Comité Rules de la Cámara de Representantes, 17 de febrero de 2026

Transcripción

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

1. 0:17:19

   Good morning, everybody.

2. 0:18:27

   Good morning, everybody.

3. 0:18:29

   Good morning.

4. 0:18:30

   If, if you will, come on in and have a seat. Uh, business is picking up. We wanna go ahead and try to get started. Uh, we'll get ready to open up our meeting, call it to order, and I'm gonna ask, uh, Representative Al Williams, if he would, to open us with a word of prayer, please.

5. 0:18:47

   Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting, thou art eternal God. We thank you once again for another day. We thank you for those that have come. We pray that you keep us, our minds stayed on you. And Lord, we ask a special prayer upon those on the wall whose bill might not see the light of day. Give them strength to understand it. For it is in Jesus' name we pray, amen. Amen.

6. 0:19:16

   Uh, amen. Uh, thank you, Reverend.

7. 0:19:23

   Yeah. Yeah.

8. 0:19:28

   Well, good, good morning, everybody. We'll, we'll go ahead and get started. We've got a lot of folks who are gonna make requests for their bills to be heard today, so we're gonna move along pretty quickly. Uh, when you, members, if you would, when you, uh, begin your presentation, please tell us where it is on the blue sheet, like page two, middle of page or something. That'll help the members, uh, find it, and we can move along, uh, a little more efficiently and everything. Uh, we had a request from, uh, Representative Ole- Olaleye.

9. 0:20:02

   Phil, uh, he- he's- he's got to, uh, another little meeting he needs to get to, so we're gonna ask him to come on up first and, uh, and present- present his bill, trying to accommodate all our members.

10. 0:20:15

    I don't know if this is helping me or...

11. 0:20:17

    Well.

12. 0:20:18

    I don't know if this is helping me or hurting me, Chairman. But good morning and, uh, members of the committee. I'm presenting House Bill 310. It's at the bottom of page one. And the bill creates a targeted pilot program providing up to $5,000 for 500 Pell eligible Georgia student teachers during their unpaid student teaching semester, along with a 2,500, uh, signing grant if they go on to teach at a Georgia, uh, public school. We have a significant teacher shortage in Georgia, and this bill supports graduating and retaining qualifying, qualified educators who are essential to closing that gap.

13. 0:20:58

    Uh, that's the bill, Mr. Chairman. I'm happy to take any questions.

14. 0:21:02

    Good. Thank you. Don't- don't see any questions. Thank you, sir.

15. 0:21:05

    Thank you.

16. 0:21:07

    Chair lay Camp.

17. 0:21:11

    Good morning, Mr. Chairman and committee. I'm looking at House Bill 1061, which is about middleways on page three. Um, LC48:1742S, as in Sam. It's known as the Mandi Ballinger Act. Uh, we passed part of this bill in 2024. It, um, is the Raise the Age bill. Um, this bill is a more condensed version than what we did pass in 2024, as it is the organizational committee to figure out how we're gonna do this and how we're gonna pay for it, um, to make sure that 17-year-olds in juvenile system, um, the capital outlay and so forth.

18. 0:21:50

    Okay. No questions. Thank you, ma'am.

19. 0:21:53

    Um, I do have one more bill-

20. 0:21:54

    Okay

21. 0:21:54

    ... Mr. Chairman. It is House Bill 949, and it is towards the bottom on page two. This is a bill that talks about drones and agricultural land. Um, this bill specifically prohibits certain actions, um, such as interfering with agricultural land, applying substances to soil, plant life, and water without express consent of the owner or lessee, and harassing livestock.

22. 0:22:24

    Okay. Thank you.

23. 0:22:25

    All right. Thank you.

24. 0:22:27

    Chair lay Hagan. Chair lay Hagan, before you, uh, begin, don't you have a special guest with us in the back you wanna introduce?

25. 0:22:35

    Yes, Mr. Chairman. I do have a special guest in the back. Many of you may have, uh, met my son Henry before. He, this is his fifth year coming up for a week to spend some time up here at Capitol, and he's back there. And, um, I'm always very proud to have him up here. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

26. 0:22:52

    Thank you for being here.

27. 0:22:56

    I have, um, on page five, structured rule about halfway down the list, House Bill 1070. This is, uh, the railroad track maintenance tax credit, which came as a recommendation of the Rural Development Council and was enacted back in 2018. The only changes to the tax credit in this bill is that it extends the sunset five years to 2031, and it increases the credit cap- From $3,500 per track mile to $5,000 per track mile per year.

