Sesión en el pleno de la Cámara de Representantes, 26 de febrero de 2026 (día legislativo 25, AM)

Transcripción

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

1. 0:15:37

   Well, good morning. Good Thursday morning. All members, all members, please come to the floor. All members. Because the hour for con- for convening having arrived, all members will please come to the floor and take their seats. Mr. Clerk, will you ring the bell, please?

2. 0:17:12

   We're going to have the morning roll call. Good morning. Going to have the morning roll call. All members present will pr- please vote green to signify your presence in the chamber, and Mr. Clerk will unlock the machines. We got you, Jerry.

3. 0:18:07

   Have all members voted? All members voted their presence. If so, Mr. Clerk will lock the machine. Doorkeepers, please close the doors and keep them closed.

4. 0:18:32

   Doorkeepers, if you'll close the doors.

5. 0:18:42

   As is our custom, we will begin our day with scripture reading and prayer by our chaplain, after which we will pledge allegiance to the flag of our country. Our chaplain this morning is brought to us by the gentleman from the 154th House District, Representative Gerald Greene, the Dean of this House. Chairman Greene, you're recognized to present and acknowledge our guest and our chaplain. Chairman Greene.

6. 0:19:14

   Good morning, Mr. Speaker, and members of the House, and distinguished guests. But before I introduce our pastor of the day, it is my pleasure to introduce Judge Josh Suggs. He is the Vice Chair of the, um, Probate Judges Council. He is my dear friend from Miller County and was driver of the pastor. Judge Suggs, would you stand, please?

7. 0:19:47

   Reverend Barick is a dedicated leader of the Freewill Baptist Church, faithfully serving his congregation and community with a shepherd's heart and a servant's spirit. In addition to his pastoral ministry, he serves as moderator for the Martin Association, providing steady leadership and guidance to churches throughout the region. He also serves as chaplain for the Miller County Sheriff's Office, offering strength, encouragement, and prayer to the brave men and women who protect and serve.

8. 0:20:25

   Reverend Barick further extends his commitment to faith and education as a member of the Georgia State Board of Christian Education, helping shape and strengthen spiritual formation for future generations. For 41 years, he has been blessed to share his life with the love of his life, Cheryl. Together, they have raised two adult children and now enjoy the joy of five grandchildren. And when he finds a quiet moment away from his many responsibilities, you'll find him fishing on the peaceful waters of Lake Seminole.

9. 0:21:05

   Reverend Barick's life is marked by faithfulness to God, to family, and to community, and we are grateful for his service and honored to welcome him today. Please join me in welcoming Reverend Kent Barick as our pastor of the day.

10. 0:21:25

    Good to have you. You can't hurt this. I won't bother you later.

11. 0:21:28

    Thank you. Good morning. Thank you so much for this opportunity. Indeed, a privilege, an honor, humbling so anytime I get to stand anywhere and tell anybody

12. 0:21:50

    about Jesus Christ. I would have no other job than this. I appreciate what you all do, and I hope you love what you do as much as I love what I do. I want to thank everybody who had any part in putting this together. And if I mentioned one name, I would forget three and I'd be in trouble. So for anybody and everybody that had a part in this, thank you for the invitation. I had a friend, I still have him, he told me once when I was gonna speak in Birmingham, he said, "Kent, they're not gonna remember what you said, but they will remember how long it took you to say it."

13. 0:22:33

    So I understand I have five minutes today, and I will do my best to stay within the timeframe. Our scripture comes from John's gospel, one of my favorite in the New Testament. It is here that Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

14. 0:23:05

    And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go, you know, and the way you know." Thomas said, "Lord, we do not know where you're going. How can we know the way?" And Jesus said, "I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the life. No man comes to the Father except through me." Just a brief word or two in devotional form here.

15. 0:23:38

    The disciples were very disheartened, very discouraged. The man, the Messiah, the Son of God for whom they decided they would follow the rest of their lives had just informed them that he's leaving. They did not yet understand his ascension would lead to the introduction of the Holy Spirit. All they knew was the man that they gave up everything for was leaving them. And it was in that dark moment of discouragement that Jesus says to them, "Don't you let your heart be troubled." We can't stop trouble coming our way.

16. 0:24:13

    I, I wish I could. But what I can do is decide how I will respond to the trouble. You, you're just like me. Every day of our lives there's great opportunity for something to go wrong. There is no prayer you can pray to make it go away. There's no, uh, mantra you can chant that'll make everything work out. Uh, Jesus said, "In this world, you will have trouble." So since I can't stop the trouble, I can at least prepare my heart how to receive it.

17. 0:24:43

    The Bible says from the heart flows the issues of life. The Bible says love God with all your heart. The Bible says trust in the Lord with all your heart. With all that's going on in our world professionally and personally, my encouragement to you today is take care of your heart. Spiritually speaking, don't let garbage in. Do what the psalmist did and pray, "Create within me a clean heart." And so right after he said, "Look, you gotta take care of your heart," he laid the foundation for handling discouragement.

18. 0:25:18

    He said, "You believe in God." Have we forgotten that? I believe in a lot of things. I'm not sure if I believe in the introduction that was just given about me. I wanna meet that guy. I'm just so glad my wife didn't give the introduction. It would not have been the same. Well, we believe in a lot of things, and some things are helpful and some are not, but the bedrock, the foundation, the anchor for me, I believe in God. I appreciate everything you do to make decisions, uh, that make this state a much better place to live.

19. 0:25:53

    I believe in you. But with all due respect, I believe in God. I don't know what tomorrow's gonna unfold. I don't know what's coming my way. But when I lay my head on my pillow tonight, I go to sleep knowing this. The God in whom I believe in has everything under control. What I perceive to be chaos, he perceives to be a walk in the park. So Jesus says, "Listen, you guard your heart.

20. 0:26:25

    You guard your heart. You believe in God." And then he made a reference to heaven. He made reference to eternity. That gets me through an awful lot of discouragements. Sometimes something bad is said, something bad happens, I start thinking about heaven. I know a lot of people say that's pie-in-the-sky theology. It's more than that. Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people. And I can't wait to go there. No sickness, no crying, no dying. None of the stuff that aggravates us today will be in heaven.

21. 0:26:58

    I don't know why we're afraid to go there. Just one more thought, and I'll be finished. At the conclusion of this narrative, Thomas says to Jesus, "We don't know where you're going. How can we know the way?" And I'm so glad Jesus uttered these words: "Thomas, I am the way. I am the truth, and I am the life." Summed up in this paraphrase works for me. Jesus is all I need.

22. 0:27:31

    He is my way, he is my truth, and he is my life. When this world makes no sense, I find my way, my truth, and my life in the Son of God, and for that I am eternally thankful. Would you stand as we pray, please?

23. 0:27:57

    Our Father in heaven, we are most fortunate to live where we live, and it's not by happenstance. You are sovereign and you created the opportunity and gave it to us. What a blessing. What a privilege. I thank you for Holy Scripture. We find encouragement there when things are not too encouraging in this world. I just pray that my heart and the hearts of other people here today would be encouraged by what God's Word shares, that Jesus Christ is all we need.

24. 0:28:32

    It is in His precious name we pray, and all of God's people said amen. Now will you- Join us in the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. All

25. 0:29:02

    Doorkeepers, you may open the doors. Members, you may join, um, Brother Kent in the South Annie Room and thank him for his devotion today and take a photo if you'd like.

26. 0:30:14

    Members, our doctor of the day today is N- Dr. Natasha Savage. She's brought to us by Dr. Mark Newton and ... Oh, there you are. Thank you, Dr. Newton. And Chairman Parish tells me that Dr. Savage has been one of the folks who's, um, very responsible for our ramping up of our residency programs across this state. So Dr. Savage, thank you for being a part of our efforts to strengthen healthcare all over Georgia.

27. 0:30:44

    We appreciate you being here taking care of us today.

28. 0:30:49

    Chairman Hilton, the chair of the Committee on Information and Audit is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is great to be here this morning. Um, your Committee on Information and Audit has read the journal of the previous legislative day, and we have found it to be correct. Chairman Hilton, the chairman of the Committee on, Committee on Information and Audit reports that the journal of the previous legislative day has been read and found to be correct. Is there any objection to dispense with the reading of the journal? Objection.

29. 0:31:20

    There's objection. You wanna object to the reading of the journal? Well, maybe you should go get with the chairman and y'all can read it. Uh, gentleman move? Gentleman moves.

30. 0:31:44

    All right, members, we need to come to the floor. All those in favor of dispensing with the reading of the journal will vote yes. Those opposed to dispense with the reading of the journal will vote no. And Mr. Clerk will unlock the machines.

31. 0:35:13

    Have all members voted? All members voted. Mr. Clerk will lock the machine.

32. 0:35:44

    The vote was ninety-two to fifty-seven to dispense with the reading of the journal. The objection to dispense with the reading of the journal is lost. The reading of the journal is dispensed with. Is the objection to the confirmation of the journal? There's objection.

33. 0:44:50

    For what purpose does Whip Park rise?

34. 0:44:52

    Uh, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will withdraw my objection to the suspension of the rules.

35. 0:44:57

    The gentleman has withdrawn his reject- his objection to the confirmation of the journal. The confirmation of journal is confirmed. Mr.

36. 0:45:08

    Clerk, will you read the resolution establishing...

37. 0:49:24

    Thank you. Establishing the order of business for the day.

38. 0:49:27

    Representative Efstration of the 104th moves, follow me, establishes the order of business during the first part of the period of unanimous consents. Introduction of bills and resolutions. First reading and reference of house bills and resolutions. Second reading of bills and resolutions. Reports of standing committees. Third reading and passage of uncontested local bills and resolutions. First reading and reference of Senate bills and resolutions. Morning orders.

39. 0:49:51

    Is there any objection to adopting of the resolution establishing the order of business for the day? Hearing none, the resolution's adopted. First reading of bills and resolutions, Mr. Clerk will read.

40. 0:50:02

    House Bill 1452 by Representative Cummings of the 39th, McQueen of the 61st, Sanchez of the 42nd. The bill will be titled an act to authorize the assessment and collection of a technology fee by the Municipal Court of the City of Mableton.

41. 0:50:16

    Intergovernmental coordination.

42. 0:50:18

    House Bill 1453 by Representative Werkheiser of the 157th. The bill will be entitled an act to authorize the governing authority of Jeff Davis County to levy an excise tax.

43. 0:50:29

    Intergovernmental coordination.

44. 0:50:31

    House Bill 1454 by Representative Ridley of the 6th, Corbett of the 174th, Williams of the 148th, Rhodes 124th, Cannon of the 172nd and others. The bill will be titled an act to amend Title F- 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to crimes and offenses.

45. 0:50:49

    Public safety and homeland security.

46. 0:50:51

    House Bill 1455 by Representative Kendrick of the 95th, McClain of the 109th, Campbell of the 35th, Schofield of the 63rd, Park of the 107th and others. The bill will be titled an act to amend Chapter 2, Title 34 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to the Department of Labor.

47. 0:51:10

    Industry and labor.

48. 0:51:11

    House Bill 1456 by Representative Lim of the 98th, Lupton of the 83rd, Wilkerson of the 38th, and Werkheiser of the 157th. The bill will be titled an act to amend Chapter 6 of Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to sexual offenses.

49. 0:51:27

    Judiciary, non-civil.

50. 0:51:29

    House Bill 1457 by Representative Lim of the 98th, Lupton of the 83rd, Wilkerson of the 38th, and Carpenter of the 4th. The bill will be titled an act to amend Article 1 of Chapter 5 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to general provisions regarding ad valorem taxation of property.

51. 0:51:46

    Ways and means.

