Comité Rules de la Cámara de Representantes, 2 de marzo de 2026

Transcripción

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

1. 0:17:45

   Morning, everybody.

2. 0:17:55

   Morning, everybody.

3. 0:18:05

   Good morning, everybody.

4. 0:18:14

   Okay.

5. 0:18:18

   Yeah.

6. 0:18:21

   Good morning. I'll go ahead and call the, uh, meeting to order. Going to ask Representative Mack Jackson, if you would please, open us with a word of prayer.

7. 0:18:31

   Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Shall we pray? Dear Heavenly Father, as we come before you, we thank you for this day, Lord, for this is the day that you have made, and we will rejoice and be glad in it. We ask for your guidance, your wisdom. Lead and guide us by your Spirit, Lord-

8. 0:18:47

   Amen

9. 0:18:47

   ... that we might do the business of this great state of Georgia. And when it's all said and done, we'll give you the praise on and the glory. In Jesus' name, amen.

10. 0:18:57

    Amen. Thank you, Representative Jackson. Okay, uh, got a lot of folks that are gonna make requests. Got a couple little housekeeping measures we wanna take care of first before we begin. Do I hear a motion that House Resolution 114 be referred back to the Ways and Means Committee?

11. 0:19:16

    So moved.

12. 0:19:17

    Have a motion and second. Is any opposition? It's back in Ways and Means. House Bill 1116, 1116, 1116. Do I hear a motion that that be referred back to Ways and Means? Moved. Have a move and a second. Any opposition? It's back in Ways and Means.

13. 0:19:40

    1114 or 1116? 1116, 1114. House Resolution. Resolution.

14. 0:19:49

    Two bills. Two bills.

15. 0:19:55

    1114. Yeah, 1114, 1116. Oh, got it. Yeah.

16. 0:20:01

    Yes. We'll let y'all know w- your blue sheet, we've got, like, 11 pages.

17. 0:20:09

    So, so those that are, those members who are gonna be presenting, to help us, if you would, please, give us the page number that your bill is on, and then the, uh, bill number so that the members can find it on their blue sheets, and, uh, give us just a very brief explanation. And we're gonna try to run through as many as w- we can. So with that being said, let's go ahead and begin.

18. 0:20:39

    Senator, come on up and tell us what you wanna do.

19. 0:20:42

    Thank you, Mr. Chair. This bill is on page 10, near the top. It's Senate Resolution 622. This is a joint study committee that I'm working with Chair Lady Camp on, and what we wanna do is address the increasing cost of out-of-home care for Georgia's foster kids. We dealt with this just for this year with, uh, budgetary action. However, we need to figure out what the factors are so we don't get in that situation again.

20. 0:21:14

    Yeah. Senate Resolution 622. Don't see any questions. Thank you.

21. 0:21:22

    Yes, ma'am. Come on up.

22. 0:21:25

    Good morning, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. I am the very first bill on the blue sheet, HB7, and working from LC443498S, but this is my third time asking for HB7, and this would give a $4,000 income tax credit for those that graduate from a workforce development program in a high-tech job in rural counties.

23. 0:21:49

    Okay. No questions. Thank you.

24. 0:21:51

    Thank you.

25. 0:21:53

    Yes, ma'am. Come on up.

26. 0:21:57

    All right. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and committee. I'm on page seven, eight from the bottom, House Bill 1346, working from LC620442S. This is a simple, straightforward bill that ensures that health insurance policies insured in Georgia cover medically ne- necessary maternal mental health screenings during pregnancy and through 12 months postpartum.

27. 0:22:25

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

28. 0:22:28

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

29. 0:22:34

    Yes, ma'am. Good morning.

30. 0:22:36

    Good morning, Mr. Chairman. My bill is on page one, uh, third one down, HB 65, working from LC442911. My bill is here to, uh, designate the collard greens the official greens of Georgia, and its potlikker the official dipping sauce to the official bread of Georgia.

31. 0:23:02

    Like both of them. Don't see any questions. Thank you, ma'am.

32. 0:23:04

    Thank

33. 0:23:09

    you.

34. 0:23:09

    Yes, ma'am.

35. 0:23:10

    Good morning, Mr. Chairman and committee. Um, my bill is 1408, HB 1408. It's on page eight. And this allows veterinarian techs under the supervision of a veterinarian to its, to administer anti-rabies vaccines to animals. 1408, page eight, about midway through.

36. 0:23:31

    Um- 1408. Yes, sir. And let- 14- Don't see any questions. You have another one? I do. Um, HB1409 on the same, just right below 1408 on page eight. And this has to do with a reporting system to report child abuse that would be more uniform across the state, that has a lot of ability to, to track and timestamp and, um, allows for a lot of flexibility so, um, all of our mandated reporters understand what's being reported and, um, what happens to the disposition of.

37. 0:24:03

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

38. 0:24:10

    Yes, ma'am. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and committee. Um, today I am here representing Representative Teddy Reese. He's in the hospital, and this needed to come before, um, Rules today. This is HB863, and it's on the third down on page three. And what this bill does, it's a set-aside program through the Department of Administrative Services for small businesses that, um, will dedicate 20% of their annual procur- procurement contracts, um, for small businesses, and that's what this bill does.

39. 0:24:49

    Okay. Thank you. Thank, thank you, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. Dr. Allen.

40. 0:24:58

    Good morning. I'm here presenting HB1040. It's the fourth page, fourth bill down, 1040. Mm-hmm. And what this does is it brings the Smoke Free Air Act of 2005 into harmony with how we live and work today. If you remember, the Smoke Free Air Act of 2005 seeks to, uh, minimize the exposure- Thank you ... of Georgians to the dangers of secondhand smoke. So what it does is it cleans up some of the exceptions that currently still exist in Georgia statute regarding, um, indoor smoking. This includes, if you look in code, it still says, uh, private and semi-private healthcare facility rooms, which I think we can agree, uh, should no longer be there, and some other indoor facilities including convention spaces and, uh, meeting rooms like this one that are open to the public.

41. 0:25:41

    It also prescribes a minimum radius around public buildings, outside of which you can smoke, so that people are not congregating by the doors and forcing people to breathe secondhand smoke. Okay. Thank you, ma'am. I don't see any questions. Thank you. Yes, ma'am.

42. 0:25:58

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I bring you House Bill 955, which is on page three. It's a little more than halfway down. We had this bill last year, and, um, we have overcome all the objections. This bill would change the state flower to the sweetbay magnolia from the Cherokee rose, which is a native plant, as opposed to the Cherokee rose, which is from China. And it would also designate April as Native Plant Month to encourage people to p- to plant native plants to protect the natural ecology of Georgia.

43. 0:26:31

    Mm. Okay. I don't see any questions. Thank you. Yes, ma'am.

44. 0:26:40

    You ready for me? Mm-hmm. Thank you, Chairman. I have, um, on page seven, seven down, House Bill 1310, and this bill designates cotton as the official state fabric of Georgia, and it recognizes the economic impact that this industry has on our state, as well as the environmental and health benefits of wearing cotton. That's pretty much it. Okay. Don't see any questions. Thank you. Thank you.

