Comité Special Rules de la Cámara de Representantes, 10 de febrero de 2026

Transcripción

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

1. 0:13:55

   Okay, uh, ladies and gentlemen, if we'll grab a seat, and, uh, we're ready to start the, uh, Special Rules Committee. And, uh, Chairman Todd Jones, I think, uh, is the first bill.

2. 0:14:14

   We have, uh, one O-

3. 0:14:15

   Mr. Chairman, if it's okay, Representative Oliver's gonna introduce-

4. 0:14:18

   Well, let me think about it.

5. 0:14:21

   You've been thinking for a while.

6. 0:14:22

   Yeah, come on up.

7. 0:14:28

   Okay, uh, if you will give us your bill number and LC number, and, uh, we'll go from there.

8. 0:14:35

   Mr. Chairman, thank you so much for the opportunity for Representative Oliver and I to speak to the committee about House Resolution 1007, LC1123682.

9. 0:14:47

   That's all we have.

10. 0:14:48

    All right, perfect. May we proceed?

11. 0:14:50

    Yes, sir.

12. 0:14:50

    Would you like me to go, or will you go?

13. 0:14:52

    Why don't you go? Schofield was on it, too.

14. 0:14:54

    Got it. Okay. Mr. Chairman, mem- members of the committee, uh, this resolution and the language itself was brought to us this past summer. Uh, for those of you who do not know and you weren't here maybe four years ago, you know that Representative Oliver and I have a certain passion around mental illness and substance abuse. Um, we were brought basically, effectively dialogue and evidence that suggested that the arts would be helpful in terms of helping individuals with mental health issues, substance abuse issues, PTSD in the military, et cetera.

15. 0:15:25

    I will be frank with you. I was not necessarily skeptical at first, but I wanted to see data on it. And to the credit of the advocates, they were able, able to provide basically peer-reviewed studies that show that in fact, this type of, I'll say, therapy is absolutely helpful in terms of individuals suffering from mental health, substance abuse, et cetera. And I would direct you to lines 15, 16, and then also through 17 through 22 to give you just a sense of just how powerful this type of therapy can be for those with mental health and substance abuse issues.

16. 0:15:59

    With that stated, I'd like to yield my time to Representative Oliver. Thank you.

17. 0:16:06

    Okay, thank you. Representative Oliver, you, Oliver, you can go ahead, please.

18. 0:16:09

    Representative Schofield began this discussion with a number of the private art groups around Atlanta. You know, arts is 50th in the nation for funding of arts, but we're very high in philanthropy. So a lot of the arts groups have ... Not gonna ... Thank you. A lot of the arts groups have, uh, applied for, obtained private funding for a number of different variety of therapy programs. Associating arts with mental health services has been very successful, and Representative Schofield, Representative Jones and I have been very happy to work with them and acknowledge their work in this resolution.

19. 0:16:45

    Thank you, sir.

20. 0:16:46

    Okay. Anything else, uh, Chairman Jones?

21. 0:16:50

    Are there any questions from the chairman or the committee?

22. 0:16:52

    Uh, no questions from me. Any questions from the committee? None. Any other witnesses that you have?

23. 0:16:58

    No, sir.

24. 0:16:59

    No, sir.

25. 0:17:00

    We have our troops here, but we, uh, have prepared, uh, speeches for you.

26. 0:17:06

    Okay, uh,

27. 0:17:10

    Representative 16, that would be Joe Campbell. Uh, yeah, just like to make a motion that we move from the time, uh. Okay, let me turn your mic around for you. There we go. Okay. Okay, so you have a motion to do pass? A mo- motion to do pass. Okay.

28. 0:17:27

    Second.

29. 0:17:28

    Uh, seconded by, uh, Representative Griffin. Okay. Okay, any other discussion, members? Okay. All those in favor of the passing of, uh, House Resolution, um, 1007, say aye. Aye. All opposed? You're on the rules. Thank you very much.

30. 0:17:50

    Thank you.

31. 0:18:06

    You're very welcome.

32. 0:18:18

    Huh?

33. 0:18:19

    Well done. May everybody have a copy?

34. 0:18:21

    Yes. Yes.

