Comité Special Rules de la Cámara de Representantes, 24 de febrero de 2026

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1. 0:02:24

   Okay, welcome ladies and gentlemen to the, uh, Committee on Special Rules. Um, our first, uh, presenter, uh, Chair Lady Silcox, if you'll come on up.

2. 0:02:53

   How are you doing today?

3. 0:02:55

   I am doing well.

4. 0:02:56

   Good. Um, if you'll-

5. 0:02:57

   It's so funny you would ask me that, Mitchell, since-

6. 0:03:00

   Since you're sitting next-

7. 0:03:00

   The chairman sits next to me

8. 0:03:02

   Yeah. All right. Um, this is House Bill 955. Tell us what LC number you're working off of.

9. 0:03:09

   Um, LC 461336.

10. 0:03:12

    Okay. Thank you very much. And we'll allow you to present your bill.

11. 0:03:16

    Thank you so much. Uh, this bill was brought to me by Michael Cowan, actually, and several constituents that are, um, active in the Native Plant Society. And it's been quite an odyssey because it's been a two-year process, but I've learned a lot, um, about native plants. And the biggest thing is, um, there's just been such a misconception about our state flower because everybody thought that the Cherokee rose was from Georgia. The Cherokee rose is from China.

12. 0:03:46

    And so, um, we did have some objections that we've overcome. Um, there were some concerns, for example, that, um, the Native American people would be concerned about this bill. And so, we were able to get with the tribal councils and get a letter from them, um, stating that they were fine. In fact, they were in spor- in support of the sweetbay magnolia because they've had, uh... it's native to Georgia, and it's, um... they've had a relationship with that plant, um, because it's been here for probably 2,000 years, uh , which is great.

13. 0:04:18

    And then the other objection was, um, there were some objections in the Senate about that it might cost us a lot of money, um, in the renovation of the Capitol, um, because there were so many, so many pieces of furniture, carpeting, other things around the Capitol that had the Cherokee rose. And so, Michael Cowan was kind enough to bring their executive director, and we took a tour with Chairman Brass. And, um, that, that idea was completely dispelled because all the different flowers around the Capitol have different amounts of petals and are, are not all the Cherokee rose.

14. 0:04:54

    So, um, so we were delighted. And, um, I will let Michael Cowan speak a little bit about our handout.

15. 0:05:01

    It sure sounds like you've done your due diligence on this. So, uh, Mr. Cowan, if you would.

16. 0:05:06

    Yep. So the Native Plant Society, obviously we have a mission to champion all of our native plants and their habitats. And I think what most people don't realize is, you know, this bill in and of itself isn't necessarily about one flower. It is so we hope to get a broader appreciation of the general public about why native plants are so important. And what most people don't realize is you rely on native plants to actually have any healthy ecosystem, because plants are the one organism that can take the energy from the sun and actually transfer it to the rest of the ecosystem.

17. 0:05:41

    No other ones can do that. And they do that either through photosynthesis, obviously, so non-native plants can photosynthesize. But the insect relationship, which the, which the rest of, um, the ecosystem relies on to get that energy because they eat them, there's a host-plant relationship, and 90% of insects will only lay their eggs on native plants that are their host plants.

18. 0:06:04

    Mm-hmm.

19. 0:06:04

    So when we bring in all of these foreign or invasive plants, uh, they do nothing, uh, for the, uh, for the actual food web. Uh, and most people don't realize that, and so that's why we think even though this one, you know, it is symbolic of course, we think it's very important. Not only because in 1916 when it was, um, made the state flower, it was for obviously what we know now were wrong reasons. Um, but it is, hopefully it'll get the attention and people will start thinking of why native plants are so important.

20. 0:06:33

    Okay, any questions for Chair- Chair Lady Silcox or Mr. Cowan? Okay, number 12, uh, Representative or Chairman, uh, Cheokas.

21. 0:06:45

    Yeah. Um, so we're going to eliminate the Cherokee rose from being the official flower?

22. 0:06:54

    Correct.

23. 0:06:55

    And we're gonna replace it with the sweetbay magnolia.