28. 0:23:30

    And it only applies to class three railroads. Those are our short lines.

29. 0:23:36

    Okay. No, no questions.

30. 0:23:38

    Thank you.

31. 0:23:38

    Thanks, ma'am. Chair Lee Silcox.

32. 0:23:46

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I bring to you this morning House Bill 943, which is located on the second page about three-quarters of the way down. House Bill 943, um, would establish a five-year pilot program with the goal, um, of screening every child in foster care and under supervision of DCH within the next five years. This bill comes to us courtesy of the outstanding research of Dr. Michelle Zeanah, um, a pediatrician specializing in autism spectrum disorder, um, who has, in conjunction with Georgia Southern University, uh, established, um, a great, uh, really published a great white paper, done five years of research.

33. 0:24:28

    And she wants to share her knowledge with DCH and essentially work with DCH to train them up to be able to screen these children, because the research shows clearly that if these, the, the younger that these children are screened, um, the more, the, the less placements, about 50% less placements in foster care for those kids. The kids that go undiagnosed have an average of 5.4 placements over their foster care, um, period. The children that are diagnosed early, um, they only have 2.4 placements.

34. 0:25:03

    So I think this would go a huge long way towards helping us, um, with these children to help get them adjusted and educated with their disorder.

35. 0:25:13

    Okay, we have a question. Uh, Leader Hugley.

36. 0:25:16

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Am I to assume that since we're gonna screen for autism, we're gonna, there'll be some guarantee that we're gonna have the appropriate programs, uh, to help these children be all that they can be?

37. 0:25:33

    You know, I can't guarantee that, Leader Hugley, but I can tell you that this is a step in the right direction.

38. 0:25:46

    Okay, let's see. One other question. Chair, Chair Lady Cooper.

39. 0:25:53

    Uh, do you assume that after screening, many accomplishments can be made by these childrens if the parents are just given guidance on how to deal with them?

40. 0:26:01

    Absolutely. I think so many of this, so many of these children, because they do not go diagnosed, their behavior is misunderstood, and the defiance and anger that comes out, um, as a result of that creates a barrier to them developing a better relationship.

41. 0:26:17

    Okay. Don't see any other questions. Thank you.

42. 0:26:19

    Thank you, sir.

43. 0:26:20

    Yes, ma'am. Representative Kaine.

44. 0:26:27

    Good morning, and thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee for your consideration. I have on page one the very first bill, HB 620 LC64-0058S. This bill designates February 17th of each year as Blood Plasma Donation Awareness Day, and I'll take any questions the committee might have.

45. 0:26:49

    Okay. Don't see any questions. Thank you. Representative O'Steen.

46. 0:26:57

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am presenting House Bill 662. It's on page two, about a third of the way down.

47. 0:27:06

    What's the number? Speak right into the mic.

48. 0:27:07

    662. 662.

49. 0:27:09

    Okay.

50. 0:27:11

    This bill just amends the Rural Tax Credit, also known as the Georgia HEART program, to allow for additional rural hospitals to reenter the program.

51. 0:27:22

    Okay. Don't see any questions.

52. 0:27:24

    Okay.

53. 0:27:24

    Thank you. Yes, ma'am.

54. 0:27:32

    Mr. Chairman, I'm presenting HB 1118, and it's on page three, right near the bottom.

55. 0:27:41

    Okay. Go ahead.

56. 0:27:43

    This bill gives state employees, certain state employees and teachers who are maternal mothers, uh, they will receive an additional three weeks of leave immediately upon birth.

57. 0:27:57

    Okay.

58. 0:27:57

    Are there any questions?

59. 0:27:59

    Don't see any questions. Thank you.

60. 0:28:05

    Representative Ballard.

61. 0:28:10

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have House Bill 372. It is, uh, toward the bottom of the first page, um, LC56-0420S. Uh, what this does is it moves out the sunset of HB 385 from the 2021-2022 legislative session. It allows teachers with 30 years of creditable service to return to the classroom in high-need subjects, subject areas after being retired for one year, and the new sunset would be 2030.

62. 0:28:41

    Okay. Don't see any questions. Thank you.

63. 0:28:44

    Okay. Thank you.

64. 0:28:46

    Vice Chair Hong.

65. 0:28:50

    Thank you, Chairman and members. I have HB 1187, which is in the middle of page four, Trey's Law. I'm happy to present this on behalf of the governor. This bill will prohibit the use of non-disclosure agreements or NDAs in civil settlements involving child sexual abuse, sexual abuse, and human trafficking. The purpose of this, uh, law is to ensure that survivors can speak openly about the abuse they suffer, help expose abusers and negligent institutions, and prevent harmful secrecy in future cases.

