Comité Regulated Industries de la Cámara de Representantes, 17 de febrero de 2026

Transcripción

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

1. 0:22:24

   Good after-

2. 0:22:28

   There you go.

3. 0:22:32

   Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

4. 0:22:36

   Anybody that, if anybody's lost you in the House Regulated Industries Committee, be careful, we might pass something that affects your business. Uh, first up today, we have House Bill 1134, Ms.

5. 0:23:02

   New.

6. 0:23:02

   Thank you, Chairman.

7. 0:23:03

   You're welcome.

8. 0:23:03

   And may I have Richard Grosvenor join me-

9. 0:23:05

   Yes

10. 0:23:05

    ... with the Georgia Association of Licensed Repossessors. Is that okay?

11. 0:23:11

    Sure.

12. 0:23:11

    Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity to talk to you today about HB 1134. We're working with LC 394878. This bill updates Georgia law to industry standards by doing two things for repossessors. It updates the rules of notification for reclaiming personal property th- that are left in a vehicle during a, when a vehicle has been repossessed, and it also clarifies the completion of a repossession. Updating rules on the notifications, the problem is Georgia's current law allows recovery agents to hold vehicles for up to 70 days, making it an outlier compared to neighboring states, and causes issues such as inventory strain and liability risks.

13. 0:23:54

    I've handed out a comparison, if you would look at this right here,

14. 0:24:01

    uh, to see how we compare to our surrounding states. Georgia currently is, they hold your personal property for 70 days, with two notices required. So neighboring states, typically 30 days, but range anywhere from 14 to 45, with one notice required for redemption. This bill lowers the storage period from, period to 30 days, which aligns with industry standards, streamlining operations while allowing sufficient time for debtor redemption. It, and by reducing unpaid storage from the time of 70 to 30 days.

15. 0:24:37

    And because we're doing that, there'll be no need for a second notice to be sent. The second thing this bill does is to provide requirements for the determination of the completion of a repossession of a motored vehicle. Under Georgia law, while agents can repossess vehicles without warning, it lacks clarity on when a repossession is legally complete. This ambiguity can lead to dangerous situations and confusion among consumers, law enforcement, and agents. Much like Florida's repo law, this bill specifies when a repossession is complete.

16. 0:25:09

    The vehicle's attached to a towing tu- truck, the agent has entered the vehicle, or the vehicle is moved from its original location. It, it is more clarity for law enforcement. Officers can easily determine the po- possession. It has clear rights for consumers, which reduces disputes by defining the rights of both parties, and again, updates Georgia to industry standards. And that is the bill. Are there any questions?

17. 0:25:35

    All right, committee members. Number three, that would be...

18. 0:25:41

    Thank you very much, Representative New, for the bill.

19. 0:25:44

    Thank you.

20. 0:25:44

    Um, so I have a couple questions.

21. 0:25:46

    Yes.

22. 0:25:46

    Um, so my first question is about when the repossession is complete. If you could just explain to me, what, w- why does that matter? What happens when the repossession is complete versus when it's in flux? What does that mean for both sides?

23. 0:25:58

    So it's never, it's always been implied when a repossession is complete, but it's never been written down. And so now, there is that gray area.

24. 0:26:07

    Mm-hmm.

25. 0:26:08

    And it is, um, for safety reasons for consumers, safety reasons for law enforcement, safety reasons for these agents, to go ahead and just clarify what it means to be complete. And I can let Richard explain a little bit more of what these agents are going through and what they're seeing.

26. 0:26:26

    Yes. Uh, thank you. Yeah, so when we're in the field and we go to repossess a vehicle, um, every jurisdiction has different, uh, opinions, and we don't know when our job is perfected. For example, I mean, we know the law. Don't breach the peace. Take possession of the vehicle, you know, and get it back to the yard safely. But if somebody attempts to stop you in the driveway, in the street, at the intersection, you know, they might notice their vehicle, for example, being towed back to the lot, and tries to hinder what's already taken place.

27. 0:27:00

    There's no clear define of the law that says, "Hey, our job's been perfected. It, it's one and done." So that's why we're asking for this, to put a defined definition on when it's complete. Is it when it's left the driveway, or it's when it's on the public roadway?

28. 0:27:15

    So just so I understand this, so let's say somebody sees their car being repossessed, and they're trying to get it back. Um, uh, is the significance that under this definition, now that it's a completed repossession, they cannot get it back from you? Uh, like, if the cops were to be called, would they then be siding with the repossessor as opposed to the person trying to get their car at that certain juncture? I'm just trying to understand the-

29. 0:27:37

    Oh, yeah

30. 0:27:37

    ... practical implications-

31. 0:27:38

    Mm-hmm

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    ... of understand, what th- defining this.

33. 0:27:41

    Yeah, great questions. So, you know, it's a civil matter.

34. 0:27:45

    Okay.

35. 0:27:45

    So police typically cannot get involved-

36. 0:27:47

    Okay

37. 0:27:48

    ... unless there's some type of breach of the peace, which is why we need it for everybody's safety. At what point in time did we complete our job? Was it in the driveway? Is it halfway back to the storage facility, or is it at the storage facility? We would more like to think that when it's connected to the tow truck, it's connected, and we have possession. It's been repossessed.

38. 0:28:09

    But I'm not quite understanding, like, the pr- practical implications of that. So the person that's trying to get their car back, what does it mean for them if they're trying to get their car back before-

39. 0:28:17

    Oh, for the-

40. 0:28:17

    ... it's complete, is the-

41. 0:28:18

    ... for the redemption process, it has nothing to do with the redemption process. But the, but the actual process has been repossessed. If they try to hinder or stop what's already taken place, then that's when the safety for all the public is in danger.