24. 0:06:58

    Magnolia. Which if you look at your handout, um, which you might have in front of you-

25. 0:07:03

    I understand that, but what about all the textbooks and everything in the school system that has Cherokee rose on all that?

26. 0:07:14

    Well, and it's so great that you would bring that up, Chairman Cheokas, because the most precious thing that I've received in this whole thing was I got this huge batch of letters from third graders who had heard about this bill and didn't know the importance of native plants. And so, I see this as a huge opportunity to help educate children about native plants by switching the state flower. Um, the sweetbay magnolia was chosen specifically because it grows in all the zones in, in Georgia.

27. 0:07:45

    And from an economic development and business standpoint, it's really great because all the landscape architect people love this plant. It's a beautiful, like, very normal-sized tree. And if I get to present it on the House floor, I'll have some pictures, but it's a very manageable size. It looks, it would look beautiful in anyone's yard. Um, and the great thing is that it attracts specifically our, um, our, our pollinator or our, our state butterfly, which is the eastern-

28. 0:08:16

    Tiger swallow-

29. 0:08:17

    Tiger swallowtail butterfly. Um, which is just a magnificent butterfly. Um, but this is really exciting. I mean, even the Department of Agriculture, um, they have gotten behind this with us and, um, and we just keep getting endorsements. Our latest endorsement was from

30. 0:08:35

    Well, the, the, the Urban Ag Council and the Geor- Georgia Conservancy and Birds Georgia in addition to the Indian, uh, councils.

31. 0:08:42

    So they are very enthusiastic about this because we have been losing so much farmland, unfortunately, to data centers, right? Um, we are losing the opportunity to plant native plants and have more pollinators so that we have enough pollinators for our crops to grow. So I welcome these minor changes in the textbooks at the schools because I do, I do think this is such an important lesson for the next generation, um, of our Georgians to know about.

32. 0:09:11

    Okay. May I follow up?

33. 0:09:12

    Yes.

34. 0:09:13

    Okay. What is the designation for the Cherokee rose? Is it our native plant or just our na- state flower?

35. 0:09:21

    It is not a native plant. It was brought here from China.

36. 0:09:24

    No. What i- w- what is the d- what is the title for the Cherokee rose? Is it-

37. 0:09:32

    The state flower.

38. 0:09:33

    Okay.

39. 0:09:34

    Floral emblem.

40. 0:09:35

    State floral emblem.

41. 0:09:37

    Okay.

42. 0:09:37

    Mm-hmm.

43. 0:09:38

    Um,

44. 0:09:42

    yet you wanna call it the Georgia native plant.

45. 0:09:46

    No, I wanna call it the sweetbay magnolia.

46. 0:09:49

    I know that, but you wanna make ... What I'm asking is could we do both, is basically could we name the, the, the sweetbay magnolia the Georgia native plant rather than the Georgia whatever the Cherokee rose is called?

47. 0:10:07

    I think that would destroy the mission, seriously, Chairman Cheokas, because the whole idea is to, is to have an opportunity to teach people about native plants. It's really a superior selection in my opinion. I don't want to plant something from China in my yard. Um, and you look at kudzu and, and, um, ivy.

48. 0:10:28

    No, I, I'm just-

49. 0:10:28

    English ivy.

50. 0:10:29

    I'm not, I'm not disagreeing with you

51. 0:10:29

    ... all those things are so destructive.

52. 0:10:31

    I'm just saying it, it seems to me that they're two different, that one's the native-

53. 0:10:38

    I don't know of a state that has two floral emblems in the whole country.

54. 0:10:44

    Okay. All right. Thank you.

55. 0:10:49

    Okay, uh, number 15.

56. 0:10:54

    Uh, I, I th- I think you mentioned it, but I, uh, I, I didn't completely understand. What is the Agriculture's Department stance on this?

57. 0:11:01

    They, they are in favor of this, absolutely, because again, it's gonna help the farmers. If you're in favor of the farmers, you should be for this bill 'cause this will help them.

58. 0:11:12

    Okay. Thank you.

59. 0:11:16

    Okay. Any other questions from the, uh, committee? Seeing none, what is the, uh, pleasure of the commi- oh, excuse me, 16?

