Senate floor session, January 12, 2026 (legislative day 1) Video: https://vimeo.com/1130937862 (a timestamp t plays at https://vimeo.com/1130937862#t=s) Page: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-01-12/senate-floor This is a machine transcript of the General Assembly's video, made by a speech-recognition model. It is not an official record and can mishear words, names, and numbers. Speakers are not identified. The video is the record: every timestamp links to the moment it plays. [0:18:59] Good, good morning. Good morning. The time for convening has arrived. The Senate will come to order. At this time, I'll ask all unauthorized personnels to exit the chamber. [0:19:18] At this time, I'll ask the secretary to read the communications from the Secretary of State. [0:19:27] Office of Secretary of State. I, Brad Raffensperger, Secretary of State of the State of Georgia, do hereby certify that the attached page contains the results as shown on the consolidated returns from the special election runoff held on September 23rd, 2025, for State Senate District 21. All as the same appear on file and record of this office. [0:19:49] Senate District 21, Jason T. Dickerson. [0:19:55] Mr. President, that completes... Oh, never mind. [0:19:59] Office of Secretary of State. I, Brad Raffensperger, Secretary of State of the State of Georgia, do hereby certify that the attached page contains the result as shown on the consolidated returns from the 2025 special election runoff for State Senate District 35, held on the 16th day of December. All as the same appear on file and record of this office. Senate District 35, Jaha V. Howard. [0:20:24] Mr. President. [0:20:24] Mr. President, that completes the order. [0:20:37] All right. Well, we're back here, ladies and gentlemen. Everybody looks so pretty today, especially you, senator from the 6th. You got any, you got any words of wisdom for us before we get started in seating our new senators here today? [0:20:52] Yes, sir, Mr. President. Welcome back. We missed you. I'm just glad that we get to spend the next 40 days together. Been yearning for this moment all year. But I do wanna make a comment on this beautiful new chamber we have here. Uh, I wanna thank the, uh, building authority and all their good work, Marty Smith, Gerald Pilgrim, and, and their leadership. Uh, we got brand-new chairs, new carpet, ref- refurbished desks. [0:21:25] We got a microphone that actually will retract for once. That's kinda nice. And then a beautiful new rostrum up there. So, you look good up there. Thank you. [0:21:37] They did a great job, uh, Senator. I'm glad you brought that up. I'd forgotten all about all the remodel that went on, but it does look good. Got everybody new seats and a new fresh look here, so it will be very nice, very nice. Now, we have a couple of new senators here. This is a little different than, uh, most years. We've got some special elections that, that went on in the, in the, uh, uh, while we were out, and, uh, think we're gonna have some more special elections, so we might be adding new, new members as the year goes on. [0:22:10] But, uh, we will proceed with seating of the new senators. Is there objection to seating of either senator? If there's no objection and both senators are seated, we would like to welcome Senator Howard and Senator Dickerson to our chambers. Where is Senator Howard? There's Senator Dickerson from the 21st. [0:22:45] And Senator Howard. Where's Senator Howard here? We need to... He didn't make it the first day here. All right. Well, all right. Duly noted. Duly noted, so. [0:23:00] All senators have bills and resolutions to introduce. Please bring them to the secretary's desk at this time. Do what now? What do we do now? [0:23:09] Sir, we're gonna roll to the next thing down the list. Sign the appointments of judges. You'll sign Senate Bill 410 and Senate Bill 15. You'll need to sign those two and then call the next item. [0:23:17] Okay. You need to read them? [0:23:20] No, s- yes, sir. [0:23:22] Huh? [0:23:22] It's on the next page. I'll read the one next. [0:23:25] You good? [0:23:26] You read the bottom of that page, and I'll read this. [0:23:34] During the interim, the Senate has received communications from the lieutenant governor's office, the Supreme Court requesting that their appointments to the Judicial Qualifications Commission be confirmed by the Senate. Secretary will read the communications. [0:23:48] Mr. President, the Senate has received communications from the lieutenant governor and the Supreme Court of Georgia requesting that the Senate confirm the following