45. 0:27:10

    Yes, sir, Don, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Chairman. Uh, House Bill 1320. I think it's the ninth one down on page seven. All this bill does is to require on the integrated resource plan that the utility submits to the Public Service Commission every three years, and by the definition, that would be Georgia Power, that in the, uh, list of energy resources or sources that they, that they list in there that would be a benefit to the state and should be considered on that, it would add nuclear to that.

46. 0:27:48

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

47. 0:27:54

    Yes, ma'am. Good morning, Mr. M- Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. Um, House Bill 10, 1035 on page 10, the ninth bill down. It protects owner-occupied homes from being foreclosed on or sold at tax sale because of non-tax service charges like HOA fees or utility bill. This bill does not forgive debt. It does not affect property taxes, and it does not interfere with mortgages. It simply restores a bright-line rule.

48. 0:28:26

    Taxes are enforced through tax laws, and fees are collected through civil court. Again, no Georgian should lose their home over a water bill or an administrative assessment. House Bill 1035 protects property rights, preserves the due process, and strengthens public trust in our tax system. Thank you. Oh- Okay. Thank you, ma'am. Don't see any questions. Thank you.

49. 0:28:52

    Yes, ma'am. Good morning. I have House Bill 1345. That is going to be halfway down on page seven.

50. 0:29:02

    And House Bill 1345 enables Georgia to access a new federal Workforce Pell Grant program. Um, in order to obtain this federal funding, legislation to direct the governor and State Workforce Development Board is required to find the, identify the high-needs area. And House Bill 1345 connects Georgian to in-demand careers, decreases the number of Georgians below the poverty level, strengthens our workforce, and brings new federal investment to our state. These federal funds are available July 2026, and the passage of House Bill thir- um, 1345 ensures these federal dollars come to Georgia and are not left on the table.

51. 0:29:38

    Okay, don't see any questions. Thank you, ma'am. Yes, ma'am.

52. 0:29:44

    Good morning, Chairman and members of the committee. I have HB 566, which is fourth down from the top on page two, No Fakes Act. And this bill will protect the voice and visual likeness of all individuals from unauthorized computer-generated recreations from genitive- generative AI and other technologies.

53. 0:30:08

    Okay. No questions. Thank you.

54. 0:30:10

    Thank you.

55. 0:30:14

    Yes, ma'am.

56. 0:30:15

    Good morning, Mr. Chairman and committee. I am here to present House Bill 1045, which is on page four, line six. HB 1045, known as You Are Not Alone Act, requires all Georgia p- public schools that issue student identif- identification badges grades six through 12 to print 988 Suicide Crisis Hotline on the back of student badges. This legislation is necessary to ensure that students are safe and have immediate access to 24/7 life-saving numbers.

57. 0:30:48

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

58. 0:30:51

    Mr. Chairman, I also have another bill. Is that okay to present?

59. 0:30:53

    Sure.

60. 0:30:54

    Thank you so much. This is House Bill 1166, page five, line two. House Bill 1166 amends the state zoning procedures law to prevent local governments from rezoning a zoning decision for the cons- construction of, or use of, a secondary residential dwelling of 400 square feet or less on a parcel already zoned for residential use.

61. 0:31:21

    Okay. Don't see any questions on either one. Thank you.

62. 0:31:24

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

63. 0:31:29

    Yes, ma'am. Come on.

64. 0:31:32

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. On page eight, six down, is House Bill 1402.

65. 0:31:42

    This bill would require vision and hearing screening for all public school students in pre-K through third grade, and it also establishes a one-time grant for each school system so that they can purchase the required eq- equipment to administer the screenings.

66. 0:32:02

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

67. 0:32:04

    Thank you.

68. 0:32:06

    Yes, ma'am, come on up.

69. 0:32:10

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm here to present House Bill 88, first page, fourth down. It's student loan forgiveness for, uh, vet techs, veterinarian technicians, to, uh, fill our, uh, workforce shortage. It's a five, $10,000 student loan forgiveness per $50,000.

70. 0:32:31

    Okay. No questions. Thank you.

71. 0:32:33

    Thank you.

72. 0:32:34

    Yes, sir.

73. 0:32:37

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. I present, uh, HB 812. It's at the very top of page three. This measure provides for a clear timeline for development permit review, ensures local government efficiency and transparency, and requires accountability for developers. Does not impact local zoning decisions or the Georgia Building Codes or development regulations. That's it, sir. Happy to take questions.

74. 0:33:05

    Have a question. Uh, Whip Park has a question.

75. 0:33:08

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, where is GMA and ACCG on this bill?

76. 0:33:14

    GMA?

77. 0:33:14

    Where is ACCG and GMA on this bill?

78. 0:33:17

    They spoke against the bill.

79. 0:33:19

    Thank you.

80. 0:33:19

    Thank you.

81. 0:33:22

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

82. 0:33:27

    Yes, sir.

83. 0:33:30

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. I'm here to present HB 906. It's on the third page, the sixth one down. What this bill does is that it requires long-term care facilities with a website, uh, to post a link to the Georgia Long-Term Care Ombudsman program. This bill also adds GLP-1 medications to the list of medications a qualified medication aide may administer under a physician direction.

84. 0:33:57

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

85. 0:34:00

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

86. 0:34:04

    Yes, sir.

87. 0:34:08

    Mr. Chairman, members of the Rules Committee, um, thank you for the opportunity to present HB 1013 on the fourth page, on the second line. This bill designates lemon pepper the state chicken wing flavor. It's a cultural nod in cuisine supported by the Restaurant Association, Poultry Federation, as well as multiple hotel groups. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

88. 0:34:29

    Okay. No questions. Thank you.

89. 0:34:33

    Yes, sir.

90. 0:34:35

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. I present House Bill 527 on page two, second one down. This bill allows our judicial circuits to create and update child abuse reporting protocols, creating synergy between law enforcement, local child advocacy groups, and our judicial circuits. Thank you.

91. 0:34:55

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

92. 0:34:58

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. Uh, present to y'all House Bill 1391. It's on page eight, second one down. Uh, this is a specialty tag that would support the Georgia Public Safety Foundation. Uh, the foundation supports state officers who serve in the Georgia State Patrol, Capitol Police, and Motor Carrier Compliance Unit. Proceeds from that tag will go to this foundation.

93. 0:35:19

    Okay.

94. 0:35:20

    Thank you.

95. 0:35:20

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

96. 0:35:26

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. I present House Resolution 250, which is the second bill on page 11. Uh, this bill prop- proposes a constitutional amendment that gives local governments, counties, and consolidated governments the option-

97. 0:35:44

    To adopt an alternative method of, uh, property tax assessment for value. That method would be based on the purchase price, and it would apply to all property, not just homestead, but all, uh, real property. We think that with all our attention that's being paid to property taxes this session, that this would be a great bill to pass-

98. 0:36:06

    Yeah

99. 0:36:06

    ... along with the other bills we're trying to do. So, um, I'll be glad to entertain any questions, Mr. Chairman.