60. 0:11:26

    Um, I recommend do pass.

61. 0:11:29

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

62. 0:11:34

    Second.

63. 0:11:34

    Second from Representative Campbell. All in favor of, um, House Bill 955LC461336 as written say aye.

64. 0:11:46

    Aye.

65. 0:11:47

    Aye.

66. 0:11:47

    All opposed? Okay, off to Rules.

67. 0:11:51

    Thank you very much, Chairman.

68. 0:11:52

    Thank you.

69. 0:11:52

    I appreciate it.

70. 0:11:53

    Yes.

71. 0:11:55

    Oops. There-

72. 0:12:54

    Okay. Representative Moore, if you'll come on around to the podium please, ma'am. What bill is that?

73. 0:13:13

    Okay. Um, Representative Moore, this is a bill that ran through this committee last year. Is that correct?

74. 0:13:19

    That's correct.

75. 0:13:21

    And, um, what we, we heard, uh, we vetted the bill pretty good last time and, uh, any changes in the bill or anything that we need to know about?

76. 0:13:31

    There are no changes. People are still, uh, eating collard greens here in the State of Georgia.

77. 0:13:38

    I heard so much.

78. 0:13:38

    Uh, the only real change this year is that we have a new Collard Green Queen sitting in the audience, and I have brought with us today the, uh, owner of our Collard Green Festival here in Georgia who represents a small 1/10 of a percentage of the national collard green growers of America, and a certified bonafide farmer of collard greens. It's the only thing that really changed.

79. 0:14:09

    Um, I'd like to, since I prepared so well, I'd like to throw a few facts in there. I know you all were really excited about the potlicker, and in the North where I'm from it's called potlikker but we gonna call it potlicker 'cause we in the South. But I wanted to just bring up the fact that, um, agriculture, of course, I'm sure you all know, that contributes, uh, approximately $83.6 billion as of 2025, uh, annually to Georgia's economy, um, and that this was according to a, a study at UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development So I don't know if y'all wanna hear about all that, but, uh-

80. 0:14:53

    Well, we've already heard your, your ... We vetted your bill. So, uh, w- I don't think we need to hear any more testimony other than we need to change a date, uh, your-

81. 0:15:04

    From the 25 to 26.

82. 0:15:05

    Yes, ma'am. And, uh, so we will do that and ... Or we'll get rules to do it, either one, but we'll get it changed from July 25 to July 26.

83. 0:15:15

    All right.

84. 0:15:15

    Okay.

85. 0:15:15

    The other thing that did change in the world of collard greens is, uh, the young lady that I had designated in 2021 as the youngest farmer in the state of Georgia, Kendall Rae Johnson.

86. 0:15:28

    That's awesome.

87. 0:15:29

    She is now the National Urban Agriculture Youth Ambassador, and it, we kicked it off here in Georgia with our agriculture commissioner here.

88. 0:15:39

    Okay.

89. 0:15:39

    So now she is, uh, nationwide.

90. 0:15:41

    Okay.

91. 0:15:42

    We are repping collard greens all over the place.

92. 0:15:45

    I-

93. 0:15:45

    Anybody have any questions?

94. 0:15:47

    Okay. Uh, Representative, uh, 16, Griffin.

95. 0:15:50

    Uh, Mr. Chair, I, uh, I move that we, uh, uh, send this to, to, to, uh, to rules.

96. 0:15:59

    Okay. You making a motion to do pass?

97. 0:16:01

    Making ... Yes, do pass.

98. 0:16:02

    Okay. Do I hear a second?

99. 0:16:05

    I second.

100. 0:16:06

     Okay. We got a motion and a second.

101. 0:16:17

     Okay, we have a motion do pass and a second. Uh, all in favor of, uh, House Bill 65-LC449- 2911, say aye.

102. 0:16:29

     Aye.

103. 0:16:30

     All opposed. Okay. The bill passes on to rules.

104. 0:16:34

     Eat more greens.

105. 0:16:35

     Eat more greens. There you go. Thank y'all very much.