52. 0:51:47

    House Bill 1458 by Representative Smith of the 18th, Hong of the 103rd, Gunter of the 8th, Reeves of the 99th. The bill will be titled an act to amend Chapter 6 of Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to sexual offenses.

53. 0:52:01

    Judiciary, non-civil.

54. 0:52:03

    House Bill 1459 by Representative Lupton of the 83rd, Drenner of the 85th, Davis of the 87th, Tran of the 80th, Oliver of the 84th. The bill will be titled an act to amend Chapter 14 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to open and public meetings.

55. 0:52:22

    Governmental affairs.

56. 0:52:23

    House Bill 1460 by Representative Reese of the 140th, Hugley of the 141st, Buckner of the 137th. The bill will be titled an act to amend an act establishing the state court of Muscogee County.

57. 0:52:36

    Intergovernmental coordination.

58. 0:52:38

    House Bill 1461 by Representative Reese of the 140th, Hugley of the 141st, and Buckner of the 137th. The bill will be titled an act to amend an act establishing compensation for the clerk of the Superior Court of Muscogee County.

59. 0:52:51

    Intergovernmental coordination.

60. 0:52:53

    House Bill 1462 by Representative Reese of the 140th, Hugley of the 141st, and Buckner of the 137th. The bill will be titled an act to provide for the creation of the Columbus Music Commission.

61. 0:53:05

    Intergovernmental coordination.

62. 0:53:07

    House Bill 1463 by Representative Williamson of the 112th, Prince of the 132nd, Cannon of the 172nd, and Powell of the 33rd. The bill will be titled an act to amend Part 5, Article 3, Chapter 1 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to peer-to-peer car sharing programs Regulated industries. House Bill 1464 by Representative Kendrick of the 95th, Werkheiser of the 157th, McClain of the 109th, Holley of the 116th, Campbell of the 35th, and others. It'll be titled an act to amend Chapter 2, Title 34 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to the Department of Labor.

63. 0:53:47

    Industry and labor. House Bill 1466 by Representative Ridley, the 6th, Smith of the 18th, Carpenter of the 4th, Douglas the 78th, Ford of the 170th, and others. It'll be titled an act to amend Code Section 3524.1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to exception to the three-tier system. Regulated industries. House Bill 1467 by Representative Fleming of the 114th, Gullett of the 19th, Momtahan of the 17th, Scoggins of the 14th, Kelley the 16th. It'll be titled an act to amend Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relat- relating to elections and primaries generally.

64. 0:54:25

    Governmental affairs. House Bill 1468 by Representative Clark of the 108th. The bill will be titled an act to amend Chapters 7 and 8 of Title 48 and Chapters 8 of Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to income tax. Budget and fiscal affairs oversight. House Bill 1469 by Representative Santos of the 117th, Reeves of the 99th, Holcomb of the 101st, Leverett of the 123rd, Hagan of the 156th. The bill will be titled an act to amend Article 1 of Chapter 13 of Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to general provisions relative to controlled substances.

65. 0:55:02

    Judiciary non-civil. House Re- House Resolution 1472 by Representative Lim of the 98th, Lupton of the 83rd, Wilkerson of the 38th, and Carpenter of the 4th. Resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution so as to provide for the assessment and taxation of affordable house- housing use property. Ways and means. House Resolution 1473 by Representative Schofield of the 63rd, Hawkins of the 27th, Irwin of the 32nd, Scott of the 76th, Davis of the 87th.

66. 0:55:35

    A resolution creating a House Study Committee on Lupus. Special rules. House Resolution 1474 by Representative Mathiak of the 82nd, Dubnik of the 29th, LaHood of the 175th, Yearta of the 152nd, Thomas of the 21st, and others. A resolution encouraging the creation of a Life Sciences Caucus in the Georgia House. Special rules. House Resolution 1475 by Representative Dubnik of the 29th. A resolution creating the Joint Study Committee on Modified Exhaust Systems on Motor Vehicles.

67. 0:56:07

    Special rules. House Resolution 1476 by Representative Cooper of the 45th, Smith of the 70th, Au of the 50th, Reese of the 140th. A resolution recognizing August as National Immunization Awareness Month. Special rules. House Resolution 1502 by Representative Jackson of the 128th. A resolution recognizing the life of Mr. Raymond Crawford McGee Jr. and dedicating a bridge in his memory. Transportation. House Resolution 1503 by Representative Clark of the 100 and 108th.

68. 0:56:40

    A resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Georgia so as to provide that the General Assembly shall be authorized. Ways and means. House Resolution 1504 by Representative Sanchez of the 42nd, Romman of the 97th, McQueen of the 61st, Berry of the 56th, Cannon of the 58th, and others. A resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution so as to require the General Assembly to provide.

69. 0:57:08

    Ways and means. Senate Bill 116 by Senator Beard of the 30th, Robertson of the 29th, Payne of the 54th, Anna DeVarde of the 31st, Albers of the 56th, and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 3 of Title 35 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to DNA sampling. Public safety and homeland security. Senate Bill 392 by Senator Albers of the 56th, Tillery of the 19th, Still of the 48th, Hufstetler of the 52nd, Gooch of the 51st, and others.

70. 0:57:39

    It'll be titled an act to amend Part 1 of Article 4, Chapter 12 of Title 45 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated known as the Budget Act. Appropriations. Senate Bill 433 by Senator Strickland of the 42nd, Albers of the 56th, Beard of the 30th, Echols of the 49th, Anderson of the 43rd, and others. The bill will be titled an act to amend Article 3, Chapter 2 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to prestige license plates. Public safety and homeland security.

71. 0:58:11

    That completes first readers.

72. 0:58:27

    Second reading of bills and resolutions. Mr. Clerk will read. House Bill 1423 by Representative Adesanya of the 43rd, Hugley of the 141st, Wilkerson of the 38th, Cummings of the 39th, Campbell of the 35th, and others. A bill to amend an act relating to elections and primaries. House Bill 1424 by Representative Cheokas of the 151st and Sensen of the 150th. A bill to amend an act to revise and restate the law relating to the Sumter County Board of Education and School Superintendent. House Bill 1425 by Representative Frye of the 122nd, McClain of the 109th, Gisler of the 121st, Jackson of the 165th, Cannon of the 58th, and others.

73. 0:59:02

    A bill relating to labor and industrial relations. House Bill 1426 by Representative Flournoy of the hun- 74th, Kendrick of the 95th, Beckles of the 96th, Ali of the 106th. A bill relating to employment and training of peace officers. House Bill 1427 by Representative Willis of the 55th, Crawford of the 89th, Miller of the 67th, Cannon of the 58th. A bill relating to state employees' health insurance plan and post-employment health benefit fund. House Bill 1428 by Representative McDonald of the 26th, Reeves of the 99th, Thomas of the 21st, Okoye of the 102nd, Persinger of the 119th, and others.

74. 0:59:34

    A bill relating to professional engineers and land surveyors. House Bill 1429 by Representative Ballard of the 174th, Camp of the 135th, Townsend of the 179th, Rice of the 139th, Panitch of the 151st. A bill relating to collection of information by juvenile court clerks re- reporting requirement and data collection.

75. 0:59:52

    House Bill 1430 by Representative Taylor of the 173rd, Dempsey of the 13th, Burchette of the 176th, Newton of the 127th, Cooper of the 45th, a bill relating to the regulation of hospitals and related institutions. House Bill 1431 by Representative Camp of the 135th, Burchette of the 176th, Rhodes of the 124th, Barnow of the 77th, Horner of the 3rd, and others, a bill relating to establishment review of child custody and visitation. House Bill 1432 by Representative Gullett of the 19th, Park of the 107th, Burchette of the 176th, Evans of the 57th, and Gunter of the 8th, a bill relating to the Georgia Public Defender Council.

76. 1:00:26

    House Bill 1433 by Representative Gullett of the 19th and Burchette of the 176th, a bill relating to regulation and practice of law. House Bill 1434 by Representative Jenkins of the 136th, Crowe of the 118th, Jaspers of the 11th, and McDonald of the 26th, a bill relating to powers of local governments as to air facilities. House Bill 1439 by Representative Anderson of the 10th and Erwin of the 32nd, a bill to authorize the assessment and collection of a technology fee by the Municipal Court of the Town of Mount Airy. House Bill 1436 by Representative Gaines of the 120th, Powell of the 33rd, Kelley of the 16th, Rhodes of the 124th, McDonald of the 26th, a bill relating to general provisions relative to bonds and recognizances.

77. 1:01:04

    House Bill 1437 by Representative Gaines of the 120th, Leverett of the 123rd, Efstration of the 104th, Silcox of the 53rd, Reeves of the 99th, a bill relating to general provisions regarding notaries public. House Bill 1438 by Representative Westbrook of the 163rd, Park of the 107th, Au of the 50th, Reese of the 140th, Myles of the 126th, a bill relating to state government. House Bill 1439 by Representative Park of the 107th, McClain of the 109th, Sanchez of the 42nd, McQueen of the 61st, Evans of the 57th, and others, a bill relating to the Fair Business Practices Act of 1975.

78. 1:01:36

    House Bill 1440 by Representative Petrea of the 166th, Stevens of the 164th, Franklin of the 160th, a bill to provide a homestead exemption from Bryan County School District ad valorem taxes. House Bill 1441 by Representative Park of the 107th, Williams of the 168th, Gisler of the 121st, Reese of the 140th, Westbrook of the 163rd, and others, a bill relating to state government. House Bill 1442 by Representative Washburn of the 144th, Werkheiser of the 157th, Reeves of the 99th, Crowe of the 118th, Bonner of the 73rd, a bill relating to general provisions applicable to counties and municipal corporations.

79. 1:02:08

    House Bill 1443 by Representative Parsons of the 44th, Ridley of the 22nd, Frye of the 122nd, Martin of the 49th, Williams of the 37th, a bill relating to permissible parties in proceedings before commission, intervention in proceedings generally, limited appearance and procedure for granting leave of intervening. House Bill 1444 by Representative Kelley of the 16th and Blackmon of the 146th, a bill relating to imposition rate, collection and assessment relative to state sales and use tax. House Bill 1449 by Representative Jackson of the 68th, Reese of the 140th, Mitchell of the 88th, Holly of the 116th, Scott of the 76th, and others, a bill relating to the Department of Community Affairs.

80. 1:02:43

    House Bill 1450 by Representative Jackson of the 68th, Reese of the 140th, Mitchell of the 88th, Bell of the 75th, Scott of the 76th, and others, a bill relating to state militia. House Bill 1451 by Representative Dempsey of the 13th, Hagan of the 156th, Price of the 139th, Greene of the 154th, Campbell of the 171st, a bill relating to the Department of Community Affairs. House Bill 1465 by Representative McCollum of the 30th, Efstration of the 104th, Corbett of the 174th, Powell of the 33rd, Hitchens of the 161st, and others, a bill relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles, alternative ad valorem taxation of motor vehicles, and ad valorem tax fee.

81. 1:03:17

    House Resolution 1444 by Representative Cannon of the 58th, resolution honoring the life of Mr. Jerry Hoye and dedicating a road in his memory. House Resolution 1445 by Representative Cox of the 28th, Burns of the 159th, Hatchett of the 155th, Tarver of the 2nd, Greene of the 154th, and others, a resolution urging continued historical preservation of the Georgia State Capitol. House Resolution 1446 by Representative Martinez of the 111th, Williamson of the 112th, Fleming of the 114th, resolution honoring the life of Mr. Jim S. Briscoe and dedicating an intersection in his memory.