100. 0:36:12

     We do have a question, I think. Uh, Representative Evans, did you have a question?

101. 0:36:17

     Yeah, but she waived.

102. 0:36:18

     Okay, no questions. Thank you.

103. 0:36:20

     Uh, may I present one more?

104. 0:36:21

     Yes, sir.

105. 0:36:22

     Uh, House Bill 204, which is the third about halfway down on page one, uh, proposes to remove the price controls that exist on movers of household goods. It's a good bill, and I'd appreciate the committee's consideration.

106. 0:36:39

     Okay, do have a question. Whip Park?

107. 0:36:42

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On House Bill 204, is there any risk of price gouging occurring by removing the standard rate?

108. 0:36:50

     Well, I think if you just let the free market work, and, uh, they, uh, they now are able to control those prices. Uh, we believe if you let the free market work, it'll take care of itself.

109. 0:37:00

     Thank you.

110. 0:37:02

     Okay.

111. 0:37:05

     Chairman Powell, you have a question?

112. 0:37:07

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to go back up to HR 250, if you don't mind.

113. 0:37:11

     Sure.

114. 0:37:12

     Is it not true that if we're in the process of doing some things to, uh, relieve anxiety among the property owners and property tax payers by doing this bill, that takes away that gotcha that they get that, the reappraisal notice every year, and they basically look at that like it's the same issue of paying taxes on unrealized gains?

115. 0:37:33

     Well, that is, uh, correct, Mr. Chairman. Thank you very much for that question. I chaired a study committee three years ago on property taxes, and one of the complaints that we got often from taxpayers is they feel like they are constantly hit with increases and that they have little control over that, uh, reassessment process. So thank you for that question. We believe it's, uh, uh, a- w- it is an option, first of all. No one is being forced to do it. But, uh, we believe the digest will grow steadily and that there'll be much less controversy and complaints from our taxpayers who feel like they are hit with tax increases often because of reassessment.

116. 0:38:16

     Okay, don't see any other questions. Thank you.

117. 0:38:18

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

118. 0:38:21

     Yes, sir, Dave.

119. 0:38:24

     Thank you, Chairman. Presenting, uh, House Bill 1226 on page five, last bill on that page, and this bill just restores the, the presumption of innocence for people caught in self-defense situations and gives them a faster course to, to pro- prove their innocence should they be wrongly charged.

120. 0:38:42

     Okay, got a question. Representative Evans?

121. 0:38:47

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Representative. Um, was there a, a case that came to your attention or a, um, you know, a law enforcement officer, DA, somebody who had, had an issue that couldn't be rectified by laws that we had that caused you to bring this, or is this-

122. 0:39:05

     Yeah

123. 0:39:05

     ... um, sort of out of the blue?

124. 0:39:07

     So, so we had, uh, Sheriff Long, and you can go look up the, uh, the cases that's going on in Butts County, and I mean, it would blow your mind. Somebody who acts in self-defense, and if you could read the article, I mean, you would quickly presume he, he's innocent, and he's being dragged through mud, lost his house, lost his job, everything. So this just helps speed up if someone's saying they're innocent, to be able to have that pretrial im- immunity hearing up front, um, and it would just help out a lot in these cases. But yeah, that was one that's going on right now.

125. 0:39:38

     Any others?

126. 0:39:40

     That's the big one. I, I mean, I mean, I, I know there's others. That was the big one of why I'm, I'm carrying this bill.

127. 0:39:45

     Uh, was there any, um, effort to discuss with the DA why they continued to charge in s- in s- in the light of what you're describing-

128. 0:39:54

     There w-

129. 0:39:54

     ... as clear innocence?

130. 0:39:56

     Yeah, so I'm, I mean, on this one, I mean, he's, he's running for another position. Um, and I, I say it's him going, you know, rogue more of wanting to posture to say, "Hey, you know, I'm tough on, you know, crime," but he's doing this more for political reasons. Um, and that was talked about in committee, um, on this, and this just brings back the burden on the government, on the DA to prove, um, that it was not self-defense.

131. 0:40:22

     Okay, and one final question, Mr. Chairman. Um, what, does PAC have a position on this bill?

132. 0:40:28

     Um-

133. 0:40:28

     The prosecuting attorney's council, did they speak for or against?

134. 0:40:32

     I, I mean, I, I think they were wanting a little more of the wiggle room they have now, but, you know... But I mean, I believe you ha- are in self-defense, the proof is not on you. It's on the government to prove that you're guilty. Um, and right now, you know, we're seeing even the case in Butts County, um, being able to go take him to courts without him being able to get this pretrial immunity, which if he had that up front, I don't think this would be going on.

135. 0:41:00

     So PAC is against?

136. 0:41:05

     I'm g- They're totally against the entire bill, but they're kind of more, um, li- li- a little bit of heartburn. But you can go talk to them, but I mean, I think we need this because, again, unless pr- you know, proven guilty, they should be ca- looked at as innocent until you can go prove the evidence. So this is just gonna speed up the trial and stop this backlog of cases.

137. 0:41:25

     Thank you.

138. 0:41:26

     Thank you.

139. 0:41:26

     Okay, we've got another question. Whip Park? You waived. Commissioner Miller?

140. 0:41:34

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. S- Just a, a quick follow-up question. So officers are empowered at the arrest stage to determine whether or not a self-defense defense is viable, correct? Based on the evidence as they understand it in the moment from the scene. That's correct, right? Yes?

141. 0:41:55

     Yeah.

142. 0:41:56

     Okay. And so an officer can decide based on their assessment of the facts and evidence right now that self-defense is a viable defense, and decide not to charge, correct?

143. 0:42:11

     Yeah, so, so, so I'm, I would just say, like, so it's in the con- it's in law on probable cause, but this is making sure that we're clarifying it to make sure that, you know, if they're arresting them, they have the probable cause and they're not just, um, arresting them. Um, 'cause I, I mean, I'll tell you in Georgia law that the burden of proof for criminal cases rests on the DAs to bring, to bring it to trial, but not in cases of self-defense. Right now, you can be charged with murder in cases of self-defense with zero evidence being brought to support the charges, and it's on you to prove your innocence, and this just res- restores that innocent until proven guilty.

144. 0:42:46

     Well, well, for any affirmative defense, the state has the burden to disprove it. So self-defense, um, i- multiple affirmative defenses that exist in our law, the state has the burden to disprove it. So self-defense isn't unique in that regard. I guess my question is, if officers and prosecutors who are closest to the facts of a case-

145. 0:43:09

     Can, can-

146. 0:43:10

     ... have the ability right then and there-

147. 0:43:11

     Yeah

148. 0:43:11

     ... to decide whether or not there's enough cause to arrest someone or to charge someone, why would we take that discretion away from them?

149. 0:43:22

     And a- and again, please clarify, what are they taking away? Like-

150. 0:43:25

     In other words, if you are saying that you cannot proceed forward with a case unless you have a court hearing where it is fully decided before prosecutors and officers make those initial terminations, and I guess I'm asking you, why don't you trust them to do that with charge?