66. 0:29:26

    Okay. No questions. Thank you.

67. 0:29:28

    Thank you.

68. 0:29:29

    Chairman Barnes.

69. 0:29:31

    Sorry. Did you-

70. 0:29:31

    Okay

71. 0:29:36

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Two quick bills to present today. The first is on page three, House Bill 1087. It's towards the bottom of your sheet, but on page three. This bill simply states that if you are a disabled veteran, as defined by our Department of Veteran Services, and you do modifications to your home to accommodate that disability, you don't pay the permit fees that normally would be due in that instance.

72. 0:30:02

    Okay. Don't see any questions. What's your next one?

73. 0:30:05

    All right. The second bill is, uh, House Bill 1184. It's over on page four, kind of midway down the sheet. Uh, 1184 was, uh, an issue that was brought to us by our Georgia National Guard. It simply eliminates the honorary promotion for National Guard officers once they retire. This is the same, uh, treatment that we have for our non-commissioned officers. Essentially, it is just, uh, pro- prohibits someone from getting an honorary rank and wearing that rank after they retire from the service.

74. 0:30:37

    Okay. No questions. Thank you, sir.

75. 0:30:39

    Thank you.

76. 0:30:41

    Chairman Williams.

77. 0:30:46

    Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. I bring before the, um, body today House Bill 1077. It is on the last page, about three from the bottom. This is a simple bill that would pass out of ways and means extending the sunset for the sales and use of tax exemptions on tickets on fine arts, um, from 2027 to 2032.

78. 0:31:09

    Well, you're certainly the right person to carry that with fine arts and everything.

79. 0:31:13

    Well, I, I thought my refined cultural skills- ... I should be.

80. 0:31:18

    Thank you, sir. You did such a good job explaining that, we don't have any questions. Thank you.

81. 0:31:21

    Well, thank you so much.

82. 0:31:23

    Yeah. Representative Ridley.

83. 0:31:29

    Thank you, members of the committee. I bring House Bill 967, which is third from the bottom on page two. And we are just creating a grant program through the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, allowing a grant program for local and county sheriffs and police departments to get grant money to put in ballistic windshields in cop cars.

84. 0:31:48

    Okay. No questions. Thank you.

85. 0:31:51

    Thank you, sir.

86. 0:31:54

    Floor Leader Seabaugh.

87. 0:31:59

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman, committee. I bring House Bill 1128 on page, top of page four. This is, uh, on behalf of the governor. Uh, it provides a one-time opportunity for law enforcement officers who suffer severe brain injuries in the line of duty to apply for indemnification benefits if their injuries prevented timely application. It also establishes mandatory notification requirements to ensure injured officers and their legal guardians are properly informed of eligibility upon injury.

88. 0:32:33

    Okay. Don't see any questions. Thank you, sir.

89. 0:32:36

    Also have House Bill 1130 on page four, top of page four as well. The Georgia SECURE Act, uh, codifies State Ethics Commission guidance allowing campaign funds to be used for personal security services, addressing legitimate safety concerns following recent swatting incidents involving public officials. It also strengthens transparency by establishing a defined timeline for compliance with the Ethics Commission inquiries.

90. 0:33:06

    Okay. No questions. Thank you.

91. 0:33:08

    All right. Thank you.

92. 0:33:10

    Chairman Cannon.

93. 0:33:15

    Good morning, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. I have House Bill 964, last page, fourth from the top. Mr. Chairman, this is a straightforward bill that treats independently contracted local fire departments the same as local government fire departments in terms of ad valorem taxes on vehicles and sales taxes on equipment, as long as the contracted department is engaged in fire protection and safety. Stand for any questions, Mr. Chairman.

94. 0:33:43

    Okay. Don't see any questions. Thank you, sir.

95. 0:33:45

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Members of the committee, thank you.

96. 0:33:49

    Mr. Chairman.

97. 0:33:55

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, members, um, HB 1133 on top of page four. Um, this bill will allow the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority to issue low interest, uh, loans to counties and cities who own closed landfills to be able to put solar projects on those, uh, closed landfills. This bill would be subject to, uh, future appropriations to GEFA, uh, to do this.

98. 0:34:25

    Would not amount to a lot of acres, but it would at least keep a few off of some, um, valuable farmland.

99. 0:34:33

    Okay. Chairman Dickey, got a question for you. Representative Williams.

100. 0:34:36

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, Chairman Dickey, um, this is a great bill, but can you remind me about the legislative process this went through? Well, how many committees has this been through?