35. 0:18:26

    Okay, tell us your, uh, resol- excuse me, your bill number and your LC number, please.

36. 0:18:32

    HB 620, LC 570244, and I need to amend the date on line 62 to 2026 instead of 2025.

37. 0:18:45

    Okay. We will get to that in just a minute.

38. 0:18:47

    Sure.

39. 0:18:48

    Uh, so if I'm not mistaken, this is the very same bill that you brought last year and, and we voted it out of committee, and what happened?

40. 0:18:57

    That's right. Um, didn't, uh, it went to rules. Didn't get out of rules.

41. 0:19:01

    Has anything changed on the bill other than the date?

42. 0:19:05

    No, Chairman.

43. 0:19:06

    Okay. Um, okay, just tell us about your bill for anybody that might be a new member, and, um, we'll go from there.

44. 0:19:14

    Sure. I wanted to thank the chairman and the committee for your favorable, uh, unanimous passage last year, uh, with bipartisan advocates. We are so, so grateful for that passage. As we know, life is in the blood, and unfortunately, I have an alert from the, uh, American Red Cross just from January 20th showing that, uh, we are in severe blood shortage because of national blood supply level fell about 35% just in the past month. So we are at critical mass for this. So again, I ask for your favorable consideration, and I have my dear friend here with me, Furqan Stafford.

45. 0:19:48

    He's the CEO of CP Plasma, Inc. out of College Park, if you have any questions for us.

46. 0:19:54

    Okay. Mr. Stafford, do you wanna make a statement or-

47. 0:19:59

    Thank you. Uh, I just wanna say thank thank you for the opportunity for, to allow, uh, Representative Noella to present this, uh, House bill. I think it's very important for our community to bring awareness about this situation, and I just would appreciate a favorable response. Thank you.

48. 0:20:14

    Okay. Thank you very much. Any other witnesses that you have for this resolution?

49. 0:20:19

    No, sir.

50. 0:20:20

    Okay. Um, any questions? Um, let's see, six. That would be-

51. 0:20:27

    Thank you

52. 0:20:28

    ... McQueen.

53. 0:20:28

    Thank you, Mr.-

54. 0:20:28

    Representative McQueen.

55. 0:20:29

    Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would just like to make a motion that we amend line 62 to read, "This act shall become effective July 1st, 2026."

56. 0:20:39

    Okay. We got a second-

57. 0:20:41

    Second

58. 0:20:41

    ... from Representative Griffin. Sorry, and we have a second from Representative Griffin. Any discussion on the, uh, proposed amendment to, um, this resolution, please?

59. 0:20:53

    Speech.

60. 0:20:53

    None? Okay. All in favor of the, uh, amending line, uh-

61. 0:21:00

    62

62. 0:21:01

    ... 62 to change the effective date from July 1, 2025 to July 1, 2026, say aye.

63. 0:21:08

    Aye.

64. 0:21:09

    All opposed? Okay. The amendment pa- the amendment passes. Okay. Um, now we can vote on the bill. Um, this is the same bill. It's a great bill. Thank you for bringing it back again, and, and we hope we can get it on through Rules and get it on the floor for a vote this time. So, um, all in favor of the passing of the bill... I think... No, we gotta, we gotta get a motion.

65. 0:21:33

    We gotta do a motion.

66. 0:21:33

    We gotta do a motion, okay?

67. 0:21:35

    So moved, Mr. Chairman.

68. 0:21:36

    Okay. Representative Griffin moves to, uh, vote on the bill, and a second by-

69. 0:21:42

    Second.

70. 0:21:43

    Second. Okay. All in favor of the passage of House Resolution 620 as amended, say aye.

71. 0:21:50

    Aye.

72. 0:21:50

    All opposed? Okay. It's on to Rules.

73. 0:21:53

    And it was HB, not HR. I don't know if... I don't think that matters.

74. 0:21:58

    HB.

75. 0:21:58

    HB.

76. 0:21:59

    It is. I'm actually... My problem. It's HB 620. I said HR. Sorry.

77. 0:22:05

    Thank you so much.

78. 0:22:06

    All right. On to Rules.

79. 0:22:07

    Thank you. Thank you.

80. 0:22:09

    Thank you, Chairman.

81. 0:22:10

    Okay.