42. 0:28:34

    Can they hinder-

43. 0:28:34

    Yeah

44. 0:28:34

    ... or stop a repossession-

45. 0:28:35

    Oh

46. 0:28:35

    ... before it is complete?

47. 0:28:37

    Yeah. Oh, trust me, yes. They've run us off the road, they've shot at us, they've attacked us. Everything you can think of in my 32 years of experience has happened. But it seems like they could still do that after this definition, right? So I'm, I'm just- Oh, yeah. Right. But it's clarity that our job was perfected. Is this about liability? Right. Right, yes. I mean, there is a liability issue, right, but it's for everybody's safety, too. Okay. I mean, so, so law enforcement... If law enforcement had to be called, then they would recognize that with a clear definition, we've done our job. It's been perfected.

48. 0:29:07

    "Ma'am, you need to go home," or, "Sir, you need to go home and call your bank and work on the redemption process and let these guys continue to do their job," instead of interfering, which it's a civil matter anyway, and stopping us from performing our job perfectly that we, we've done- Perfect ... in releasing the vehicle, and then having to try to... the bank trying to recover their vehicle- Okay ... at that point. Thank you for that, um, explanation. And then if you wouldn't mind a second question? Yeah. Um, so with the notice, how is notice delivered? Certified mail.

49. 0:29:37

    Certified mail to what address? To last known address. Whatever we have on file, which typically they're returned. A majority of them are returned, they're non-deliverable, or they just don't wanna accept it. They know their car's been repossessed when they see the notice, "Hey, sign for this from Speedy Recovery," is the name of our company. I guess my concern is someone who's having their car repossessed, you know, may not be at their last known address, may be moving around. I don't know. Um, but is notifying them certified mail at their last known address, is that in line with what we do in other states?

50. 0:30:09

    Um, and I'd love to know what percentage of possessions are repossessed once notice is given currently. Oh, yeah. Yeah, we have those numbers. We've actually been studying those. Less than 30% of people redeem their property. Mm-hmm. Only because of industry standards today, the banks that we work for and represent, all the major banks, they send out notification via text, email, and also, uh, regular mail, USPS mail- So- ... that the vehicle's gonna be repossessed, the company that's coming out to repossess it, et cetera.

51. 0:30:40

    So typically, there's not a lot of belongings in there, but sometimes there is. Majority of belongings, you know, stuff people leave behind in a common vehicle, so. But the notice that you receive that you can collect your stuff, that's only through certified mail? That's how we do it, yes. That's, that's state law now, certified mail. May I, may I interject? So this is just the- Okay ... this is just the repossession. The lien holder will also send a letter of repossession as well, and they have given them a repossession request, and that's where they get the address, is the last known address that- Okay ...

52. 0:31:14

    the lien holder, whoever that is- Okay ... has got for the customer, for the client. Thank you. Thank you.

53. 0:31:24

    Chairman McDonald. Thank you, uh, Chairman New- uh, Representative New. Um, well, y'all are lucky. Y'all get to repossess cars. I can't repossess caskets, so that's not allowed. Oh, goodness. But my question here is, when does the clock stop, start? I mean, it's a little vague on... I know you have to notify within 10 days, but when does the 30-day clock gonna start with this legislation? Is that when you receive receipt that they've received the certified mail?

54. 0:31:55

    Is that when it starts, or is it when you send it? Because, you know, we, you know, we've all heard the mail stories and what's going on, you know, with, with certified or any mail. And so I, I want... I'd like some clarification on the, on the, on when the timer starts. Okay. Yeah. So I think we would maintain with standard what's, what's in place now. We would get that certified mail delivered within 10 days. So we would get it out within a 10-day period. Okay. But sometimes, you know, depending on what day of the week we repossessed it on, but- Mm ... within 10 d- calendar days, the certified mail would go out.

55. 0:32:25

    And then from the date of that letter, you have 30 days to claim the property. That letter going out or the letter that you receive something back that they received it certified mail? Of the letter going out. Would you think maybe, um... What about if you put in there when they receive it, you get your receipt that they received there? I think that runs into the situation that I said earlier. A lot of people will not sign for that letter, and the- Gotcha ... most, majority of them are returned. Okay.

56. 0:32:58

    Is that your... Is that it? Yes. Chairman Carpenter. Thank you, Chairman. Is it fair to say that most people that, uh, are in this process realize that they probably hadn't paid their car payment in three or four months anyway? Is that a fair statement? That is correct. Yeah, that's accurate. Yes. And is it also not true that i- by, by lowering these days, it should help other people that are in car loans have cheaper rates because this is, increases the cost of loan, loan companies doing business? That's correct. I'm sure you're accurate, and the trickle-down effect is accurate, yes.

57. 0:33:29

    Thank you. Number 12, who is that? Chair- uh, Mr. Ridley. Oh, thank you. Um, I guess it's still the standard. When I was in banking, it was... Like, we didn't even start till, like, 90 days after they hadn't paid the payment. Is that still kind of standard? It is. That's typical industry, industry standard. And then sometimes it can take another 60 days before you can locate the person and get the car. And like, uh, you were saying, I know we had plenty of them that would send res- would send certified letters before we even went to the repo part and couldn't even get them to sign the...

58. 0:34:01

    you know, get the letter signed. And y- but you go to the address, and there the vehicle would be. That's, that's correct, yes. You're accurate. All right. Thank you. All right. Do we have any other questions from any of the committee members? And I'm, again, I'm sorry, but what's your name? Uh, Richard Grosvenor. And what is your business? Speedy Recovery Services, Inc.