101. 0:34:45

     Uh, this, uh, has, uh, actually been in, in, in two committees, Mr. Chairman. It almost got through one. But I had to go to another one.

102. 0:34:55

     Is it not true it was the wrong committee- ... we sent the bill to?

103. 0:34:59

     Thank you.

104. 0:35:02

     Okay. Don't see any other questions. Thank you. Representative Lim.

105. 0:35:10

     Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee. I'm here presenting House Bill 1161. It is on page four, fourth from the top. This is a bill I was asked to carry by my local PD, Gwinnett County, and is supported by the Georgia Chiefs and the Sheriffs Association. This bill simply clarifies that for traffic stops, drivers should move towards the right-hand curb of the road so as not to obstruct traffic, if safe to do so. This is something I think most people know how to do. Many, including law enforcement, have assumed that it's codified, but Georgia courts have ruled that it's not. As we've already done explicitly with passing emergency vehicles or law enforcement vehicles, this bill codifies this general best practice for traffic stops.

106. 0:35:49

     Okay. Don't see any questions. Thank you, sir.

107. 0:35:50

     Thank you.

108. 0:35:52

     Chairman Rhodes.

109. 0:35:56

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. Uh, House Bill 1182, page four, seven down. Uh, this bill has to do with our soil amendment program, which is regulated by the Department of Agriculture, and this bill just simply adds a few more rules to that program. Basically for storage, says it must be 100 feet from the property line and trucks cannot unload from a public road. I'll stand for any questions.

110. 0:36:22

     Okay. Don't see any questions. Thank you.

111. 0:36:24

     Thanks, sir.

112. 0:36:28

     Okay. Jim Crowe, go ahead.

113. 0:36:33

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. I have, uh, House Bill 1180. It is also on page four, five down. This bill would, uh, remove the statutory limit on mortgage revenue bonds issued by the Georgia, uh, Housing and Finance Authority that they use to fund their Georgia Dream mortgage program. Those bonds are not, uh, backed by the full faith and credit of the state, only by the authority, and they're overseen by the, uh, Georgia State Finance and Investing Commission. So, um, this would keep them from being, uh, limited by a statutory, uh, cap that, uh, is somewhat arbitrary.

114. 0:37:08

     Okay. No questions. Thank you, sir.

115. 0:37:10

     Thanks.

116. 0:37:12

     Peter Wade.

117. 0:37:18

     Good morning, Mr. Chairman, committee members. I'm here to, uh, request two bills. First bill would be on page five under structured rule, House Bill 1001. This is the governor's priority bill to lower income taxes in Georgia to point, 4.99% three years earlier. Happy to answer any questions.

118. 0:37:38

     Yes, sir, do have a question. Whip Parks.

119. 0:37:41

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, is, can you explain, um, or share any concerns about the regressive effect that this has in which this would likely exacerbate income and wealth inequality by providing more of a benefit to those earning a lot, whereas those hardworking Georgians, um, you know, around the median income, they're, they're not to receive a, a benefit, uh, a significant benefit here?

120. 0:38:08

     Uh, well, I don't wanna get into a long debate, but I'll say this. Um, as a person that was raised by a family that was in probably one of the lowest, uh, to moderate incomes, every single tax cut that, that my generation is receiving today would've benefited my family and made my parents' life a little bit easier. Happy to talk to you offline and discuss any other ideas, but this legislature has done, done a lot for working families with many, many wonderful bills that came out of this body. Thank you.

121. 0:38:36

     One additional question, if I may. So does this legislation eliminate the triggers that the state would've otherwise had to meet before decreasing the income tax rate?

122. 0:38:47

     It doesn't eliminate the triggers. It just understands that we have budgeted wisely. We have a, a surplus that will support this, and therefore the recommendation that we would proceed at 4.99, uh, acknowledging that some of the triggers were not met. However, that's coming off of some of the highest inflation that we've seen in our nation's history, and, uh, it's still the policy position of this governor to continue on with what this legislature put in motion many years ago.

123. 0:39:13

     Thank you.

124. 0:39:13

     Thank you.

125. 0:39:14

     Got a couple other questions. Uh, Chairman Williams.

126. 0:39:17

     Uh, th- thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, uh, uh, Floor Leader Wade, thank you for, uh, bringing this bill on behalf of the governor, but is it not true that as this general assembly over a period of years has, w- uh, decreased over one full, uh, uh, percent the taxes? Is it not true as every stage of, of lowering this, uh, income tax has been done prudently and with every result being a higher taxes, uh, collected from, at a lower rate than the previously higher rate?