106. 0:16:40

     Okay, ladies and gentlemen, we're gonna be at a pause here for a few minutes until, uh, we get another member here. We don't actually have a quorum right now. Chairman Cheokas had to go to another meeting, so we're gonna hang on just a couple of minutes and see if we get somebody to show up. Thank you.

107. 0:21:44

     Chairman, I'm sorry. I had a 4:30 work call. That's okay. No problem.

108. 0:21:52

     Okay. Ladies and gentlemen, we are back. We now have a quorum. Um, our next, uh, presenter will be, will be Representative Eric Bell. If you'll come on up to the podium, Representative Bell.

109. 0:22:14

     Okay. Mr. Representative, there's ... Is there any change to the bill that we heard in a, uh, committee la- committee last week?

110. 0:22:21

     No, sir.

111. 0:22:22

     O- okay.

112. 0:22:24

     The substitute that I had last week.

113. 0:22:27

     Okay.

114. 0:22:27

     No changes from the bill.

115. 0:22:29

     Okay.

116. 0:22:29

     You have the mic, someone?

117. 0:22:32

     Yeah. Sorry. Sorry.

118. 0:22:34

     No, there's no changes from the bill from last week, sir.

119. 0:22:37

     Okay. All right. Uh, ladies and gentlemen, we vetted the bill last week in a, uh, committee hearing, uh, meeting. And, uh, what is the pleasure of the committee?

120. 0:22:50

     Mr. Chair, I guess I'm in the hot seat today.

121. 0:22:52

     Okay, Representative-

122. 0:22:53

     I move, uh, do pass.

123. 0:22:54

     Okay. Representative Griffin has a motion do pass. Okay. Number five. Senator.

124. 0:23:01

     Mr. Chairman, I was going to ask for-

125. 0:23:03

     Okay

126. 0:23:03

     ... um, a question, if I may.

127. 0:23:06

     Okay. I'm sorry. I-

128. 0:23:08

     Yeah.

129. 0:23:09

     We vetted it last week, but I'll, uh, still allow you to ask the question if you want to.

130. 0:23:13

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

131. 0:23:15

     Yes, ma'am.

132. 0:23:16

     Um, Representative Bell, did we not have a conversation and I said to you that mango habanero is the better flavor?

133. 0:23:24

     Y- yes, ma'am.

134. 0:23:25

     Okay.

135. 0:23:25

     Indeed, the representative said that, and we spoke about the geographic and cultural ties of mango habanero, and decided that lemon pepper had a culinary and a cultural heritage connection to Georgia.

136. 0:23:36

     Okay. Thank you.

137. 0:23:37

     And thank you for your question.

138. 0:23:40

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

139. 0:23:40

     Okay. Uh, we have a motion do pass-

140. 0:23:42

     We also agreed that lemon pepper sprinkles on mango habanero makes it a lot better.

141. 0:23:47

     I hear you. Okay. And thank you for the wings the other day that you brought to, uh, the dining room. Thank you very much.

142. 0:23:53

     My pleasure.

143. 0:23:54

     Okay. We have a motion do pass. Do I hear a second?

144. 0:23:57

     Second.

145. 0:23:58

     We have a second. Um, all in favor of, um, passing, uh, House Bill 1013, say aye.

146. 0:24:08

     Aye.

147. 0:24:08

     All opposed. Okay, the ayes have it. Off to rules. Thank you very much.

148. 0:24:12

     I would like to thank you, Mr. Chairman-

149. 0:24:14

     Yes, sir

150. 0:24:14

     ... and the Special Rules Committee. I greatly appreciate it, and so does Georgia's small business, farmers, and agriculture community. Thank you.

151. 0:24:20

     Thank you for being here, sir.

152. 0:24:21

     Any time.

153. 0:24:55

     Representative Ford, didn't you say you had to go to a- another committee?

154. 0:24:59

     Yes.

155. 0:25:00

     Okay. If you'll come on up, we'll try to get yours, uh, completed.

156. 0:25:14

     Okay, Representative Ford, if you'll tell us about your House Bill 1310, and tell us what LC number you're running from.

157. 0:25:24

     Okay. I'm on LC600287.