appointments to the Judicial Qualifications Commission: Mr. Andrew J. Welch III and the Honorable Brian M. Rickman. These communications have been placed on each senator's desk. Mr. President, that completes the order. [0:24:07] Pursuant with the Senate Rules 331, the appointments are referred to the Committee on Assignments. Thank you, Secretary. [0:24:21] All right. It is now, it is now time for the morning roll call. It's good to see the senator from the 14th. Tell you, I've enjoyed your TikToks and Instagrams in the off-season, man. You're doing a fabulous job. You're keeping up that social media. Good work there, so. Time for the morning roll call. Any recognized senator from the 15th? Thank you, Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent to excuse the senator from the 33rd. [0:24:53] Without objection, senator from the 33rd is excused. Any other motions? Senator from the 41st, how are you today? I'm doing great. Good morning, Mr. LG. How are you doing? I ask for unanimous consent to c- uh, excuse the senator from the 10th. From the 10th. [0:25:11] Our good friend from the 10th had a little minor surgery. With thoughts and prayers are with him, and hope he gets well soon. So without objection, senator from the 10th is excused. Any other motions to excuse? All right. Secretary will unlock the machine. Roll call. [0:27:06] All right. It is now time for the devotion of the day. And I have, uh... And then after that, we'll have the pastor of the day. So if, if we could, uh, cease all conversations in the chamber, please. [0:27:23] Before I introduce my pastor of the day, I'm, uh, like to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance and Pledge to the State Flag. 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. And now the Georgia flag. I pledge allegiance... To the Georgia flag, and to the principles for which it stands, wisdom, justice, moderation and courage. [0:27:59] All right. It is good to be back, everyone. And, uh, like I said, glad to have everybody back. All right, come on, we got, we, if, we gotta get, we gotta get rolling with the devotional here. So everybody have a seat. We can talk after that. Lord knows we all need a good word of wisdom here. But, uh, today, uh, today it is my honor to, uh, introduce a man that is very familiar with this chamber. And, uh, he's been a long... He's been my pastor for a very long time. [0:28:30] He's been more than just a pastor. He's been a good friend, uh, for many, many years. And in fact, I told him it, he has been for the 10 years I was in the State Senate, and now the fourth year as lieutenant governor, he's been my pastor of the day every time. So that tells you right there, he's never asked for too much money in tithing. And, and he's always, he's always been a good man to, uh, uh, to lean on when, uh, when, you know, when times are tough. But I will tell you this, he's really amazing, uh, individual. [0:29:01] Dr. Benny Tate has built a fabulous church there in Milner, Georgia. If you don't know where Milner, Georgia is, it's population 800 people. And he just happened to have a church of population of about members, about 10,000 members. So that tells you any things. But he has, uh, not only built a, a wonderful, uh, church facility with multiple campuses here in the state, but he's also built a s- a school, a K through 12 school that has al- about 1,000 children that they're educating. [0:29:31] Uh, and also, he, they have medical clinics. Uh, they have service, all these service ministries, outreach programs that really is amazing. In fact, I was asking about the, uh, healthcare facility that they have. They have serviced, uh, or seen patients from literally 119 counties out of the 159 here in the state. So, uh, and they do it all, they do it with no charge. Uh, these are volunteer doctors that are coming, and, uh, everything from orthopedics to cardiologists to, to, uh, to dentists even. [0:30:07] And, uh, so it's really amazing the am- the amount of people that they serve through the Rock Streams Ministry, uh, here in the state of Georgia. So it is my honor, uh, to introduce to you, uh, my good friend and pastor, Dr. Benny Tate. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much, Brother Burt. I sure appreciate you. And while Brother Burt was introducing me, I was praying for him. You say, "You gotta be kidding." Yes, I was praying, and I said, "Uh, God, forgive Brother Burt for overpraising me." And then I prayed for myself, and I said, "And God, forgive me for enjoying it so much." Amen? [0:30:52] No, I do, I, I do greatly appreciate, I do appreciate our lieutenant governor and Ms. Jan and their family. Their family means much to me. And I've been coming here, uh, I've been coming here for over three decades, and it's a wonderful privilege to be able to share with you men and women today. I wanna take just a few moments. Is there anybody in the group that would say, "Brother Benny, uh, I've not heard you speak. I've not heard you speak"? [0:31:23] Every person has heard me speak. This one right here. Well, this one right here. Well, I say to you two men what Elizabeth Taylor said to her eighth husband, "I'm not gonna keep you long." Okay. Amen? All right. Not gonna keep you long. I wanna talk to you from 2 Timothy 1:16. This is what the Bible says. It says, "The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chains." The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chains. [0:32:07] I wanna talk to you this morning on the first day of session about what every person needs. I'm not an anthropologist. [0:32:17] But I do know what every person needs. I remember on one occasion, I was with Mr. Truitt Cathey. And Mr. Truitt Cathey said to me, he said, "Preacher Benny, do you know how you determine whether or not a person needs encouragement?" I said, "No, Mr. Truitt. How do you know?" He said, "If they're breathing." He said, "If they're breathing, they need encouragement." And serving in the Georgia Senate, I would assume you need encouragement. [0:32:53] I heard about a man that was running for office and he was speaking. And while he was speaking, a heckler stood up and said, "I wouldn't vote for you if you were Saint Peter." And the politician said, "If I was Saint Peter, you wouldn't be in my district." Amen? We all need encouragement. A teacher was teaching a little boy about encouragement. This little boy was in school and he was making these ugly faces. [0:33:23] And Mrs. Johnson said to him, she said, "Johnny, when I was a little girl, I was taught that if you make ugly faces, your face will, your face will literally freeze that way." He said, "Well, Mrs. Johnson, you can't say you wasn't warned." Amen? Okay. How can we encourage other people? Four quick points. How can we encourage other people? [0:33:55] First of all, we can encourage other people with praise. We can encourage other people with praise. The Bible says in Proverbs 18 and 21, "Death and life's in the power of the tongue." Folks, how was this, how was this world created? We believe that God spoke this world into existence. We don't believe that once it was a tadpole beginning to begin, and then it was a frog with my tail tucked in, and then it was a monkey in a banana tree, and, and now I'm a professor with a PhD. [0:34:26] We don't believe that. We believe that God spoke this world into existence. And folks, if words spoke this world into existence, your words make a difference in somebody else's wheel-- world. Your words make a difference in somebody else's life. I learned this very young. I participated in sports. I, I loved sports. I played baseball, played basketball, played even football. I played tailback. [0:34:57] Every time I ran on the field, the coach said, "You get your tail back here." But I remember playing baseball and a baseball coach saying to me, "Good play, little man. Good play, little man." And it made an impact on me. You wanna encourage people? You encourage them with your words. You've got a book in front of you, a book that I wrote. It's entitled Yes You Can. Yes You Can. Because I believe people need to hear yes you can, because people need to be encouraged, and we encourage people with our praise. [0:35:34] Let me tell you a second way we encourage people. We encourage people with our presence. We encourage people simply being there for them. Somebody said a friend walks in when everybody walks out. I said, "No, no. A friend never leaves. A friend stays with you." You wanna encourage somebody today? You encourage them with your praise. But you encourage them with your presence, because the Bible says, "A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." And most of us don't have near as many friends as we think we have. [0:36:11] So we encourage people with our praise. We encourage people with our presence. Some of you've got the third point in your hand right now. You encourage people with your pen. I know we're in the day of instant communication. We can text, we can tweet. But I still believe there's power in a handwritten note. I still believe Martin Luther said, "If you wanna change the world, pick up your pen." Today, you wanna encourage somebody? [0:36:43] You do