59. 0:34:26

    And he's here with the Georgia Association of Licensed Repossessors. Didn't know they had an association. We got another. Yeah. We got another. And they're all s- they're all small business owners, and they're all owned in Georgia and operated in Georgia. So we've got another country heard from, huh?

60. 0:34:42

    Sound to me like this would be a great, uh, great bill for folks that are in the buy here, pay here business, wouldn't it? All right. No further questions? All right, if not, what's the will of the committee?

61. 0:34:56

    Make a motion to

62. 0:34:57

    We have a motion. We have a second. Any discussion? Any amendments? Any concerns? If not, all in favor say, "I."

63. 0:35:06

    I.

64. 0:35:06

    Opposed? Your bill's gone to rules.

65. 0:35:09

    Thank you. Thank you all.

66. 0:35:09

    Thank you.

67. 0:35:10

    All right.

68. 0:35:12

    All right.

69. 0:35:14

    Good job, Representative.

70. 0:35:19

    Let's see. House Bill 122 by Ms. Ward-Lewis. Uh?

71. 0:35:27

    1222.

72. 0:35:28

    1222. I stand corrected. Patty, my handler.

73. 0:35:37

    On top.

74. 0:35:44

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and good afternoon to the committee members. It is a pleasure to present to you HB 1222, working off LC620384S. This is a simple bill. It does one thing. It limits the cost that an HOA can charge for a closing letter. It limits-

75. 0:36:10

    Excuse me

76. 0:36:10

    ... it caps it at $250.

77. 0:36:11

    Excuse me, can you hold? Can you hold for a second? We gotta find the substitute.

78. 0:36:20

    Okay.

79. 0:36:21

    Does, does all the committee have the proper substitute?

80. 0:36:24

    Substitute HB 1222.

81. 0:36:25

    Can you read that number?

82. 0:36:25

    Yeah, 0384S.

83. 0:36:27

    Yes.

84. 0:36:28

    All right. If you would, go right ahead.

85. 0:36:30

    Thank you. And what the substitute does, it just includes, um, this provisions for the Georgia Property Owners Association. Um, their original bill did not include them. They were omitted by, by mistake. And just to go through the section, section one through three,

86. 0:36:50

    it talks about the Georgia Condo Act, that they're included. Sections four through six pertains to the Property Owners Act. They're included. And section seven is kind of like a catch-all. There are associations that don't fall under either the condo association or the property owners association. Um, and section eight is just a cross-reference to, for the property owners. You should have in your packet also, um, a letter from a realtor who's expressed, um, concerns about the rising flexible fees that home own- that the HOAs charge for closing letters.

87. 0:37:32

    Um, and with that, I'll stand for any questions.

88. 0:37:42

    The realtor that you're talking about, if I'm, if I read, and I think I've seen this bill somewhere before. It, uh, uh-

89. 0:37:50

    Th- this bill was presented in 2018, made it to the governor's desk, and, um, unfortunately didn't cross over because the caps were too high at that time. The recommendation was for the caps to be at twel- $250, and that's what this bill does.

90. 0:38:06

    That's what I was looking on, line 236, for that letter from the condo fee, closing letter. Uh, they can get up to, they can get up to $250.

91. 0:38:17

    Correct.

92. 0:38:18

    Yeah. Very good. All right. Questions from the committee? Uh, Mr. Williams.

93. 0:38:27

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, and thank you for bringing this bill, and you've made some adjustments and some perfections, and, and Mr. Chair, at the appropriate time, I'd like to offer a motion.

94. 0:38:42

    You're a little bit quick on the trigger.

95. 0:38:44

    I'm just fast like that.

96. 0:38:45

    All right. Mr. Washburn.

97. 0:38:46

    Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don't have a question. I just want to commend you for your hard work on this bill. This is a needed bill, and these associations, uh, need to be put under some controls, and I know you have worked long and hard on it, and I just wanted to commend you for, for your perseverance and for working so hard on it, and I'm honored to have tried to help you with it along the way.

98. 0:39:09

    Thank you so much, and I do appreciate your help.

99. 0:39:12

    All right. I don't see any other committee members that have a question. I will tell you that it's an awful good bill. I think I've seen this bill sometime in the past. Um, well, I do see one. Mr. Williams, are you still wanting to be recognized for a motion?

100. 0:39:29

     We got one.

101. 0:39:29

     Oh, certainly, sir. I've slowed down.

102. 0:39:31

     All right.

103. 0:39:32

     Is this slow enough for you?

104. 0:39:36

     Mr. Chair, I offer motion that this bill be passed out with a due pass.

105. 0:39:44

     Well, we'll go ahead.

106. 0:39:45

     Oh, we've got, uh, several people.

107. 0:39:46

     Now, why you ask?

108. 0:39:49

     Well, I, I-

109. 0:39:50

     Yes

110. 0:39:50

     ... I apologize. I didn't realize we had some folks-

111. 0:39:53

     Oh, okay

112. 0:39:53

     ... that signed up for public comment-

113. 0:39:55

     Oh, okay

114. 0:39:55

     ... which we normally don't take at a full committee meeting. But as an abundance of precaution, we're gonna allow these folks quickly to be heard.

115. 0:40:04

     Quickly, quickly.

116. 0:40:05

     Uh, Connie...

117. 0:40:09

     I'm sorry.

118. 0:40:10

     You know what we think

119. 0:40:11

     ... Dietra Poindexter?

120. 0:40:14

     Yes. I'm going to decline the public comment. Thank you.

121. 0:40:17

     All right. Jeff Ledford?

122. 0:40:20

     I, I'll do the same. Sounds like y'all know what the bill does.

123. 0:40:24

     Sounds to me like y'all are pretty wise folks.