158. 0:25:29

     Okay.

159. 0:25:30

     And this bill just makes, um, cotton the official fabric of Georgia.

160. 0:25:36

     Um, couldn't believe this hasn't been done yet. Um, this is just talking about the economic impact that cotton has on our state. We're the second leading cotton producing state in the nation behind Texas. And just the health benefits. Right now, we're talking about microplastics all the time and the, um, the, how harmful it is to our body. And so I'm just trying to highlight the positive effects that, um, you know, wearing a natural fiber has because it, microplastics leave behind plastic in our water that end up in our body.

161. 0:26:07

     And, um, so just trying to kinda highlight that. And, um, I've seen a lot of stuff. You know, we talk about microplastics in the bottles we drink and stuff, but we don't think about what we're wearing. And 20%, only 20% of what we wear now is natural fibers, so like wool, linen, cotton. Um, so just trying to draw more attention to that. And, um, Georgia grows a lot of cotton, and we've got a lot of infrastructure around cotton. And, um, I'd just like to kind of ... I feel like we need to do this.

162. 0:26:37

     Okay. Thank you, Representative Ford. Did, did you, didn't you tell me that, that this is something y'all renew each year with the, uh, naming cotton? Did you say-

163. 0:26:46

     No, this would be not ... No, this would be, this would not be something we would do each year.

164. 0:26:50

     Okay. I got you. Okay. All right. Uh, any questions from, uh, the committee?

165. 0:26:57

     No questions.

166. 0:26:58

     Okay. Um, anybody here to speak on the bill? Did you bring anybody with you?

167. 0:27:03

     No.

168. 0:27:03

     No. Okay. All right. Um, okay. Representative Campbell.

169. 0:27:09

     Uh, I'd like to, uh, put a motion due pass.

170. 0:27:12

     Okay. We have a motion due pass. Do we have a second?

171. 0:27:16

     Second.

172. 0:27:17

     We have a second. Okay. And, uh, we have a motion due pass and a second on House Bill... What was the number on that? Uh, 1310, uh, LC 600287. Uh, what is the will of the committee? If y'all want to pass this bill on the rules, just say aye.

173. 0:27:40

     Aye.

174. 0:27:41

     All opposed. Okay. Off to-

175. 0:27:44

     Thank you, Chairman. I appreciate your support.

176. 0:27:46

     Thank you.

177. 0:27:48

     John.

178. 0:28:11

     Okay. Representative, uh, Robert Dawson, come on up.

179. 0:28:18

     Name please.

180. 0:28:45

     Okay. Representative Dawson, uh, this is House Bill 1167. Is that correct?

181. 0:28:50

     Yes.

182. 0:28:51

     Would you tell us your LC number that you're operating from?

183. 0:28:53

     Yeah. Working from LC650026.

184. 0:28:58

     Okay. Tell us about your bill.

185. 0:29:00

     Yeah. Good afternoon. Um, I'm here to request your, um, consideration of Sl- Sleep Health Awareness Act. Uh, the primary intent of the legislation is to amend Title 1 and Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated to establish an annual Sleep Health Awareness Week, and to encourage the Department of Public Health to integrate sleep hygiene into, into existing wellness frameworks. Um, the bill is intended as an awareness and advocacy measure, does not contain any regulatory mandates or fiscal appropriations.

186. 0:29:39

     Um, the second week of March, Daylight Savings, uh, Week, would be the week for that designation. And, uh, I gave you all a handout. Uh, we have a letter of support from the Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia, then also just a recent, uh, Wall Street Journal article on the importance of, um, sleep and what happens to your brain when you don't get enough sleep. But there are essentially seven health impacts to good sleep.

187. 0:30:10

     Um, neurocognitive development, memory, studying for youth. Then, um, for doctors and nurses, it's important. You know, if you're in, in a medical residency, you end up staying up 24 hours a day. A lot of those guys leave the job, and they get in an accident because they're not getting enough sleep. Also important for our workforce, economic development, public safety, transportation, for chronic disease prevention, mental health and suicide prevention, also maternal and infant health.