82. 1:03:50

    Senate Bill 171 by Senator Andrea Bartee of the 31st, Hickman of the 4th, Burns of the 23rd, Kemp of the 38th, Payne of the 54th, and others, a bill relating to educational programs under the Quality Basic Education Act. Senate Bill 395 by Senator Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Watson of the 1st, Hestler of the 52nd, Brasse of the 6th, Albers of the 56th, and others, a bill relating to the Department of Public Health. Senate Bill 428 by Senator Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Hatcher of the 50th, Watson of the 1st, Echols of the 49th, and Jackson of the 41st, a bill relating to medical assistance generally.

83. 1:04:21

    Senate Bill 430 by Senator Robertson of the 29th, Andrea Bartee of the 31st, Walker of the 20th, Albers of the 56th, Summers of the 13th, and others, a bill relating to excise tax on rooms, lodging, and accommodations. Senate Bill 469 by Senator Stell of the 48th and Dollazal of the 27th, a bill to amend an act creating a Board of Commissioners of Forsyth County. Senate Bill 491 by Senator Setzler of the 37th, Rhett of the 33rd, Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Howard of the 35th, and James of the 28th, a bill to amend an act creating the Cobb Judicial Circuit. Senate Bill 492 by Senator Setzler of the 37th, Rhett of the 33rd, Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Howard of the 35th, and James of the 28th, a bill to amend an act creating the State Court of Cobb County through second readers.

84. 1:05:25

    Reports of standing committees. Mr. Clerk will read. Representative Williams of the 148th District, Chairman of the Committee on Banks and Banking, submitted the following report. "Mr. Speaker, your Committee on Banks and Banking has had under its consideration the following bills of the House. It's instructed me to report same back to the House with the following recommendations. House Bill 1112, do pass by committee substitute. House Bill 1314, do pass. Respectfully submitted, Representative Williams of the 148th District, Chairman." Representative Victor Anderson of the 10th District, Chairman of the Committee on Governmental Affairs, submitted the following report.

85. 1:05:57

    "Mr. Speaker, your Committee on Governmental Affairs has had under its consideration the following bills of the House. It's instructed me to report the same back to the House with the following recommendations. House Bill 400, do pass by committee substitute. House Bill 812, do pass by committee substitute. House Bill 863, do pass by committee substitute. House Bill 1166, do pass by committee substitute. Respectfully submitted, Representative Victor Anderson of the 10th District, Chairman." Representative Hawkins of the 27th District, Chairman of the Committee on Health, submitted the following report.

86. 1:06:30

    "Mr. Speaker, your Committee on Health has had under its consideration the following bills of the House. It's instructed me to report same back to the House with the following recommendations. House Bill 1346, do pass by committee substitute. House Bill 1275, do pass by committee substitute. House Bill 1276, do pass by committee substitute. Respectfully submitted, Representative Hawkins of the 27th District, Chairman." Representative Lauren McDonald of the 26th District, Chairman of the Committee on Intergovernmental Coordination Local, submitted the following report. "Mr.

87. 1:07:00

    Speaker, your Committee on Intergovernmental Coordination Local has had under its consideration the following bills of the House. It's instructed me to report the same back to the House with the following recommendations. House Bill 1357, do pass. House Bill 1358, do pass. House Bill 1359, do pass. House Bill 1375, do pass. Respectfully submitted, Representative Lauren McDonald of the 26th District, Chairman." Representative Lynn Smith of the 70th District, Chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources and Environment, submitted the following report. "Mr. Speaker, your Committee on Natural Resources and Environment has had under its consideration the following bill of the House.

88. 1:07:36

    It's instructed me to report same back to the House with the following recommendation. House Bill 663, do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Representative Lynn Smith of the 70th District, Chairman." Representative Clint Crowe of the 118th District, Chairman of the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, submitted the following report. "Mr. Speaker, your Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security has had under its consideration the following bill of the House. It has instructed me to report same back to the House with the following recommendation. House Bill 990, do pass by substitute.

89. 1:08:06

    Respectfully submitted, Representative Clint Crowe of the 118th District, Chairman." That completes the reading of the reports of standing committees.

90. 1:08:21

    Thank you, Mr. Clerk.

91. 1:08:33

    Thank you, members. This House will come to order, and I hope you'll get close to your seats. We have a couple of invite resolutions we're going to take up now and recognize some very, very distinguished Georgians. So members, come to the floor. If you're in the aisle and you're making, having conversation, you need to take it outside.

92. 1:09:00

    Or to the ante room. That works, too.

93. 1:09:13

    Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption to House Resolution 1022? House Resolution 1022 by Representative Jasperse of the 11th, O'Steen of the 169th, Hagan of the 156th, Dickey of the 134th, and Mathis of the 133rd. A resolution commending the 2025-2026 4-H leadership teams and award recipients in recognizing February 26, 2026 as 4-H Day at the State Capitol.

94. 1:09:52

    Members, we have 4-Hers that are here today being, I think some are pages, some are in the gallery. And we have some distinguished 4-Hers and their leaders down here. So I hope you will give this great group, who does so much for the future of our state, your full attention. I'm gonna invite the Chairman of Transportation, a gentleman, Rick Jasperse from Jasper, Georgia, to come up and speak to the resolution and make some introductions. Chairman Jasperse.

95. 1:10:19

    Well, thank you, Speaker. You know, members, back in, believe it or not, 1980, I began my career as a county extension agent. And I spent 30 years, you know, t- really, most of the time telling people how to kill things and how to make them grow. But, and it was a lot of fun, but the big part of my job was 4-H. It's a great experience. I got to work with kids from all across my area and across the state over the years, and adults. You know, there's a lot of funny stories we could tell about working with them and a lot of great memories. I heard about, one of the door keepers told me a minute ago that she fell in love with a lifeguard at 4-H Camp, which was great.

96. 1:10:56

    But on the podium we have with us Nick Place, if you'll just raise your hand, who's the Dean of the College of Agriculture. Michael Toews, our Associate Dean of Extension. Kelly Ashley with 4-H Leadership. And Melanie Byers-Smith, who's the State 4-H Leader, who helped my daughter a lot when she was a, a counselor.

97. 1:11:23

    On your desk, you'll find a great...

98. 1:11:25

    Pack it just especially for you. And most importantly, these great cheese straws from the Rock Eagle kitchens. You'll love them. But y- m- hopefully you'll see your 4-Hers while you're here today. You'll also go to their lunch today at the depot. But most importantly, I want to let the State 4-H President, Robert Thomas from Putnam County, give you some remarks.

99. 1:11:51

    Speaker Burns, Majority Leader Ef- Efstration, Minority Leader Hugley, honorable ladies and gentlemen of the house, guests, 4-Hers, and staff, good morning. I'm Robert Thomas, an 11th grade student at Putnam County High School. I'm beyond grateful to serve as this year's State 4-H President and speak to you on behalf of over 200,000 and, 200,000 4-Hers across Georgia. In the fourth grade, I began my 4-H journey by competing in Cloverleaf Project Achievement, delivering a speech on the basics of fishing.

100. 1:12:25

     From then on, 4-H grew into something far more meaningful to me. Through this program, I strengthened my love for agriculture, health and wellness, and STEM, while developing my skills in public speaking. The success of Georgia 4-H wouldn't be possible without the hard work of volunteers, county agents, and other adult leaders who impact and inspire youth across our state. On behalf of the University of Georgia, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Cooperative Extension, and all 4-H members, thank you for your unwavering support of a program committed to making the best better for tomorrow.

101. 1:13:00

     Thank you.

102. 1:13:14

     Thank you, Robert. Thank you. Good job. Thank you, House, for always supporting the Extension Service and everything they do. Georgia 4-H, we appreciate you and your continued commitment over the years to this program. Now, we're always looking for that return on investment, aren't we? What about that? This is the kind of young person that's bettering themselves and making our future better. Robert, thank you. Good luck to you. Thanks. You're gonna do great. We appreciate y'all being here. Thanks to all the leaders.

103. 1:13:45

     Thank you.

104. 1:14:24

     Members, Robert and the leaders will be out in the South Ante Room for some photos if you'd like to join them out there and, and meet Robert. We have another invite resolution. I think y'all will like this one. We don't have a lot of invite resolutions, but I thought this was very, very special. I wanna ask Representative Will Wade and our guests to join us on the podium.

105. 1:15:10

     I'm not g- going to give this one away. Y'all can look for yourself and see what this invite resolution is about. Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption to House Resolution 1459? Mr. Clerk.

106. 1:15:29

     House Resolution 1459 by Representative Wade of the 9th and Burns of the 159th, a resolution recognizing February 26, 2026 as Dale Murphy Day.

107. 1:16:00

     What a cool day. What a cool guy. What do y'all think? Boy, ar- aren't we honored to have him here and meet him. Uh, with that I'm gonna allow ... I wanted to do it myself, but, um, Representative Will Wade beat me to it. So I'm gonna allow Representative Wade to come and speak to House Resolution 1459 and tell us a little bit more about our honoree today. Uh, Representative Wade, come speak to, uh, some good information about Dale Murphy and Dale Murphy Day at this Capitol in this state. Well, Mr. Speaker, I think this definitely deserves a, "It is a great day" because it's Dale Murphy Day in Georgia, and I'm excited to welcome my friend Dale Murphy, former Atlanta Brave.

108. 1:16:42

     Um, for, for those of us that are in my generation, I, I wanna also give a shout-out to my, my friend and, uh, Class of '96 colleague, Representative Evans, um, and, and Casey Carpenter. All of us are big fans. We grew up watching him. I remember at five years old getting to see this gentleman knock a ball out of Fulton County Stadium. His stats put him in the Hall of Fame. They just haven't gotten it right. And by 2029, sir, I'm praying they get it right. Our, our House also has another resolution urging, uh, the Hall of Fame to get that right.

109. 1:17:15

     But 398 home runs, over 2,111 hits. Um, y'all, almost one out of every four hits was a home run by this guy. And, um, just a phenomenal, phenomenal athlete. Yeah, that's right.

110. 1:17:33

     And one of my fondest memories of my late father was going to the Braves game, and we had to sit in what we grew up knowing as the cheap seats. But by about the sixth inning, we'd get to go down and we'd get to meet people, and this gentleman was one of those that stayed to make sure he shook every little boy's hand like me. And that memory with my dad still is dear to me. He was a great ballplayer, but y'all, he is a better human being.

111. 1:18:04

     So Mr. Murphy, I'll turn it over to you. Thank you so much. God bless you. Welcome to Georgia.

112. 1:18:08

     Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Back then, it wasn't too hard to shake everybody's hand at the ballgame. Um, but thank you. You saw, you saw me hit a few home runs. You probably saw me strike out once in a while, too. I don't remember those either. Speaker Burns, Representative Wade, and Representative Evans, and distinguished members of this body, thank you for this incredible honor.

113. 1:18:38

     The support Nancy and I, my wife Nancy and I, have felt from Georgians, from this beautiful city and great state over the years, especially this past year with my, uh, opportunity to be considered for the Hall of Fame, has been incredibly humbling. In three years, I'll be eligible again for the Hall of Fame, and we're gonna give it another whirl. So thank you very much. Thank you.

114. 1:19:11

     Georg- Georgia is more than where I played baseball. Uh, Nancy and I raised our family here, and I wish Nancy could be by my side today, but she couldn't be. She's back home. We, we have, just to give you a little, uh, uh... We sh- We spend about, uh, five months here in Georgia. The rest of the time we're out in the state of Utah. And we also have our son Jake and, uh, his wife Erin. Their kids now live in Fayetteville. So we get b- back here quite often. But we're here about five months out of the year.