127. 0:39:52

     Is it not true that we've actually increased revenues every step down?

128. 0:39:55

     The gentleman knows of what he speaks. Yes, sir.

129. 0:39:58

     Okay. Representative Evans has a question.

130. 0:40:02

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, uh, can you, can you explain a little bit about how this collides or coincides with the budget that we just passed? I understood that we in the House wanted to recognize that a lot of our seniors don't pay income tax, and we wanted to make sure that they got a rebate, and my understanding is that the supplemental budget we just passed put in money for a property tax rebate. Um, so is there enough money in the budget to do both of these things? And if not, uh, how responsible would it be for us to pass this?

131. 0:40:35

     Well, to, to my fellow class of '96, I appreciate the great question. We have lots of great, uh, tax policy bills being n- I guess, discussed and debated. I think we can do many of the objectives that both the governor, the House, and the Senate have. We're gonna let that process play out. But this does not negatively impact those other initiatives.

132. 0:40:55

     So there's money to do both?

133. 0:40:57

     I think that there w- there's gonna be a continued discussion as to how those, um, allocations are gonna be made. I can't speak for what the Senate's doing, but I think that the governor's office and the House are working diligently to try to get as many objectives completed in this session as possible.

134. 0:41:12

     Do you know how much each one costs?

135. 0:41:14

     I don't have that figure off the top of my head, but I can, uh, definitely get back, back to you with that. Um, I believe there was some testimony to that during the subcommittee, and I don't have it-

136. 0:41:23

     I think that'd be helpful so we make sure that we're not double spending here.

137. 0:41:26

     Sure.

138. 0:41:27

     Thank you.

139. 0:41:27

     Yeah, thanks.

140. 0:41:29

     Lee Efstration has a question for you.

141. 0:41:32

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Leader Wade, isn't it true that this general assembly previously passed legislation with the objective of bringing the flat income tax rate down to 4.99, and the, the triggers associated with that was for the purpose of incremental decreases in the state income tax to get us to that point? Is that true?

142. 0:41:53

     That is true. We're just three years early.

143. 0:41:55

     And isn't it true with your legislation here, we are just simply bringing it to that stated objective, which is getting it to 4.99, therefore just requiring that we clean up the cl- code accordingly because we're accomplishing that goal that we had set and we're doing it early. Isn't that true?

144. 0:42:11

     That is true, and that has been considered through the budgetary process as well. Okay, uh, Lady Hugley. Thank, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Excuse me, to the gentleman. Um, would you go back and talk to us about the triggers that we are not meeting, and isn't it true that this governor's leaving, some of us are coming back to face the consequences of what we're going to do? Well, I think that the, uh, gentleman earlier, our, um, majority leader made a comment as to our plan to be at 4.99 by 2029.

145. 0:42:50

     It's just this governor, and given our surplus, to Mr. Chairman Williamson's point, the fact that we actually have increased our revenues, which has led to a higher rainy day fund, that allows us to do this. I don't think that, um, getting into a debate about triggers is necessarily, uh, the case. We've already previously done the exact same thing the last two sessions, and I don't think that those were major objections, and I would argue that those, uh, should not be considered major objections today. Thank you.

146. 0:43:20

     Isn't it true, sir, I'm not saying it's an objection. I'm just asking you what i- what we are deciding not to acknowledge, that's all. I'll, I'll be happy to answer that offline. I, I, I know that we met some of the triggers and some triggers were not met, but typically the fact that we have a surplus that exceeded what those original triggers anticipated were based on inflation rates that were not contemplated when the first step to start lowering taxes occurred. Okay. We appreciate it. Has a question.

147. 0:43:51

     Thank you, m- thank you, Mr. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, thank you, leader, for bringing the bill. Uh, quick question here. Isn't it true that when a income tax rate is applied to an income, it is directly proportional to that income? So there's no disproportionate, it is exactly proportional to the income. Is that true? That is very true, sir. Very good. And then secondly, isn't it true that this is not, there's no cost to the state here?

148. 0:44:23

     There's just, there's just a reduction in how many dollars we take from our citizens. Is that true? That is true. Very good. Thank you. Okay, last question, Chairman Martin. Uh, to the f- to the floor leader, yield for a question? Yes, sir, I do. It, it, on the triggers, i- isn't it true that the triggers are in place should this body take no action? There, isn't it true those triggers are out there, if you meet these points and the body does nothing, the rate gets cut. Isn't that what the triggers did? That is true, sir.