188. 0:30:43

     So I think it's important. No country, no city, no state, no government has ever done this. So I really would like us to see Georgia become the thought leader in this, um, in this area of sleep health advocacy. And a funny story, I got the idea for this bill while I was pulling an all-nighter of all things, you know. So, um, but seriously, a very important thing. There's a lot of academic and scientific research in the field, so it i- I think it's something that we can lead on and make Georgia, put Georgia at the vanguard of good public health.

189. 0:31:24

     It looks like you've done your homework on this bill, and we appreciate, appreciate the handout that you brought to-

190. 0:31:30

     Thank you

191. 0:31:30

     ... the committee today and Did you bring anybody with you to speak or to the bill?

192. 0:31:35

     Oh, not today. I talked with American Heart Association. They're supporting, and even this year, that first week of March, we're gonna have, uh, tables out and a lot of sleep health and hygiene awareness. The mothers will be out here as well, so, but no one to speak today.

193. 0:31:51

     I need some help getting sleeping now myself.

194. 0:31:54

     Amen. Amen. I was talking to one of the lobbyists, and he said that he goes to some... Trip Martin.

195. 0:31:59

     Yeah.

196. 0:31:59

     He's saying he goes to someone for sleep.

197. 0:32:01

     Is that right?

198. 0:32:01

     So he'll appreciate it as well. Yeah.

199. 0:32:03

     I'm gonna hit, catch a ride with him next time.

200. 0:32:05

     Good deal. Okay.

201. 0:32:07

     Okay. Uh, any questions from the committee?

202. 0:32:12

     Okay, number... What's that?

203. 0:32:14

     17.

204. 0:32:15

     Okay, number 17. Okay.

205. 0:32:17

     I don't have a question, but I do wanna say thank you for bringing this bill, sharing with us how lack of sleep can impact severe mental and physical impairments. This is, this is huge, so thank you. And I understand that awareness, how critical that is. It's the first step in combating this disease of sleep-

206. 0:32:37

     Thank you

207. 0:32:37

     ... chronic sleep.

208. 0:32:39

     Okay, thank you for that comment. Okay.

209. 0:32:46

     Okay, number five.

210. 0:32:47

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Representative Dawson, um, regarding daylight savings time, don't you think that Georgia should have a law policy in place where we stop daylight savings time?

211. 0:33:03

     Yeah.

212. 0:33:03

     This would help this bill.

213. 0:33:05

     Yeah, great question. You know, I've been reading up about it. I'm not sure which way it should go, but even if they get rid of, um, daylight savings time, that second week, week of March is gonna be Sleep Health Awareness Week.

214. 0:33:18

     Okay, sir. Thank you.

215. 0:33:19

     Yeah. Thank you.

216. 0:33:19

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

217. 0:33:20

     Yeah. R- Representative Beckles, I think we passed a bill on a resolution a couple of years back about keeping it on daylight savings time, and we was just, uh, we passed it on to Congress, and they hadn't acted on it yet.

218. 0:33:35

     Yeah.

219. 0:33:35

     So kind of waiting on them to act on behalf of our resolution. Okay, any other questions? Okay, number 16.

220. 0:33:44

     Yes, Mr., uh-

221. 0:33:45

     Representative Griffin.

222. 0:33:47

     Chair, I, I, I have a statement, and I'd like to make a, a motion. I hope that this bill will help us during, uh, the last few weeks of the legislative session.

223. 0:33:58

     So true. It keep us up. Yes.

224. 0:34:01

     I move, uh, do pass.

225. 0:34:03

     Okay. Representative Griffin's made a motion to pass, and we have a second by, by Representative Campbell. Uh, any other comment? None. Okay, what is the pleasure of the committee? Uh, all in favor of passing House Bill 1167, say aye.

226. 0:34:21

     Aye.

227. 0:34:21

     All opposed. Okay. Off to Rules.

228. 0:34:24

     Okay. Thank y'all for your consideration.

229. 0:34:26

     Thank you.

230. 0:34:26

     Thanks so much. Thank you.

231. 0:34:27

     Thank you for bringing bill.

