Sesión en el pleno de la Cámara de Representantes, 31 de marzo de 2026 (día legislativo 39, parte 1)

Transcripción

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

1. 0:02:44

   All members, all members will please come to the floor. All members will please come to the floor.

2. 0:03:51

   All members, please come to the floor because the hour of convening having arrived, all members will please come to the floor and take their seats. Mr. Clerk, will you please ring the bell?

3. 0:06:01

   All members will please come to the floor.

4. 0:06:06

   Rules is still meeting.

5. 0:06:35

   All members will please come to the floor and take your seats. Rules is still meeting, but we're going to move forward and get our day started. We will not, we'll, we'll, uh, postpone taking the roll call.

6. 0:06:58

   We'll suspend the roll call for right now. So I'm gonna ask all members, please come to the floor. We're start our day here on the right foot. So everyone please come to the floor. And I'll make the announcement in a minute again on this one, but I will go ahead and remind y'all, we're gonna have an afternoon order this afternoon to this point. So a former member of this house, Representative Cecily Hill from St. Mary's, who was a dear friend, um, and served many years.

7. 0:07:33

   I'm not sure how many years Cecily served, but it was a, a, a lot of years she served here. She, um, she had been in, under hospice care, and she died late yesterday afternoon. So we're gonna ask the pastors gonna remember that family, and we will do that a little more appropriately. But I would, um, ask you all as we go through our day that certainly remember that family, and, uh, give thanks for Cecily. She was quite a, quite a lady. She was a realtor and quite a, quite a spunky lady who served here very well. And we all know that our friends from, um, Camden County probably travel the furthest to be here and serve in this body and serve their communities and serve the people of Georgia.

8. 0:08:12

   So we give thanks, and we'll do that a little bit more appropriately a little bit later. But I wanted to put that on your mind, and you start thinking about that family, and offer up a, a word of prayer as you do in your own way for the family and, and for them to deal with, um, uh, a lady that, um, really impacted a lot of folks down that way.

9. 0:08:34

   Okay. Doorkeepers, will you please close the doors and keep them closed?

10. 0:08:42

    Because as r- as is our custom, we will begin our day with scripture reading and prayer by our chaplain. We're glad to have our chaplain back. He's been here several times before, so we look forward to hearing his message this morning. After we hear from the chaplain, we will pledge allegiance to the flag of our country. Our chaplain this morning will be introduced by the lady from the 53rd house district, and that's our very own Chair Lady Debra Silcox. Representative Silcox.

11. 0:09:16

    Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is a great delight to have my minister, the Reverend Dr. Richard Kanwisher here again with us today. Um, he is the senior minister at Peachtree Pres- Presbyterian Church on Roswell Road in Atlanta, which is the largest Presbyterian church in the United States. We have over 7,500 members, and, um, I'm delighted to be a part of his ministry. He's been doing a terrific series this year on the fruit of the spirit. Uh, this morning, his, um, wife is not with us, but I did want to introduce his guest, um, his ex- exec- executive assistant.

12. 0:09:53

    Her name is, um, Ms. Minta Horton. If you could please r- welcome her.

13. 0:10:01

    And so I will turn it over to Dr. Rich.

14. 0:10:07

    Good afternoon. Thank you. Ten years ago, when our family moved to the great state of Georgia from California, our family was thrown a real curve ball. Our daughter, who was in the middle of the sixth grade, had a teacher that came to her in an intervention with us and said, "I'm pretty sure that she doesn't know how to read." I said, "What are you talking about? We have to tear the book out of her hand at the end of the night every night to make her to turn off her light to go to sleep." And the teacher said, "Just because she knows that she loves something doesn't mean she actually knows how to do it." So we engaged in some testing and came to find out that our youngest daughter was struggling with a severe form of dyslexia, and we didn't even know it.

15. 0:10:58

    That she didn't know how to read, but she was smart enough to fill in the gaps. Fortunately, through the church and through resources that we have, we were able to pull her out of school. We were able to do an intervention year. And we w- were able to do for one what you wish you could do for everyone. In other words, we were able to give her the support, the encouragement, the attention that she needed in order to unlock a totally different future for her. A few years ago, that same daughter who didn't know how to read sat down to take the ACT exam.

16. 0:11:35

    When she got her results back, she was informed that she received a perfect reading score on the ACT. I heard one person clap, and I tell you, as a father, I wanted to burst with pride.

17. 0:11:52

    The reason I tell you that story is not in the form of advocacy. It's in the form of a parental lament. We were blessed. We were fortunate to be able to help before it was too late. The greatest priority for us as a church is vulnerable children. The greatest priority for us as a state has to be the next generation of Georgia students. Our oldest daughter is a beneficiary of the Hope Scholarship at the University of Georgia.

18. 0:12:26

    Go Dawgs. And we know that we need to be able to take the next step to love our children and to make sure that the movement that began 500 years ago with the invention of the printing press, of being able to put a book in the hand of every child, is a dream that is still alive and that they know how to read. My teacher, my rabbi, Jesus, said, "Let the little children come to me, for to such as these is the kingdom of heaven." Let's let the children come to us, and let's give them what they need.

19. 0:13:05

    Let us pray.

20. 0:13:11

    Eternal God, we give you thanks for the opportunity that is before us, for the task that looms large, for the compromise and the challenges that have to happen in order for something to get perfected. But may we personalize the legislation that we have to know the story, the impact, and the destiny of the consequences of what we do and what we fail to do. And so I pray that you will bestow upon this body the high and holy calling of investing in generations of future children of this great state.

21. 0:13:51

    May we serve them with energy, intelligence, imagination, and most of all, love. And while we all may come from a variety of traditions, and we all may have our own ideas and convictions, with one voice we offer this prayer, and all of the people said together, amen. 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.

22. 0:14:27

    Awesome. Thank you. I could listen to that story all the time. Thank you so much. Thanks. Here we go. Thank you, Brother Richard. What a great story, and, uh, what a great daughter. I know you're proud of her and her success, and she- I'm sure she's gonna have plenty of it in her lifetime because of the care you and your wife gave her at that critical time in her development. So we appreciate you being here, and thank you for your message. Doorkeepers, you may unlock the doors. Members, you may join Brother Richard in the South Ante Room, and thank him for his service to us today, and get a photo if y'all would like to.

23. 0:16:04

    Members, our doctor of the day has been invited by Representative Debbie Buckner, and that doctor's name is L. Joy Baker. Dr. L. Joy Baker. So we thank, um, Dr. Baker for her service today. If you need Dr. Baker, you know where sh- she can be found.

24. 0:16:31

    Chair is going to recognize Chairman Hilton, the Chair of the Informa- Committee on Information and Audit. Chairman Hilton. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your Committee on Information and Audit has read the journal the previous legislative day, and we have found it to be correct.

25. 0:16:48

    Chairman Hilton, the Chair of the Committee on Information and Audit, report that the journal of the previous legi- legislative day has been read and found to be correct. Is there any objection to dispense with the reading of the journal? Hearing none, the reading of the journal is dispensed with. Is there any objection to the confirmation of the journal? Hearing none, the journal is confirmed. Mr. Clerk, will you read the resolution establishing the order of business for the day? Representative Efstration of the 104th moves we establish the, uh, the order of business for the- During the first period of the- During the first part of the period, unanimous consent.

26. 0:17:23

    Introduction of bills and resolutions. First reading and reference files, bills and resolutions. Second reading of bills and resolutions. Reports of standing committees. Morning orders.

27. 0:17:36

    Is there any objection to adopting of the resolution establishing the order of business for the day? Hearing none, the resolution's adopted.

28. 0:17:51

    First reading of bills and resolutions, Mr. Clerk will read. House Bill 1606 by Representative Clark of the 100th, Gaines of the 120th, Fleming of the 114th, Horner of the 3rd, Bonner of the 73rd. Bill be titled an act to amend Article 2, Chapter 11 of Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to offenses against public order.

29. 0:18:11

    Judiciary Non-Civil. House Bill 1607 by Representative Hilton of the 48th, Efstration of the 104th, Donatucci of the 105th, Silcox of the 53rd, Baird of the 24th, and others. Bill be titled, "An Act to amend Title 7 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to banking and finance." Banks and Banking. House Bill 1608 by Representative Crawford of the 89th, McQueeney of the 61st, Berry of the 56th, Ali of the 106th, Barnes of the 86th. Bill be titled, "An Act to amend Chapter 12 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to commissions and other agencies of state government." Governmental Affairs.

30. 0:18:47

    House Resolution 1949 by Representative Gullett of the 19th, resolution creating a House Study Committee on Gamecock Fighting.