82. 0:22:13

    I know, uh, Representative Carter Barrett, he had another m- meeting at 2:00 also, so he said he may be a minute late. Um, what else we got?

83. 0:22:31

    Debbie and William.

84. 0:22:33

    At the same time.

85. 0:22:35

    And we got Windows 7. I think we, I think we have one of our own with a bill today, or is it a resolution? This is a, uh, resolution, HR 463, and you can present, Representative Baker, from there and not have to go to the podium if you want to.

86. 0:22:54

    Yes, sir.

87. 0:22:55

    Okay.

88. 0:22:56

    Okay. Yes. Um, HR 463, LC 600118, and thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, for the opportunity to present this house resolution, which designates March as Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month in Georgia. Now, this resolution is returning from last session, where it passed both special rules and the rules committee, but it did not reach the floor due to the session ending. Autoimmune diseases affect more than 50 million Americans and over 800,000 Georgians.

89. 0:23:30

    These conditions are often chronic, complex, and invisible, and many patients face years-long delays in diagnosis and limited treatment options. Although autoimmune diseases are not as widely recognized as cancer or heart disease, they can be just as debilitating, affecting daily functioning and quality of life. This issue is personal to me. As someone who lives with an autoimmune condition, I understand firsthand the challenges of navigating diagnosis, treatment, and daily uncertainty.

90. 0:24:06

    Raising awareness is a critical first step toward diag- diagnosis, diagnosis, improving understanding, and better outcomes for patients and families. By recognizing March as Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month, Georgia joins a broader national effort to educate healthcare providers, policymakers, and the public. This resolution is non-binding and carries no fiscal impact. It is simply about recognition, awareness, and compassion for Georgians living with autoimmune disease.

91. 0:24:40

    I respectfully ask for your favorable consi- consideration of House Resolution 463. Thank you for your time, and I am happy to answer any questions.

92. 0:24:49

    Okay. Um, we have one question from, um, Representative Taylor.

93. 0:24:56

    Yes. Mr. Chairman. Um, can you share with us how you w- d- decided on March being the designated month?

94. 0:25:04

    March is pretty much... It comp- it encom- it accomplishes a lot of, um, autoimmune diseases, such as lupus. Lupus is also, um, recognized for March awareness, so I'm just joining that entire spectrum of medical ill- illnesses, illnesses.

95. 0:25:20

    Well, we'll be here every day in March, so we'll have to... We'll be wearing something different every day. Different ribbons. Women's History Month. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

96. 0:25:28

    I think purple is the color. Thank you.

97. 0:25:32

    Okay. Representative McQueen? Representative McQueen.

98. 0:25:35

    Thank you, Mr. Chair. At the appropriate time, I make a motion we do pass.

99. 0:25:38

    Okay. Uh, any other questions on behalf of the committee as far as hearing, uh, from Representative Baker's bill, uh, resolution, excuse me, 463? Seeing none, uh, this would be the proper time.

100. 0:25:53

     Make a motion we do pass.

101. 0:25:54

     Second.

102. 0:25:54

     O- okay. I've got a motion do pass and a second. Any other discussion on the resolution? Seeing none, all in favor of the passing of House Resolution 463, say aye. All opposed? Okay, on the rules again. Thank you.

103. 0:26:24

     Okay, members, let's, uh, hang on for just a few minutes, and I'm gonna text, uh, uh, Representative Barrett. He had another bill to present in another committee and see how close he is to getting here. So, um, if we can stand at ease for just a few minutes.

104. 0:33:22

     Okay, uh, Representative Barrett, if you'll come on up to the podium, please. You're over here.

105. 0:33:28

     Yes, sir.

106. 0:33:30

     Did we, did we mess you up on your other?

107. 0:33:33

     No, you ... Mr. Chairman, thank you for being so accommodating.

108. 0:33:39

     Yes, sir.

109. 0:33:40

     Incredibly nice of y'all. Sorry to keep y'all waiting.

110. 0:33:43

     Okay. If you will, give us your resolution number and LC number, please.

111. 0:33:49

     Yes, sir. Yeah, this is, uh, House Resolution 1113, LC number 650023.

112. 0:33:59

     Yes, sir.