151. 0:43:41

     This is, this is just saying that person who's being accused of this, they can ask for a pretrial immunity hearing upfront, which makes sense, 'cause you go to a grand jury, you go through this whole, um, trial. I mean, it's, it's destroying, like happened in Butts County, lost his house, lost his, his job and everything. So this is giving them upfront to be able to ask for that pretrial i- i- immunity hearing. If that DA has the evidence, then of course the judge can hear it and say, "You know what? This needs to go before a grand jury, and, and, um, this trial go forward." So th- this is gonna help cl- clean up cases like in Butts County, um, from really just, just wasting taxpayer dollars, destroying the innocent.

152. 0:44:16

     Um, so this brings balance back in the system.

153. 0:44:19

     I, I guess last question, Mr. Chairman, but there's al- there's already a probable cause hearing where a judge who is making a probable cause finding can make a determination at that point that there is not sufficient evidence to hold the accused because of a self-defense claim that's strong enough to justify that. That's already existing in law. Isn't that true?

154. 0:44:43

     So I'll just say, I mean, I mean, we can agree and disagree. I mean, this is just clarifying and making sure that it's known that, you know, if you act in s- in self-defense, um, you're getting a fair trial, um, and having this immunity hearing upfront. I think it makes all the sense in the world for anybody.

155. 0:45:02

     Okay.

156. 0:45:02

     So thank you.

157. 0:45:02

     I don't, don't see any other questions. Thank you.

158. 0:45:05

     Thank you, Chairman.

159. 0:45:08

     Yes, sir.

160. 0:45:12

     Yeah, come on up, Will.

161. 0:45:14

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman, colleagues. I'd ask you to turn to page seven, middle of the page, House Bill 1328. This is an effort to support our Georgia National Guard and our m- military readiness. It is to set in statute a process to increase the number of military scholarships for the University of North Georgia. Um, it is still subject to appropriations. Appreciate any questions and your favorable consideration.

162. 0:45:38

     Okay. Don't see any questions.

163. 0:45:40

     Thank you, sir.

164. 0:45:40

     Thank you.

165. 0:45:43

     Yes, sir.

166. 0:45:45

     Mr. Chair, thank you, Committee. This is, uh, HB 1445. It is page eight, halfway down. Basically, this requires DJJ to communicate, uh, real-time information to state and, and local law enforcement as well as school systems if one of the juveniles is on probation and takes off their monitoring system.

167. 0:46:09

     Okay. No questions.

168. 0:46:10

     Thank you.

169. 0:46:14

     Yes, sir.

170. 0:46:17

     Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good morning, Committee. I'm here presenting HB 1314. It's on page seven in the middle. This regards the Georgia Installment Lending Act. It states that licensees thereunder will, uh, disclose to a borrower whether or not the specific loan is reportable to a credit rating agency or not. This is necessitated by the rise of so-called buy now, pay later short-term financing mechanisms often given without a credit check. Some of them do report to credit, some of them don't. This doesn't take a position of that.

171. 0:46:48

     It simply states that for consumer protection purposes, that if you are reporting to a credit agency, that you disclose that to the borrower.

172. 0:46:55

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

173. 0:46:58

     Thank you, Mr. Chair.

174. 0:47:00

     Yes, sir.

175. 0:47:02

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, presenting House Resolution 400. It's on page 11 s- towards the middle of that list. Uh, H.R. 400 would simply, uh, allow a constitutional amendment to put the question on the ballot to provide disabled veterans with a 100% homestead exemption.

176. 0:47:22

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

177. 0:47:25

     Thank you.

178. 0:47:27

     Yes, sir.

179. 0:47:30

     Thank you, Chairman, members. Good to be with y'all this morning. I have a couple bills that I wanna, uh, draw to your attention. Uh, House Bill 1000 on page 10. House Bill 1000 on page 10. It's about halfway down. Uh, this is a part of Governor Kemp's, uh, s- uh, one of his three pieces of legislation that we have focused in on tax relief, uh, for Georgians. We've done this prior. Uh, this will be the fourth time that we have, uh, provided income tax rebates on state income taxes to our, uh, to Georgians who filed, and it tiers down at 500, uh, all the way down to 250 for an individual.

180. 0:48:09

     Uh, so that's House Bill 1000. Also want to call your attention, uh-

181. 0:48:15

     Mr. Smith, I got a quick question on that

182. 0:48:15

     ... and if, if there's any questions. Yeah.

183. 0:48:17

     Uh, Whip Park, it's at you.

184. 0:48:20

     Th- thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a quick question o- on HB 1000. Is there an economic, um, analysis in terms of the benefit, uh, from these rebates that we've been providing for a few years now?

185. 0:48:31

     As far as an economic analysis, I'm not really sure. But as the husband and father of three kids, I know that getting an extra $500 back is gonna help us go to the grocery store and, and buy a lot of things that we need to run our house. Um, and this again is something that we have all done prior, uh, four other times. It's something that the governor feels strongly about. And, uh, I would, I would ask for y'all to, uh, to consider that.

186. 0:48:57

     Okay. You have another one?

187. 0:48:59

     Yes, sir. I also wanna call your attention to House Bill 1302. Uh, this one is on page, uh, seven towards the top. This one again is the governor's key education and workforce strategy bill, uh, Top State for Talent. This is the third piece of legislation that we've worked on over the past three years. All this does is simply create a collaborative process to develop the state's WIOA pro- pr- uh, plan and the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Plan, uh, and, and puts that into statute, and that's, uh, that's in essence what 1302 does.

188. 0:49:37

     Okay. No questions. Thank you.

189. 0:49:39

     All right. And then, uh, I do have, uh, one more that I will mention, uh, House Bill 1159, the Farmer's Bill. Uh, it's on page, uh, 10. Uh, that's House Bill 1159. Uh, we've, uh, presented it before. Again, I, I just wanted to mention it to you, uh, that exempts the, those farmer payments from state income tax. Uh, that again is a part of the governor's legislative package, uh, and something that, uh, we're trying to advance this week before crossover day.

190. 0:50:13

     Okay, got a question. Whip Park.

191. 0:50:15

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On House Bill 1302, um, where, where are the, where's the school board association on this bill?

192. 0:50:23

     Uh, the school board association, we, you know, we've talked to all the different education entities. Um, we had the Georgia Association for Career and Technical Education that represents all of the CTAE teachers in our state. Middle school and high school came and spoke in favor. The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. We had several groups that came and spoke. Uh, I'm, I'm not sure if the school board association is in the room today and can speak to it or not, but to my knowledge, we had, uh, open debate and subcommittee where everyone, uh, was able to express, uh, their support or concern, and I don't believe I heard from anybody from the school board association, uh, at that meeting.

193. 0:51:01

     It doesn't really change anything for our local school boards. It's really more of a effort at the state level to make sure that we're aligning our workforce development plans and that we're not operating in silos and helping to advance our students into the high-demand careers as fast as possible.