115. 1:19:43

     I just wanna say that, um, Georgia is more than where I played baseball. All our kids were either born at Piedmont or, uh, Northside and grew up here, and every time they come back, they say, "This place feels special." And we're, we're so appreciative of that. I wish my wife Nancy could be here today because without her I wouldn't have had the career I, I had. But more importantly, I wouldn't have the beautiful family that we have and the eight amazing kids we have.

116. 1:20:14

     And I need to update you on the Murphy family stats. For those of you who used to watch me when I was 26 years old, time's moved on. I now have 20 grandkids with three on the way. And, uh, I couldn't be more thankful, uh, for our family, w- which Nancy raised, kept us together through the challenging, um, life of a professional ballplayer. And, uh, I also wanna say that this is our home now.

117. 1:20:47

     It'll always be in our hearts. A little over 50 years ago, the Atlanta Braves, Ted Turner, uh, Bill Lucas, Paul Snyder took a chance on a skiddy kid from Portland, Oregon, and I fell in love with the South. I fell in love with the Braves. Every year since I retired, wherever we lived, S- Christmas morning was a time that we would have a Southern breakfast to remind us of where our roots are.

118. 1:21:18

     We'd have biscuits, grits, hash browns smothered and covered. And we'd slip in a few Vid- Vidalia onions for lunch. And wherever I see Vidalia onions, wherever I am, which they're all over the country now, I always pick up a couple because I fell in love with the people here in Georgia, uh, the Southern hospitality, and the good friends and great teammates. And again, on behalf of Nancy and I, we thank you for to- for this special day.

119. 1:21:50

     And, uh, I have so many memories. I could stay up here for a long time, but I know you got a lot of business to do. I wanna thank you for serving in the capacity you do. I know it's very challenging, and I just wanna thank you for making the state of Georgia the great state that it is. Thank you. Again, this is one of the biggest privileges and honors of my career and of my life. Thank you very much. Good luck, and go Braves.

120. 1:22:19

     Amen. God bless you.

121. 1:22:23

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

122. 1:22:35

     Thank you.

123. 1:22:35

     Thank you, members. You know, at this time in our history in professional athletes, sometimes we wonder. We don't have to wonder about this guy and what he stands for. Grandchildren, children, husband, successful athlete comes after that. And we appreciate you not for your... We appreciate you for your accomplishments on the baseball field for our beloved Braves. But we more importantly, we appreciate for the, what you stand for, the man you are, and the, all the causes you represent.

124. 1:23:12

     And if they don't, uh, if that doesn't work in three years, we're gonna build our own Hall of Fame right here, and he'll be the first inductee. So thank you for being with us. Thank you, members.

125. 1:24:09

     Members, we do have a local calendar today. We'll move on to our local calendar. Thank you for your attention and your patience. Honored some really fine people and organizations here this morning. Third reading and passage of uncontested local bills. If there's no objection, we will vote on the local calendar as a whole with a recorded vote. Hearing none is so ordered. Mr. Clerk, will you read, we'll read the local calendar.

126. 1:24:40

     Mr. Clerk.

127. 1:24:41

     House Bill 1357 by Representative Franklin in the 160th Bullock County. House Bill 1358 by Representative LaHood of the 175th Brooks County. House Bill 1359 by Representative LaHood of the 175th Brooks County. House Bill 1375 by Representative Hawkins of the 27th Hall County.

128. 1:25:11

     Is there any objection to the previous question being ordered on the local calendar? Hearing none, the previous question is ordered. Is there any objection to agreeing to the report of the committee, which was favorable to the passage of the bills? Hearing none, the report of the committee is agreed to. Shall these bills now pass? All those in favor of the passage of the bills on the local calendar will vote yes. All those opposed will vote no, and the clerk will unlock the machine.

129. 1:26:29

     Have all members voted?

130. 1:26:34

     No.

131. 1:26:35

     I got you. Take a second.

132. 1:26:45

     All members now voted? If so, Mr. Clerk will lock the machines. On the passage of the local calendar, the yays are 158, the nays are zero. These bills having received the requisite constitutional majority are therefore passed.

133. 1:27:23

     Members, we're moving on, moving on to morn- morning orders. We have a ... I'm gonna invite Representative Dewey McClain and Representative Edna Jackson

134. 1:27:36

     to be recognized for the first morning order, and that will be on our Black History Month. They ... Representative McClain, I wanna ask y'all to split two minutes, if you will.

135. 1:27:54

     Y'all give the lady some room in the aisle.

136. 1:28:02

     Former mayor of Savannah, Representative Edna Jackson. Representative Dewey McClain are recognized for a moment in Black History. Representative Jackson, here's our plan, Representative Jackson. Y'all are gonna split two minutes.

137. 1:28:18

     Oh.

138. 1:28:18

     You can go first, so he may not have any time left, but that'll be fine.

139. 1:28:24

     I do appreciate-

140. 1:28:24

     No, we're gonna hear from you. We appreciate you.

141. 1:28:26

     She's first.

142. 1:28:27

     The lady's recognized.

143. 1:28:28

     Oh.

144. 1:28:28

     And then Representative McClain will be, then be recognized.

145. 1:28:31

     Never mind.

146. 1:28:31

     Put that microphone down a little bit for her, please.

147. 1:28:33

     I'm just gonna ... Dewey, you're first.

148. 1:28:35

     Thank you.

149. 1:28:36

     No, you f- you're first.

150. 1:28:37

     No, y-

151. 1:28:37

     That's your, that's your photo.

152. 1:28:38

     You have your ... There's a photo.

153. 1:28:40

     Oh.

154. 1:28:40

     Lady's recognized.

155. 1:28:42

     Good aftern- good morning, colleagues. They have not given me enough time, but I am going to improvise since I don't have the time. During Black History Month, we are honored to recognize Carver State Bank. It is an African American bank that was founded in 1927. Under w- there have only been four presidents of Carver State Bank.

156. 1:29:17

     It has had many names. Our present president is Mr. Robert James. He has been president since 1971. Under the leadership of Mr. James, the bank has grown to tremendously. It has grown so because there are very few African American banks in the United States of America. As of now, Carver State Bank is founded only right now, not only, as the leading bank, and, uh, one of the leading banks in our community.

157. 1:29:58

     We are now on the roads to 100 years, but Carver State Bank has grown. The president of Carver State Bank, if you will see on the picture, Robert James, and his son is on the other side since they are cutting me short. But we are now also located... He's got my light, Franklin.

158. 1:30:22

     He does.

159. 1:30:22

     He's gotta go, too.

160. 1:30:23

     Okay, and, uh. But, uh, now we have a bank. Carver State Bank is now located in Birmingham, Alabama, the second bank, and now we are coming to Atlanta, Georgia.

161. 1:30:40

     Yes, ma'am.

162. 1:30:40

     Carver State Bank. If you want a copy of the history, please see me. Thank you.

163. 1:30:47

     Yes.

164. 1:30:48

     All right. Awesome.

165. 1:30:49

     Okay. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and-

166. 1:30:51

     You got it.

167. 1:30:52

     And-

168. 1:30:52

     The gentleman's recognized

169. 1:30:53

     ... and I wanna say thank you, Mr. Speaker, and, and thanks for bringing Carver State Bank. I, uh, I want y'all to know, Mr. Speaker and colleagues, you know, the, the, the, the... I guess my morning order and my moment of Black history is on the person on the end. Um, not the person, not the first person, not the second person, but the person on the end. You know, a lot of folks don't know him, but he's Reverend James Orange. Uh, Reverend James Orange, uh, became a good friend and mentor, uh, when I met him first in 1978.

170. 1:31:26

     I want y'all to look at that picture because it's a... it's one of those kinda pictures that, uh, that was taken in 1983. That was the last march on, uh, on the Capitol to make Dr. King's birthday a national holiday. Because in 1985, it became a national holiday, so we didn't need to march on the Capitol anymore. So I say all that to say that, uh, what Reverend Orange tried to make sure that we could do, and that day, that was January 15, 1983 to be exact, on his birthday.

171. 1:31:57

     But what Reverend Orange tried to make sure that he, he taught all of us, he taught all of us that having s- you know, social and, and, and I wanna say civil and, uh, labor justice, it, it didn't matter if you didn't have economic justice. It didn't matter if you didn't have economic justice. He also taught us to stay in our lane. He wanted us to make sure that everybody has a lane, and you should stay in it, or you're gonna do your job. And the, the s- last thing that he taught us, he called all of us leaders because he al- though by calling all of us leaders, that we had a role to play in life, and we would make the world a better place.

172. 1:32:35

     You know, I go back to, to his favorite song, you know, uh, of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in 1976.

173. 1:32:42

     I see that.

174. 1:32:42

     That's the first time I heard I Am Somebody in 1978.

175. 1:32:45

     I Am Somebody.

176. 1:32:45

     I Am Somebody. He, and, and heck, and heck, I knew I was somebody. Hell, I'm a pro football player. I thought... But, but he still had me doing that. But Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, and we need to always look at that because the song was, "Wake up, everybody. Wake up, everybody. No more sleeping in bed. It's time for thinking and thinking ahead." So I want you all to realize that that's what we must do, and that ti- and that song is time-tested, Mr. Speaker.

177. 1:33:13

     That's right.

178. 1:33:13

     You know, that was 1976 when that song came out, 50 years ago, and we need to try to abide by it. Mr. Speaker, I do yield the well, but that picture on the right is James Orange. That is the state capitol, how it looked in 1983, and that's how I looked as a 28-year-old in the middle in 1983.

179. 1:33:32

     Nice beard.

180. 1:33:33

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And the, and the lady on the left of me, uh, needs no introduction.

181. 1:33:41

     So I made sure that both of them had a little extra time.

182. 1:33:44

     Thank you.

183. 1:33:46

     Especially Rev- Representative Jackson, because I know there's some people here that have loans with Carver State Bank, and we wanted to recognize them c- we didn't want them calling y'all's loans.

184. 1:34:00

     Okay, members, I need your attention for the next two. We have a couple members, several members, are coming to the well for condolences, and we have some family members here and some photos of, of folks that, um, that we wanna offer con- condolences for. So I'm gonna start with a group. Representative Sanchez, McQueen, Cummings, if y'all would come and be recognized to speak to some guests we have.

185. 1:34:30

     Gentlemen, will you yield just for a second?

186. 1:34:32

     Yes, sir.

187. 1:34:36

     Members, I'm gonna ask you all to try to confine your morning order to one minute or less as we go through the, the morning orders this morning. We have quite a few, but, um, Representative Sanchez and Cummings, we appreciate you both being there. Give the folks your attention, please. And y'all may join me in standing.

188. 1:34:56

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to honor the legacy of an entangle- integral member of the Smyrna community, Eric Randle. Eric was the public works director for Smyrna, and previously worked as the city's engineer and was a great part of our city for many years. Um, he very tragically and unexpectedly passed away on New Year's Eve. Um, he was known as a extremely kind and passionate man, and had a passion for helping people and was dedicated to his work and to the people in his community.

189. 1:35:27

     And I can certainly attest to that. I had the pleasure of meeting him and working with him last year when my constituents came to me with an issue, and he was already on it, um, and even helped coordinate a meeting to get solutions going. Um, he was an important leader in our community and loved by so many. Uh, we actually have some of his family here and some of the Smyrna City Council here with us, uh, if you'd like to stand

190. 1:35:52

     and help us honor Eric. Um, thank you for being here with us and-

191. 1:36:05

     And if you'll please join me, join me in a moment of silence.

192. 1:36:12

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I yield the floor.

193. 1:36:15

     Thank you, Representative. And thanks to you folks from SMARTA being here honoring your colleague. Sounds like a fine man. Condolences to the family. Representative Santos.

194. 1:36:37

     We'll call her again later. Represent- Representative New, are you ready?