31. 0:18:56

    Special Rules. House Resolution 1950 by Representative Carter of the 93rd, Hugley of the 141st, Park of the 107th, Cannon of the 58th, Gilliard of the 162nd, and others, a resolution recognizing and commending former President Barack Obama. Special Rules. House Resolution 15, 1951 by Representative Tran of the 80th, Drenner of the 85th, Silcox of the 53rd, Roberts of the 52nd, Crawford of the 89th, resolution creating a House Study Committee on Marta Governance.

32. 0:19:27

    Special Rules. That completes first readers.

33. 0:19:34

    Second reading the bills and resolutions. Mr. Clerk will read. House Bill 1603 by Representative Neal of the 79th, a bill relating to selling and other trade practices. House Bill 1604 by Representative Lim of the 98th, Lupton of the 83rd, Wilkerson of the 38th, a bill relating to the quality basic education formula. House Bill 1605 by Representative Hilton of the 48th, Hagan of the 156th, Cox of the 28th, O'Steen of the 169th, a bill relating to the Georgia Achieving a Better Life Experience. House Resolution 1886 by Representative Blackmon of the 146th, Williams of the 148th, Hitchens of the 161st, resolution honoring the life of FHP Trooper Charles Eugene "Gene" Campbell and dedicating a road in his memory.

34. 0:20:13

    House Resolution 1887 by Representative Lewis-Ward of the 115th, Holly of the 116th, Douglas of the 78th, resolution honoring the life of Councilman Alfonso Thomas, dedicating an intersection in his memory. House Resolution 1888 by Representative Prince of the 132nd, Newton of the 127th, Howard of the 129th, Myles of the 126th, a bill recognizing Mr. Don A. Grantham and dedicating an intersection, interchange in his honor. House Resolution 1889 by Representative Cannon of the 172nd, Corbett of the 174th, Ford of the 170th, Dickey of the thir- 134th, Howard of the 71st, and others, a resolution expressing support for termed and perpetual conservation easements.

35. 0:20:49

    House Resolution 1890 by Representative Taylor of the hun- of the 92nd, a resolution urging the Rockdale County Board of Commissioners to exercise the power given to them under the current law and appoint members to the vacant seats on the Rockdale County Water and Sewage Authority. House Resolution 1891 by Representative Powell of the 33rd, Hawkins of the 27th, Jaspers of the 11th, a resolution creating the House Study Committee on the physician's delegation authority and supervision of Georgia's advanced practice providers. House Resolution 1892 by Representative Burnell of the 77th, Scott of the 76th, Bell of the 75th, Flournoy of the 74th, and Schofield of the 63rd, a resolution recognizing September 2026 as Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month.

36. 0:21:28

    House Resolution 1893 by Representative Fincher of the 23rd, Smith of the 18th, Leverett of the 123rd, Crowe of the 118th, Silcox of the 53rd, and others, a resolution creating the House Study Committee on modernizing the discovery process through the use of new technologies. House Resolution 1894 by Representatives Jaspers of the 11th, McDonald of the 26th, Hagan of the 156th, LaHood of the 175th, and Cox of the 28th, a resolution creating the House Study Committee on basic building blocks of transportation. House Resolution 1942 by Representative Gaines of the 120th, a resolution honoring the life of Mr.

37. 0:21:58

    Dan McGill and dedicating an intersection in his memory. House Resolution 1943 by Representative Gaines of the 120th, a res- a resolution recognizing the Honorable Nancy Denson and dedicating an interchange in her honor. House Resolution 1944 by Representative Moore of the 91st, resolution designating April as National Black Women's History Month. House Resolution 1945 by Representative Davis of the 87th, Schofield of the 63rd, and Scott of the 76th, a resolution creating the House Study Committee on examining the implementation, funding, and effectiveness of Georgia's CHINS framework. House Resolution 1946 by Representative Davis of the 87th, Scott of the 76th, Schofield of the 63rd, a resolution creating the House Study Committee on constituent service modernization and accountability.

38. 0:22:37

    House Resolution 1947 by Representative Blackmon of the 146th, Erwin of the 32nd, Dubnik of the 29th, Jones of the 47th, Dawson of the 65th, and others, a resolution creating a House Study Committee on education finance. House Resolution 1948 by Representative Gambill of the 15th, Wade of the 9th, Seabaugh of the 34th, and Hong of the 103rd, a resolution urging a- appropriate state and local authorities to transfer operation of the Georgia Capitol Museum from the University System of Georgia to the Georgia Building Authority. Senate Bill 627 by Senator Invatte of the 31st and Bearden of the 30th, a bill to provide a homestead exemption from City of Dallas ad valorem taxes for municipal purposes.

39. 0:23:14

    Three second readers.

40. 0:23:37

    Members, if you will.

41. 0:23:48

    Representative Oliver, you remember Gerald Johnson? He served in this body with you a couple years. You remember Mir- Mary Margaret Oliver? Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. And Don Parsons down there. There he is right there. So we're glad to welcome a former member of this House back. So if you will, join me in welcoming back Gerald Johnson, former member of this House a few years ago. We're glad to have him. Looks like he just come back right now.

42. 0:25:13

    Reports of standing committees, Mr. Clerk will read.

43. 0:25:16

    Representative Carson of the 46th District, chairman of the Committee of Retirement, submitted the following report. Mr. Speaker, Committee on Retirement has had under its consideration the following bills. The Senate has instructed me to report same back to the House with the following recommendations. Senate Bill 143, do pass by committee substitute. Senate Bill 261, do pass by committee substitute. Res- respectfully submitted, Representative Carson of the 46th District, chairman. Representative Rick Jasperse of the 11th District, chairman of the Committee on Transportation, submitted the following report. Mr. Speaker, Committee on Transportation has had under its consideration the following resolutions of the House and Senate, and has instructed me to report same back to the House with the following recommendations.

44. 0:25:55

    Senate Resolution 624, do pass by substitute. House Resolution 1894, do pass. Respectfully submitted, Representative Rick Jasperse of the 11th District, chairman. Representative Shaw Blackmon of the 146th District, chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, submitted the following report. Mr. Speaker, Committee on Ways and Means has had under its consideration the following resolution of the Senate, has instructed me to report same back to the House with the following recommendation. Senate Resolution 56, do pass by committee substitute. Respectfully submitted, Representative Shaw Blackmon of the 146th District, chairman.

45. 0:26:31

    That completes the reading of the reports of standing committees.

46. 0:26:56

    Members, we're going to move on to morning orders. We, uh, we have a whole slew of you guys that have morning orders. We have some people here that need to be recognized in the gallery. So we're gonna get started on morning orders. So I hope you will give the member in the well your attention.

47. 0:27:16

    Is Representative Wade on the floor?

48. 0:27:24

    Representative Mathis, is your group upstairs? I'm gonna ask you all to, uh, hold this till about a minute. Boy, it would be marvelous. You may get a promotion if it's, uh, if it's less than a minute. But gentleman will suspend just for a moment and I'll recognize him.

49. 0:27:49

    Representative Mathis, Danny Mathis, recognize to, uh, let's recognize some folks from back home.

50. 0:27:54

    Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that very much. It's my pleasure and privilege to honor the Bleckley County High School's One-Act team for winning the 2025 Class A1 Division State One-Act Championship. I'd like for them to stand. They're right over here in the corner.

51. 0:28:13

    I would also like to say their teamwork and extraordinary flexibility made this team a special one to observe throughout the season. And as a fitting finale to its remarkable 2025 season, this exceptional team captured its third state title in the last four years. So that is an honor to be kept. It is clear that the indication of its outstanding abilities in the areas of acting, singing, and dancing, the unwavering dedication, hard work, and unity of purpose of each member of the team, and the knowledgeable direction of their teachers and coaches.

52. 0:28:47

    I do wanna point out that we have Ms. Kelly Grier, the director, and her assistant, Dawson Grier. I'd like for them to stand, too, and we thank you so much. It is a pleasure again to have Dr. Belflower, our superintendent, back with us, and Dr. Brad Knox, our principal. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate it, and I wish this crowd would give them a big round of applause. Thank you very much for coming.

53. 0:29:20

    Quite the accomplishment. Thanks for being here.

54. 0:29:39

    Rep- Representative Ali. There he is. The gentleman's recognized.

55. 0:29:46

    All right. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize and honor Scattering Resources Inc., an organization whose work reminds us that dignity is not a privilege, it is a basic human right. Founded in 2009 by Dr. Tamra Elmore, this remarkable nonprofit was born out of compassion in the wake of devastating mudslides in Haiti, and strengthened through its response to the 2010 earthquake. What began as a simple but powerful question, "What would I want for someone to do for me if I lost everything?" has grown into a mission that has served over 10,000 individuals across Georgia, the United States, Haiti, and the Caribbean.