194. 0:51:18

     Thank you.

195. 0:51:20

     Okay. No more questions. Thank you.

196. 0:51:22

     Thank you. And I don't wanna press my luck. I do have one more that I, I wanna mention to you. This is not a governor's bill. This is one from, that I'm doing. Uh, it's House Bill 821, and, uh, it's on page, um...

197. 0:51:41

     Page three. Okay? This is one that came to me from my police chief in Cartersville. All this does is says that if you unload a firearm at a police officer and don't hit them, but you unload, in our case, a, a clip of a Glock firearm, um, that the bond is determined in that case in superior court and not magistrate court. Uh, we had a situation where this occurred and the gentleman was able to bond out of magistrate court. We feel that it would be more appropriate for that to be determined by a superior court where everyone could still present their case, but that that would be a better venue.

198. 0:52:19

     So that's House Bill 821.

199. 0:52:22

     Okay. No questions. Thank you.

200. 0:52:24

     Th- thank you.

201. 0:52:26

     Yes, sir. Chairman Gullett.

202. 0:52:29

     Thank you, Chairman. Thank you, members. Uh, House Bill 1198, page five, just below halfway mark. Uh, this is a bill, um, today, you can, uh, you can currently buy insurance, um, at, on portable electronic devices at the, at the retailer. Uh, this bill modernizes that definition, and it offers a similar protection plan, completely optional to the consumer, for consumer goods like purses, uh, designer h- uh, eyeglasses, uh, and things of that nature. Happy to answer any questions.

203. 0:53:00

     Have a question for you. Representative Williams has a question.

204. 0:53:03

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh,

205. 0:53:07

     who will be selling the insurance?

206. 0:53:09

     Yeah, the, the retailers. So this is a limited license for the retailers to sell that insurance, and they'll have a, a re- they'll have a relationship with an insurance, a company offering that insurance to them.

207. 0:53:19

     Right.

208. 0:53:20

     So it's like, you know, when you go by and it says at the end, "Hey, do you wanna pay 5.99 for, you know, a 12-month protection plan, uh, at the checkout?" That's what this is about.

209. 0:53:29

     Okay.

210. 0:53:30

     Or 11.99 or whatever the cost is.

211. 0:53:35

     Okay. No more questions.

212. 0:53:37

     Thank you.

213. 0:53:39

     Thank you. Yes, sir.

214. 0:53:42

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of committee. Today I present House Bill 1296. It's at the top of page seven. Uh, House Bill 1296 allows for breakthrough treatments that have been approved by the FDA to be used by clinicians here in the state of Georgia to treat veterans and public, uh, safety members who are experiencing PTSD or traumatic brain injuries. Um, this is just permissive language, kinda modeled after, uh, some of the breakthrough therapies that we found on the federal level that are supported by the Department of War and others.

215. 0:54:15

     Uh, and I just wanted to, uh, ask for y'all's favorable consideration, uh, for our veterans.

216. 0:54:22

     Okay. Have a question. Sure. Chair Lady Cooper has a question for you. Could you give me an example of what kind of treatments? Yeah. One would be Ibogaine. It's assisted therapy. It would be done with our research, uh, universities here in the state of Georgia. Uh, like you'd see, you know, universities like University of West Texas are currently using these treatments. Right now, they're seeing about an 84% efficacy rate with these Ibogaine-based treatments, uh, to, uh, kinda heal them from PTSD. Uh, it's not a cure, nothing is, but it's a very effective treatment.

217. 0:54:55

     But not psychedelic drugs that are under- This, this would include those psychedelics that are eligible under breakthrough treatments. That's correct. As approved by the FDA for that? A- as they become approved by the FDA. That's right. Okay. No more questions. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, sir, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Chairman, members of the committee. Uh, House Bill 1336, it's the very first one on page 11.

218. 0:55:27

     This bill would, uh, require that any local governments that gain revenue from ad valorem tax on aircraft, uh, dedicate at least 50% of that revenue back to the airport and the maintenance and operations of an airport, a municipal airport in their jurisdiction, if they have one. Uh, it does specifically exclude our larger airports that have scheduled air carrier service, but our smaller general aviation airports that, uh, they would not get this revenue were it not for that airport and having the airplanes housed there, that they dedicate some of that funding back to the airport that it came from.

219. 0:56:03

     Sir, you've got a question for you. Whip Park has a question. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, would this include the airport in Gwinnett County? Uh, do they have scheduled air service? I think so. Uh, if, if, if they do, then it would not. Um, those airports are, uh, it's, uh, they're defined in 3298, OCGA 3298. Um, and if they're operating under 14 CFR Part 139, uh, that's the FAA certification standard for airport service scheduled commercial air carrier operations.

220. 0:56:39

     So I don't know that Gwinnett does, but if they do, then it would not apply to them. Was there any opposition raised in committee regarding this bill? Uh, ACCG was not in favor of it, so. Thank you. Yep. Okay, got another question for you. Thank you for bringing the bill. It, this is just a minimum, right? Th- the minimum they have to, um, send back. Correct. If they're getting more, then it doesn't, uh, affect that. That's right. And, and a lot of the counties are, are already gonna be dedicating a good bit of funding to their airports. This is just to make sure that, um, at least that minimum, 50%, is going back to that airport operation, solely from the ad valorem tax on the aircraft that are, that are there.

221. 0:57:18

     Very good. So. Thank you for the bill. Thank you. Okay. No more questions on that. Okay. Do you have another one? I did, yes, sir. On, uh, page one, House Bill 438, it's four up from the bottom. Um, this is a bill that I've had a, a few times over the years. And what it would do, it i- would establish parity for the two other divisions of the Department of Public Safety, the Motor Carrier Compliance Division, or now the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, and Capitol Police Division. Uh, it would give them the same retirement and line-of-duty disability benefits as the State Patrol or the Uniform Patrol Division, Department of Public Safety, uh, as well as the DNR, GBI, and all that.

222. 0:57:54

     It was, so all it's doing is including those two divisions in that, uh, with those same retirement benefits. Okay. Don't see any questions. Thank you. Thank you.

223. 0:58:06

     Yes, sir. Good morning, Mr. Chair, members of the committee. Um, I'd like to look at House Bill 400. It's on page one, about the bottom third. Um, that's the Choice Act. It's Community Housing Options Increase Cost Efficiency, which will be a statewide policy to encourage, with a carrot approach, not a punitive approach, our municipalities and counties to loosen their zoning codes so we can put more doors in the market and potentially allow that market force to lower our housing prices.

224. 0:58:37

     Okay. Don't, don't see any questions. Thank you. May I d- ask for one more please, sir? Sure. Okay, on page six, at the bottom of page six, I'd like to respectfully request HB 1292, which this bill would remove the CON requirement for our veterans retirement communities. Currently, we have two hospitals for our veterans, or retirement areas for our veterans in the state. We have the veterans population that could support at least six more. This would allow the private market to enter into veterans care if they saw that that would be something they would be interested in.