195. 1:36:42

     Yes, sir.

196. 1:36:43

     And some friends. Listen up, she has a

197. 1:36:49

     special morning order. Some folks who take care of us. Ladies, recognize with all of your friends joining.

198. 1:36:56

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker, colleagues. Commending the Emergency Management Association of Georgia and recognition of February 26th, 2026 as Emergency Management Association Day here at the State Capitol. The Emergency Management Association of Georgia is an association of professionals serving its members by promoting professional development, providing networking opportunities, and serving as advocates for the profession of emergency management. They provide, um, pride, they pride themselves on being the association that demonstrates professionalism, integrity, respect, and teamwork, and holds these values to the core of their organization.

199. 1:37:36

     Their three major goals are to assist members in their efforts to save lives, protect property from the effects of the disasters that we have, and to pro- provide a forum for professionals to discuss current issues in the emergency management field, and to serve as policy advisory boards, both to local emergency management agencies and to the State of Georgia. Therefore, be it resolved by the House of Representatives that the members of this body commend the Emergency Management Association of Georgia and recognize February 2026 as Emergency Management Association Day at the State Capitol.

200. 1:38:09

     Thank you for your service, and colleagues, please help me welcome them to the People's House.

201. 1:38:20

     Awesome. Good, good, good.

202. 1:38:21

     Thank you.

203. 1:38:27

     Representative Park Cannon and Representative Roberts. Representative Roberts.

204. 1:38:35

     Representative Cannon, pause just for a moment. Now give the... Excuse me. Now you can. Lady's recognized.

205. 1:38:43

     Don. Don will take-

206. 1:38:46

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today we're excited to recognize Reproductive Justice Advocacy Day at the State Capitol. As many people know, there are reproductive rights. Those are laws that say what you can do with your body. And there's reproductive health, which are the actual services that you receive. But in 1997, a group of women got together and created this term reproductive justice. That's transportation to how you access your right to the healthcare service.

207. 1:39:21

     That's childcare that is culturally sensitive enough or in your spoken language. And many other examples of the four tenets, which are to have bodily autonomy, to be a parent, to not be a parent, and to be able to parent in safe communities. Today, we thank the organizations that have come together in a coalition to talk about reproductive justice, and we honor you at the State Capitol today because we understand that the fundamental rights and healthcare access are only underscored by justice.

208. 1:39:59

     Will you stand today? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

209. 1:40:09

     Welcome to the People's House. Representative Sharper and s- friends. Gentleman's recognized.

210. 1:40:20

     I'm gonna let a few more come up with me.

211. 1:40:23

     So y'all can, y'all can join Representative Sharper.

212. 1:40:27

     All right.

213. 1:40:28

     Be a appropriate time would be right now.

214. 1:40:31

     Isn't she lovely? Just had to do that little part. But, but I'm very, very happy to be here today, and I'm very happy to honor somebody that as a little girl, singing all over Valdosta, she's a Georgia Peach. Uh, she was just performing at the, uh, Georgia State Fair, but she's right now on tour across the United States. She is here with us today, and she has said that she will come over and take a few pe- uh, photos, uh, with you guys before she get out of here because she is actively on tour.

215. 1:41:05

     I'm gonna be very, very brief. Uh, honoring Kelsi WesLove Davis for her musical achievements and positive representation of Valdosta, Georgia. It is fitting and proper to recognize individuals whose talent, dedication, and perseverance brings distinction to their communities and serve as a source of pride and inspiration to others. WesLove began her musical foundation singing in church and local venues, developing a powerful and authentic voice that later evolved into a successful career in Southern soul, R&B, and blues music.

216. 1:41:41

     Her growing national presence has brought positive attention to her hometown of Valdosta, Georgia, demonstrating that talent nurtured in local communities can reach audiences far beyond the state lines. That the members of this body commend and honor Kelsi WesLove Davis for her accomplishments as a musical artist, her national touring success, and her positive, uh, representation of- Of Valdosta and the state of Georgia, we would like for Ms.

217. 1:42:12

     Weslove, Kelsi Davis Weslove, to stand. She's in the middle. Y'all give her a big hand. One of the best voices in the country and the music that you guys are dancing to and don't even know it. So thank you so much. And she also has her husband here and her, some of her tour members came up. Y'all stand up, the tour. Hey, yeah, y'all are just as important. So thank you so much. She's gonna come down and take some photos with you guys. Thank you so much, Speaker, and thank all of you guys. God bless you.

218. 1:42:41

     Continued success. Good to have you. A lot of good folks come from Valdosta, no doubt about that. Chairman Clint Crowe and friends. You have some friends? Let's see where they are.

219. 1:42:56

     I got a couple, Mr. Speaker. They're, they're scattered around today.

220. 1:42:59

     One, join the chairman would be appropriate right now.

221. 1:43:04

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Colleagues, I rise today to, uh, also recognize Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. As most of you have probably seen, we have been graced in our halls with many of our state law enforcement officers, members of our, uh, state Fraternal Order of Police lodge. Uh, they're all over the building. Our state troopers, our, uh, commercial vehicle enforcement officers, Capitol Police officers, GBI agents, DNR officers, uh, uh, our, uh, parole and s- uh, community supervision officers.

222. 1:43:34

     And so as you see them throughout the day, uh, if you would take a few minutes just to say thank you to them, uh, welcome them to the Capitol. It's always an honor to have them here every year. We really appreciate what they do for us and all of us citizens of Georgia, keeping us all safe. And, uh, as I told them this morning, the things that we do here would be, uh, have very little effect without them out there to carry out the duties that we put in place and to carry out the policies we put in place. So thank you to all of our law enforcement and, uh, glad to recognize Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. Thank you.

223. 1:44:20

     Chair Lady Darlene Taylor, do you have friends or you're by ...

224. 1:44:28

     I think some folk ... Oh, Representative Chas Cannon is gonna join Chair Lady Taylor. The lady's recognized for a morning order up to one minute or less.

225. 1:44:44

     Good morning. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I am thrilled today to have with us the Thomas County Central High School team for football. They are the Class 5 state champions. Please give them a hand.

226. 1:45:03

     With us today is Superintendent Lisa Williams and Coach Rogers. This was an outstanding team. They had an unbelievable season and phenomenal athletes. I will share with you that Dooth Lawrence set an all-time state championship rushing yards with 380 yards, set an all-time single season rushing record for Thomas County Central with 2,267 yards, and selected an All-American for his efforts. And quarterback Jalen Johnson finished his career as the all-time leading pass leader for Thomas County Central with over 6,000 yards and all-time leading touchdowns with over 100, and never lost a single game at home as a starter.

227. 1:45:48

     This was an, a magnificent year for them. We're very proud of them, and I ask you all to please, again, celebrate them. We have some down here on the floor and up in the gallery. Thank you so much.

228. 1:46:06

     Members, the folks leading the podium right now, uh, the gentleman to my right is a president of Augusta University, the Medical College of Georgia, and one of his students. Where's Jack? He's, uh, he's entering a residency program this year, and guess where that's going to be? Because of this house's efforts to increase the number of residency slots in Georgia, he's gonna be in Augusta doing his residency in urology. Let's give him a hand, y'all.

229. 1:46:45

     Chairman Prince and friends, I think it's appropriate. You're gonna-

230. 1:46:48

     You're gonna one-up me.

231. 1:46:49

     You're gonna one-up me, aren't you?

232. 1:46:54

     All right, we'll, uh, go ahead. Friends, we'll, uh, I'll hold them up here. Chairman Prince, and we'll get a photo with you guys up here.

233. 1:47:01

     That sounds good.

234. 1:47:01

     Chairman Prince is recognized for one-

235. 1:47:02

     Richmond County.

236. 1:47:03

     Where's Har- Okay. Is Miles looking?

237. 1:47:05

     Yes, he is.

238. 1:47:06

     Well, good morning. Today is Augusta University Day. Augusta University is home of the Medical College of Georgia and the Dental College of Georgia. Augusta University is the flagship health institution in the state and comprises over 12,000 students, 11 colleges and schools, eight statewide campuses, and the home of the fourth largest medical school in the United States. AU is preparing students for careers in some of the most high demanding fields.

239. 1:47:40

     They continue to recruit, retain top-notch researchers and are focused on the expansion of research throughout our state. We had some students up in the gallery. I'm not sure if they're still here, but if you are, please stand. But if not, we're gonna turn it over to you, Mr. Speaker, to welcome our president and the first lady, Dr. Russell Keen and Karen.

240. 1:48:04

     Thank you very much. They're very welcome. Y'all gentlemen come up and join us. We'll get a photo.

241. 1:48:08

     Yeah. Thank you very much. Let's give them a hand.

242. 1:48:12

     Students, good to have you here. Appreciate you. We're looking forward to what y'all going to accomplish for Georgia's future. Representative Giesler, the gentleman's recognized from ... Do you have somebody coming with you? Are you, you, you flying solo or you got somebody gonna join you?

243. 1:48:29

     I guess I'm flying solo.

244. 1:48:31

     Gentleman's recognized.

245. 1:48:33

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Colleagues, uh, in the gallery today we have Dr. Melissa Butler, uh, Superintendent of the Oconee County School System, as well as the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council. Um, Oconee County Schools is routinely ranked among the best in not only the state, but in the country, and is a testament to what public education can be when they have the resources to be successful. Dr. Butler is relatively new on the job, uh, picking up from Dr. Jason Branch, who incidentally is the current Executive Director of the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia.

246. 1:49:08

     Uh, in my new role, Dr. Butler has been a great partner from the start, and I look forward to working with her in the coming years. Uh, the Student Advisory Council with her today represents the best students that Oconee High Schools, the Oconee High Schools, there's North Oconee and Oconee High, um, have to offer and we are happy to have you here today. So, uh, Dr. Butler and the Student Advisory Council, if you'll stand and be welcomed by the People's House.

247. 1:49:37

     Thank you for being here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I yield the rest.

248. 1:49:41

     Thank you for recognizing them. Welcome to the People's House. We appreciate you young people and everything you're involved in. Uh, Representative Myles.

249. 1:49:56

     Representative Myles, go ahead. You get ready. I'll call you back in just a minute. Representative Bell. Representative Bell, you ...

250. 1:50:07

     Chairman Hitchens. I can see he's ready.

251. 1:50:11

     Got one friend, that's it.

252. 1:50:12

     Are you by yourself?

253. 1:50:13

     Lumsden. Chairman Lumsden's supposed to come, but I don't see him.

254. 1:50:17

     Okay. The gentleman's recognized. I know you don't believe this, but I bet you can do it in a minute or less.

255. 1:50:22

     I doubt it. Well, as everybody already knows, today's Law Enforcement Day at the Capitol and, uh, I just wanted to put in a special plug for somebody that I recognized as I came up here the first day. You know, we have a lot of troopers here, a lot of, uh, motor carrier officers and the Capitol Police, and they keep us safe. When I came in the, the ante room the first day, I saw a face that I recogn-

256. 1:50:44

     Gentleman will suspend for a moment.

257. 1:50:50

     These are some important Georgians he's recognizing. Continue, Mr. Chairman.

258. 1:50:56

     I saw a face that I recognized. If y'all remember last year, uh, we brought him up here to, because he was involved in, in, in some action, uh, in metropolitan Atlanta where he had, he's a field training officer and he had a rookie, uh, cadet with him, and they observed two cars traveling at a high speed out on the interstate racing. They gave pursuit. They split. One of them went up the ramp, went into a gas station. Both of them bailed out the car and ran. Uh, Trooper First Class Mapes gave chase to one and the cadet to the other.

