     Second.

382. 1:09:47

     Second from Chairman Greene. Any further discussion? All in favor say aye.

383. 1:09:52

     Aye.

384. 1:09:52

     Any opposed? Congratulations, sir.

385. 1:09:56

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, committee.

386. 1:09:59

     Rick, we are gonna need on that... I, I'll, I'll be sure to ask about for the cert letter as well.

387. 1:10:03

     Okay.

388. 1:10:05

     All right, last but not least, uh, Representative Reeves.

389. 1:10:10

     House Bill 1020. And just from a housekeeping standpoint, does everybody have a copy of House Bill 20 with them? It's got a, um, yellow page on the back.

390. 1:10:27

     No.

391. 1:10:30

     One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.

392. 1:10:55

     I got eight, and I need eight for a quorum.

393. 1:11:00

     Okay. Was that Ri- wow, you brought a party with you, didn't you? Okay. Representative Reeves, tell us about 1020.

394. 1:11:06

     Thank you, Chairman Carson, members of the Retirement Committee. House Bill 1020 is a district attorney retirement bill, so this bill only applies to 51 people in the state at a time. We got 51 district attorneys. Uh, to my right, your left, we have District Attorney Wright Barksdale from Milledgeville. He, uh, has a circuit with eight counties between, uh, Macon and I-20. And then we have, uh, next to him, DA Herb Cranford, who's in, uh, Newnan, and he has three counties, uh, southwest of here.

395. 1:11:38

     And there are, uh, 49 other district attorneys across the state. Uh, you all probably recall the judges', uh, pay and retirement bills that came through, I believe, twice or two different years. Chairman Rob Leverett, uh, carried those and worked on them thoroughly, and they passed. Uh, at the, uh, prosecuting attorneys', uh, meeting after that, they reviewed what the judges did, and there are 200 or more judges. Um, and the DAs, uh, said, "Let's m- let's mirror that for district attorneys' retirement and pay." So what we're, uh...

396. 1:12:12

     And by the way, House Bill 1028, that is the district attorneys', uh, pay bill. We wanted to go ahead and get the Retirement Committee to look over the retirement portion because it's shorter. Um, all this bill does is it changes the retirement age from 60 to 65 for district attorneys who take office after this July. So right now, district attorneys have retirement age 60. For new DAs, after July of 2026, their retirement age will be 65. Uh, the bill, um, had the letter, uh, the requisite letter, and, uh, it's a non-fiscal bill, meaning we could act on it this year.

397. 1:12:50

     Um, ERS did identify some cleanup language for lines 106, 126, and 228, which is agreeable with the district attorneys, uh, relating to make it clear about July 1st, 2026 being when, uh, this would take effect to future DAs. And Mr. Chairman, if I can approach, I've got a copy of it. I've given it to legislative council, but would be glad to-

398. 1:13:13

     Yes, please

399. 1:13:13

     ... distribute it to the members.

400. 1:13:15

     If you don't mind handing it to, uh, to... Okay.

401. 1:13:25

     Legislative council, uh, has that and has, uh, uh, gotten language that would give, uh, that or something substantially, uh, to it to, uh, the Rules Committee if you make that amendment. Um, I respectfully request approval of this. We'll go into more detail About the district attorney's pay bill and, uh, Judiciary Committee following this, but, um, I would, uh, yield for questions. I, I would say, uh, District Attorney Joe Mulholland from Southwest Georgia is president of the organization.

402. 1:13:57

     He's been working hard on this bill. Uh, he's three, over three hours away, so he couldn't make it today. We got two district attorneys here, uh, and I'd be glad to answer any of, of your questions, and would defer to them if, if I get stumped.

403. 1:14:12

     So just from a posture of the committee, uh, this would be an amendment that, um, I'm happy to carry, um, and move forward at, at the... Th- this, this is cleanup language that our, our friend, Ms. Moody over at, uh,ERS has asked for just for clarity. Um, if we adopt this amendment, then we'll, we can move the legislation to Rules, same as Representative Townsend. We would need to get us another certification letter, but I don't see that being an issue.

404. 1:14:42

     I just wanna let you know, and the gentleman know about process. That's all.

405. 1:14:45

     Thank you.

406. 1:14:47

     Any questions for, uh, Representative Reeves?

407. 1:14:52

     Oh, please don't let him off the hook easy. Come on, guys.

408. 1:14:57

     I'll make an amendment if you do.

409. 1:14:57

     Yeah, you make him.

410. 1:15:00

     Vice Chairman Franklin.

411. 1:15:01

     Uh, I, I'll make the amendment, um, according to the language written here on this letter that was passed out on lines, uh, 106, 126, and 228.

412. 1:15:14

     Is there a second?

413. 1:15:15

     Second.