232. 0:34:44

     Okay, we got some other reps bringing bills? Okay. Representative Scott, come on up. I didn't see you. The post had you hid back there.

233. 0:35:07

     Okay. Representative Scott, thank you for being here today. Uh, we have you with, uh, House Resolution 1111. Is that correct?

234. 0:35:16

     Yes, it is, sir.

235. 0:35:17

     Okay. Would you give us the LC number that you're working from?

236. 0:35:21

     LC610280.

237. 0:35:25

     Okay. Tell us a-

238. 0:35:26

     Um-

239. 0:35:26

     Tell us about-

240. 0:35:27

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

241. 0:35:27

     Thank you. Tell us about your resolution.

242. 0:35:31

     Okay. HR1111, Georgia Critical Media L- Media Literacy and Polarization Reduction Act of 2026. This resolution was written by a senior in high school, Sloane Hudgens, who I met at Girls State in Valdosta over the summer, where a group of say about 250 girls go down to Valdosta State, and they be in a, um, public policy c- um, for a week.

243. 0:36:07

     And they have to write bills, and this is a, one of the pieces of legislation that I chose to introduce, um, for her this year. And she did come to speak with you all last week, and you all should have received some information from her regarding this bill. But I present HR1111, a resolution encouraging bipartisan support for the Georgia Critical Media Literacy and Polarization Reduction Act of 2026.

244. 0:36:40

     Colleagues, we're living in a time when political polarization has reached historic levels. Across our country, we're seeing increased hostility, division, and a breakdown in civil discourse. Our young people are not immune to this environment. In fact, they are immersed in it every single day through social media, digital platforms, and 24-hour news cycles.

245. 0:37:12

     This resolution does not promote a political ideology. It promotes a skill set. Criti- criti- critical media literacy teaches students how to evaluate s- evaluate sources, distinguish facts from opinion, identify bias, and en- and engage respectfully with different viewpoints. It equi- equips them to think, not what to think. This proposed curriculum will be nonpartisan and standard based, developed in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Education and local school systems.

246. 0:37:52

     It focuses on strengthening civics skills, encouraging respectful dialogue, and preparing students to be informed participants in our democracy. Whether our students live in rural Georgia or in urban communities, they are consuming media at unprecedented levels. If we do not teach them how to critically analyze what they see, hear, and share, we have them vulnerable to misinformation and manipulation.

247. 0:38:24

     This resolution simply encourages bipartisan support for a thoughtful, transparent approach to teaching these essential skills in our public high schools. This is about strengthening civic discourse. This is about empowering students with critical thinking tools, and this is about protecting the integrity of our democratic process for future generations. And that is basically what the bill, the, the resolution is about.

248. 0:38:58

     Okay. Uh, sounds good. Thank you for bringing it today. Any questions from the committee on House Resolution 1111?

249. 0:39:10

     Seeing no questions. Uh, anybody speaking on the bill, uh, Representative Scott, other than yourself?

250. 0:39:16

     Uh, no. She wasn't able to make it.

251. 0:39:18

     Okay.

252. 0:39:18

     Had shit in school.

253. 0:39:20

     Okay. Um-

254. 0:39:21

     But she is online looking, though.

255. 0:39:23

     Well, I enjoyed meeting her the other day and speaking with her. That was, uh, she kind of brought my attention to a lot of things. So, very smart young lady.

256. 0:39:31

     Yes, she is.

257. 0:39:32

     Okay.

258. 0:39:32

     Okay. Thank you.

259. 0:39:33

     All right. Uh, what is the pleasure of the committee?

260. 0:39:39

     I, I move.

261. 0:39:41

     Excuse me.

262. 0:39:41

     Mr. Chair, I move, uh, do pass.

263. 0:39:44

     Okay, Representative Griffin. Do I hear a second?

264. 0:39:47

     Second.

265. 0:39:48

     Okay, we have a second. Uh, any, uh, other discussion on the bill, or resolution, excuse me? Okay. Uh, what is the pleasure of the re- of the, uh, committee? All in favor of, uh, House Resolution 1111 say aye.

266. 0:40:05

     Aye.