56. 0:30:25

    Through hygiene drives, disaster relief, educational partnerships, and empowerment workshops, Scattering Resources does more than distribute goods. It builds bridges, uplifts communities, and inspires service in the next generation. Please stand and be recognized.

57. 0:30:42

    Members, please join me in applauding the work of these good people. And I would invite you to come down to the, to the ante room to take photos. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and members of this House. Ayud'Allah. Congratulations. Thank you for your work. Representative Jenkins. Is your group here? Representative Jenkins is recognized to recognize some folks from home. Gentleman's recognized. Yeah, today I rise to recognize the Heritage School Key Club from Newnan, Georgia, and its faculty advisors, Coach Justin and the Kiwanis liaison, Nina Blackwelder.

58. 0:31:17

    The Heritage School Key Club in Newnan has been preparing young people for lives of purpose since 1970. The students of the Heritage Club exemplify leadership through service, dedicating their time and energy to projects that support children and families in the broader Newnan community, and as part of a global network of Kiwanis International. These students are guided by tradition, mentorship, and civic responsibility that equips them for a lasting impact. Let's give a round of applause to the Heritage School Club, uh, Heritage School Key Club in Newnan.

59. 0:31:51

    Well, I, they may not have made it. They may have not.

60. 0:32:15

    Chairman Sainz. Gentleman's recognized for a morning order.

61. 0:32:22

    Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Uh, I'm privileged to recognize, uh, five, uh, wonderful ladies from, uh, House District 180. Please help me welcome the Miss Georgia delegation from Southeast Georgia. Uh, these five ladies are all part of House District 180. Thank...

62. 0:32:44

    Along with, along with their director, St- uh, Miss Stanczak, um, the contestants are Miss Abigail Kelley, the Miss Riverwalk Teen, Laura Hill, Miss Georgia Coast, Leeza, Le- Leeza Kate Clarkson, Miss Georgia Coast Teen, Kaitlyn Eby, Miss Golden Isles Teen, and Miss Bree Hagan, Miss Golden Isles Teen. We appreciate their compe- competition to empower, uh, ladies all around Georgia in ensuring scholarship and community service. Thank you for coming down to your state capitol.

63. 0:33:17

    Thank you.

64. 0:33:24

    Welcome from the coast. Proud of you all. Congratulations on y'all's winning y'all's, um, y'all's pageants and being, serving your folks in the venue.

65. 0:33:42

    Representative Tangie Herring is recognized for a morning order.

66. 0:33:50

    Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members of the House. Today I rise to recognize some wonderful people from Macon-Bibb County. I would like to recognize the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority. If you guys would please stand. I wanna thank you for attracting new business to our community and making sure that workforce development works for all. Thank you so much for what you do in Macon-Bibb County. Welcome to the Capitol.

67. 0:34:15

    Macon-Bibb, good to have y'all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm glad y'all's interstate's coming to conclusion in Macon-Bibb, too. Makes it easier to get through town.

68. 0:34:27

    Representative Park Cannon, are you ready for your recognized dealers? Are they here?

69. 0:34:35

    They're not here. We'll wait. We can hold up.

70. 0:34:44

    Is Representative Berry, Representative Bell, are y'all on the floor? There's Representative Berry.

71. 0:34:56

    Morehouse students, can you recognize them? Representative Berry is recognized for a morning order. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And friends. I'll wave, I'll wave to my friends.

72. 0:35:15

    Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are privileged today to be joined by several Morehouse students who are doing slews of advocacy for issues around diversity, equity, and inclusion, uh, anti-human trafficking, and, and proper potentially for our students and for our families. They are here today from Morehouse, students from different departments. Especially we are here to honor, to have the new SGA president, uh, Chris Lambrey. Is he in the room with us today? Will the Morehouse students go on and stand for us today? They're here with us today.

73. 0:35:46

    More students stand. Stand please.

74. 0:35:52

    Thank you for being here, and, uh, be sure to engage with them and hear their ideas about the future of this state. Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker. Good to have our Morehouse friends with us. Thanks for being here.

75. 0:36:05

    Chairman Fleming and Anderson. Gentlemen are recognized for a morning order.

76. 0:36:18

    Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We, uh, we're here today to recognize one of our state championship teams, the Morgan County boys basketball team, who recently won the Class 2A State Championship. I believe they're in the gallery up here. If you guys will stand up, we'd love to say congratulate you. Congratulations. Now, I gotta tell you this, too. They're, they're joined by coaches and staff, and I'm gonna run through a list, but I'm gonna start out with-

77. 0:36:45

    The head coach Cody Anderson who, yes, he is my nephew and also happens to be the Class 2A Coach of the Year. So GHSA Coach of the Year, Cody Anderson. Congratulations. With them is Davarious Brown, Alec Woodard, Derrick Worrell, Thomas Davis, and Curtis Butler. These are some of the staff and, and coaches that are with the team today, and, uh, hope you guys have a good time at the State Capitol.

78. 0:37:13

    Hey, guys. Congratulations. Great season. Coach, state championship and a nice honor as well. Congratulations. I'm sure you all worked very hard. Great memories you'll have for the rest of your lives.

79. 0:37:30

    Representative Sanchez.

80. 0:37:35

    Gentleman's recognized. And friends.

81. 0:37:40

    Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me get over here. Good morning, colleagues. Today we have friends here in the Capitol with us recognizing Underserved Communities Day here at the State Capitol. We proudly recognize all Georgia community advocacy organizations for their work and service in educating our friends and neighbors about the challenges and contributions of underserved Georgians. We are proud to represent all those in power who are dedicated to defending, organizing, and empowering the human rights of underserved Georgians, including racial minorities, victims of gender-based violence like domestic violence, sexual minorities, indigenous peoples, Hispanic community, and others.

82. 0:38:20

    Underserved Communities Day serves as an important opportunity to foster understanding, inclusivity, and acceptance within our state. We have members from the community, including Comunidad Estrella, here with us, and we want to honor them today. Thank you, members. Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker. I yield the well.

83. 0:38:39

    Thank you for being here with us today, and thanks for your work in the communities.

84. 0:38:45

    Representative Donatucci.

85. 0:38:59

    Chairman Martin, are you ready for a morning order? Are your folks here?

86. 0:39:05

    All right, we'll wait for them to get in.

87. 0:39:25

    Representative Mitchell. There he is. Representative Billy Mitchell is recognized. You have some friends coming with you?

88. 0:39:35

    I do believe so, Mr. Speaker.

89. 0:39:36

    I think you do. Gentleman's recognized to greet some guests and some friends.

90. 0:39:42

    Thank you so very much, Mr. Speaker. I tell you, today is a very important day. Today is Influential Women of Georgia Day. Uh, certainly the friends of our guests that we have here, we're honoring Maria Huck, a media leader and entrepreneur, uh, Rasheeda Frost, rapper, TV personality, personality and entrepreneur, and Spice, Grammy-nominated artist, the Queen of Dancehall. She has some guests that are in the gallery. If you would please stand and let me recognize you.

91. 0:40:13

    They are here with us. Please, let's give them a hand. And our special women, influential women, will be here for us to take pictures in the anteroom. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

92. 0:40:29

    A- And I also wanna thank, uh, Rain Stevens for helping to organize this effort. Ra- Raise your hand.

93. 0:40:37

    Rain.

94. 0:40:37

    Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

95. 0:40:40

    Chair Lady Dempsey, I think your folks are here.

96. 0:40:46

    Chair Lady Dempsey's recognized. Katie Dempsey for a morning order.

97. 0:40:52

    Good morning. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's a great day at the Capitol because we have the Darlington School fourth grade class here visiting to see all of us at work at some of our most busy day here. If y'all would please stand up and let us welcome you, your awesome teachers, great young people who are learning a lot. Thank you.

98. 0:41:25

    Representative Chuck Martin. Let's see. Representative Matt Dubnik, you're gonna join him? Chairmans are welcome. Representative Martin is recognized for a morning order.

99. 0:41:36

    La- Ladies and gentlemen, if y'all want some entertainment and to live a little bit in the old days, uh, I'm down here today to recognize a couple people. The first one I'd like to recognize is Coach James Ramsey. He's the new head coach of Georgia Tech baseball. And if you look at the picture up here, that's when Coach Ramsey was 10 years old, I believe, and played on a little baseball team we had up in, uh, Wills Park. So we have Coach Ramsey with us today. And, uh, James, if you would stand up, if you would.