it with your praise. Today, you wanna encourage somebody? You do it with your presence. You just be there for them in the low times, in the good times. You wanna encourage somebody? You do it with your pen. And then there's the last way. You knew we would get this one. I'm a preacher. You encourage people with your prayers. You say, "I'm praying for people." Well, let them know you're praying for them. You know what I've learned, folks? Truitt Cathey was correct. [0:37:14] We all need encouragement. We all need encouragement. And if you don't need it now, by the end of forty days, you will. So I just came today to say I appreciate you. I just came today to say thank you for what you do. I wish I could speak to your mates. I wi- I really wish I could speak to your mates. I wish I could speak to your children, 'cause I'd like to say to your mates and children, "Thank you for the sacrifice. [0:37:48] Thank you for sacrificing your daddy. Thank you for sacrificing your husband. Thank you for sacrificing your wife for the people of Georgia, people just like me." So I just came today to say thank you. When Abraham Lincoln, uh, was killed, they started looking through his, what was on him when he was killed. And they looked when he was killed, he much like me, had a pair of glasses on him. [0:38:22] When he was killed, they, they noticed in his pocket he had a pocketknife. They, they noticed that he had a, he had a handkerchief. He had a Confederate $5 bill. But then they noticed something else that he had on him. He had some newspaper clippings. Newspaper clippings. And it was a few newspaper clippings where these few newspapers had said complimentary things about Abraham Lincoln, and it was obvious that he pulled them out and read from time to time the complimentary things that somebody had said about him. [0:39:11] Even Abraham Lincoln needed encouragement. So today, you be that encourager. Let's pray. [0:39:24] Our most kind, gracious Heavenly Father, I thank you for every man or woman that's serving today. God, we refer to them many times as politicians, but in Romans chapter 13, you refer to them as ministers and servants. And Lord, Jesus said, "Let the greatest among you be your servant." And Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Any man or woman can be great because any man or woman can serve." Thank you for the service of these wonderful people under this gold dome. [0:40:01] I pray that you would give them a great year. I pray that you would give them a great year of accomplishment. But Lord, also I pray for their families. I pray for those that are not here today, that you would be with them, that you would make up the time that's lost, that you would restore the time that the locusts have eaten. So God, would you bless this body and keep them, make your face to shine upon them, be gracious unto them, lift your countenance upon them, and may they experience your peace, for I pray this prayer in Jesus' name. [0:40:35] Amen. [0:40:38] Amen. [0:50:39] Dr. Kirkpatrick. Doc, come on. [0:51:20] We have, uh, if I can get everybody's attention real quick. Obviously, we always like to recognize our doctors of the day, and we've got a very special physician here with us. And to introduce him, I'll call on one of our distinguished members who is a doctor as well, the senator from the 31st. Senator? [0:51:42] Second. [0:51:42] Oh, well, okay. [0:51:43] Whatever. Good morning, colleagues. [0:51:48] Good morning. [0:51:48] I want to introduce you to an old friend of mine. Not as old as I am, but, uh, he's gonna look very familiar to some of you. This is Dr. Bobby Kaufman, and Dr. Kaufman has been coming here as the doctor of the day for 35 years. [0:52:08] Wow. [0:52:08] And we're so happy to have him. Um, Dr. Kaufman is a Georgia Bulldog. He went to ... He went to Morehouse for medical school and then did his internal medicine training at Emory, and he's been in practice here in the Atlanta area f- since 1989. So you may not know this, his father, Dr. James Kaufman, actually started the Doctor of the Day program many years ago, and we're so appreciative of the Kaufman family. [0:52:42] So with that, please welcome Dr. Bobby Kaufman. [0:52:50] 35 years, that sure makes me sound really old. I guess because I am. But, um, yeah, I did internal medicine for 35 years and, um, kind of on the downward slide, but still working a little. Um, it's an honor to be here, and it's an honor to be here in, uh, of my fa- legacy of my father, who was a very special friend to all the legislators back in the day. Um, and hopefully I've continued that legacy. I