149. 0:44:53

     Isn't it further true that what we did last year, what you've so, uh, adequately sh- described today, is this body looking at the financial affairs of the State of Georgia and making the decision, should we move this bill forward? And I hope we do. Isn't it true that we're making that decision based on good faith estimates of our financial condi- condition and giving Georgians a tax break because we're taking action and the triggers have little to do with us taking action? Well, the triggers were originally put in as safeguards based on potentially if we had reductions in revenue, which is not the case, thereby this body has been able to continually con- push down the rate at a faster pace.

150. 0:45:36

     Okay, don't see any other questions. Thank you, sir. All right, last, um, bill, if I may, uh, Mr. Chairman. Mm-hmm. On page three, I'd like to ask for House Bill 1066. This is, uh, immunity from public and private nuisance claims for, uh, racetracks across and racing operations. Um, actually based on the last, um, committee meeting that we had, we have had a couple of changes. I've been working with Chairman Leverett on that. I'm hoping he will consider a rule substitute, but I wanted to bring it to your attention and hopefully we can, um, have that continue moving through the process.

151. 0:46:08

     Good. Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. No more questions. Chairman Ridley.

152. 0:46:15

     Good morning. Um, I'm on page four, House Bill 1266. Um, this is just a simple bill repealing a current law that's been on the books for about 40 years for a section of the Ogeechee River where you can't have more than a 9.9 horsepower motor. Um, that's the only place in the state that's like that, and we're just repealing that, um, because engines have made a whole lot more advancement now than they did 40 years ago. Okay. Don't see any questions. Thank you, sir. Thank you.

153. 0:46:46

     Chairman Momtahan.

154. 0:46:52

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. I have at the top of page two, House Bill 504 has to deal with the vehicle value protection agreements. Committee members, uh, this bill basically protects the equity that a Georgian may put into a vehicle when they purchase that vehicle. It may, it may be used at the dealer which they purchased it, uh, or at any dealer based on the agreement that they sign. Uh, and it's there just like a gap protection is there to protect, uh, the lender.

155. 0:47:22

     This is actually there to protect the equity of the consumer. With that, I'll take questions. Okay. Don't see any questions. Thank you. Thank you, Chairman. Senator Echols, gl- glad to have you with us today. Appreciate your patience. Thank you. I hope you noticed that, uh, my, my House members went first. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, uh, members of the committee. Uh, if you'll look right there on the last page, uh, SB 420, uh, you guys, uh, passed this bill or most of this bill out of, uh, your chamber last year.

156. 0:47:59

     Um, it's a, um, basically, uh, creates a fishing license, red snapper. Uh, it's very important to the coast of Georgia. Uh, the, the industry wants it. The industry wants us to. They, they wanna pay a fee. They want to... That, that's the kind of fees we like, right? When an industry asks for it. Um-

157. 0:48:19

     So, uh, just to, to make that, uh, fishing industry better down there, uh, Representative Petrie, um, he, uh, carried it last year. He's gonna carry this bill over in the House. The second part of this bill just is a little bit different from last year, and what it is, is some cleanup language, uh, for DNR, just some agency language codifying some rules.

158. 0:48:40

     Okay, don't see any questions.

159. 0:48:42

     Thanks, sir.

160. 0:48:42

     Thank you, sir.

161. 0:48:46

     Yeah, Senator. Senator, I, I failed to call on you. You have a guest with you this morning. Wouldn't you like to introduce him? I'm sorry.

162. 0:48:55

     Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This, a lot of people in the room know him, that he's more popular than me or his mom. This is, uh, our son, Cohen Echols, and he's got his, uh, Commissioner Harper starter kit on today with his, uh- ... with his, uh, tractor la- tractor lapel pin and his cowboy hat. So thank y'all for recognizing him.

163. 0:49:15

     We're glad to have him.

164. 0:49:24

     Chairman Corbett.

165. 0:49:30

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. House Bill 1202, fourth page, 11th from the top.

166. 0:49:41

     Basically all we're doing here is just cleaning up a scrivener's error. Uh, it's got listed in the wrong code section where they can, the, uh, Criminal Justice Coordinating Council can provide, uh, grants to differ- uh, the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Unit. Uh, it got listed in the wrong code section. It's just a scrivener's error to clean it up.

167. 0:49:59

     Yes.

168. 0:49:59

     Simple bill.

169. 0:50:00

     Thank you, sir. I don't see any questions. Chairman Ras, it's good to have you with us today.