124. 0:40:30

     All right. All right. Reverend Williams, you are now recognized for a motion.

125. 0:40:35

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm, I'm glad that they saw the look on my face. I move that this bill gets a due pass.

126. 0:40:44

     We have a motion and a second. Do we have any comments? Any amendments? If not, all in favor say aye.

127. 0:40:51

     Aye.

128. 0:40:52

     And the ayes clearly have it. Good bill.

129. 0:40:55

     Thank you so much.

130. 0:40:56

     If you go stop by the office, I'll sign the, uh, rule sheet for you. All right.

131. 0:41:06

     Let's see here.

132. 0:41:11

     We have House Bill 684 by Representative Taylor.

133. 0:41:15

     All right. Before lunch.

134. 0:41:26

     Good afternoon, Chairman and committee members. I am here to present HB 684. The substitute LC number is 560581S.

135. 0:41:41

     Okay. And I am presenting House Bill 684, which is a trichology bill. We are asking to incorporate the training and teaching of trichology in the school of barbering and cosmetology. And what, when I say trichology, some of you may say, "Well, what in the world is trichology?" It is actually the hair science or the study of hair loss and scalp diseases and disorders, and it is more prevalent than you think. Um, I have with me, uh, a, a cosmetologist of 30-

136. 0:42:16

     40 years

137. 0:42:16

     ... 40 years who has signed up to speak. So, Mr. Chairman, I'll let her take over from here. She's on the list.

138. 0:42:23

     Thank you, and thank you so much, Committee, for allowing me to speak. I'm Connie Judge. Let me kind of qualify who I am before I give the statement with the few minutes that I have. First of all, I'm a licensed cosmetologist for 40 years. I've been a barber stylist since 1997. I've owned a barbering school in Albany, Georgia, and now I am a trichologist and the president of a school here in Atlanta that is authorized through post-secondary education. That's my expertise. Let me just speak to a couple of issues with the few minutes that I have and the concern why I feel that this is so apropos and necessary that all of the beauty professionals that are touching hair needs to incorporate some of this while they're in beauty school because of the rise of hair loss that has taken place now over the last five, six years from the pandemic.

139. 0:43:10

     The critical concern that I have is consumer protection more than anything else. This is the case and the cause that we're seeing at my school where I've graduated students from 33 different states from around the country that are studying trichology and working in dermatology practices. The rise of hair loss is critical mass in the state of Georgia. The chemical risks and concerns are another factor that we need to really take consideration in what's happening with that, and the limited focus that's being taught on this case in trichology in beauty colleges.

140. 0:43:41

     The risk factors are also a concern of mines. People who have alopecia, autoimmune issues, breast cancer survivors who are having hair loss issues, thyroid patients with hair loss. And also when it comes to the tension that's put upon the scalp with the students now learning how to braid, how to weave and do all of this in beauty college, but no real emphasis is being put on how this is diffusing and causing hair loss. And then the more dire issue is the chemicals that are being used from permanent wave solutions to chemical relaxers and color, which are now known across the country and throughout the world that these caustic chemicals are really causing problems with health concerns and issues.

141. 0:44:21

     And I believe that students now in beauty colleges are left behind. We have not modernized our schools to bring them to a level of understanding who is a candidate for that, for chemicals and who is not. And then when we look at the world issues of traction alopecia and chemical scalp burns and permanent, permanent hair loss, these are also contributing to legal issues that could come out of this when our students are going out unprepared. This is not a complaint, but a concern that we need to up that level of education and, uh, provide a introductory course that would be mandatory for students to learn.

142. 0:44:55

     Left giving them an option to do it, they're not gonna do it. Leaving the school owners an option to do it, they're not gonna do it. They're gonna say, "Get some CEU hours." When I was, you know, considering the beauty industry and the hours that we kn- need for CEU credits, we asked for 10 hours. People came down here and fought a bill for 10 hours of education, and they reduced it to five, and that set us up for more failure. So I'm speaking to that in, in my closing remarks. I just want to show that Georgia can be the leading state in the country that can lead in making this a mandatory thing, that they're offered at least an introductory course to trichology with the scalp disorders, diseases, and hair loss.

143. 0:45:32

     And I can look around this room and I can tell you that there are massive people sitting right here in the midst of us that are dealing with hair loss, and that's just not being taught. Al can attest to that. Al- Al can attest to that, that we do have a serious issue among male and female. And, and listen, hair loss has no race and no color assigned to it.

144. 0:45:51

     And, and we're ask- uh, we're asking for 30 hours for the students, 30 hours to be included in the curriculum for the students. And I, I wanted to make sure that you all also knew that I dropped this bill. Y'all know I'm from the beauty industry, salon owner and t- instructor. Last year, I dropped a bill, and I did not move forward with it because I wanted to make sure that we had the support of the State Board of Cosmetology. And so we have g- gone down to Macon, talked with them, shared the curriculum, and they are all in fa- in favor of it. So I want that to be on the record that we, Ms.

145. 0:46:23

     K is okay, Mr. Chairman. And we'll take any questions at this time.

146. 0:46:28

     All right. You have a couple of questions. Number seven, that would be, uh, Dr. Williams again.

147. 0:46:36

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you, Representative Taylor, for this bill. I've listened to this bill now, this is the second time I read this bill. And it is a shame that it took all these years and so much loss of hair. It took all this time for me to figure out what happened to a beautiful head of hair. So it's y'all's fault, and so I hope that you can correct some of the things.