113. 0:34:00

     I hope that I'm not b- blowing y'all out. The mic's a little bit loud. Um-

114. 0:34:05

     It seems, it seems a little loud.

115. 0:34:06

     I'll stand back a little.

116. 0:34:07

     Okay. Chuck can cut it down a little.

117. 0:34:11

     Well, Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, thank y'all for allowing me to join you today. Uh, anybody who knows me or has been in my office will come in and they'll see this very ornate dragon, which is made out of currency from a foreign country, where the paper is worth more than the value of the currency. We've probably all been, recently in the last few years, uh, painfully aware h- of how expensive everything is getting. Uh,

118. 0:34:43

     there's a general sort of angst out there from folks. It's almost, it- it's just kind of palpable. People are just sort of generally concerned because everything is so expensive. What I have is an urging resolution to the Congress of the United States to say, we, the, the root cause of inflation, we can talk about things like cutting taxes, and we need to be doing all those things. Affordability is the word of the year. I've been warning folks about the dangers of inflation since 2013.

119. 0:35:18

     I keep this on my desk as a constant reminder. I carry in my pocket everywhere I go, and I'd, I'd like y'all to share, take a look at that.

120. 0:35:28

     Oh.

121. 0:35:29

     It's a silver dollar from 1886.

122. 0:35:32

     Wow.

123. 0:35:33

     That's the year that the DuBignon family sold Jekyll Island for $125,000 for 10 miles of shoreline and for 5,000 acres of land. Today, you can't buy a scrubby old lot for $125,000. But inflation is roiling our families in America. It's the most bipartisan issue that, that, that ever was because we're all affected by it. And the root cause of inflation, as stated in this resolution, it's short and sweet.

124. 0:36:05

     Urging the Congress of the United States to recognize that chronic federal deficit spending is the root cause of inflation and long-term economic instability. Whereas state governments are constitutionally required to balance their budgets, demonstrating that fiscal responsibility and essential public services are not mutually exclusive. For decades, the federal government has engaged in habitual deficit spending. Uh, it's been 26 years since we balanced a budget. Treating fiscal imbalance as a normal condition of governments, governance rather than an exception reserved for national emergencies.

125. 0:36:39

     Persistent federal deficit spending has resulted in unprecedented national debt levels, requiring continuous borrowing that expands the money supply and places upward pr- pressure on inflation. Every single family in America is feeling this. There is a, even a sense of foreboding out there because when we were younger, when I was younger, you thought, "Well, I'll probably work till I'm 62. I'll probably kick the bucket when I'm 72, or maybe 75." Only today, people are routinely living to be 90, 95, 100 years old.

126. 0:37:14

     My father just passed away at 97 a couple of months ago. Things are getting incredibly expensive, so the money that you save and save and save to retire on is not going nearly as far because of inflation. But now it's gonna have to last a heck of a lot longer because I'm gonna live longer. And by the way, you know, how we make a living is changing dramatically. I asked to be on higher education for a reason, because I, I have a sense for what's coming next, and we need to make sure that not just our kids are prepared for a changing economy, but our empty nesters, too.

127. 0:37:48

     I feel, uh, just incredibly powerful, uh, passionate about this issue. What are we doing to help our Georgians? What are we doing to stack the deck in Georgia? I literally say to myself, "I can't make them be fiscally more responsible in Washington, DC," but we do a great job in Georgia. And I think, what if we as Georgians who know how to balance a budget start putting more pressure up to our friends in Washington, DC on both sides of the aisle?

128. 0:38:21

     Come on, guys. We can do better than this. L- the, the economy will continue to grow. America's the only, there's only been one place like this, and there, uh, there probably will never be another one like it again. And our economy will grow, and that will be part of the solution. But all this urging resolution does is says to our friends in Congress, "Let's make this more of a priority. Let's make fiscal responsibility more of a priority." We know you can't fix this overnight. It took us a long time to get where we are with almost $40 trillion in debt.

129. 0:38:53

     It's gonna take some time to get out, but at least let's start talking about it more. Because you've noticed, I bet that you've noticed it has subsided. People don't talk about it that much anymore. And I don't- if we have to drop an urgent resolution every month, or certainly every year, just to say, "Guys, this matters." The biggest tax on Americans is the invisible tax of inflation, and it's roiling families. And I just beg of you, I, I, I would be so grateful y- for your consideration. I'm hopeful that we'll have, you know, every single person in the Georgia House of Representatives support this resolution.