feel it's such an honor to be here, and in 35 years I finally got one of my, uh, family members to come. [0:53:21] This is my daughter, who's a grad school at Emory. So she came. She's going into public health, so I'm very proud of her. Um, but truly, you know, it's great having a physician here, but the most important person here is Julia, the nurse, hiding over in the corner. You gotta make sure you know Julia. She's much important than all of us. But again, it's an honor and a pleasure, and if I can do anything for anybody, please let me know, and thank you for allowing me to talk. [0:53:53] All right. Thank you, Doc. I appreciate you, man. I appreciate you. Good job. [0:53:57] So nice to meet you, too. Thank you [0:54:05] so [0:54:20] much. Congratulations. [0:54:38] Good to see you. Good to see you, Doc. Well, I appreciate it. Thank you very much. Uh, we- [0:54:47] Mm-hmm. All right, so you're ready for the pro tem thing? All right. [0:54:57] All right, the, uh, the next order of business, um, is going to be the seating of our pro tem, our new pro tem, and also majority leader. But before we do that, I would like to, uh, I'd like to recognize, uh, bec- there's a number of, uh, spouses in here of senate members and everything, but there's one special lady right behind me right here that I'd like to recognize, and that's, that's my wife. Jan, will you stand up real quick, Jan? My wife of 14 years. And ... [0:55:30] So thank [0:55:39] you. Mm-hmm. I can, I can remember the first time I told her I was gonna run for political office. She was eight months pregnant with our, with our son, Banks, now, and she thought I was out of my mind. And I said, "Well, yeah, I probably am." And, uh, but s- she said, uh, she said, "Well, if that's what you wanna do, that's what you do." And, and she's always been very supportive. She's always been the, the rock in our household. And, and, uh, and I just f- greatly appreciate all the support and, and love and, and help that she's given me through the years. [0:56:09] And, and, uh, we got, I think we got one more run left in us, though, Jan, don't you think? Yeah. Yeah, we got one more run here, so. But, uh, but anyways, but as y'all know, the- there's, you can't do this without supportive spouses. And, um, and so, and she's, she's been, she's been my rock there, and I'm so appreciative and love her so much for everything that she does. So I greatly appreciate you, and I appreciate that. And we've got another, another couple guys we want to introduce, and they've got some very strong women in their households as well. [0:56:42] So at this time, I'd like to recognize the senator from the 31st for the nomination. [0:56:53] Good morning, Mr. President, great to see you as always. Mr. President, I nominate the senator from the 20th, Larry Walker III, for president pro tem. [0:57:03] The majority leader has moved on the nomination of the senator from the 20th, office of the president pro tem. Is there a second? [0:57:15] Recognize the minority leader. I recognize the minority leader. Hey, Harold. How you doing, bud? I'm well. Haven't seen you in a day. Mr. President, I second the nomination of the senator from the 20th, Larry Walker III, for president pro tem. All right. Thank you, Senator. [0:57:33] Senator from the 31st, you're welcome to speak to your nomination. [0:57:43] I'll let you fix that. [0:57:49] Greg, break the mic. [0:57:57] I think we already broke the mic. Doing it? I think we already broke the microphone. These microphones need a little bit of adjusting since we're back in here. Good morning, colleagues. [0:58:14] In the heart of Georgia, where hard work and Southern values define us, stands a leader embodies the spirit of our great state. Senator Larry Walker III, born and raised in Perry, Georgia, is a third-generation Georgian, works in insurance, and a devoted family man to his wife, Adrienne. I know Adrienne's in the room, and let's give a round of applause to the First Lady of Houston County. [0:58:46] His run, his roots run deep in our soil, representing the resilience, the faith, and the community pride that makes Georgia shine. As a senator since 2015, Larry has championed bold reforms, leading the charge to ensure agricultural growth in our history, slashing red tape for small businesses, and ensuring families are equipped to be successful and grow our economy. He fought for rural communities like Blakely and Houston and Laurens and Pulaski Counties, ensuring their voices are heard here in Atlanta. [0:59:18] Larry Walker's the right leader at the right time, guiding Georgia through economic