148. 0:47:06

     I, I can't understand why, y- you know, we've not gone through basic things like cleanliness, et cetera. Why are we here now even needing to be? But I think it's a good bill. I think that the root of the problem, though, comes not necessarily out of this committee, 'cause this committee always done for the necessary, and I want you to know the chairman must like you, Representative Taylor- ... 'cause he and I talked about cosmetology bills years ago, and I listened very closely to him, and I've tried to follow his lead.

149. 0:47:40

     No cosmetology. But anyhow, you've done an excellent job, but the problem rests in there's got to be more funding through appropriations for inspectors.

150. 0:47:52

     I agree.

151. 0:47:52

     No matter what we pass, until we have the people... No, everybody starts out being honest till they find out they haven't got to be honest.

152. 0:48:01

     Mm-hmm.

153. 0:48:01

     We need inspectors to cover this state and enough of them to make a difference. Good bill.

154. 0:48:07

     Thank you, Mr.... uh, Representative Williamson. That is accurate. That is something that we do need to address.

155. 0:48:12

     Well, I'd say that he's laid his hands on this. Representative Jenkins.

156. 0:48:20

     Yeah, I have a few. Uh, so to, to borrow from my friend Buddy DeLoach, what is the clamor on this? Is this, um, in 2026, here we are adding this, adding f- it said 50 hours. You said 30 a minute ago, but the, my bill says 50.

157. 0:48:36

     30 is for the c- instructors to teach it.

158. 0:48:38

     Okay, and 30-

159. 0:48:38

     And 30 is for the students to get it to graduate.

160. 0:48:41

     So we're adding-

161. 0:48:41

     Part of the curriculum

162. 0:48:42

     ... 30 hours of training, which is the better part of a week. It's pretty much a week, and all the expense associated with that. Um, you know, so we're, we're, we're, we're putting even a, a, a, a bigger burden on the students, and I'm just wondering, is it, is it the shop owners that are clamoring for this? Is it the people that are cutting hair, or is this something that the schools want?

163. 0:49:03

     All of the, all of the above.

164. 0:49:05

     Okay, 'cause I, I've, I talk to my barber a, a lot, and I've, I've... She is suffering for lack of employees. She's, uh, she needs to hire people. She can't find trained people, but I've, I've just never heard her mention this. Um, a- and I couldn't imagine going to a, a barber for this. I mean, this is kinda dermatology stuff. When you talk about balding-

165. 0:49:26

     No

166. 0:49:26

     ... and dandruff and things like that, I mean-

167. 0:49:29

     No, no

168. 0:49:29

     ... you know, those are... I mean, I guess it can be treated in a barber shop, but we... don't, don't you think if somebody needed... If, if somebody was balding, for instance, and that were a concern to them, wouldn't they-

169. 0:49:38

     Let me, let me-

170. 0:49:38

     ... seek a barber shop that perhaps may specialize in balding, if there is a such thing, if they didn't wanna go to a dermatologist about it or...?

171. 0:49:45

     Definitely.

172. 0:49:46

     Okay, sir, let me address that, if you don't mind.

173. 0:49:48

     Sure.

174. 0:49:48

     With my 40 years of experience in the beauty industry as a cosmetologist and a barber, I owned a barber school first.

175. 0:49:55

     Right.

176. 0:49:56

     I then went to trichology because none of this was taught in beauty college. It's still not being addressed as it should be. I brought an instructor with me today from Paul Mitchell who has attested to this, who graduated from my program because they d- wasn't offering anything in beauty school. This is not a concern for dermatologists up front. The concern is where we start in the embryonic stages of educating students in the beauty colleges so that they know what to do and what not to do. That's where the ignorance lies. This is not a complaint. This is the truth. I have more of a concern about consumer protection than anything else.

177. 0:50:28

     I have seen... I have 18,000 pictures on my phone of people who have lost hair in the salons because of the ignorance that runs through the salon. I have another cosmetologist sitting over here. They see the same thing, and again, I'm back to this. A dermatologist is necessary when it's beyond the scope of practice of what they do. We send more people to the dermatologist because of ignorance and error. We do.

178. 0:50:51

     And, and, and t- t- think of it as a precursor because what happens is that we're getting... You, you probably... Your barber probably hasn't mentioned it because it's not been taught, and if she's been barbering for a while, um, she wouldn't, she never even came across it. We're trying to prevent it, and I know for a fact that even when I was doing teaching, we'd do a consultation, but what happens is that when they, they go through the whole 15 hour, 1500-hour course, get into the real world, that one day of c- that one hour of consultation training is n- is no more.

179. 0:51:24

     So you, when they get out in the real industry and they're, excuse me, they're looking at clients, I almost said patients, they can identify, like for example, cancer. There are certain procedures or chemicals that you can use on the scalp if someone has cancer. If someone has a, um... She was talking about the COVID, the effects from that COVID left. Stress. Stress will make you lose hair, and you don't need to put strong chemicals on someone's hair if they're stressed like that.

180. 0:51:54

     So that's an example to kinda bring it home for you, but it is real, and it, and people, they don't, people don't know what's happening. They don't understand why their hair's falling out or what's going on. Tension. The least little bit of stress on that scalp, on that texture of that hair, it comes out. So it's definitely, definitely prevalent.

181. 0:52:13

     Can I, can I have one more follow-up?

182. 0:52:16

     Sure. Go ahead.

183. 0:52:16

     So we already do quite a bit of, uh, I'd say infectious disease and health-type related training in barber school. I mean, uh, are, can't we just incorporate this curriculum in the curriculum that's already there?

184. 0:52:30

     That's what we wanna do.

185. 0:52:31

     Well, and, and add to the length of school.

186. 0:52:33

     That's what we wanna do. It's not... This, this particular c- this particular curriculum will not interfere with the current structure of the schools at no additional cost. We're just asking that they incorporate 30 hours within their curriculum to make sure that they cover the components of trichology.