100. 0:42:07

     If y'all would w- welcome Coach James Ramsey.

101. 0:42:12

     And James, we love ya, and we really do that, but we wanna thank you for helping us pull off a ruse this, this morning. Because ladies and gentlemen, we're really here to honor James, but also Coach Danny Hall on his 32 years at Georgia Tech. Coach Hall started at the University of Miami in 1978, on with eight seasons at the University of Michigan, and then on to Kent State. Over 32 seasons at the Georgia Institute of Technology, he could pile the f- 1,244 wins and only 676 loss record.

102. 0:42:52

     He won eight Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championships, five Atlantic Coast Conference tournaments championships, appeared in the NCAA Tournament 25 times and advanced to three College World Series. Probably as importantly, he had 149 Tech players drafted by Major League Baseball. 15 of those were academic All-Americans. Overall in his career, he was honored many times, and particularly as the American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2023, and he is a designee as an honorary alumnus from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

103. 0:43:33

     If you will join me today in w- recognizing, welcoming Ryan Alpert, the, uh, athletic director of Georgia Tech, James Ramsey, who we mentioned earlier, Coach Danny Hall and his wife Cara. They're Alpharetta residents and have been constituents of mine for a long time. Coach, please stand up and be recognized. Thank you for everything you have done for the State of Georgia and all the young men and women you've influenced at Georgia Tech. Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, I yield the well.

104. 0:44:04

     You always remember those coaches. You've impacted a lot of lives. We appreciate you being here with us, and thank you for your service to young people and, and making sure folks, uh, have great memories their entire lives. Thank you. We appreciate y'all, and, and congratulations on your career as well.

105. 0:44:29

     Representative Donna Tucci is recognized for a morning order. Lady will stand.

106. 0:44:40

     Thank you, members. The lady's recognized.

107. 0:44:45

     Good morning, Speaker and members. Today we have with us Hebron Christian Academy girls basketball. They're up in the gallery. Ladies and coaches, if you would please stand. They are the 25-26 champions. They are nationally ranked 20 as single A to triple A from the private state school girl, uh, state champions. The team has been to six out of seven, or has, um, has been to six out of seven championships, and today they have their coach, Jan Azar.

108. 0:45:20

     We have four seniors, and three of them have already committed. One to University of Georgia, one to University of Tennessee, and one to University of West Georgia. Please welcome the girls from Hebron Christian Academy. Thank you so much.

109. 0:45:49

     Representative Yasmin Neal.

110. 0:45:57

     Welcome the Clayton delegation down to the well. Mr. Speaker, colleagues, let me welcome the City of Morrow to City of Morrow Day at the Capitol. You gotta clap. We have, um, if you would all like to stand, we have the city council, we have mayor, we have department heads and others from our city. Morrow is one of our most diverse cities in this state, and we welcome you to the People's House. So please stand and join me, colleagues, to welcome Morrow to the City of Morrow Day.

111. 0:46:33

     Come downstairs. And you can please come downstairs to the ante room so we can get pictures with the Speaker. I yield the well. Well, great crowd. Y'all come down. We're glad to have y'all in the People's House. Thanks for being here.

112. 0:46:47

     Representative, Representative Park Cannon, give the...

113. 0:46:57

     You got some folks with you? Yes, you do. Sure do. Representative Park Cannon and friends. All right. And friend. My Judy. Mm-hmm. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today we are so excited to recognize Community Doula Day at the State Capitol, because community-based doulas provide continuous support to families during labor and delivery. They help them cope with the mental and physical demands of giving birth.

114. 0:47:32

     Community-based doulas share at least one commonality with the birthing person, which improves outcomes for underserved communities. Community-based doulas work with medical staff, including doctors, midwives, and nurses, to provide informational support to all birthing people who they serve. Community-based doulas remove barriers by meeting families prenatally and postpartum. Today, we just thank and invite all of the community doulas for coming to the Capitol to continue to address maternal health disparities, and we invite all members to join them in Liberty Plaza from 1:00 to 3:00 PM today.

115. 0:48:16

     Will you stand and be recognized?

116. 0:48:24

     Yes. Every birthing person deserves a doula. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Hey, they got the spirit, don't they? Good to have y'all. Thanks for what y'all do, too. Important work.

117. 0:48:38

     Representative Will Wade.

118. 0:48:43

     Representative Wade is recognized for a morning order. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Colleagues, listen, if you'll join and look up-

119. 0:48:50

     Where I'm pointing, this is the Lumpkin County High School girls wrestling team, back-to-back state champions, 23 and 0 this season. Y'all stand up. I wanna give a special shout-out also to Greta Garbuzovas, four-time individual state champion and two-time team state champion. Thank you guys for being here. I know there was a lot of traffic. We appreciate you, and keep doing, d- keep working hard. And to the seniors, just keep striving. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

120. 0:49:20

     Keep working hard, but keep doing what you're doing. Back-to-back to back maybe. Good luck to y'all. Thanks for being here. Congratulations.

121. 0:50:23

     We'll just jump around a little bit.

122. 0:50:26

     Members, we postponed the, uh, morning roll call a little bit earlier, but so we're gonna get done with the morning roll call. Just to ensure everyone understands where we are, Mr. Clerk, I love to hear that bell ringing, so would you ring the bell again so everyone will get to the floor?

123. 0:51:21

     Seven four.

124. 0:51:33

     We're going to have the morning roll call now. I think all members have come to the floor. The Rules Committee has completed its work, so all members present will vote green to signify your presence in the chamber, and Mr. Clerk will unlock the machines.

125. 0:51:51

     House Bill 1247, Matt Reeves. Agree to the Senate substitute as amended by the House.

126. 0:53:06

     Have all members voted?

127. 0:53:08

     James Burchett.

128. 0:53:09

     All members have voted. Yes sir, Mr. Clerk, you can lock the machine.

129. 0:53:16

     Good crowd. Thank you, members.

130. 0:59:58

     Members, we're going to move on with the business of this House and this session, so we're gonna take up some further actions. You may wanna pay attention to this one. We, uh,

131. 1:00:14

     gave this gentleman a rousing welcome, and you empowered him with a new energy as he negotiated the b- is negotiating the budget with the Senate. So, we'll see how that's working. I'm gonna let y'all hear from the Chairman of Appropriations. At this time, I'm g-

132. 1:00:44

     I'm gonna recognize the chairman of our Appropriations Committee, from Dublin, Georgia, Laurens County, Chairman Matt Hatchett.

133. 1:00:57

     We fly high like a bird up in

134. 1:01:03

     the sky. Fly big circle.

135. 1:01:07

     We fly high like a bird up in the sky. We gonna fly big circle.

136. 1:01:12

     You'll love it, Matt.

137. 1:01:14

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

138. 1:01:14

     Chairman, Chairman Hatchett's recognized for a motion. Chairman Hatchett.

139. 1:01:18

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that this House disagree and s- and insist on its position on

140. 1:01:29

     and appoint a conference committee for HB 974.

141. 1:01:38

     It just don't get any better. Mr. Clerk, will, will you read the caption to House Bill 974? House Bill 974, to be entitled an act to make and provide appropriations for the State fiscal year beginning July 1st, 2026 and ending June 30th, 2027.

142. 1:02:00

     Is there objection to Chairman Hatc- Hatchett's motion that the House insists to its position on the House s- on to House Bill 974 and that a committee of conference be appointed? Is there objection? Hearing none, the House has insisted.

143. 1:02:24

     Since the chairman has been so involved in these negotiations, we're gonna appoint him to the committee. Chairman Hatchett, Majority Leader Efstration and the pro tempore of this House, Representative Jan Jones, as a committee of conference on HB 974. All right, we're depending on you guys. Stand up for the House.

144. 1:04:18

     Members, we're going to move on to the rules calendar, and we have a very special resolution that's going to be presented to you, like, right now. So I'm gonna ask all members if you will

145. 1:04:36

     take your conversations to an appropriate place so you can give the gentleman I'm getting ready to recognize, who's gonna present this resolution, a very important resolution. So all members give the member in the well your attention.

146. 1:04:56

     Chairman Brent Cox. Excuse me, I've got ahead of myself. I'm so excited. This is a great resolution, by the way. Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption of House Resolution 1445? Mr. Clerk. House Resolution 1445 by Representative Cox of the 28th, Burns of the 159th and others. A resolution urging the continued historical preservation of the Georgia State Capitol; commending the Georgia Building Authority team for excellence with the restoration and discovery of Andrew Carnegie Steel, one of the two oldest operating capitols in the United States with Carnegie Steel.