and growth and challenges with unwavering integrity. It is my honor to nominate him as president pro tem of this Georgia Senate. Thank you, Mr. President. [0:59:36] Recognize the minority leader to speak to the nomination, if he so chooses. You get, you wave? Okay. So now we have a, uh, a motion and a second. Motion by the majority leader, seconded by the minority leader. I recognize the senator from the 31st. Mr. President, I ask you now to consent that the nominations be closed and the secretary of the Senate be instructed to cast the vote for the entire body for Senator Larry Walker III of the 20th. [1:00:07] Is there objection? [1:00:10] Hearing none, nominations are closed. All ballots are c- are cast, and I hereby declare the senator from the 20th the duly elected president pro tem of the Georgia Senate. [1:00:39] At this time, I'd like to recognize, get the following members to serve as the committee of the escort to escort the president pro tem. Senator from the 15th, senator from the 31st, senator from the 22nd, if you'll go join the s- the pro tem in the back. [1:01:07] Recognize, uh, sergeant-at-arms. Mr. President, the Honorable Larry Walker, senator from the 20th district and newly elected president pro tem of the Georgia Senate awaits entrance to the chamber. [1:01:29] It is my, it is my pleasure. [1:02:51] Come on up, Larry. Is it on now? So the button's not working. There's a mess of little [1:03:06] ... There you go. It is, uh, my honor to, uh, introduce my good friend, Mr. Larry Walker. Not only has he been a fine senator for many, many years from Houston County, but he, he's just, he's been a good friend to each and every one of us here in this room. He, he and his wife Adrienne has just been, uh, the, the epitome of Southern hospitality. They're warm and loving and, and, uh, they've never met a stranger before. And I just, uh, really am glad and honored and proud of all the work that he has done in this body, and, uh, I know he will do this chamber well in representing each and every one of you. [1:03:42] So at this time, let's recognize our senator from the 20th as our new president pro tem, Larry Walker. [1:03:57] Thank you. Thank you. Wow, this is awesome. Thank you all so much. So I was seven years old, uh, when my father was elected to the House, and over the next 32 years, I spent a good bit of time here at the Capitol along with my mother Janice and our family. And I could never have imagined, uh, I would serve in this august body, the Senate, much less, uh, be the president pro tem. [1:04:30] So [1:04:34] I'm deeply humbled by the trust you place in me to serve as your president pro tem, and I, I'll try to live up to any expectations and, and do you proud. Um, I wanna thank my colleagues in the Republican caucus for nominating me, uh, by acclamation back in the summer. And I wanna thank my good friend, the minority leader and the minority caucus for your support. Uh, actually, when I was first elected, uh, the minority leader was my office suite mate, and, uh, we became fast friends and have remained friends. [1:05:14] So I, I appreciate that very, very much. Um, I stand to- here today as a product of Georgia values. I was reared in middle Georgia in Perry. I was born in the county and home of, uh, some mighty good leaders, uh, Senator Sam Nunn, Governor Perdue, uh, to name a few. And those folks modeled, uh, what I think it means to be servant leaders and to be true statesmen, and I hope I can, uh, learn from that and, and somewhat em- emulate them. [1:05:53] My heart and my roots are firmly planted in the soil of District 20, and I carry the values of my amazing communities that I represent across the state with me every day. Um, for me, the importance of community and public service was taught to us at our, at our house around the dinner table and instilled in me. And, um, my father, Larry Walker Jr., as I already said, spent 32 years serving in the House, and he served 16 of those years as majority leader. [1:06:33] And I learned a lot from him and, and, and realize the, the opportunity we have Uh, from our constituents putting us in this position, the opportunity we have to make a difference and, and to do good. And I think what we've done really good work in the 10 years that I've been here. I'm real proud of the work we've done. Um, but at the end of the day, it's really not about the bills we pass or the budgets we pass, although th- those are very important. [1:07:10] It's really about the friendships we build and the, and the relationships we make, and the, um, positive encouragement, as, as Daughter Tate