414. 1:15:16

     Okay. All in favor of the amendment say aye.

415. 1:15:20

     Aye.

416. 1:15:21

     All opposed say no.

417. 1:15:25

     Wait a minute. Oh, we got a problem. What's going on? I got seven. We got eight. One of them ...

418. 1:15:34

     We want two.

419. 1:15:38

     You step up.

420. 1:15:41

     We already heard that you want one.

421. 1:15:42

     Big deal.

422. 1:15:44

     Yeah.

423. 1:15:45

     He's told, coming back. Volunteer. Okay. Good seeing you.

424. 1:15:51

     Hey, guys.

425. 1:15:56

     Debbie, can you text David Wilkerson and Stacey, see if they can come here? We just need one more for- There's one under the table.

426. 1:16:04

     We'll find it here.

427. 1:16:08

     You can't call now.

428. 1:16:12

     My answer is my foot.

429. 1:16:14

     Thank you. Appreciate it, Steve. There he is. There it is. All right, here we go.

430. 1:16:21

     You never been so important.

431. 1:16:23

     Sorry?

432. 1:16:23

     You never been so important.

433. 1:16:24

     Yeah, that's right. We just need you for a quorum, Chairman Williams.

434. 1:16:29

     Sure.

435. 1:16:29

     Okay, so-

436. 1:16:30

     Don't let it go to your head

437. 1:16:32

     ... so Vice Chairman Franklin, just, you're, what you're proposing is the amendment as written out and suggested by ERS, which basically, uh, it's, uh, addresses lines 106, 126, and 128, but it makes it clear to exclude the date July 1st, 2026. And we have a, a motion and a second. Any further discussion? All in favor say aye.

438. 1:16:50

     Aye.

439. 1:16:51

     Any opposed? Okay, now we're good.

440. 1:16:56

     I think we have a couple of speakers, and I probably should've taken them first. Oh, well. Um- 2021. Sorry. Any further discussion from the committee before we hear our speakers? Uh, we have ... Well, Mr. Barksdale, go ahead.

441. 1:17:13

     I'm gonna withdraw unless y'all have questions.

442. 1:17:16

     Well, I was just gonna mention, you're district attorney for Village Hill, right?

443. 1:17:19

     Yes, sir. I cover-

444. 1:17:20

     I've got a daughter going to Georgia College and State University in August. You're gonna tell me if she gets in trouble, right?

445. 1:17:24

     Absolutely.

446. 1:17:25

     'Cause I wanna know.

447. 1:17:27

     We will put surveillance on her.

448. 1:17:30

     Mr. Potvin from ERS, you wanna waive on 1020? Any other discussion from the committee? Number 24.

449. 1:17:38

     Thank you, Chairman. I have a, I have a quick question, um, for you guys. So we just got a new DA. They decided to run for Congress, so we just get a new DA probably starting in the next couple months because we're still in the process of finding one. Um, would it be your suggestion, uh, if this bill passes, that they come in before June 30th, or wait because that date changes from 60 to 65 for their retirement?

450. 1:18:01

     Now, that would be, uh, June 30th of this year, so that, that would be... I mean, I would think they'd be ready to take office before then. Uh, if it is an important question for them, uh, we'd be glad to talk to them, and I would recommend they talk to Prosecuting Attorneys Council. The pay bill has an opt-in and opt-out thing. You know, we, we had local legislation that judges could do that last year. With the district attorneys, they are gonna file a letter about the pay on opting in or out under, uh, House Bill 1028.

451. 1:18:34

     But, uh, whoever gets appointed, I'd be glad to work with you to talk to them, make sure they have the bills, and can look at that, uh, pay opt-out and opt-in provision as well as retirement. It depends on what age they are, you know? Uh, uh, moving from, uh, uh, 60 to 65 on the retirement, uh, that is what this bill does.

452. 1:18:55

     Any further discussion from the committee? Okay, all in favor of the motion, uh... Do I hear a motion?

453. 1:19:02

     Do pass.

454. 1:19:03

     I have a do pass from Vice Chairman Franklin.

455. 1:19:06

     Second.

456. 1:19:07

     Second from Chairman Greene. Any further discussion on 1020? All in favor say aye.

457. 1:19:16

     Aye.

458. 1:19:16

     Any opposed? Congratulations, sir.

459. 1:19:19

     Thank you.

460. 1:19:19

     And we'll work on the cert letter, Matt-

461. 1:19:20

     Thank you

462. 1:19:20

     ... just to make sure we m- we get a, a-

463. 1:19:23

     I appreciate it.

464. 1:19:23

     We are adjourned, folks. Thank you very much.

465. 1:19:29

     Very, very nice of you.

466. 1:19:30

     Yep.

467. 1:19:31

     I'm