147. 1:05:40

     I appreciate you. Uh, I don't know who dug up this information, but, um, it's pretty cool. So I'm excited to have learned about it, but also have you present it to these members and, uh, a little bit about the history about this great building. So Representative Brent Cox is recognized to speak to House Resolution 1445. The gentleman's recognized.

148. 1:06:06

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

149. 1:06:10

     First, before I get started in the details of what was found here, surprise findings, I wanna first recognize the Georgia Building Authority and your team, if y'all would stand, please. And who we have here is ... Yeah, give them a round of applause.

150. 1:06:34

     Can y'all remain standing for a second? So we have Gerald Pilgrim and Marty Smith with the Georgia Building Authority; David Goodhead, Sachin Shel- Shelendra with SG Contracting; Michael Macon, Balfour Beatty; Sean Moxley with Garbett Construction; Lamar Wakefield and Henry Cantwell of Nelson. So thank y'all again, and we appreciate all that you've done and will continue to do as who knows what other findings you may have. Thank you.

151. 1:07:09

     So in 1865, the Civil War came to an end, and it was at that time, as Georgians, and many of us have forefathers that, and our family members that were here, and then many of you had some from the North. Well, in 1884 is when this capitol was constructed and finished in 1889. So it wasn't until this past May that a finding occurred, and this is pretty special because after the Civil War, somehow this General Assembly found a way to work with a steelmaker up North.

152. 1:07:55

     So if you'll go to the next slide, that's our capitol. So I had the privilege, because I am kind of strange and like to crawl around above the ceiling when they removed the air condition units. And this particular area is the first area that we saw, and it's a brick arch. And of course, that's the type of engineering and construction used when you don't have con- structural steel. But as you can see, there's structural steel also included on this. So I looked at, uh, Gerald Pilgrim and his team, and I, I said, "Is this steel original?" And the answer was, "Yeah, it is." And I was like, "Well, the only person doing structural steel back then was a man by the name of Andrew Carnegie." So they said, "You need to come follow us." So we went into this interesting area and walked back there.

153. 1:08:46

     And if you'll go to the next slide.

154. 1:08:49

     And stamped on the structural steel in places that we never knew is Carnegie. Why is this important? Well, currently, there's only two capitols in the US, us and Texas, that are operating at the age we are with Carnegie steel. The amazing part I find is that because of the decisions of this General Assembly and our governor to spend the money on the renovation, we uncovered history that no one ever knew.

155. 1:09:22

     So this is the first of its kind. And Mr. Speaker, I just would like to tell you that under your watch, and the governor's watch, and the LG's watch, we found Carnegie steel. Why is that important today? Because somehow we found a way to unite with the North and build something that stands strong. And I just want to, uh, thank this team, look forward to other findings that y'all have, and I ask for your favorable consideration in this resolution.

156. 1:09:58

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

157. 1:10:01

     I don't think the gentleman has any questions, so he's gonna yield the well. You don't have any questions?

158. 1:10:05

     I yield the well.

159. 1:10:07

     So if I may add to the presentation. Thank you.

160. 1:10:15

     You all know these gentlemen that work for the Building Authority and, and make sure it works correctly, but also for our private contractors. Y'all seen what they've done here. They've not done it as a job. They love this building, too, as we do. And before we vote on this bill, I wanna thank the members of this House for standing strong to make sure that we preserve the integrity, the beauty, for the heritage of this body, of this building. So thank you, members. Thanks for this House for leading the way.

161. 1:10:47

     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 adoption of the resolution? Hearing none, the report of the committee is agreed to. Shall this resolution now be adopted? All in favor of the adoption of the resolution will vote yes. All those opposed will vote no. And Mr. Clerk will unlock the machine.

162. 1:11:35

     Have all members voted?

163. 1:11:54

     All members voted?

164. 1:12:00

     If so, Mr. Clerk will lock the machine. On the adoption of House Resolution 1445, the yays are 170, the nays are zero. This resolution, having received the requisite constitutional majority, is therefore adopted. Thank y'all.

165. 1:12:28

     Before y'all leave, why don't y'all come down to the South Danny Room and, and join me as well. Let's get a photo for this day. Pretty cool day. Thank y'all.

166. 1:12:39

     Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption to Senate Bill 587? 5-8-7.

167. 1:12:44

     Senate Bill 587, by Senator Still, the 48th and others, to be entitled An Act to Amend Article 1 of Chapter 12 of Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to general provisions regarding offenses against public health and morals so as to provide for the establishment of, of an animal cruelty database. This bill having been referred to the Committee on Judiciary, Non-Civil Elect Committee recommends that this bill do pass by Rules Committee Substitute.

168. 1:13:16

     Chair Lady Beth Camp is recognized to present Senate Bill 587.

169. 1:13:23

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning, members. I bring to you today SB 587. This is a bill that protects the most vulnerable in our communities. It allows individuals who their welfare is being investigated, it allows law enforcement, if they believe the individuals have gone from a known address to an unknown address, to petition a superior court judge for a court order to make sure these individuals are safe. There was a tragic situation that happened in my community in Griffin, Georgia, that this law would seriously would have helped hopefully prevent.

170. 1:13:56

     Additionally, this bill, in Section 3, creates a database for individuals who abuse animals. Um, they're on this database. They cannot then go and get another animal to abuse. And Mr. Speaker, I'm open for any questions.

171. 1:14:12

     Lady has no questions.

172. 1:14:14

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

173. 1:14:16

     Lady's 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 adopting the substitute offered by the Committee on Rules? Hearing none, the Rules Committee's 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.

174. 1:14:47

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

175. 1:16:26

     Have all members voted?

176. 1:16:27

     Yes.

177. 1:16:28

     All members voted. If so, Mr. Clerk, we'll lock the machine. On the passage of Senate Bill 587, the yeas are 163, the nays are 0. This bill having received the requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed.

178. 1:16:49

     Members, we have a couple of guests.

179. 1:16:56

     Tom's gonna come up here.

180. 1:16:58

     Couple of guests with us today. One of them is a former member of this House, and I'm gonna introduce him in just a second. But first, I want to, uh, have y'all join me in welcoming a member of our congressional delegation. And we have a strong congressional delegation in Washington, DC. They're, they're working on our behalf. They bring Georgia values to Washington, DC because they, um, they represent us all from a very diverse state with lots of, um, ideas and priorities as we do in this House.

181. 1:17:38

     But certainly the members of the US House of Representatives are, are our friends and we're very grateful for the service they provide to our state. And one of those members is here, here with us today. And I want you, if you will, and I think you will, join me in welcoming Congressman Andrew Clyde to the Georgia House and thank him for his service in the, in the con- House of Representatives in Washington, DC. Thank you, Congressman. We appreciate you. Good to have you with us.

182. 1:18:21

     Members, uh, we always enjoy when a former member of this House comes back to visit with us and join us and share some memories. Hasn't been that long ago. Many of you in here served with this young man, Representative Timothy Barr. We miss him. He, uh, served very, very honorably in this House, and certainly we're glad to have him back on the floor today. Help me make welcome a former member of this House, Representative Timothy Barr.

183. 1:22:47

     For what purpose does Representative Efstration rise?

184. 1:22:50

     Make a motion.

185. 1:22:51

     State your motion.

186. 1:22:52

     Mr. Speaker, I move that Senate Bill 552 be withdrawn from the calendar and recommitted to Rules.

187. 1:22:58

     Yeah, we like taking stuff off the calendar. Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption?

188. 1:23:03

     Senate Bill 552 to be entitled, An Act to Amend Sub Part 2A of Part 1 of Article 16 to Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating clubs and organizations, so as to provide for equal access to public schools for students engaged in political or philosophical expression.

189. 1:23:26

     On the gentleman's motion that Senate Bill 552 be withdrawn from the calendar and recommitted to the Rules Committee, is there objection? Hearing none, it's so ordered.

190. 1:23:41

     Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption to Senate Bill 515? 515.

191. 1:23:48

     Senate Bill 515 by Senator Hickman IV and others being titled, An Act to Amend Part 9 of Article 6, Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to grants for education programs under the Quality Basic Education Act. This bill having referred to the Committee on Education. That committee recommends that this bill do pass by Rules Committee substitute.

192. 1:25:32

     Representative Chas Cannon is recognized to present Senate Bill 515.

193. 1:25:39

     Appreciate it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members of the House, I have for you Senate Bill 515. Essentially, this is a combination of two, uh, very bipartisan bills. First one, first section is, is Senate Bill 515, the underlying language. It reauthorizes the, uh, Georgia Recruitment and Retention Tax Credit for an additional five years. That thing was due to expire this year, the end of 2026. Adds a few things in there. It a- it increases the number of public school teachers that will be eligible for the credit from 1,000 to 1,200.