259. 1:51:28

     The one that Trooper First Class Mapes chased fell out with a gun, shot Trooper Mapes in the side. Even though he was shot, he continued to pursue, but he couldn't shoot back because people were behind him in the gas station. The, uh, the suspect veered off, made a mistake and veered off, and, uh, TFC Mapes shot him, continued on, uh, took him into custody physically. And for that he was named the Southern Region Trooper of the Year for the United States. And subsequent to that, in the International Association of Chiefs of Police National Convention, he was named the National State Trooper of the Year.

260. 1:52:04

     With us today is TFC Mapes, standing over by my desk.

261. 1:52:14

     And in addition to that, he, he bakes great cookies and brings them here for his friends.

262. 1:52:27

     Trooper of the Year right here on our floor. We want you to come over to this ante room, the south ante room. Uh, Representative Sainz will bring you over there, 'cause I know be, there's some folks who would love to get a photo with you, young man. We appreciate your service and your bravery.

263. 1:52:44

     Representative L.C. Myles, are you ready now? The gentleman's ready.

264. 1:53:02

     Are, are you gonna join him?

265. 1:53:03

     Yes, sir.

266. 1:53:07

     Come on, Representative Howard. You and Representative Prince join Representative Myles.

267. 1:53:13

     Good morning. I rise today to separ- to celebrate the accomplishment of 43 veterans from across the greater Augusta region, representing over 900 years of continuous service. From the Korean War, Vietnam War, Desert Storm, Operation Endur- Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. They served our nation with honor in every department, in every branch of the Department of Defense.

268. 1:53:44

     And their commitment continues after they completed their service through the day, through leadership in our communities and services, leadership and service to our communities. It is a privilege to recognize their sacrifice and celebrate their impa- their impact on freedom in the United States of America. Today, if they're in the audience, would you please rise? Any members from the Augusta greater area veterans. Please give them a warm welcome to Augusta House, and we appreciate your service and your effort.

269. 1:54:19

     Thank you very much.

270. 1:54:22

     I yield the will.

271. 1:54:31

     Chairlady Mathiak.

272. 1:54:39

     The lady is recognized.

273. 1:54:41

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to recognize, um, folks from my town, Spalding County and Griffin. Cindy Jones brought up our leadership program today. Thank you for being here, and welcome to the People's House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

274. 1:55:10

     Members, I'm going to recognize Representative Santos. I'm gonna ask you to stand with us as she offers condolences. Representative Santos and Representative Kahaian, ladies are recognized.

275. 1:55:23

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to honor the life of Mr. Steve D. Golden, a proud United States Navy veteran who served our country for 23 years, and who continued serving others for more than two decades here in Georgia. This chamber had the privilege of adopting House Resolution 1117 in his memory.

276. 1:55:50

     On November 23rd, 2023, while traveling to work along Interstate 75 in Henry County, the same road he faithfully drove each day, his life was tragically lost. We are honored today to have his wife, Ms. Golden, with us in the gallery. Your presence reminds us that his legacy of service and strength lives on. Members please join me in a moment of silence in memory of Steve D.

277. 1:56:22

     Golden and in gratitude for his service.

278. 1:56:29

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I yield the will.

279. 1:56:34

     Thank you, members. Mrs. Golden, our good- our condolences to you, and thank you for coming and joining us today. Uh, what a great life. And I always like to say this, "A story seldom told is soon forgotten." So let's always tell his story, tell Steve's story. Thank you. To the best of you and your family. Thank you, Representative Santos.

280. 1:57:01

     Chairman Noel Williams.

281. 1:57:04

     Right here.

282. 1:57:06

     Chairman's recognized for morning order.

283. 1:57:07

     Uh, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Um, I don't know if they're still in the, uh, gallery or not, but I wanted to recognize a group from Crisp County, our 4H group from, drove all the way from Cordele this morning. Thank you all for being here. Welcome to the People's House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

284. 1:57:25

     Representative Bell will be our last morning order.

285. 1:57:35

     You have some folks coming with you or you're by yourself?

286. 1:57:41

     Gentleman's recognized.

287. 1:57:46

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for recognizing me today. Today, it is the seventh annual Black Male Educator Appreciation Day, recognizing the positive impact and influence of Black male educators, teachers, and fathers in the State of Georgia. This event was started by Georgia educators Jason B. Allen, his students, and the Griffin-Spalding School Board Chair, Arshantel Brown. They designed this day to celebrate the involvement and the impact of Black male educators, fathers, and teachers in the schools and our communities.

288. 1:58:18

     We're gon- we would like to acknowledge and honor the contributions of the following Black male educators in our schools and communities in the State of Georgia. The honorees of this year's celebration is Terrance Jackson, Teacher of the Year, Superintendent John Pace, Educator of the Year, Derrick, Dr. Derrick Staffler, Excellence of Educational Leadership Service Award, Charles Allman, Grandfather of the Year, Howard Roberson, Father of the Year, Andrew Long, Advocate of the Year, and Dale Halpern, Philanthropist of the Year.

289. 1:58:51

     This group is in the gallery. Can they please stand while we acknowledge their achievements in the great State of Georgia and to all the students?

290. 1:59:03

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I yield the will.

291. 1:59:05

     The gentleman's yielded the will. Thank you for the recognitions. That completes our m- morning orders. Lot of good folks with us today. Thanks for staying with me this morning so far. So we're gonna move on to the rules calendar. Move on to the rules calendar. Mr. Clerk, all members, we're moving to the rules calendar, so you may wanna come to the floor. Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption of House Bill 1344, 1344.

292. 1:59:32

     House Bill 1344 by Representative Reeves and the 99th and others, to be entitled An Act to Amend Title 33 and 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to insurance and motor vehicles and traffic, respectively, so as to strengthen the enforcement authority of the Commissioner of Insurance. This bill had been referred to the Committee on Insurance. That committee recommends that this bill do pass.

293. 1:59:55

     Thank you all to the members been involved with the study committees and everything surrounding these issues with insurance. So we look forward to hearing these bills and getting a vote on them. So with that, I'm gonna recognize the gentleman who chaired that special committee on insurance, Representative Matt Reeves, to speak to the bill. Gentleman's recognized to speak to House Bill 1344.

294. 2:00:16

     Thank you, Speaker Burns. House Bill 1344 represents work that the Georgia House has done all across our state and across the aisle to make insurance

295. 2:00:26

     more affordable for hardworking Georgians. Speaker Burns, thank you for appointing nearly one-tenth of the House to serve on this important insurance rate study committee that has worked for the last nine months to find good ideas to reduce insurance rates and premiums and make claims processing work better. If you served on that committee, please raise your hand, uh, and thank you for the, the miles you've driven and the, uh, amount of work that you've done. The study committee met in Macon, Georgia, and Savannah, Georgia.

296. 2:00:57

     I'd like to thank Democratic Leader Hugley for organizing a meeting in Columbus that was gonna be at, uh, Columbus State with support from Aflac, but unfortunately, Chair Lady Mandy Ballinger died-

297. 2:01:08

     Gentleman will suspend.

298. 2:01:16

     These are not only important bills, these are very important bills, so please oblige your neighbor so they can hear. If you don't wanna hear, go to the waiting room and have your discussion. The gentleman's recognized to continue presenting the bill.

299. 2:01:31

     Uh, Chair Lady Mandy Ballinger died, so we did not get to do that meeting in Columbus. But, uh, we heard from people in Gwinnett County. We heard from folks at the State Capitol. We invited the University of Georgia's Insurance and Mis- Risk Management program, as well as the Georgia State Insurance College and the University of South Carolina Insurance College to present to the committee. Commissioner King came to two of our meetings. Uh, a 38-year official with the Department of Insurance, Steve Manders, testified to us twice, was very in- in- informative.

300. 2:02:02

     And unfortunately, he passed away about the time that we began our business in January this year, but we got a lot of information from Mr. Manders. In Georgia, a positive turnaround started recently because 10 companies, 10 companies have cut their insurance rates for the benefit of insurance customers in Georgia, and two companies have entered the market, and this bill will keep that positive momentum, uh, going for the sake of insurance customers around our state. In two words, what these bills, what this bill does is legislative oversight.

301. 2:02:35

     We've got an insurance department. We've got an insurance industry. We have 11 million insurance customers, and this bill does good things, uh, from good ideas from around the country that is, that is working elsewhere. This is the strongest insurance legislation in the country that we've been able to find. This bill is 37 pages long. I saw one good idea that another state did with a lot of fanfare recently that's, uh, only one of our pages, so we're doing much, much more for our constituents through this bill. Let me highlight what we're doing in this bill.

302. 2:03:06

     We're increasing 40 insurance fines for insurance companies. If they violate the law, if they violate policy provisions, they're gonna have consequences under this bill. It strengthens enforcement of uninsured motorist laws. I heard from the commissioner of, uh, DDS recently, we have over 9.1 million drivers in Georgia. If you drive on 285, you can believe that. But unfortunately, about 20% of those drivers, nearly two million, are uninsured. This bill enforces the law on uninsured motorist coverage, so hardworking Georgians who pay their insurance bills are not subsidizing folks who drive without obtaining insurance.

303. 2:03:46

     It cracks down on insurance fraud on pages and pages in this bill to make sure that, uh, insurance fraud is stopped here in Georgia. It creates collaboration from the insurance department and the Department of Economic Development to invite insurance companies to move their regional and national headquarters here to Georgia, like Aflac and many companies have done. It places guardrails on the use of, uh, premium tax funds to make sure those funds are going to lower insurance premiums. It implements the Fortified Homes program that is being used for the benefit of senior citizens in surrounding states to help them get their roofs, their windows, and other things fortified so that when storms come, their houses will stand.

304. 2:04:28

     It tightens up Georgia law about claims processing, particular, particularly in cases of storms. Uh, Hurricane Helene was the biggest insurance event we have in Georgia. We wanna make sure when the next storm comes that Georgians are protected. So, uh, this bill is doing as much as we can to help insurance customers with affordability and claims processing, and I respectfully request your favorable consideration. And Mr. Speaker, I'm glad to yield for questions.

305. 2:04:56

     You have a question to your left, Representative Jasmine Clark. The lady is recognized for a question.

306. 2:05:01

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the gentleman yield?

307. 2:05:03

     The gentle lady, uh, to the gentle lady from Gwinnett, yes, I do.

308. 2:05:07

     Absolutely. So, uh, first I wanna say thank you so much for bringing this very important legislation. An issue that we have had, uh, for some of my neighbors, I live in one of the few neighborhoods, uh, that still has trees in, in yards, and so, um, there is a lot of, there are a lot of opinions about trees and, and their impact, especially when there's bad weather. How will this protect people in my district who have been dropped from their homeowners insurance because they have trees with the, basically the insurance company saying, "You need to clear-cut all of your trees in order to be- remain insured"?

309. 2:05:46

     In, in a number of respects. Number one, on page 11 of the bill, one of the best provisions in the bill, it says that when companies file their rate filings, the insurance commissioner gets to look at all available information. That's including complaints that are made by insurance customers, market conduct violations, and things like that. And so, um, Mr. Manders, when he testified, he said, "We can't consider that because the law doesn't let us." We're changing that on page 11 of the bill. So if, uh, companies are requiring people to cut down trees too much, the insurance commissioner can say, "Stop that." Also, um, constituent services have improved.

310. 2:06:24

     Bryce Rossen with the Department of Insurance is at our service on constituent services, so if that's happening, it can be stopped. And then I'd like to say, uh, Dale Murphy lived in Lilburn when he played for the Braves, and, uh, he's not a co-sponsor, but he did sign this bill just a few minutes ago.

311. 2:06:40

     I love it. I wish I would've gotten his signature as well. Thank you very much.