said, that we can give to the, uh, people around us, our constituents, and the folks working here in this building. And I hope we will remember that, that we're given a really unique opportunity to, uh, have a positive influence on people's lives, and especially the young people, because we need to leave this place better than we found it and, and t- and be training up the next generation of leaders. [1:07:51] So I hope, hope we will do this. Um, my father taught me that, you know, while we sit on different sides of the aisle or come from different areas of the state or different perspectives, we're all bound by a common duty to leave Georgia better than we found it. He understood that leadership isn't about the title you hold, but the people you serve. And as I take this gavel, I hope to honor his legacy by bringing the same spirit of steady, principled leadership to this role. [1:08:26] In my decade of service in the Senate, I fought for a better Georgia, and I wanna use this platform that I now have to continue to do the same. As your president pro tem, my goal is to ensure that the Senate continues to lead, remains a place of deliberation, efficient procedure, and transparent government. I want us to debate vigorously, but to treat each other with courtesy and respect. [1:08:57] Now more than ever, it is important to remember that the people that sent us here and the work they expect us to do. We are heard- here to serve the people of Georgia, not political agendas or ambition. To my family, my high school sweetheart is here with me today, Adrienne, my wife of over 40 years. I'm so proud of her. Stand up, please, Adrienne. [1:09:38] She's been my rock and, and my encourager, and she also helps keep me centered and helps me keep this in perspective, and I appreciate and love her. Our three sons, Ben, Cody, and Wade, they've been unwavering in their support and understanding of the time away, uh, and I wouldn't be standing here without any of them. And then to my colleagues, I look forward to working, uh, with each and every one of you with civility and purpose. [1:10:09] Let us honor the traditions of the Senate while working toward a bright future for our state. I believe that Georgia is the greatest state in the nation to live, work, and raise a family, and I'm honored to join all of you in working to ensure that it stays this way. Thank you, and God bless the great state of Georgia. [1:10:36] Good job. Good job. [1:11:23] Thank you. [1:11:30] Good job. [1:11:30] Thank you. [1:11:30] I'm gonna go ahead and get us a picture real quick. [1:11:38] Thank you. [1:11:38] Congratulations. [1:11:44] I know, I don't either. Yeah, I know. I agree. I gotta figure out the, where, how to work that thing, you know, so. All right, what we got now? [1:11:52] All right, next up is gonna be the resolution to call the House to order here. Senator, Secretary, read the resolution. [1:11:57] What happened to my daughter? Is she supposed to be speaking down here? [1:12:00] No, sir, we, he's done. That was his closing [1:12:09] remarks. [1:12:09] So, where is she at? Do you not recognize him? [1:12:12] He's 12. [1:12:35] Oh. All right. That was very, very, very nice, and I appreciate the, the pro tem for his kind words, and he'll be a great leader. Next order of business will be the adoption of the resolution related to the convening of the Senate. Secretary, read the announcements. [1:12:52] Senate Resolution 557 by Walker of the 20th [1:12:58] and of Attarte of the 31st and Jones the 2nd of the 22nd. A resolution to notify the House of Representatives that the Senate has convened and for other purposes. Thank you, Mr. President. That completes the order. [1:13:12] Is there objection to the adoption of the resolution? Chair hears none and resolution is adopted. [1:13:24] Recognize the s- majority leader for a motion. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that SR 557 and all resolutions adopted today requiring transmittal be immediately transmitted to the House. Majority leader has moved for immediate transmit of SR 557. Is there objection? Objection is approved. [1:14:13] I also, while we're, while we're have a moment here, the senator from the 35th, he wasn't in here earlier when we recognized him, but let's give our new senator from Cobb County, Senator Howard from the 35th here, let's give him a big round of applause. [1:14:40] Senator and I had a nice long conversation right after he won a couple weeks ago, and I enjoyed, enjoyed our c- talks and learned a lot about him. I think he'd be a great member to this body. So, looking forward for him