194. 1:26:10

     Prioritizes the credit towards some turnaround schools and schools that are in the bottom 25% for performance. Again, passed the Senate with just one no vote. Uh, section two, another bipartisan piece of legislation, my bill passed the House earlier this month. H- House Bill 1148 reauthorizes the Georgia Conservation Tax Credit for an additional five years. Uh, initially we set that, uh, tax credit limit at 30 million, then we cut it back down per the governor's request to four million. So the bill basically stays the same as it currently is today.

195. 1:26:43

     Um, so again, the bill passed this House near unanimously. Essentially, aside from some very minor tweaks, both sections of this bill are basically reauthorizations of the same tax credits that currently exist today but are due to expire at the end of this year. That's the bill, and I'll stand for any questions.

196. 1:26:59

     Gentleman has a couple of questions. Representative Berry, to your left. Is recognized for a question.

197. 1:27:04

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

198. 1:27:06

     I do yield.

199. 1:27:06

     I really appreciate this tax credit. As a teacher that works in one of the underperforming schools, I really appreciate the tax credit extension. But I'm concerned about the cap of 1,200. As you know, in Atlanta Public Schools, there are 4,000 teachers in Atlanta Public Schools alone. So what happens after the state goes over the 1,200 cap of teachers?

200. 1:27:24

     That was how the committee process worked. Senate passed that language. It actually increases it from the current amount of 1,000 to 1,200 in this language. So it actually went up a little bit.

201. 1:27:32

     So, clarifying question. Sorry.

202. 1:27:34

     Yeah.

203. 1:27:34

     Does the gentleman further yield? So when it hits that 1,200 cap, if there are still teachers that wanna enter into the program, what happens to those teachers that want to enter into the program?

204. 1:27:42

     Come back again next year, address the issue if we need to.

205. 1:27:47

     Representative Rice is recognized for a question.

206. 1:27:51

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

207. 1:27:53

     I do.

208. 1:27:54

     Is it not true that this bill extends a tax credit that had a sunset, uh, December of this year, and we figured out that the teachers were only needing 2,200 to 2,500 of that tax credit, that we had allocated 3,000? So by reducing it at 2,500, we're allowing 200 more teachers in our bottom 25% of schools to get this tax credit.

209. 1:28:14

     The gentlelady knows of what she speaks.

210. 1:28:16

     Representative Holland, to your right, is recognized for a question.

211. 1:28:20

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

212. 1:28:21

     I yield.

213. 1:28:22

     Uh, just a clarifying question. So teachers who participated in this program prior to July 1st, 2026, will retain the benefit that they had before, correct?

214. 1:28:30

     That is correct, 3,000.

215. 1:28:31

     Thank you.

216. 1:28:32

     Yes, ma'am.

217. 1:28:34

     Gentleman has one more question. Represent- Representative Carter, to your left. Wait. Yes.

218. 1:28:40

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

219. 1:28:41

     I yield.

220. 1:28:42

     Now, is it not true that I am going to vote for this piece of legislation?

221. 1:28:48

     It is true, apparently. I g- I hope so. Hope so.

222. 1:28:51

     But is it not also true that this is not a refundable tax credit, that, uh, teachers actually have to have a tax liability to take advantage of this tax credit?

223. 1:29:02

     I'm not 100% sure, but I think you are correct.

224. 1:29:05

     And is it not also true that we should come back next year and fix this?

225. 1:29:10

     If the House or Senate agree to that, we certainly can.

226. 1:29:12

     Thank you, sir.

227. 1:29:14

     We'll see about that. We can try. This House has great wisdom. I agree with that part.

228. 1:29:18

     It does.

229. 1:29:18

     Gentleman has no further questions.

230. 1:29:19

     Yield the well, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for your, uh, favorable consideration of Senate Bill 515.

231. 1:29:24

     The gentleman's 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 adopting the substitute offered by the committee, Committee on Rules? Hearing none, the Rules 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. Those opposed will vote no. And Mr. Clerk, we'll lock the machine.

232. 1:29:58

     Unlock the machine.

233. 1:30:28

     Have all members voted?

234. 1:30:33

     For what purpose has Representative Byrd rise?

235. 1:30:36

     Parliamentary inquiry.

236. 1:30:37

     State your inquiry, ma'am.

237. 1:30:39

     Is it not true teachers will pay higher taxes than those in qualifying areas?

238. 1:30:48

     I'm sure the lady believes, uh, what she just asked me, but I'm not sure if I understand the question. Have all members voted? All members voted. If so, Mr. Clerk will lock the machine. On the passage of Senate Bill 515, the yeas are 158, the nays are none. This bill having received the requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed.

239. 1:31:15

     Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption to Senate Bill 402, 4-0-2?

240. 1:31:20

     Senate Bill 402 by Senator Tillery, the 19th, be titled an Act to Amend Chapter 5 of Title 49 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to Programs and Protections for Children and Youth. So as to establish a pro- a pilot program relating to the provision of screenings, clinical evaluations, training, services, and resources. This bill having referred to the Committee on Judiciary Juvenile, that committee recommends that this bill do pass by committee substitute.

241. 1:31:52

     Representative Deborah Silcox is recognized to present Senate Bill 402. Chair Lady Silcox.

242. 1:31:59

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring to you this morning Senate Bill 402, and Senate Bill 402 is identical to my House Bill 943 that we passed in February. This is the Autism Bill that's gonna create a five-year pilot program. Um, this bill is brought to us by, really by Dr. Michelle Zena, who's done some incredible research at Georgia Southern University, and she's going to work with DCH employees to train all of them to know how to screen for autism, and the goal is to have every foster child j- in, in foster child in our system, um, to be screened in the next five years.

243. 1:32:43

     So, um, it passed unanimously before, and I would appreciate your favorable consideration. Be happy to accept questions.

244. 1:32:51

     Lady has no questions.

245. 1:32:52

     Thank you.

246. 1:32:54

     Lady's 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 adopting the committee substitute? Hearing none, the committee's 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. The, all those opposed will vote no. And Mr. Clerk will unlock the machine.

247. 1:33:44

     Have all members voted?

248. 1:33:46

     Not yet.

249. 1:33:48

     All members voted.

250. 1:33:49

     Yeah.

251. 1:34:02

     Representative Kendrick, you're being paged.

252. 1:34:12

     Yeah, I would. Seatmates are really helping you out there, aren't they?

253. 1:34:19

     All members voted. All members voted. If so, Mr. Clerk, clerk will lock the machine. On the passage of Senate Bill 402, the yeas are 171, the nays are zero. This bill, having received the requisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed. We have a real treasure. Her name was mentioned, in Dr. Michelle Zena, who cares about the young people of our state. Dr. Zena, thank you for your input and your hard work on this proposition.

254. 1:34:54

     Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption to Senate Bill 406? 4-0-6.

255. 1:35:00

     Senate Bill 406 by Senator Brass, the sixth and others, be it entitled an Act to amend Title 43 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to profession and businesses so as to require the registration of property owners' associations. This bill having been referred to the Committee on Judiciary, that committee recommends that this bill do pass by committee substitute.

256. 1:35:22

     Representative Ray Martinez is recognized to present Senate Bill 406.

257. 1:35:31

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I now present to you Senate Bill 406, Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights. This bill basically creates accountability and transparency. It creates an administrative process for homeowners to file their complaints to be heard by a neutral hearing officer by the Secretary of State's office. This is a bipartisan bill, and it passed the House Judiciary Committee overwhelmingly. Any association, in order to collect fines or fees against any owner, or file, or record liens, or initiate foreclosure proceedings against any lot must be re-registered by the Secretary of State's office.

258. 1:36:13

     Each association should file with the Secretary of State's office a copy of the governing documents, the name, address, offices of the owner's association, financial statements of the owner association. Registration expires annually on December 31st of each year. Each owner association shall annually submit to the Secretary of State by such date a renewal application, the information required. If any information has changed, the association has 30 days to amend registration.

259. 1:36:46

     The cost to file annually is $100. The owner association should maintain for not less than 10 years records relating to any assessments, fine, fees, liens, and its, and foreclosures. The Secretary of State by order may deny, suspend, or reverse a registration of an owner association, and this act shall become effective on January 1st of 2027. In conclusion, I'd like to thank the homeowners and associations for their involvement and inputs, along with Atlanta News First, Anesthesia Almas for reporting on this very important issue regarding homeowners.