225. 0:59:13

     Florida has passed a piece of similar legislation and actually has two veteran homes that are privately owned and are currently building, uh, uh, have one under construction right now. Don't see any questions. Thank you. Thank you, sir, members of the committee. Yes, sir. Come on up.

226. 0:59:38

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and to the members of the committee. I will be presenting House Bill 334, which is found on the first page, towards the bottom. House Bill 334 would require our Department of Community Health to conduct an annual review of medications and treatments for individuals that are impacted by sickle cell. The purpose of the annual review would be to determine whether or not the medications and treatments are meeting the needs of people that are impacted by the disease.

227. 1:00:09

     The State of Georgia has about 14 to 15,000 individuals that are impacted by sickle cell, making us one of the worst in the state, and the disease creates, it's a blood inherited disease that creates abnormal shape red blood cells that will generally reduce a person's life expectancy. Uh, the Department of Community Health, they are fully aware of this bill, and during the committee hearing, they said that they are supportive of this effort.

228. 1:00:38

     I'll stand for any questions. Okay, we got a question. Representative Williams. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for this bill. Does the State Association for Sickle Cell, have they seen it and do they approve of this bill? I'm sorry, I did not hear your question. Does the state association that represents sickle cell, uh, s- The Sickle- Sickle Cell Foundation. Has the foundation approved of seeing this bill? They not only approve it, they have advocated for it. Yes.

229. 1:01:08

     Okay. No other questions on that. You got another one, of course? No, that's it. That's it? Okay. Thank you.

230. 1:01:17

     Six.

231. 1:01:23

     Representative Crawford, come, come back up a second. Six, was 688, isn't it? What about 688? Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That was presented previously. I would be happy to present it again. Okay, you've already done it. Okay. Yes, I have. Thank you. Thank you. Okay.

232. 1:01:46

     Yes, sir. Come on. Good morning, Mr. Chairman and the committee. I have HB 663. Essentially, this is, uh, related to emissions testing. Uh, it raises from the, the max amount from 25 to 35. Uh, these small business has not had a raise since 1992. Also, it, what it does is it puts the, uh, ties the rate to CPI, and it'll be, uh, decided by the DNR board, so they can raise it and lower it. That's essentially the bill.

233. 1:02:16

     Appr- appreciate your consideration. Okay. Don't see any questions. Thank you. Thank you.

234. 1:02:24

     Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, third page, second, uh, from the bottom, House Bill 990, uh, provides a structure to leverage private and public dollars in supporting, uh, some of the finest and furriest of our law enforcement officers in providing veterinary care for K-9 officers, a way to leverage private and public dollars, and a Florida model that we've, uh, guided from. Okay. Don't see any questions. Thank you. Thank you.

235. 1:02:56

     Yes, sir. Come on up. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is on page three, the fifth one down, HB 905. And what it does is it opens up a window for people in the ERS system to transfer to the JRS system. When you, uh, switch positions, you only have, like, 90 days to do that, and some people, they have, have missed that window, so this opens it up until December 31st. Okay.

236. 1:03:27

     Don't see any questions. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. Come on up. Yes, sir.

237. 1:03:39

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen. Uh, I'm here to speak to you today about House Bill 1112, which is LC number 620428S. This is a simple but hugely important bill. It's the penny bill. Page four. Oh, I'm sorry, page four. 1112, in the middle of the page. Sorry. This is the penny bill. As y'all know, back in November, the federal government eliminated creation of pennies in America.

238. 1:04:13

     Uh, th- but they left, uh, left it to the states to sort of sort it out legislatively. That's what this bill is attempting to do. We've worked with a lot of folks in industry to sort of come up with what we consider the best practice. What it allows for is the rounding to the nearest nickel. If a trans- They aggregate all the items you're purchasing, add the sales tax for Georgia, and then they will round that total number either to the, up to a, the highest nickel, the next nickel, or down to the next nickel, depending if it ends in a one or a two or a six or a seven, they'll round down.

239. 1:04:46

     If it ends in a eight or a nine or a, or a three or a four, they'll round up. Uh, with one exception, if a customer has exact change, they'll be able to pay exact change, and the vendor will not be able to round. Very simple bill, but very important to all those folks who deal in currency. Okay, we've got a couple of questions. Is that Representative Lunsford, do you have a... Back there? Nobody else? Okay. Let's see, uh, Whitpart. Thank you, Mr.

240. 1:05:16

     Chairman. S- so the elimination of the penny, this would, would this apply just to cash transactions or also to digital transactions? Thank you, Whitpart. That's a great question. Uh, absolutely, just for ca- just for cash transactions. Thank you. Okay. We pass. Okay. Don't see any other questions. Thank you. Thank you, sir.

241. 1:05:41

     Okay, we, we've got several members who have requests, and the board's sort of lit up here. I'm gonna try to call on you, and if you have a question, raise your hand if I can't see you. Uh, Representative Efstration. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On page nine, House Resolution 1416. I'm presenting this on behalf of Chairman Dickey. This is a joint study committee, uh, considering assisting family farms in Georgia who are facing unprincident- unprecedented challenges currently.

242. 1:06:12

     Okay. Now, it, what was, what was that number again? HR 1416, on page nine.

243. 1:06:24

     HR 1416. Okay. Took care of that. You had one, Secretary, Treasurer?

244. 1:06:31

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. On behalf of Chairman Shaw Blackmon, I'm presenting House Bill 880, which continues the house work to drive down the state income tax. This would lower our rate, uh, by 20%, while also raising the standard independent deductions by 50%, uh, when certain triggers are met. Uh, we've additionally, uh, increased the, uh, strategic reserve to 20%, as well as including an exemption, increased exemption for our seniors.

245. 1:07:02

     Okay. Any questions? Okay. Representative? Sam Park has a question. Sam Park has a question. Okay, go ahead. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On House Bill 880, is it not true that this would cost about $4.1 billion, of which $2.4 billion would go to the top 1% of earners in Georgia? Uh, I don't agree with the premise of that question. What I will say is that we are saving tax dollars. There is a, there is a tax cut here, but we are increasing the standard deduction by 50%, uh, which I do feel is beneficial to those on the bottom end of our tax system as well.

246. 1:07:40

     Is it... One more follow-up, Mr. Chair. Is it not true that the math is math, which again, clearly demonstrates that this would be incredibly regressive and exacerbate income and wealth equality, in- in- inequality to the benefit of, of again, the highest earners in Georgia? I agree math is math, uh, Mr. Park. Thank you. That's why I feel that a 50% increase in the standard deduction will always be more than 20%, uh, at the top end. So that's the math I understand. Representative Evans, did you have a question? Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

247. 1:08:10

     Uh, how does this inter- interplay, if it does, with the bill that we passed either last week or the week before, that cut an income tax rate, as I recall? Is- Are they an either or? Do they replace each other, or are they two paths? I think you would have to remind me exactly which one that is. I can't remember the bill number.