312. 2:06:44

     Thank you. Gentleman yield. Representative Sanchez to your right is recognized for a question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the gentleman yield? Yes, to the, uh, colleague from Cobb County. Thank you so much. Uh, just a quick question on this legislation as I'm looking through it again. The, uh- Is there a reason that we're increasing fines and a little bit more punitive measures on uninsured drivers in part of the bill? Uh, yes, because those fines are so low, and they're so old. They are decades old. Uh, Chairman Lumsden and I went through the code.

313. 2:07:15

     Uh, Chair Lady Hagan, you got it. It's 900 pages of the code. We went through that code, and we increased the fines to comport with our sister states and make them 2026 numbers. Those fines were, uh, were very low. On uninsured motorists, obviously they may have a trouble, trouble paying for it, so those fines are modest, but they meet the market. And, uh, you shouldn't have, uh, honest people subsidizing folks who, uh, take the wheel without insurance. Thank you. Thank you. Gentleman has no further questions.

314. 2:07:45

     I yield the will. Thank you. Good job on the bill. Think you've covered a lot of the bases. Appreciate your work and the committee's work as well. Is there any objection to the previous question being ordered? Hearing none, the previous question is ordered. Is there any objection to agreeing to the report of the committee, which was favorable to the passage of the bill? Hearing none, the report of the committee is agreed to. Shall this bill now pass? All in favor of the passage of the bill will vote yes. All those opposed will vote no.

315. 2:08:15

     And Mr. Clerk will unlock the machine.

316. 2:08:38

     Have all members voted? All members voted?

317. 2:08:57

     If so, Mr. Clerk, will you lock the machine on the passage of House Bill 1344? The yays are 166, the nays are 3. This bill having received the requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed. Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption to House Bill 1274? 1274.

318. 2:09:30

     House Bill 1274 by Representative Reeves of the 99th and others to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 9 of Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to the regulation of rates, underwriting rules, and related organizations so as to provide for the Department of Insurance to collect certain data annually. This bill having been referred to the Committee on Insurance, that committee recommends that this bill do pass.

319. 2:10:01

     Chairman Reeves is recognized to present House Bill 1274. Gentleman's recognized. Thank you, Speaker Burns. House colleagues, I present to you House Bill 1274. During the work of the House Blue Ribbon Study Committee on Insurance Rates, we heard witness after witness ask, "Is there any way we can ensure that insurance companies when they're profiting, that those profits get passed on to customers in Georgia?" And so we talked to Insurance Commissioner John King. He looked around the country, and, uh, he didn't look any further than our neighbor to the south, Florida.

320. 2:10:34

     They have had this statute on the books for years, the Auto Insurance Success- Excess Profit Statute. And what this says is when the insurance companies make their insurance rate filings, one of the line items in their filing is anticipated profit. If that is underestimated and they profit higher than that, uh, by 5% or more for three straight years, they are mandated to come back in and file a rate decrease. Of course, the insurance company or insurance commissioner gets to look at the historical profit amounts, uh, at the time of the filing.

321. 2:11:07

     And what this does is it promotes the insurance companies to go ahead and set their rates modestly so that, uh, customers in Georgia benefit from lower rates. It's happened recently with 10 companies reducing their rates and two companies entering the market, and this will keep that momentum up for the 9.1 million drivers in the state of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I'd be glad to yield for questions. You have a couple. The gentleman will yield. Uh, Representative Roberts to your left is recognized for a question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

322. 2:11:39

     Wouldn't insurance... I'm, uh, I'm not opposed to the bill. It sounds like a great thing. Let me start with that. But wouldn't insurance companies be, um, tempted to overestimate their revenue estimates so that it would- they would never exceed those numbers? The check and balance on that, Representative Roberts, is that when they do the filing, that is something the insurance commissioner's gonna look at, what they've stated in the past. If there's an outlier amount on their profit or any other line items, that will get scrutinized. But under this bill, what this did in Florida, there was one company which, uh, I won't name the commercials that we see from that company, but it's one of the ones you see commercials for.

323. 2:12:19

     They had their profit, anticipated profit listed wrong. They had to give over a billion dollars back to auto insurance customers in Georgia, and then they were under scrutiny from then on on their filings. So it's working in, in Florida. This will implement it in Georgia.

324. 2:12:37

     Thank you. Gentleman yield? Yes, Mr. Speaker. Chairman Carpenter to your right. T- thank you. Does the gentleman yield? To the gentleman from Dalton, I do. And I apologize. I should have caught you before you went up there, but I've been running around crazy. But, you know, there's, was conversations about insurance companies running two sets of books, right? They had their books here, and they were, they, they, they made profit on in another hand. They were, you know, they were showing the right hand, and they were making money on the left. Is this, does this bill address their, that and making sure that they're not trying to hide profits? And I'm all for people having profits, but, you know, in a regulated industry such, uh, I think it's important.

325. 2:13:11

     Chairman Carpenter, this bill tightens that up. That bill that we j- passed a few minutes ago, page 11, does as well. But the insurance commissioner gets to look at each and every line item in the filing. The p- anticipated profit line item will be scrutinized more. And if those numbers are wrong, they will have consequences under this bill and under those fines that we've approved. Will the gentleman yield for a question from the chair? Yes, Mr. Speaker. So if I'm understanding this correctly, will this make insurance much more affordable for all Georgians? Absolutely, M- Mr.

326. 2:13:42

     Speaker. House Bill 1274 will continue to make auto insurance more affordable for hardworking Georgians. Affordability. Thank you, sir. You have no further questions. Thank you. I yield the well. Gentleman has yielded the well. Is there any objection to the previous question being ordered? Hearing none, the previous question is ordered. Is there any objection to agreeing to the report of the committee, which was favorable to the passage of the bill? Hearing none, the report of the committee is agreed to. Shall this bill now pass?

327. 2:14:14

     All in favor of the passage of the bill will vote yes. All those opposed will vote no. And Mr. Clerk will unlock the machine.

328. 2:16:02

     Have all members voted?

329. 2:16:07

     All members voted. If so, Mr. Clerk will lock the machine. On the passage of House Bill 1274, the yays are 169, the nays are one. This bill having received the requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed.

330. 2:17:05

     Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption to House Bill 1164? 1164. House Bill 1164 by Representative Wade of the ninth and others to be entitled An Act to Amend Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to education so as to require the State Board of Education to appoint an audit committee. This bill having been referred to the Committee on Education, that committee recommends that this bill do pass by committee substitute.

331. 2:17:36

     Governor's Floor Leader William "Will" Wade is recognized to present House Bill 1164. Thank, thanks for bringing Dale Murphy this morning, by the way. We appreciate that. That was special. The gentleman's recognized to speak to 11... House Bill 1164. Thank you, sir. And he supports this legislation as well. Um, Mr. Speaker, colleagues, House Bill 1164 simply strengthens fiscal accountability and transparency in Georgia's public education system.

332. 2:18:07

     This bill establishes a State Board of Education Audit Committee to regularly review the financial condition and risks of local school systems and charter schools across this state. It requires annual audit certifications, clearer reporting of financial irregu- irregularities, and timely corrective action plans when budget deficits or concerns rise. The legislation also creates a tiered monitoring and intervention framework so that the state can identify fiscal distress early and support, and provide support before problems escalate out of hand.

333. 2:18:44

     This is about protecting taxpayers, strengthening transparency, and ensuring education dollars are managed responsibly for students, educators, and local communities across all of Georgia. I respectfully ask for your favorable consideration to this measure to protect our state hardworking Georgians' dollars to get it in the classroom and help children. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm happy to answer any questions. And again, I ask for your favorable vote. The gentleman does have a couple of questions.

334. 2:19:15

     Whip Park is recognized for a question right in front of you.

335. 2:19:22

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the gentleman yield? I will. Um, again, I think I asked some of these questions in the Rules Committee. I hope you don't run away from me this time, uh, like you did yesterday. But on lines 169 to 174 and 252 to 256, this bill would allow the State Board of Education to unilaterally terminate or change local contracts. Why are we taking away power from locally elected boards and giving this, and giving state bureaucrats the authority to void agreements by local communities?

336. 2:19:53

     As I answered in Rules Committee, and since you're having a hard time paying attention-

337. 2:20:01

     I don't run away from anybody, and I will not run away from making sure our schools and our children are protected, my friends. Here's the bottom line. If it gets to a critical risk measurement by the state audit, Department of Au- Accounts and Audits, that is when the State Board of Education may choose to remove certain waivers, if it's a str- st- strategic waiver system, if it's a charter system, because there may be things that they are doing that are also leading to that fiscal distress.

338. 2:20:33

     I've answered that question. I'm not gonna answer it again, my friend. Will you yield for another question? Yes. Uh, per lines 187 to 190, if a school system is in a financial mess, why would a top-tier turnaround expert take the job if this bill limits their contract to only 12 months? Would this bill not create it and make a, make the situation even more challenging to hire especially those experts who would help those schools get back on track? You know, I love baseball, and Yogi Berra once said, "This is déjà vu all over again." Sir, if you are hired as a superintendent and you were not part of the f- reason that the system had the fiscal distress, then that would not apply to that contract.

339. 2:21:17

     And as a former school board member for almost 16 years, I can tell you the vast majority of school boards will remove and let that superintendent go in the event that they have had failures. But in the event that that school board is not in agreement, then if it is extremely, um, that the school system is under extreme stress, financially speaking, through an audit process, then they can be limited for a sense of urgency so that superintendent can come in and get the job done in one year.

340. 2:21:48

     Will the gentleman yield for a final question? Fi- final question. Um, does the School Board Association support this legislation? Um, the School Board Association, the Georgia School Superintendents Association were a part of the le- legislative process, and they have not sent any objections, and I do not believe there's any letter of opposition on any desk in this room. So they do not support it- No, they- ... as far as you're aware? Uh, they have told me that they are supportive of what we're trying to do to ensure children and educators have the funds used appropriately. But not the bill?

341. 2:22:19

     Well, not the, they have not come out against the bill, so I assume they support it. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Mr. Speaker. Does the gentleman yield for another question? Certainly. Our Representat- excuse me, Leader Hugley, right in front of you. Lady's recognized. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the gentleman yield? I do. Um, keep in mind that I've not been a part of the Education Committee. I was wanting to get a sense of how this bill came about. How many school districts- Sure ...

342. 2:22:49

     are operating in this manner that would bring us to this point? Thank you for that very fair question. The Department of Accounts and Audits, um, has alerted this body and some of the members in this building because their school systems are having financial distress. There are 41 systems that are identified as currently either out of compliance with providing an audit or receiving an audit, and during the Great Recession, many schools were allowed to use third-party CPA firms to provide that audit.

343. 2:23:20

     But there was nothing in statute for DOAA to require them to submit it. So what this bill does is it adds a measure to ensure if they are using a third-party audit firm, that that audit firm completes the audit, submits it to Department of Accounts and Audits for review to have a more timely inspection of what could be potentially catastrophic. So that's what one of the many things that this piece of legislation attempts to correct. Gentleman yield for another question? Certainly. Uh, Representative Buckner.

344. 2:23:51

     Lady's recognized. Thank you. Does the gentleman yield? I certainly do. I, too, was not on the Education Committee, but I do have a school that has had difficulty not having enough money but having a great deal of money and having a very large budget- Okay ... and being a low-performing school. And we were subject, finally, to an audit that I think yielded about 26 different, uh, audit exceptions. But the current school superintendent seemed to think that that was just some things they needed to work on, which they do.

345. 2:24:27

     But my question is, anywhere in this bill when you find problems, what is the next step if it's not because there's lack of money but because there's questions about how money is being spent that is there? Yeah, so actually this legislation is not directly trying to attempt to determine which schools may have too little or too much money. It has more to do with are they accounting for that money and its intended use in a proper and timely manner following general accepted accounting principles.