260. 1:37:25

     Mr. Speaker, if there's any questions, I now yield the floor.

261. 1:37:30

     The gentleman has a couple of questions, and then we have some speakers on the bill. Representative Park Cannon to your left is recognized for a question.

262. 1:37:41

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Do you yield?

263. 1:37:43

     Yes, I do.

264. 1:37:44

     Okay. So this law requires that all the homeowners associations register with the state. Can you explain how this level of transparency models or mimics other types of regulated entities as they register with the state?

265. 1:38:03

     Yes, ma'am. If a homeowners association wants to collect fines or any fees, it must register by the Secretary of States. If you don't wanna do that, if you don't wanna collect fine and fees, it is not mandatory to register with the Secretary of State's office.

266. 1:38:19

     Thank you. Do you further yield?

267. 1:38:20

     Yes, ma'am.

268. 1:38:22

     So does this in any way prevent HOAs from foreclosing on homes, avoiding conflicts of interest? How does it impact that issue?

269. 1:38:33

     The only way that, um, that an organization, that a homeowners association can foreclose, and that's a good point, it went up from 2,000 to 4,000. But, but those $4,000 have to be only assessments. Not fees-

270. 1:38:47

     Mm-hmm

271. 1:38:47

     ... or any, uh, liens or any attorney fees are included in the $4,000 if you wanna foreclose.

272. 1:38:54

     Thank you.

273. 1:38:54

     Representative Carter to your left. Lady, do you have a question?

274. 1:38:58

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

275. 1:38:59

     Do you recognize her question?

276. 1:38:59

     Does the gentleman yield?

277. 1:39:00

     Yes, ma'am, I do.

278. 1:39:02

     Would you explain to me how this, uh, legislation will help HOAs if they are subject to the original covenants? And, um, how would they be able to opt in if the board does not vote for? Is there a provision for that? 'Cause a lot of these HOAs, uh, are not able to come up with a quorum because of some of the original covenants. So help me understand how this is going to help them to opt into this due process.

279. 1:39:28

     Yes, ma'am. Um, there's, uh, there's some associations out there that do not have a board, and they're small enough. Those are not required to file with the Secretary of State's office unless you wanna collect any fees or any fines, uh, with the homeowner. So it is not mandatory to, um, uh, to register, to register with the Secretary of State's office unless you wanna collect fines and fees from the homeowner.

280. 1:39:57

     Does the gentleman further yield?

281. 1:39:58

     Yes, ma'am.

282. 1:39:59

     Okay, for those HOAs who decide that they do want to opt into this process, how do they opt in if they do not have quorums to meet for the HOA? How do they... How do... Who decides if they're going to be able to opt into this?

283. 1:40:14

     The way you decide basically is just, um, you, you, you opt in, you pay your $100, you show your financials, uh, you file your addresses, and so on and so forth, and then, and then the Secretary of State's office would hear your case, and they would deny... There's a section here. Hold up a minute.

284. 1:40:35

     Heal them.

285. 1:40:36

     The Secretary of State's would, has the right to deny or suspend HOA registration based on maybe what you're talking about.

286. 1:40:46

     So does the gentleman further yield?

287. 1:40:48

     Yes, ma'am.

288. 1:40:48

     So let me first say, I do appreciate what you're trying to do, and I'm probably gonna vote for it. But I'm trying to understand who is the they that would decide if the... Most, most HOAs have a board.

289. 1:40:59

     That's correct.

290. 1:41:00

     And if the board isn't meeting, who decides? Does a resident just decide, "Well, we wanna opt into this"? How does this process, how does this pr- process become the process if the HOA isn't meeting? 'Cause that's, that's a lot of the issues that we're seeing is, um, they, they have these HOAs, but they don't meet, and they can't change who the officers are because they don't have quorums because the owners aren't there. So how do they opt into this?

291. 1:41:31

     Who is the they?

292. 1:41:33

     It's up to the HOA to decide that. But if you do wanna register with a HOA, or if you w- do wanna register with the Secretary of State's office, you have to submit all your financials, all your paperwork, and let the Secretary of State's office decide whether, you know, whether, um, whether you're good or bad, um, to, to apply for the, for the Secretary of State's office. Gentleman has another question, then we have several speakers. I'm sure all of this will become crystal clear. Representative Hong to your right.

293. 1:42:05

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

294. 1:42:07

     Yes, ma'am.

295. 1:42:08

     Isn't it true that if an HOA decides not to register, um, so therefore if there is not an HOA or there's not a, a group that can actually register, then they cannot collect fees, um, cannot go forward with any type of liens, foreclosures? And so, it, uh, to the, um, to the question before, if they're not h- having that, then they're not gonna be able to collect fees anyways.

296. 1:42:37

     The gentlelady is absolutely right. Thank you.

297. 1:42:39

     And is it... And do you f- yield for another question?

298. 1:42:41

     Yes, ma'am.

299. 1:42:42

     Isn't it true that this, um, is going to give more transparency and fairness, and, um, it will allow for issues to be resolved before any type of foreclosure moves forward?

300. 1:42:54

     Absolutely. The gentlelady knows where she speaks. Mr. Speaker, I, uh, I now yield the well. Thank you. Gentleman's yielded the well, and we have some speakers. This is going on kinda like an HOA meeting here, but I'm gonna limit- I'm gonna limit the time on it to 15 minutes for we have three speakers, and I'll allow Representative Reeves, Representative Draper, and Chairman...

301. 1:43:21

     I was wondering if we'd change around on that. And Chairman Guenther. So y'all will have 15 minutes to divide up amongst yourselves. So I'm gonna recognize Representative Reeves, then Representative Draper, you'll be second, and then Chairman Guenther will be third, and he'll clean up or... Gentleman's recognized.

302. 1:43:40

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. HOAs are presently regulated by the Secretary of State's office as a nonprofit entity, but there are very few mechanisms for the State of Georgia and the Secretary of State's office to enforce the law. And so what happened prior to this bill is that HOA members who were aggrieved, whether it's embezzlement or other wrongdoing by the HOA, had to hire a lawyer and file suit in order to enforce the law and the covenants. What this bill does is it, uh, allows a hearing officer at the Secretary of State's office, uh, to be able to review the bylaws and the covenants based on a complaint by a neighbor and take action, uh, short of a lawsuit to give citizens help when their HOAs are causing problems.

303. 1:44:24

     Most of our HOAs are doing an excellent job. I commend the volunteers who run those HOAs. What this will do for them is it will provide a transparency layer where HOA bylaws and, and, uh, things that are not recorded in the real estate ac- records are filed with the Secretary of State and are on file for both the Secretary of State and for citizens, uh, to review. Uh, so it's a transparency measure. It gives due process on many different fronts. It restricts certain actions by HOAs when there are complaints pending.

304. 1:44:57

     And most importantly, it, uh, it avoids litigation. This avoids a citizen having to sue their HOA when there are problems. It gives a hearing officer process. I'd like to point out that there are multiple House revisions. This was heard by the Judiciary Committee several times, and there were multiple rounds of revisions here in the House. So I wanna thank all the House members who worked hard on making this bill better, and I ask for your favorable support. I yield the well

305. 1:45:26

     Gentleman's yield- Representative Draper.

306. 1:45:32

     Ladies recognized to speak to Senate Bill 406. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning, everyone. Um, so I stand here to speak in support of SB 406. This is the result of a collaboration between the parties, and I think a lot of good ideas, uh, came together to get to the bill where we are today. Um, and specifically, you know, Section 4 was, um, the result of a issue that one of my constituents raised. And I wanna take a moment just to highlight the issue that they raised because I think we are really closing a loophole with this bill.

307. 1:46:03

     And oftentimes when we talk about bills, we talk about them in the abstract. But one of the great things about, uh, this- these hearings in particular around this bill with the number of people that came and gave their personal stories, uh, and through this bill, we really will be able to help people. Um, so Section 4 really disinvites- disincentivizes unnecessary litigation. Um, and let me just tell you how it came up. So I had my, uh, constituent come up to me and tell me about a case that he was handling. He's an attorney. Um, and he was representing a young man who had bought a home in a homeowner association complex.

308. 1:46:34

     Um, and he was paying his HOA fee for about five years. He never missed a payment, $70 every month. And that payment was coming automatically out of his checking account. He had agreed to do automatic withdrawal. Well, the homeowners association switched vendors at some point, and that automatic withdrawal got canceled. And so unknowingly to this young man, he was no longer making his $70 monthly HOA payments, not through any fault of his own. He would've made them if he had known, but he was unaware.