248. 1:08:34

     1001. 1001. Yes. I think this is another opportunity for us to look at cutting the rate. So that one cut it to 499, and this one is 399. And so presumably- It's that ... somebody would pick.

249. 1:08:52

     You could do, you could do both over time. All right. Okay. Thank you. Chairman Martin has a comment. To, uh, Representative Kelley, it isn't true that this, it would come in after the 499 and, and would be in subsequent years with the, the triggers and, and the, uh, reserve fund that you mentioned. Isn't that true? Yes. And, and isn't it further true that if it costs $4.8 billion, it saves Georgians $4.8 billion. Isn't that true? I look it as a great win for taxpayers, as some of us have advocated for.

250. 1:09:25

     Okay. I don't see any other questions on that. Do you have anything else? That was it? I think that's enough for me, Mr. Chairman. Okay. Um, we got everybody up here. Okay. Chairman Stephens, you have one? Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, on page 10, House Bill 1209, for a very, very large, um, economic development project in coastal Georgia, a sales tax refund on, uh, construction equipment down there should create 1,000 jobs and about a half a billion dollars investment.

251. 1:10:02

     Okay. Don't see any questions on that bill. Okay. Let's see. Representative Miller, you, is your light, do you have a request? It's for, it's for a request for a bill, not a question. Yes, ma'am. Go ahead. Okay, thank you. Um, I would like to present, uh, Mr. Chairman, for the committee's consideration, H. Bill 733, which is on page two, three from the bottom. Um, this is a, uh, bipartisan bill that passed committee unanimously. It would essentially, um, create a position for a consumer advocate in the insurance commissioner's office.

252. 1:10:38

     Right now, when insurance companies present, uh, rate filings for increased rates, the insurance commissioner hears one side of the story. The consumer advocate's job would be to balance the information presented. So if you think about a football game being played by two teams, imagine only one team being able to talk to or interface with the referees. Uh, we think this bill would do, would do a couple things. One, it would allow for meaningful dialogue from the consumer's perspective prior to a rate increase going into effect.

253. 1:11:15

     As it, as it exists, uh, consumers who have been paying their premiums, having no claims, will get a surprise increase in their insurance rate and perhaps seek to, uh, file a complaint or get some understanding about what happened, and it's much more difficult to undo it than to have that meaningful dialogue on the front end. Thank you. Okay. Any questions? I don't see any questions on that. Okay. Representative Williams, you have a question?

254. 1:11:46

     Yes, Mr. Chairman. My question is, does this mimic what the Public Service Commission already does? To, to some extent, it is based on what the Public Service Commission used to do. As I understand it, um, there was a fairly robust consumer advocate- Yeah ... in, within the Public Service Commission framework. So that is one of the way, one of the areas we looked to in drafting this. We also looked to, uh, states like Florida, Texas, Rhode Island, and other states, uh, in the union that have implemented a, an advocate something like this, although they may call it different things, to be on that front-end analysis for rate increases.

255. 1:12:28

     Okay. Don't see any other questions. Thank you. Uh, Representative, uh, Chairman Newton.

256. 1:12:34

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On the middle of page six, I do have two bills. One is HB1275, um, on the middle of the page, uh, of six that, um, that deals with, uh, allowing stem cell therapies to be pro- produced and, and, uh, dis- distributed in Georgia. It was sent back to committee for a minor correction that seemed to exclude out-of-state sources that are being used now. But this is the corrected version, House Bill 1275. Okay, don't see any questions on that. We have another one. Directly below that on, um, also on page six is House Bill 1276.

257. 1:13:06

     House Bill 1276 is an effort to make sure that, uh, the, our Georgia Medicaid program does not receive any significant fines or penalties from the federal government so that, to be, to assure that we're, um, following all the federal guidelines when it comes to verifying eligibility for, uh, for Medicaid. And this just codifies a lot of things that the departments are already doing. Right now, that's under two departments, Department of Human Services and the Department of Community Health, and we're trying to make sure that there's no gaps in how those, uh, institutions, those departments, um, certify that, uh, we're meeting all the federal guidelines, trying to avoid a $300 or $400 million potential penalty starting in 2027.

258. 1:13:44

     Okay, we have a question. Whip Park. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, Chairman Newton, are, are there any protections in this bill for the aged, blind, and disabled population that may otherwise lose their health insurance as a result of this bill, a- along with the federal actions that we've seen that will start next year in terms of taking about $1 trillion from the Medicaid program? Well, it, this bill is simply to make sure that we're following the federal law so that the p- the program isn't penalized. A $300 or $400 million potential penalty would definitely affect our aged, blind, and disabled, as well as all our children and pregnant women as well.

259. 1:14:19

     So this is just an effort to make sure that, um, that, that, that potential penalty that's currently in federal law, there's more stuff coming out in May and November and different times, but to comply with federal law now, there's several caveats in the bill that say, uh, unless otherwise precluded by federal law or except as allowed by federal law. So it's really just an effort to make sure that none of those penalties impact the people that need this, this medication and this insurance. Thank you. One more question. Uh, Chairman Newton, would you be open to, uh, potential amendments to ensure that, again, the most vulnerable in Georgia are protected while also ensuring that we are conforming with, uh, the new federal law?

260. 1:14:56

     Well, first off, I believe that that was in- intent in the bill is to, uh, most, most of Medicaid goes to the most vulnerable in Georgia already. That is the purpose of the program, including pregnant women, children, aged, blind, and disabled. And so I think that's the effort, is to make sure that program is not threatened by federal penalties that would, uh, reduce the amount that Georgia could spend. So we're glad to look at opportun- opportunities that would comply with federal law as this p- process moves through the Senate. Thank you.

261. 1:15:27

     Representative Evans has a question. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Chairman Newton, um,

262. 1:15:34

     I- I'm phoning a friend over here. I didn't even realize it. Um, is there a, um, a fiscal note that goes along with it? Because it does appear that there would be a lot of additional requirements and maybe even some new software required.

263. 1:15:50

     Yeah, sorry. Thank, thank you for the question. We, we did check with the departments. There has been no, the departments that do a lot of this now are doing it under, uh, rules and regulations as opposed to just, just, uh, in code. We wanted to codify it to make sure that, especially when you have two different departments under the executive branch that are fulfilling this, this obligation that we have to follow federal law so that we can get the 65% FMAP, um, uh, I think there's a, they are already doing the large part of this.

264. 1:16:24

     We just, this bill just codifies what they're already doing. So as far as an increased cost, um, there was no mention from the departments, both of whom have, have spoken about this, Human Services as well as Community Health. Neither of them expressed an interest that they would need additional funding to c- to do a lot of the processes that they're doing now. Have the departments indicated they are ready to go on day one if this passes? Well, first off, the, the lookback, our next audit won't be till 2029, but it will look back to the beginning of 2027. So we're trying to make sure that we're prepared.

265. 1:16:56

     Since this is the last session before January 2027, we wanna make sure that the, the departments have all the, the guidelines in place, and they'll be working that, over that over the next nine months. So they may have to come back and ask for some money next year. I, I fully support giving them all the money they need to, to make sure this program complies with med- with federal law, and I believe my other Appropriations subcommittee and chairman do too. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. No more questions on that. Thank you. Uh, Chair Lady Cooper, you have a request. Oh, yes, sir.