346. 2:25:00

     So in your school situation, they may be financially sound. However, they may have poor accounting offices, and this would give the opportunity for the state board or DOAA or in combination, um, to give them a corrective action plan with a set timeline which would have somewhere between 30 and 90, maybe 120 days to correct. If not, then that, that risk level would be higher. Thank you. Mr. Speaker. The gentleman has one final question if he wants to. Okay. It's up to him. One final question, sir. It's an important measure.

347. 2:25:31

     Representative Lisa Campbell to your left is recognized for a question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the gentleman yield? I do. In reviewing this bill, um, one of the questions that I have is under Section 7, um, lines 290 through 297, which talks about, uh, audits and reviews specifically of waivers. And it's my understanding in thinking about this, um, one of the waivers that I believe 99% of all school districts take is the student-to-teacher ratio waiver.

348. 2:26:07

     And I hear that the reason that they take that is for funding. So would that be included in this section? And again, what would, uh, what would the next action steps be when that is part of the audit process and is being discovered?

349. 2:26:23

     So that would be specific to each individual school and any occurrence of a finding that the Department of Accounts and Audits would find. It could put them in a position to where that waiver could be removed, but typically that's not gonna be one of the ones that is first utilized. But if that system is at the highest risk tier, tier four, then that could be on the table. But again, it is not a, we're not directing that that waiver be removed. It is a tool so that people will have a sense of urgency to get the issues addressed as quickly as possible.

350. 2:26:55

     We, we know that GOSA, so just another reminder, GOSA's gonna be at the center of this to work with all state agencies that may be impacted. GOSA is gonna continue to keep the child and the classroom teacher at the center of the focus so that those funds continue to be maximized best as possible. I don't think that is a great risk, but it is a potential risk for the most egregious situations. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Appreciate the opportunity to present this important bill. I ask for your favorable consideration, and I yield the well. Thank you.

351. 2:27:26

     Thank you for presenting the bill, and the gentleman has yielded the well. Is there any objection to the previous question being ordered? Hearing none, the previous question's ordered. Is there any objection to, objection to adopting the committee substitute? Hearing none, the committee substitute is adopted. Is there any objection to agreeing to the report of the committee, which was favorable to the passage of the bill? Hearing none, the report of the committee is agreed to. Shall this bill now pass? All in favor of the passage of the bill will vote yes.

352. 2:27:56

     All those opposed will vote no, and Mr. Clerk will unlock the machine.

353. 2:28:27

     Have all members voted?

354. 2:28:45

     Have all members voted? For what purpose does Representative Rice rise?

355. 2:28:53

     Parliamentary inquiry.

356. 2:28:55

     State your inquiry.

357. 2:28:56

     Is it not true that a yes vote on this bill promotes accountability with the funds f- for our students before a problem would arise?

358. 2:29:07

     I'm sure the lady has been a part of those discussions, and I know she believes of what she speaks. For what purpose does Whip Park rise?

359. 2:29:16

     Parliamentary inquiry.

360. 2:29:17

     State your inquiry, sir.

361. 2:29:18

     Mr. Speaker, is it not true that if we're gonna be passing legislation that impacts school boards, uh, that it would be good to know whether or not the School Board Association supports such legislation?

362. 2:29:29

     Representative Park, I heard y'all's discussion, and I'm respectful of both of you on that point, and it'd have been nice if the school boards, if they were objecting, they would've said that. If they were in agreement, they would've said that. I guess they're neutral. So thank you for the question. Have all members voted? All members voted. Yes, sir. Mr. Clerk will lock the machine. On the passage of House Bill 1164, the yays are 103, the nays are 68. This bill having received the requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed.

363. 2:30:01

     Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption to House Bill 1262, 1262.

364. 2:30:08

     House Bill 1262 by Representative Lumsden of the 12th and others to be entitled An Act to Amend Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated Relating to Insurance so as to increase the amount of monetary penalties the Commissioner of Insurance is authorized to impose for violations of the Georgia Insurance Code. This bill having been referred to the Committee on Insurance, that committee recommends that this bill do pass.

365. 2:30:34

     Chairman Lumsden is recognized to speak to and explain House Bill 1262. The gentleman is recognized.

366. 2:30:44

     Mr. Speaker and members of the House, I bring to you House Bill 1262. This is a Department of Insurance bill that addresses the Insurance Commissioner's, uh, statutory authority to lever, levy fines against insurance companies. Uh, this bill specifically, uh, applies to four areas and two types of fines. The four areas addressed in this bill are mental health parity violations, surprise billing violations, general fining authority, and prepaid legal service plans. The two types of fines are unintentional and intentional.

367. 2:31:19

     House Bill 1262 increases the unintentional violations from 2,000 to 10,000 and the intentional violations from 5,000 to 25,000. It's been 15 years since the unintentional fines have been addressed and updated, and it's been 30 years since the intentional fines have been changed. Mr. Speaker, that's what the bill does. I'll be glad to answer any questions. Appreciate your favorable consideration.

368. 2:31:43

     Gentleman has no questions.

369. 2:31:45

     Appreciate your consideration.

370. 2:31:47

     Gentleman ha- gentleman has yielded the well.

371. 2:32:02

     Is there any objection to the previous question being ordered? Hearing none, the previous question is ordered. Is there any objection to agreeing to the report of the committee, which was favorable to the passage of the bill? Hearing none, the report of the committee is agreed to. Shall this bill now pass? All in favor of the passage of the bill will vote yes. All those opposed will vote no. And Mr. Clerk will unlock the machine.

372. 2:32:58

     Have all members voted?

373. 2:33:03

     I got you, Representative Santos. Take your time.

374. 2:33:08

     All members voted? If so, Mr. Clerk will lock the machine. On the passage of House Bill 1262, the yeas are 170, the nays one. This bill having received the requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed.

375. 2:33:30

     Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption to House Bill 1263? 1263.

376. 2:33:37

     House Bill 1263 by Re- Representative Lumsden of the 12th and others to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 8 of Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to fees and taxes regarding insurance so as to provide for a claim for a refund of certain fees and taxes relative to insurance premiums to be made within three years of payment to the commissioner. This bill having been referred to the Committee on Insurance, that committee recommends that this bill do pass.

377. 2:34:20

     Representative Lumsden is recognized to present House Bill 1263.

378. 2:34:27

     Mr. Speaker, members of the house, I bring to you House Bill 1263. This is a Department of Insurance bill that addresses the timeframe within which an insurance company may file an amended tax filing. Whenever an insurance policy is sold, a premium tax is collected and remitted to the state. Insurance companies are required to make a premium tax filing. They have credits and deductions that they may claim but often do not do so at the time of the original filing. They often save these credits and deductions and claim them when they make an amended return.

379. 2:34:59

     Under current law, there's no statutory look-back period governing the, uh, amendments, uh, to prior years' premium tax filings. As a result, insurance companies may go back for any number of years and receive a refund. House Bill 1263 sets a three-year look-back period for companies to file and amend returns. This aligns the premium tax amendment period with standard three-year period applicable to individual income tax filers. Mr. Speaker, that's what the bill does, sets a three-year look-back period.

380. 2:35:38

     The gentleman has no questions.

381. 2:35:40

     Thank you. I appreciate your favorable consideration. I yield the floor.

382. 2:35:49

     The gentleman has yielded the floor. Is there any objection to the previous question being ordered? Hearing none, the previous question is ordered. Is there any objection to agreeing to the report of the committee, which was favorable to the passage of the bill? Hearing none, the report of the committee is agreed to. Shall this bill now pass? All in favor of the passage of the bill will vote yes. All those opposed will vote no. And Mr. Clerk, will you unlock that machine?

383. 2:36:56

     Have all members voted? All members voted? If so, Mr. Clerk, will you lock the machine? On the passage of House Bill 1263, the yeas are 169, the nays are zero. This bill having received the requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed.

384. 2:38:12

     Members, for planning purposes, you'd be thinking about it. We're gonna, we'll take a recess here in just a few minutes. A couple of other things we need to do and we will come back in at 1:30, 1:30 PM. We have some committee meetings that need to occur.

385. 2:38:31

     For what purpose does Representative Kelley rise?

386. 2:38:34

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To make a motion.

387. 2:38:36

     State your motion.

388. 2:38:37

     Mr. Speaker, I move that the rules of this House be temporarily suspended so a bill can be, uh, read and assigned to committee.

389. 2:38:44

     Mr. Clerk, read the caption.

390. 2:38:46

     Unnumbered House bill by Representative Kelley, the 16th and others to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 7 of Title 51 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution and abusive litigation.

391. 2:39:07

     On the gentleman's motion that the rule of this House be temporarily suspended so a bill can read, read for the first time and assigned to committee, is there objection? Judiciary.

392. 2:39:24

     Okay, if y'all will be coming down front, we'll make some announcements. Rep- Representative McClain, Cheokas, Carter, Gunther, Efstration, and Parish.

393. 2:39:37

     We will, uh, this House will stand in recess until 1:30, so you can keep that in mind as you make your announcement. Representative McClain, are you ready?

394. 2:39:50

     Yes.

395. 2:39:50

     Representative Dewey McClain is recognized for an announcement.

396. 2:39:53

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Uh, just to let you know, Working Family Caucus will be meeting today in room 307. The Working Family Caucus will be meeting in room 307, uh, and there should be lunch upon, um, our recess. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

397. 2:40:09

     Representative Carter is recognized for an announcement.

398. 2:40:15

     Just beat you.

399. 2:40:17

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Hello, everyone. I am speaking directly to the members of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus. If you have not confirmed that you will be attending the gala, you will not have a seat. So please either text or email me your name, and if tonight or first thing in the morning you do not receive an email confirming you have a seat, you don't have a seat.

400. 2:40:47

     Thank you.

401. 2:40:49

     I think that's pretty clear. It was clear enough to me.

402. 2:40:55

     Chairman Erwin recognized for an announcement.

403. 2:40:58

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Uh, full Committee for Education will meet today. Um, we have box lunches for you if you would stop by my office, which is in the Capitol here in 220 at the bottom of the steps. We'll have lunch for you, and we're gonna begin that, uh, 15 minutes after recess, 15 minutes after recess so we can get as much done as we can. 6:06. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

404. 2:41:26

     Education, 15 minutes after recess. Chairman Parish, which committee do you serve?

405. 2:41:35

     Rules, I think.

406. 2:41:35

     Yes, you're the Rules chairman.

407. 2:41:37

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

408. 2:41:38

     The gentleman's recognized.

409. 2:41:39

     Uh, I'd like to ask the members of the Rules Committee to meet me in 341 at 1:00. 1:00, room 341, Rules. Thank you.

410. 2:41:51

     1:00, Rules Committee. Chair Lady Lynn Smith is recognized for an announcement.

411. 2:42:00

     Natural Resource and Environment, it's room, uh, it's in the Capitol, 22A, for lunch. Thank you.

412. 2:42:09

     Everybody down here? We have all the page, uh, members here?

413. 2:42:15

     So do I need to announce it if some of them not here? Members, if you have a page today who's here serving us, serving us as a page, we're gonna take some page photos. There they go. If you don't know it, you know it now. So I'll ask you to join me and your page down here as soon as we recess for a page photo. Thank you for your attention this morning. Thank you for your work. This House will stand in recess until 1:30 PM today.

414. 2:42:50

     1:30 PM. This House is in recess.

415. 2:42:54

     Hey, some kids are... Where do you go to school?

416. 2:43:00

     I can go back and forth.