309. 1:47:07

     And that happened for about 10 months. He didn't receive any kind of notice from the homeowners association. He wasn't told that he was missing payments. What he did finally find out 10 months later, uh, was when he got sued by his homeowners association. And at that point, the missed payments, the fines, the penalties, and the additional attorney's fees that the other side was seeking far surpassed the amount that he originally owed in homeowner association fees. Um, so I think we can all agree that this is something that isn't meant to happen, that we can prevent from happening.

310. 1:47:42

     Section 4 closes that loophole, I'm very proud to say, so I am- will be proud to vote yes on this and encourage everyone to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I yield the floor.

311. 1:47:54

     Thank you, Representative Draper. Chairman Gunter.

312. 1:48:04

     Chairman Gunter is recognized to speak to SB 406. Gentleman's recognized. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is gonna be real quick. Uh, the, uh, HOAs in the State of Georgia and the documents that support what they do have been poorly drafted by lawyers for a long time, and so this bill helps take care of some of that. Uh, this'll fix a lot of the problems that lawyers don't really pay attention to when they... 'Cause they don't have to live in these neighborhoods. They're just drafting the documents and not taking care of business.

313. 1:48:36

     So this is a good bill. Takes care of a problem where there's a lot of mischief going on around the state, and I would ask for your support of this bill. Thank you. Gentleman's yielded the floor. That completes our speakers on Senate Bill 406. Is there any objection to the previous question being ordered? Hearing none, the previous question is ordered. Is there any objection to withdrawing the committee substitute? Hearing none, the committee substitute is, is withdrawn. Is there any objection to adopting the substitute offered by the committee on rules?

314. 1:49:10

     Hearing none, the rules 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. Those opposed will vote no. And Mr. Clerk will unlock the machine.

315. 1:49:50

     Have all members voted? All members not voted.

316. 1:50:08

     All members voted. If so, Mr. Clerk will lock the machine. On the pass of Senate Bill 406, the yays are 155, nays are 10. This bill having received the requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed. Members, we're gonna take up a, a couple of, of further actions, then we're gonna break for lunch.

317. 1:50:36

     Representative Kasey Carpenter is recognized for a motion.

318. 1:50:43

     I move that the House agrees to the Senate substitute to House Bill 14. Mr. Clerk will read the caption. House Bill 14 to be entitled an act to amend Article 3, Chapter 3, Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to the state symbols so as to designate cornbread as the official state bread of Georgia.

319. 1:51:09

     Chair recognizes Representative Carpenter to explain the Senate substitute. I think just 'cause it's around lunchtime you mention cornbread, but this bill no longer has anything to do with cornbread. This establishes the statewide music office under Economic Development. It's something that we, we did through a, uh, study committee a few years ago, and I look forward to your favorable consideration

320. 1:51:37

     Okay. Talking about music. On the gentleman's motion that the House agree to the Senate substitute to House Bill 14, all those in favor will vote yes. Those opposed will vote no. And Mr. Clerk will unlock the machines.

321. 1:52:36

     Have all members voted? All members voted. If so, Mr. Clerk will lock the machines.

322. 1:52:42

     And 219 for you.

323. 1:52:44

     On the gentleman's motion, the yays are 161, the nays are five, and the House has agreed to the Senate substitute to House Bill 14.

324. 1:52:56

     Oh.

325. 1:52:59

     Represent- Representative Lehman Franklin is recognized for a motion.

326. 1:53:07

     Mr. Speaker, I'd like to make a motion the House agrees to the Senate substitute for House Bill 165.

327. 1:53:20

     Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption?

328. 1:53:23

     House Bill 165 to be entitled an Act to Amend Title 4080 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to Revenue and Taxation so as to repeal and reserve an income tax te- credit for business enterprises for leased motor vehicles.

329. 1:53:43

     Representative Franklin, eh, is recognized to explain his motion on House Bill 165. The gentleman's recognized.

330. 1:53:53

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Um, like cornbread, this bill has, has nothing to do with its original purpose. It's been, uh, changed. Actually, uh, uh, it's been a bill that Beth, uh, has been working on, Beth Camp, Chairman Beth Camp has been working on for about three years, and it's passed this chamber three different times. But what it talks about is, uh, giving a tax, uh, exemption for manufactured homes. Currently, right now, we have that exemption on the state level. This is just adding it to the, they have it on the, uh, the, uh, local level, um, on the city level.

331. 1:54:23

     Um, it's a 50%, uh, tax reduction on the sale, sales price of those manufactured homes, and that's the bill, Mr. Speaker. Are you up for questions if there is any?

332. 1:54:33

     The House has no questions.

333. 1:54:34

     Thank you. Ye- yield the will.

334. 1:54:36

     Gentleman's yielded the will. On the gentleman's motion that the House agree to the Senate substitute to House Bill 165, all those in favor vote yes. Those opposed will vote no. And Mr. Clerk will unlock the machines.

335. 1:54:57

     This the last one?

336. 1:55:09

     Have all members voted? All members voted.

337. 1:55:18

     All members voted. If so, Mr. Clerk will lock the machines. On the gentleman's motion, the yays are 160- 66, the nays are three, and, uh, the House has agreed to the Senate substitute to House Bill 165. All right, members, this will be our last further action, then we're gonna break for lunch. Mr. Clerk... No, not yet. Represent- Chairman Corbett, there he is, is recognized for a motion.

338. 1:56:34

     Chairman Corbett is recognized for a motion.

339. 1:56:40

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I make a motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment to the House substitute to Senate Bill 293.

340. 1:56:50

     I'm glad you got that straight. That was, you need to have that right. Mr. Clerk, will you read the caption?

341. 1:56:55

     Senate Bill 293 to be entitled an Act to Amend Code Section 40-2-85.1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to license plates for certain veterans.

342. 1:57:08

     Chairman Corbett is recognized to explain his motion.

343. 1:57:13

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

344. 1:57:14

     Explain the Senate amendment. That's what we need. Yes, sir.

345. 1:57:16

     The, the, the Senate amendment, uh, this is to, uh, Senate Bill 293 that we passed out of here unanimously, unanimously on the, uh, tops and dealer tag fraud. Uh, two amendments, uh, that were added, uh- One was due to the increase of cost of material, labor, and, and shipping. The dealer tags, uh, there's slight increase in that fee. Uh, the second amendment, uh, just authorizes the Department of Revenue to, uh, authorize limited operation of unregistered motor vehicles on highways of the state, and this is for rat rods.

346. 1:57:48

     I think, uh, is Rob Clifton in here? That's the right nomenclature. It's limited for 12 months. Uh, the point of departure has to be on the application. You're limited to two miles, uh, from the point of departure, daylight hours only. Uh, you gotta have significant proof of liability insurance, have a surety bond or either a motor vehicle parts dealer. Uh, and it's, the cost for that's gonna be a fee of $150, and that's the second amendment. And I would ask for your favorable consideration.

347. 1:58:18

     Gentleman has no questions. You did a good job.

348. 1:58:23

     On the gentleman's motion that the House agree to the Senate Amendment to the House Substitute on Senate Bill 293. All those in favor will vote yes, and those opposed will vote no. And Mr. Clerk will unlock the machines.

349. 1:58:53

     Have all members voted? All members voted?

350. 1:59:01

     If so, Mr. Clerk will lock the machine. On the gentleman's motion, the yays are 168, the nays one, and the House has agreed to the Senate Amendment to the House Substitute to Senate Bill 293. Thank you, members. We have a couple of announcements, but I will remind you that we have pages today. If you have a page, can we put those page numbers up? Page-

351. 1:59:32

     Um, we can, but we need to change this. Carrie, can you change the screen?

352. 1:59:47

     We have the screen back. So if you have a page, if you'll join me up front, we'll take some page photos. Chairman Parish, there he is, is recognized for an announcement.

353. 2:00:04

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ladies and gentlemen of the Rules Committee, I'd like to ask you to meet me in room 341 at 1:00. Rules, 341, 1:00. Thank you.

354. 2:00:18

     Representative Hong is recognized for an announcement.

355. 2:00:22

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Majority Caucus will have a lunch meeting upon adjournment in room 403.

356. 2:00:31

     Any other announcement?

357. 2:00:37

     Uh, Representative Rhonda Taylor is recognized for an announcement.

358. 2:00:40

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Women's Legislative Caucus will meet immediately upon adjournment in room 230 Cap. Lunch will be served. Thank you.

359. 2:00:51

     Thank you. That completes our announcements. Page photos. This House will stand in recess until 1:30 PM, 1:30 PM. Stand in recess at 12:00 and be back here at 1:30 PM. Thank you for your work this morning, members. This House will be in recess.