187. 0:52:49

     So how do they make a school longer without making it more expensive and take longer?

188. 0:52:54

     And I-

189. 0:52:54

     'Cause it's a- it's adding 30 hours to it.

190. 0:52:56

     Well-

191. 0:52:56

     Let me, let me speak to that. Okay, let me show you something, sir. This is a textbook for trichology There's 340 pages in this book. This is all we're asking for the schools.

192. 0:53:06

     Right.

193. 0:53:07

     That's a minimum amount of information. And let me say this, we don't have to add hours to the 1,500 hours. We need to infuse it. I traveled to beauty colleges throughout the state of Georgia. They called me to come and speak to their school. Their teachers don't know this curriculum. They know nothing about it. You got, you got over 10,000 instructors in the state of Georgia, and less than 1% know anything about trichology. You have more than 50,000 licensed people in the state of Georgia, and very few of them know anything about the word trichology.

194. 0:53:37

     The ignorance is the problem. And again, it's not a complaint, but it's a consumer concern because I'm seeing this certain... In my 40 years of experience, and I travel and I speak at all these trade shows, and have been doing that for 30-plus years, there's a serious problem, and it starts with us educating now our young people who are coming out of school that don't have the knowledge. And they get in the real world, and they see this, and they cannot answer the concern.

195. 0:54:01

     S- so it'll still be a 1,500-hour school, is that what you're-

196. 0:54:03

     It's 1,500-hour program that's in the colleges now. We don't need to add to that. We need to infuse some of that because they call us to come out and do, you know, extra classes for the schools. We can infuse those hours. This is something that we can offer online, uh, to them in the virtual space, and also go on site every now and then and help these schools implement this into their program. So I think it should be left with the school owners in terms of some form of funding. I can't get out here and work for it for free. I'm just putting it out there. Something has to be done there, but we're not asking the state to fund any money for it.

197. 0:54:34

     I think that should rest upon the school owners. They're making millions of dollars in what they're doing, but they're not applying it in good educational areas where they need to implement these type of things that saves our consumers harm and, and health challenges.

198. 0:54:48

     Okay. That concludes my questions. Sorry.

199. 0:54:53

     Representative McCollum.

200. 0:54:56

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So, uh, I guess my question is, is, is this kind of like a you're gonna teach them to have a preventative, uh, maintenance? Or like if somebody comes in and their hair is falling out, they, they would have some knowledge to say, "You need to do this or that," where now they don't.

201. 0:55:15

     Absolutely.

202. 0:55:15

     Um, it, I mean, I, I think that's what I'm hearing, it's gonna help them make a, you know, suggestions to their customers.

203. 0:55:22

     No. We're not, we, we're not doctors. We cannot diagnose.

204. 0:55:25

     No, no, I know that, but-

205. 0:55:26

     But we can identify it and say to that client, w- you, because, you know, we do the consultation. You find out what medications they may be on. That's another part that's not happening.

206. 0:55:35

     Right.

207. 0:55:36

     They come to the beauty salon or the barber shop, they sit in the chair, and no, no communication takes place.

208. 0:55:40

     Yeah.

209. 0:55:41

     And that is part of the problem. When they sit down, there should be a consultation to make sure, "Are you on any medications," or, "Are you, have you been stressed? Have you had a stroke in the last two years?" All those questions are vital so that the technician knows whether or not she can service, he or she can service that client.

210. 0:55:58

     Right. Okay.

211. 0:55:58

     That's where we are.

212. 0:55:59

     Okay.

213. 0:56:00

     And then that, getting that training-

214. 0:56:01

     It's preventive

215. 0:56:02

     ... yeah, it is preventive, but it's-

216. 0:56:03

     Yeah

217. 0:56:03

     ... not diagnosing.

218. 0:56:04

     No, no, yeah.

219. 0:56:05

     Okay.

220. 0:56:05

     I, I just felt like that y'all are gonna train them to, so they can give them suggestions.

221. 0:56:09

     Identify.

222. 0:56:09

     Yeah. And, and, and-

223. 0:56:10

     Yeah

224. 0:56:10

     ... okay. And then a follow-up, Mr. Chairman. S- so, uh, do you think that if we, if we pass this bill that, that my hair's falling out, that, that they could keep my hair from being like Representative Williams'?

225. 0:56:24

     Oh.

226. 0:56:31

     Long one.

227. 0:56:31

     Uh, HRS.

228. 0:56:34

     Well, I just thought I might, might not get to that point if, if we got this-

229. 0:56:37

     It'll stop it, yes

230. 0:56:37

     ... bill passed. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

231. 0:56:40

     All right. All right. Let's see. Chairman DeLoach, if there's anybody who can clarify this with your head of hair, I don't know who it is.

232. 0:56:50

     Let, let me do my best, Mr. Chairman. It is my understanding that this bill does not increase the rewa- the required number of hours. It's just within that required number of hours that this, that this 30 hours be in trichology. Is that correct?

233. 0:57:13

     That is correct.

234. 0:57:14

     Okay. That's number one. Number two, Mr. Chairman, if I may.

235. 0:57:19

     You may.

236. 0:57:20

     The purpose of this bill, as I understand it, is to train, uh, people in your profession so that they use these products in such a way that these conditions do not occur. It's not to train them to treat those conditions once they occur. Is that correct?

237. 0:57:41

     That's correct.

238. 0:57:42

     That is correct. And that's all the bill does, isn't it?

239. 0:57:44

     Correct. Well, well, except that we want to, before they get to be professionals, we want to teach them while they're still students.