267. 0:40:05

     All opposed? Okay, off to Rules. Thank you, Representative Scott, for bringing the resolution today.

268. 0:40:25

     Okay, Representative Schofield. I'm gonna get them to move that big pole there in the middle of this room so I can see you back there. So, uh, I'm, I apologize, I didn't see you back there. Okay. Uh, you have, uh, House Resolution 1106. Is that correct?

269. 0:40:42

     I do.

270. 0:40:43

     Okay. Uh, tell us what LC number you're working from.

271. 0:40:46

     520977.

272. 0:40:48

     520977. Okay. Tell us about your resolution.

273. 0:40:52

     Thank you, Mr. Chair, members of the committee. I'm here today to present House Resolution 1106, which urges statewide support for the Audiology Practice Modernization Act.

274. 0:41:03

     Mm-hmm.

275. 0:41:03

     Simply by updating outdated standards that align with, um, reference practices that are in the current federal, uh, standards. So, you know, audiologists are, are trained professionals who diagnose and treat hearing loss and balance disorders. Hearing loss affects Georgians of all ages, from newborns to senior, and more than 15% of Georgians live with, uh, uh, some form of hearing impairment.

276. 0:41:34

     So the l- resolution doesn't change the statute, it just really modernizes it. Because, as we know, um, equipment, especially in the field of audiology, has evolved. Equipment, um, standards have evolved, workforce models have evolved, and our statutes need to evolve as well. So it's basically really urging us to update the laws that are currently on the books that modernize the health standards that align with the federal standards.

277. 0:42:04

     Okay. Okay, so this, that's what this resolution is doing.

278. 0:42:07

     That's what it is.

279. 0:42:08

     Is bringing attention to the audiology, uh, issue of bringing up, uh, our code section to meet today's needs.

280. 0:42:14

     That's it.

281. 0:42:15

     Okay.

282. 0:42:15

     Yes, sir.

283. 0:42:16

     All right. Um, I have a hearing problem according to my wife. She says I have selective hearing. So I don't know.

284. 0:42:24

     I don't know about selective, but we might put that in there.

285. 0:42:26

     We might put that in there. Okay.

286. 0:42:28

     I only hear, I, I, I don't hear as well as I used to either when it comes to, uh, traffic.

287. 0:42:35

     Right. Right. Okay. Uh, committee members, we have, uh, House Resolution 1106. Any questions from the committee? Seeing none, uh, what is the pleasure of the committee?

288. 0:42:52

     Um, Mr. Chairman, I move to pass.

289. 0:42:53

     Okay. Uh, we got a quorum here.

290. 0:42:55

     We do have a quorum.

291. 0:42:57

     Okay. I'll do it again.

292. 0:42:59

     Item number 60.

293. 0:42:59

     Uh, uh, thank you very much for the, for the resolution. Uh, you know, you sit behind me, and sometimes you ought to talk to me because I have a... I do have one hearing aid. Uh, Mr., uh, uh, I do pa- uh, do pass on this bill.

294. 0:43:17

     Okay. We have a-

295. 0:43:17

     That's a motion

296. 0:43:19

     ... a motion do pass on House Resolution 1106. Do I hear a second?

297. 0:43:24

     Second.

298. 0:43:24

     We have a second. Okay. Any other discussion? Seeing none, all in favor of House Resolution 1106 say aye.

299. 0:43:33

     Aye.

300. 0:43:34

     All opposed? Okay. Ayes have it. You're off the Rules.

301. 0:43:39

     I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. Thank you so much.

302. 0:43:42

     I got you. Have a good day. Thank you for being here. Thank you for the resolution.

303. 0:43:46

     Thank you, committee.

304. 0:43:53

     Okay. Is Representative Billy Mitchell here? He had a, he was on the calendar today. I hadn't seen Billy.

305. 0:43:59

     I think he's on the elevator leaving with me, so I think that is Billy.

306. 0:44:02

     Okay. We'll, we'll roll, uh, Representative Mitchell's over till next week. So if you see him, we'll roll it over to next week. Okay. Thank y'all very much for coming today. Appreciate it. Committee members, thank you for being here.