130. 0:39:31

     It's a bipartisan issue. Uh, we've had Republicans, Democrats in the White House. Y- Republicans con- controlling Congress, Democrats controlling Trum- but this is the one constant you can absolutely count on, and this is something we desperately need to do. So I would appreciate your consideration.

131. 0:39:49

     Okay, thank you, uh, Representative Barrett. Uh, we have a question from, uh, Representative Taylor.

132. 0:39:56

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, I'm not, and maybe, maybe the chair can, can kinda chime in on this, um, that have we ever before adopted and, uh, and urged th- th- the House of, United States House of, well, Congress to act on anything that we legislate on this level?

133. 0:40:18

     One right off I can think about that we urged them to do, I believe three years ago, is we urged them to, uh, stay on daylight savings time.

134. 0:40:27

     Oh, I remember that.

135. 0:40:28

     You, yeah, you remember when we voted on that?

136. 0:40:30

     I remember that. Yes.

137. 0:40:30

     That was one resolution that I can remember right off that we voted on.

138. 0:40:33

     Okay, okay. Thank you. And if I may.

139. 0:40:36

     Yes.

140. 0:40:36

     Okay, so Representative, um, you're saying that, that you want this to be made, to make appropriate copies and make them available. So do you have any intentions of directing, um, some entity that would make sure that everybody in the, the Clerk of the House of Representatives, the majority leader, the speaker, and the state Senate members, and the Georgia delegation, congressional delegation, do you have a plan to make sure that every one of them receive a copy of this?

141. 0:41:05

     You know, that's a great question. Because as I look at it and it says to, uh, r- make this res-

142. 0:41:10

     Available

143. 0:41:10

     ... make appropriate copies available-

144. 0:41:13

     Mm-hmm

145. 0:41:13

     ... uh, for distribution to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the majority leader of the United States Senate, members of the c- uh, Georgia Congressional Delegation.

146. 0:41:21

     Mm-hmm.

147. 0:41:22

     I asked our esteemed colleague, uh, Representative Houston Gaines, to be a, a sponsor on this, because I think there's a very high probability he's going to be joining our friends in Washington, DC, uh, next year. I thought I, I want him to have this on his wall, on his, uh, uh, framed on his wall, and I jokingly said, "You can hand deliver it." But no, we will absolutely make this, w- we will send this to every member of our congressional delegation from Georgia. We'll send it to the Speaker of the House. We'll, we will send it to the Senate and to the House, and we will make sure it ends up in exactly the right hands.

148. 0:41:57

     This is not just lip service. This is all of us coming together to say, "This is important for every single family out there."

149. 0:42:06

     Mm-hmm.

150. 0:42:06

     And it doesn't matter if you're a Libertarian or a Republican or a Democrat or, it, it, it crosses every, every socioeconomic divide.

151. 0:42:16

     Yeah, I agree. I agree.

152. 0:42:16

     It affects everyone. And it's just time for us to start, g- guys, you need to get back to the basics because everything else we do is incidental if we, if we can't get the big things right.

153. 0:42:29

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

154. 0:42:30

     Okay. Thank you, uh, uh, Representative Barrett for bringing this bill. Uh, any other questions on behalf of the committee?

155. 0:42:39

     Seeing none, do I hear a, uh, motion?

156. 0:42:45

     I make a motion to do pass.

157. 0:42:45

     Okay, we have a motion to do pass. Do I hear a second?

158. 0:42:48

     Second.

159. 0:42:49

     I have a second. Okay, any other discussion on behalf of House Resolution 1113? None? Okay, all in favor of House Resolution 113, say aye.

160. 0:43:02

     Aye.

161. 0:43:02

     All opposed? Okay, on the rules. Thank you very much, Representative Barrett.

162. 0:43:07

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

163. 0:43:08

     All right.

164. 0:43:08

     Ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honor to work with each and every one of you. I'm thrilled to be here with you all. Thank you.

165. 0:43:16

     Thank you so much, and we are adjourned.