240. 0:57:50

     Sure. Sure. But, but we're not increasing the total number of hours.

241. 0:57:54

     No.

242. 0:57:54

     Okay.

243. 0:57:54

     No, sir.

244. 0:57:56

     Well, I think you did a pretty good job of that- Yes, sir ... illustrious chairman. That was our coach.

245. 0:58:02

     Donald.

246. 0:58:03

     Who? My nephew, Charlie Neal.

247. 0:58:08

     Chairman McDonald.

248. 0:58:10

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm kind of stressing out over here, and I mean, I'm worried about Al next to me, stressing out. No, just at the proper time I want to make a motion do pass.

249. 0:58:18

     Oh, that's it, in the proper time. If you'll hold on. Mr. McCollum, did I see- Mr. McCollum, did I see your light flashing again? Yes, sir, I was gonna- All right ... come to the chairman ... Reverend Williams. Talk about our industry. Reverend Williams, I see your light's on there again. Are y'all gonna be fighting about who makes a motion? Fall on me for me to take away the motion from my dear friend. All right. Do we have any other questions from the committee? If y'all would stand aside, we've got someone else that wants to be heard. Uh, Ms. Smith?

250. 0:58:50

     You want to speak?

251. 0:58:51

     Yes.

252. 0:58:52

     Oh, I decline. Thank you.

253. 0:58:55

     You waived. Yeah.

254. 0:58:56

     My goodness. All right. Any questions from the committee on this? Does everybody understand? We're talking about the, uh, we're talking about the courses that teach this to the teachers at, uh, at- To go forward. 50 hours training. I've only got one concern, and it's something that probably doesn't mean a whole lot. I want to be sure somewhere in here that we need to re- remind these folks that the only thing they're teaching is to identify.

255. 0:59:26

     Correct.

256. 0:59:27

     That's in the curriculum.

257. 0:59:28

     And not-

258. 0:59:28

     It's in the curriculum

259. 0:59:29

     ... and to identify and to recommend-

260. 0:59:31

     Yeah

261. 0:59:31

     ... a client for medical attention. Mm-hmm. Would that be proper in your mind if we added that?

262. 0:59:35

     Well, I don't, I don't, I don't feel comfortable with recommending, just that as at my level of experience, I'm unable to service you, you know, at this time, or to provide that particular service. Um, I don't think recommending that they should go to a dermatologist or to a doctor, you don't know how the reaction may be, and clients can be very sensitive. However, I do agree, and it's in the curriculum that we are actually identifying.

263. 0:59:58

     Let me, let me, yeah, let me clarify.

264. 0:59:59

     Mm-hmm.

265. 0:59:59

     So in beauty college, it's only identifying. Once they leave college and get their license, now that's when they can start to do recommendations, because if they become a certified trichologist, they're practitioners. They can refer them out to the right doctor. But in beauty school, students cannot do that. They can identify the issue and say, "We can identify this, but we can't put chemicals to a client who has cancer, going through chemotherapy and treatments like that." The students should not be touching people like that. They should be sent away, and that's where the school owner should be involved in, in that part.

266. 1:00:31

     So you're saying through all the process of, uh, training and all- Mm-hmm ... that these students that go into this profession, that they know they're not medical practitioners, they're only- They cannot be medical practitioners ... they only identify and aren't tempted to try to- Right. All right. Cool. All right. Well, let's see somebody else now. Number 17.

267. 1:00:51

     Mr. Chair, at the proper time, I want to second that motion.

268. 1:00:58

     You got two proper assistants. I can see that this committee was well-trained about cosmetology bills. All right. Any further questions?

269. 1:01:06

     No.

270. 1:01:08

     Any amendments? Any propositions? If not, all in favor say, "Aye."

271. 1:01:12

     Aye.

272. 1:01:13

     Opposed? And the ayes clearly have it. Your bill is going away.

273. 1:01:16

     Thank you very much. Thank you.

274. 1:01:17

     Took you a while to get here, didn't it?

275. 1:01:19

     It did.

276. 1:01:20

     I see.

277. 1:01:21

     Thank you.

278. 1:01:22

     And I guess that leaves me, doesn't it? All right. See you in about 15 years.

279. 1:01:29

     No, we're gonna work on, we're gonna work on those inspectors.

280. 1:01:32

     Mr.

281. 1:01:37

     Chairman, I move for the pass on this one.

282. 1:01:43

     Oh, what do you want me to say?

283. 1:01:44

     This is his bill.

284. 1:01:45

     It's gonna be fireworks, you guys.

285. 1:01:47

     Oh, my goodness. This is his bill.

286. 1:01:48

     It is.

287. 1:01:49

     Yeah, yeah. We'll see some fireworks.

288. 1:01:59

     Okay. All right.

289. 1:02:02

     We'll pass that?

290. 1:02:28

     Yeah. Yeah. Yes.

291. 1:02:33

     Do you want us to come back?

292. 1:02:33

     All right. Hold on good one minute. I'm looking for one that I had here marked up. Here.

293. 1:02:39

     Do you have a copy of 1095?

294. 1:02:40

     Here it is. Here it is. That's it. That's the one.

295. 1:02:46

     Yes.

296. 1:02:50

     Give me a clean copy.

297. 1:03:12

     Thank you.

298. 1:03:13

     You ready? I'm ready, Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen of the committee. I bring to you today LC, a substitute to House Bill 1095, LC 64-0062S. And in the process of this, there's a, a friendly amendment that's been proposed. What this does, ladies and gentlemen, this allows, that is currently prohibited, that temporary locations that sell fireworks, that if they want to open them up, they can do it by virtue of a tent. Right now in Georgia, you've gotta have a, uh, a solid licensed facility to be able to open up a, a satellite or a holiday-type station, and these are in these small f- I guess, small temporary locations built out of wood or whatever, and this would allow tents.