266. 1:17:28

     Thank you very much, Mr. Zenon. Thank you very much, Mr. Zenon. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, uh, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chairman. Uh, first of all, I have on page seven, 1368. This is a department bill for the, um, DBDDH. I always say that quickly. Uh, it was requested by the, that, the chairman or, or the commissioner, and it would bring some greater, it would bring greater oversight and accountability to our state's community service boards.

267. 1:17:58

     Right now, there are 22 of them. Uh, there's no basic, uh, guideline as to what they should offer, uh, so that people that have mental problems across our state at least get, no matter where they live, have the, uh, uh, can be, uh, can get the same basic ser- uh, services. It would also make the executive director of each CSB an employee of DBHDD, uh, and establish, uh, training guidelines. Okay. I don't see any questions on that. You have another one? Yes, sir, I do.

268. 1:18:29

     On page eight is 1398. This simply would allow judges, if they were fixing to, if they had a pregnant woman in the state that was fixing to be incarcerated in our state prison-

269. 1:18:42

     And they were pregnant. The judge would have the discretion of delaying their incarceration. I'm asking for this and it came because our two hospitals where these women go are really sub- they give out substandard care. And we had a scathing report from the feds. We've had deaths and other very serious things of mothers, especially p- postpartum, and this would help with our, uh, reduce our mater- maternal mortality rate and would certainly improve the care of these mothers and, uh, the newborns.

270. 1:19:18

     Okay. You have another one?

271. 1:19:20

     Uh.

272. 1:19:20

     1295.

273. 1:19:20

     I just wanted, 1290 is about elder abuse and Scott Hilton's already asked for it. Is there another?

274. 1:19:26

     12- 1295, did you wanna ask about that?

275. 1:19:31

     Which one?

276. 1:19:31

     Page seven.

277. 1:19:32

     Where is it? What, what is it?

278. 1:19:34

     Page seven, 1295.

279. 1:19:35

     Page seven. 1295. On page seven? 1295. Oh, the physician assistants lic- I- I'm sorry, sir. I thought I'd already asked for it. Physicians Assistant Licensure Compact, it's just like all the other compacts. Uh, it's just so that we can get more physicians assistants in the state.

280. 1:19:56

     Okay. Thank you. Um, Chair Lady Taylor.

281. 1:20:01

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. I have, uh, two bills for your consideration. The first one being House Bill 1192, page five, a third of the way down. It relates to the Department of Human Services and Department of Community Health accounting practices. Wanna make sure that they're both federal and states are in separate funds so we can track it better, and there will be reports annually to the House and Senate in both the Health and Appropriations Committee.

282. 1:20:28

     Okay. Is-

283. 1:20:29

     The second one would be House Bill 1234. It relates to the State Retiree Life Insurance, and we've seen this bill a couple of times before. There had been some clarification that the Retirement Committee wanted. All it does is allow a funeral home to accept the assignment of benefits when a retiree has passed away. And it does make sure that nothing can be spent out of that except for funeral expenses. If there's a excess proceeds, it goes directly to the beneficiary.

284. 1:20:58

     Okay. Don't see any questions. Uh, Chairman Hawkins.

285. 1:21:03

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, toward the top of page nine, H.R. 1204. Uh, it, uh, speaks to the, uh, prevalence of cancer and deaths by, thereby of in the State of Georgia. Also speaks to robotic advances where they can do biopsies in areas of the lung that before now were, were not possible to increase the, uh, rate of survival.

286. 1:21:27

     Okay. Chairman Powell.

287. 1:21:32

     Thank you, Mr., Mr. Chairman. I would request H.B. 1254 be recommitted to regulate the industry as this is an administration bill that needs a little bit of light cleanup work done on it.

288. 1:21:43

     Give me that number again.

289. 1:21:43

     1254.

290. 1:21:45

     1254. Okay. Is there a motion that 1254 be recommitted to the committee?

291. 1:21:52

     Moved.

292. 1:21:53

     Have a motion. Second. Is there any opposition? It's back in your committee. Okay. Uh, Chairman Martin.

293. 1:22:02

     Yes, sir, Mr. Chairman. I would like to ask for House Bill 1240. This, uh, clears up, um, some potential a- ambu- ambu- confusion- ... in, in, in the Redevelopment Powers Act, um, to, um, ensure that taxpayers are protected and, and property in the, uh, tax allocation districts cannot exceed 10%.

294. 1:22:24

     What number is that?

295. 1:22:26

     Oh, I'm sorry. It's the bot- bottom of page 10. The, the last one on the page 10.

296. 1:22:30

     Yeah.

297. 1:22:30

     My apologies, Mr. Chairman.

298. 1:22:31

     1240. Okay.

299. 1:22:36

     You have a question, Whip Park?

300. 1:22:38

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, uh, Chairman Martin, would this, um, undermine or stop any ongoing development projects?

301. 1:22:46

     That the, if I wanna, uh, Whip Park, my understanding of the law as written, um, the, the projects that you may be referring to that, um, Atlanta is contemplating are not allowed under the current statute. A, a, a redevelopment plan, something that requires a reauthorization is in fact a new, new TAD and the base year allocations would have to be under the 10%. Uh, what I'd, uh, envision this bill to do is, I have tried to bring that to their in, uh, attention so that they don't...

302. 1:23:17

     I, I know they wouldn't try to break state law, uh, on purpose and I'm just trying to highlight that for them.

303. 1:23:22

     Thank you.

304. 1:23:23

     Okay. Speaker Pro Tem has wave that. Okay.

305. 1:23:28

     Deborah Silcox forgot to ask.

306. 1:23:30

     Okay. Representative Silcox, you have one.

307. 1:23:35

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I failed to recognize that I had a second bill and it's House Bill 1284, and this bill was brought to the General Assembly by CHOA and would simply give, um, the opportunity if parents request and their child has terminal cancer, um, the opportunity for them to receive a high school diploma.

308. 1:23:56

     What number? 1284.

309. 1:23:59

     Yeah.

310. 1:23:59

     Okay.

311. 1:23:59

     It's House Bill 1284, the bottom of page, fourth from the bottom of page six.

312. 1:24:05

     Okay. Do we have a question over here?

313. 1:24:10

     I, I, I just wanted to emphasize House Bill 376 on page 10.

314. 1:24:15

     Okay.

315. 1:24:15

     Okay. No questions. Thank you.

316. 1:24:21

     Thank you.

317. 1:24:21

     Okay. Have we taken care of the members? Everybody made a request that you wanted? Okay. It is a, it's a busy day at the Capitol today in case y'all haven't noticed and been outside. There's a lot going on. Uh, we're gonna go ahead and, uh, adjourn this meeting now and we'll see you this afternoon at 5:00. So be around and we'll see you at 5:00 this afternoon.

318. 1:24:54

     Thank you.