170. 0:50:08

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Honored to be here. First time this year. Maybe the last, we'll see. So on page four, bottom of the page, uh, we have SB 220. It's the Putting Georgia's Patients First Act, and, uh, this deals with a, uh, medical THC program. It's, uh, it has changed a good bit from the bill I, I sent over, but, you know, it's a little more restrictive now.

171. 0:50:40

     And, uh, but my, my focus is getting medicine in the, in these patients' hands, the, the patients that have one of 17 illnesses, diagnoses, and, um, you know, so I'm, I'm committed to that. So SB 220, bottom of page four.

172. 0:50:57

     Okay. Thank you, sir.

173. 0:50:59

     Thank you.

174. 0:51:00

     Don't see any questions for you. Okay, members of the committee.

175. 0:51:06

     Mr. Chairman.

176. 0:51:07

     Oh, excuse me. Okay. Uh, go ahead, Lear.

177. 0:51:10

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is on page five, the very last measure on that page, House Resolution 1000. Uh, building on the great work from Chairman Noel Williams over the past few years, uh, House Resolution 1000 is a constitutional amendment to eliminate the ad valorem assessment on standing timber at harvest or sale when that timber comes from qualifying conservation use land such as, uh, FLP, ACUVA, or another protective covenant. Uh, would ask for the committee's favorable consideration.

178. 0:51:42

     Okay. If you have a question, members, raise your hand. I got several lights and I can't tell, but I don't see any questions on that. Oh, excuse me. Sh- Chair Lady Taylor, you have a question?

179. 0:51:53

     No, I have a, I have a bill.

180. 0:51:56

     Okay, hold on just a minute. No questions for Lear. Okay.

181. 0:51:59

     Thank you.

182. 0:52:00

     Okay. Chair Lady Taylor.

183. 0:52:05

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, I appreciate this opportunity to bring you House Bill 1096. This is a result of our, uh, study committee that was evaluating funding for public health. It is a department bill. It seeks to assist in creating a sustainable career ladder that will help in improving employee retention at the department. Uh, we identified this staff retention as a major issue. It's gonna allow the department to retain experienced health professionals. Uh, it prevents the loss of institutional knowledge and the need to retrain staff, and it does prohibit counties from paying out accrued sick leave and, uh, preventing double-dipping.

184. 0:52:44

     What was that number again, please?

185. 0:52:45

     It was 1096, and it's on page three, fourth from the bottom.

186. 0:52:57

     1096. Okay. Thank you. Um, Chairman Stevens.

187. 0:53:07

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. House Bill, on the under structured rule, House Bill 519 is a work opportunity tax credit for those folks that are basically unemployable, that are-

188. 0:53:17

     It's on page five

189. 0:53:18

     ... page five. Um, that are probably on welfare today. Uh, this includes folks at, at a categories of disabled veterans and others. Uh, this goes to the employer to take a chance on these employees. Uh, it's a $500 credit. Uh, the total program caps at 10 million.

190. 0:53:38

     Okay. Don't see any questions. Thank you. Chair Lady Dempsey, did you have a request?

191. 0:53:45

     Yes, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. So at, uh, page two, uh, the third one down, HB 541, this bill may seem a little familiar to some of you. It was first introduced in 2020, has had seven years of work on it involving times when things were added in the other chamber. One time it was vetoed, but we worked very closely with the governor's office to bring it into accord with what they would like. It will strengthen the nursing workforce pipeline in Georgia, amending the existing Tuition Equalization Grant code section to provide that in addition to the 35 current private colleges and universities that are eligible for the Tuition Equalization Grant-

192. 0:54:28

     Um, it will also add, um, um, BSN for nursing school. It is only one university or college that it will apply to. Tightly drawn, they will only be allowed to get Tuition Equalization Grant, not eligible for HOPE, Zell Miller, dual enrollment, or completion grant programs. Okay. Don't see any questions. Thank you. What, is there a question back here? Okay. Um, Chairman Martin.

193. 0:55:01

     Yes, sir, Mr. Chairman, House Bill 818, that's the middle of the second page. Uh, if the committee will recall, uh, in 2024, we passed a constitutional amendment out of this body, and the voters approved to move the tax tribunal from the executive branch to the judicial branch. That passed, and that court has been moved. This will move the individual that is the judge in that, um, um, court, uh, to the judicial branch. So this is essentially just aligning the judge's retirement plan with the branch of government he's in.

194. 0:55:36

     Um, and then I say he because it, it is a gentleman that has been appointed to that, but, um, whatever judge in the, in the future would be appointed there. So this just aligns with the constitutional amendment that this body passed and the voters passed. If there are any questions. Okay. Don't see any questions.

195. 0:55:51

     I have a second one.