299. 1:04:01

     So for every one of your locations they have, they have 10, they can open up 10 locations, but we're only saying that they can use a tent if they so wish. I look at it, and because I'm over next to South Carolina border and I see this all the time, 'cause most of these temporary locations are only set up for special events, holidays, and things like that. Um, that's basically what it does. You look through the bill and you'll see language is stricken where it adds tents, or by striking where f- uh, it does not allow tents.

300. 1:04:33

     We're striking that so it would bring it back into the, uh, into the fold. Um,

301. 1:04:43

     we left the 1,000 feet to a fire hydrant, nonetheless the fire chief of whatever county allows that. Uh, tent tents again. And quite frankly, that's what this really does. Doesn't change any of the fees for licensing or anything else. There's a couple of friendly amendments that you're gonna see, and I don't have one in front of me. I looked at it, uh, being proposed by Chairman Dubnik. Uh, and I would encourage you to probably ba- uh, and I would encourage you when he explains that, uh, to accept that amendment, 'cause that deals with the not-for-profits

302. 1:05:21

     Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, Chairman, do you have an amendment?

303. 1:05:25

     Uh, Mr. Chairman, at the appropriate time, I would make a motion on this bill, and then furthermore, Mr. Chairman, at the appropriate time, I'd like to offer an amendment.

304. 1:05:33

     All right. Let, let me open it for questions-

305. 1:05:35

     Yes, sir

306. 1:05:35

     ... before that. Uh, ladies and gentlemen of the committee, are there any questions of Chairman Powell about his basic bill? Number 16. Chairman DeLoach.

307. 1:05:46

     Mr. Chairman, this just a quick question. I was thinking about that tent. I just wondered if the folks selling these fireworks could co-occupy with somebody like El McGantry or another traveling preacher.

308. 1:05:59

     Well, they probably could, but only if they had a head of hair like yours. They look like a televangelist.

309. 1:06:07

     Those men with the

310. 1:06:09

     Any other questions on the basic bill? Hearing none, I'll, uh, recognize Chairman Dubnik for his amendment.

311. 1:06:18

     Mr. Chairman, at this time, I'd like to make a motion on this bill, if that would be acceptable for you.

312. 1:06:24

     We have a motion for due pass. Uh, is there any other discussion?

313. 1:06:29

     Second.

314. 1:06:31

     Uh, yes, Mr. Chairman. At the appropriate time, I'd like to offer an amendment.

315. 1:06:34

     Okay.

316. 1:06:34

     Uh, members of the committee, you have, uh, that amendment there on your table, AM640001. Uh, members of the committee, if, if you were to look at a few of the pieces of the language in the bill, uh, it specifies that a certain port of the- portion of the revenue from these temporary operations must go towards benefiting a nonprofit, but there are a lot of community organizations, like my son's basketball team, who may be doing this as a fundraiser, no different than a car wash or candy bars or, heaven forbid, we get back in the selling wrapping paper business.

317. 1:07:09

     Um, a- and so all, uh, Mr. Chairman, that I'm asking is, as y'all see through these prov- provisions here, uh, a- and I outlined there, all, all I'm saying is these groups have the same opportunity to operate a temporary facility still under that licensed distributor. I wanna be clear about that. Um, but as y'all can see here, I'd just like to add a friendly amendment striking the, the provision there that would not prohibit these groups from, from participating. And as y'all can see, all we're doing there is, is stating that it doesn't, that that nonprofit piece doesn't have to be there.

318. 1:07:45

     So four total places, pages three, seven, eight, and nine. Mr. Chairman, I'll put that forward in the, in the form of a motion.

319. 1:07:54

     You have heard the motion. Is there a second?

320. 1:07:56

     Second.

321. 1:07:57

     We have a motion and a second for the amendment. Any other discussion on the amendment?

322. 1:08:01

     Mr. Chairman, if I might, if you would consider doing this as a committee substitute. Yes.

323. 1:08:11

     All right. If you, uh... So if we handle that as-

324. 1:08:14

     Committee substitute. Due to committee substitute.

325. 1:08:16

     Yeah. Uh, if you favor, uh, the amendment, the motion to pass the amendment, please say aye.

326. 1:08:22

     Aye.

327. 1:08:23

     Any opposed say no. And the amendment passes, and now vote on the-

328. 1:08:27

     Pass the bill

329. 1:08:27

     ... primary bill. Uh, so we need a motion now to pass the bill by committee substitute.

330. 1:08:34

     Motion to pass.

331. 1:08:35

     We have a motion. Is there a second?

332. 1:08:36

     Second.

333. 1:08:37

     Any other discussion? If you favor, uh, the passage of this by committee substitute, please say aye.

334. 1:08:44

     Aye.

335. 1:08:44

     Any opposed say no. And it passes, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

336. 1:08:51

     All right. That's amazing. You said it right. Why, you said Collins.

337. 1:08:58

     There you go.

338. 1:08:58

     We're out of here before dark.

339. 1:09:03

     Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. And this committee has ceased its work for the day, and I'm very grateful. Thank you, and we'll see you maybe later in the week.

340. 1:09:12

     We haven't finished yet. Chair, may we-

341. 1:09:20

     Yes.

342. 1:09:22

     Mr. Chairman.

343. 1:09:23

     Yes.

344. 1:09:23

     May we-

345. 1:09:24

     Yes.

346. 1:09:24

     Okay.

347. 1:09:24

     Sure.

348. 1:09:24

     How are you with them?