196. 0:55:53

     You got another one? Go ahead.

197. 0:55:54

     Yes, sir. This is A- HR 1243. It's, uh, on the back of the, uh, fourth page, fourth from the bottom. This is the constitutional amendment, uh, to create a dedicated fund to move Georgia to next generation 911. We've worked with GICA, GMA, ACCG. This, uh, constitutional amendment we put before the voters and asked them, uh, to create a fund where we w- whereby we would, uh, deposit the fees that Georgians currently pay.

198. 0:56:27

     We'd move this from a local to a state fee and put them in a protected fund, um, in order to provide Georgians ubiquitous 911 center, um, service across the state.

199. 0:56:38

     Okay. Don't see any questions. Representative Holcomb, did you have your light on? Yes, sir. Go ahead.

200. 0:56:45

     Thank, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, I'd like to request House Bill 385, which is on the first page, and this is something that the committee's seen before. It passed the House a couple of years ago, but the Senate added on, um, a tuition, um, assistance grant and a foster care, um, provision for HOPE, and the governor vetoed it. So we're trying again with just this portion of the bill. And what it does simply is it lets students that have unused HOPE credits apply those to professional or graduate school.

201. 0:57:18

     They have to pay the difference between the undergraduate and the rate for the professional graduate school. Thank you.

202. 0:57:25

     Okay. Don't, don't see any questions. Chairman Erwin.

203. 0:57:31

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Members, got, uh, two, two bills or a bill and a resolution to look at. Got middle of page four, HB 1193, the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026, and this is building on the good work of this House on literacy in this state. It places a qualified literacy coach in, uh, public schools that have grades K through 3. It also, uh, establishes prioritized, highly quality instructional material and encourages parents to start school by age of five and children going into kindergarten, and it requires school systems to adopt unified literacy plans.

204. 0:58:17

     Okay. Don't see any questions. You have another one too?

205. 0:58:19

     Yes, sir. Uh, same page four there, just below that one, HR 145, and this is in collaboration with the, uh, literacy, um, initiatives that we just spoke of. Uh, and this is for schools to prioritize the expansion of vision and hearing scree- screenings within schools. As you could imagine, if the children can't see the board or hear the teacher, it could hamper and slow their ability to learn.

206. 0:58:48

     Okay. Don't see any questions. Thank you, sir. Chairman Hawkins.

207. 0:58:53

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, bottom of the first page, HB 419. This is a bill that adds, uh, opioid antagonists to, uh, universities and technical colleges. They all, they are only placed in buildings that have AEDs. It provides for immunity from civil prosecution. Also, the funding for this, it will be provided by the community and not by the university or technical college.

208. 0:59:21

     Okay. Don't see any questions. Has that got everybody on the committee that had a request? Okay. Before we set a calendar, let's do a little housekeeping here. Uh, Repres- uh, Representative Efstration has a motion.

209. 0:59:38

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that House, I move that House Bill 880 be recommitted to the Ways and Means Committee.

210. 0:59:48

     We have a motion and a second that 880 go back to Ways and Means. Any, is there any opposition? It's back in Ways and Means. Okay. You have another one?

211. 0:59:56

     Yes, sir. I move that House Bill 1266 be recommitted to the Game, Fish, and Parks Committee.

212. 1:00:03

     We have a motion and a second. Is there any opposition? It's back. Okay.

213. 1:00:27

     Thank you.

214. 1:00:36

     Okay, let's set a calendar for today in a modified structure. House Bill 256. Moved. Have a move and a second. Is there any opposition? It's on. House Bill 662. Moved. Move and second. Any opposition? It's on. House Bill 818. Moved. Moved and seconded.

215. 1:01:06

     Any opposition? It's on. House Bill 956. Moved. Moved and seconded. Any opposition? It's on. House Bill 987. Moved. Have a move and second. Any opposition? It's on. House Bill 1022. Moved. Have a move and a second. Any opposition? It's on.

216. 1:01:36

     House Bill 1063. Moved. Have a move and second. Any opposition? It's on. House Bill 1121. Moved. Have a move and second. Any opposition? It's on. Okay, that sets our calendar for today. Uh, for you house members who have not checked in with Ms. Lewis, you're getting me in hot water. Y'all need to have a conversation with her.

217. 1:02:08

     She has two or three questions that she needs to get an answer from you guys on. If you have not talked with her, would you please help me out by going by to see Ms. Lewis so she will not be mad with me? I would appreciate it. Okay, uh, we will meet in the morning at 9:00. Anything else? That's it. Thank you. Meeting's adjourned.