serving. Nice to have you here, Senator. Are there any unanimous consents? Does any senator wish to rise on a point of personal privilege? Senator from the 26th, our long- longest serving member of the General Assembly right here. [1:15:13] Tell you what, in the history of the General Assembly. [1:15:19] The man, the man from Macon, Georgia. I sat beside him for 10 years. He's got that look on his face. He's got business on his mind right now. [1:15:33] Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I come this morning to ask the lieutenant governor to take the chairman of the insurance committee and have the folks who run our health plan before the committee. They are doing things and making decisions that I disagree with. Let me tell you something. I played football. [1:16:04] It was good. I got education, but I'm one of the ones that end up with bad knees, three knee operations. I don't feel like laying on the table no more, unless I'm about to die. I went and asked the insurance company, you know, we got new technology now. I went to a orthopedic surgeon and they said I had bone on bone, which meant every time I made a step, it hurt. [1:16:46] There's new technology. They can inject the knee and what they inject with, it's almost like grease. It lubricates the knee where you're not getting the lubrication between the bones. They refused me, so I had to pay $1,000 for an injection to go in my knee. Now, if I had to have a knee replacement, that's about 65, $70,000. [1:17:22] And then you talking about two knees. [1:17:28] I do pretty good. I got a shot about four months ago. It's about time for me to get another. But I don't feel like laying on the table three hours to be cut on and then turn around and you got the rehab. I know about rehab because I had to do it when I wanted to play football with those knee operations. And so what I'm asking the insurance committee to do is to bring them in. [1:18:01] You will pay 75,000 for a knee replacement, but you won't give me $1,000 to get the injection in my knee so I don't hurt. I like hunting and I like fishing, but one thing about it, if you can't walk in the woods, how you gonna walk out? So I would ask the lieutenant governor to appoint a committee to deal with the folks who handle our insurance. [1:18:33] And the reason I said that, for 51 years, they got my money on time, not a missed payment. Now I need something from you because I'm old. Not a spring chicken anymore. Can't jump, can't run that fast. Take a, take a step one by one. But something is wrong when we have all this new technology and then you tell me I can't get an injection in my knee that'll make me walk without pain. [1:19:09] Thank you. Thank you, Senator. Any other senator wish to rise on a point of personal privilege? [1:19:18] Chair hearing none, are there any motions to withdraw and recommit? [1:19:26] Senator Dixon's gonna have the next motion. You have a consent calendar of local bills before you. [1:19:36] Chair recognizes the senator from the 45th. [1:19:41] For unanimous consent for the, all the bills on the Senate local consent calendar be recommitted to the Committee on State and Local Government. Senator has moved that all the bills pending be moved back to local, State and Local Government Operations. Is there objection? Hearing none, all bills appearing on today's Senate local consent calendar are recommended to the Committees on the State and Local Government Operations. [1:20:14] Recognize the senator from the 31st. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that all bills and resolutions that were placed on the table during the 2025 legislative session be taken from the table. The majority leader has moved. Is there objection? Without objection, all bills will be taken from the table. [1:20:48] Recognize the majority leader again for a motion. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bills and resolutions on the Senate calendar be committed to the committee from which they were last reported. Majority leader has moved for u- and asked for unanimous consent that the bills and resolutions on the Senate calendar be committed from w- the last committee from which they were reported. Is there objection? Hearing none, those are recommitted. [1:21:28] We're, uh, we're waiting on, uh, see if the House is going to be able to get the calendar over to us. But it, I was reminded, I was looking at my good friend Greg Bloomstein back there in the back, and my pastor was talking about the, the articles that were in Abraham Lincoln's b- uh, front pocket when, uh, when he died. And I got to thinking about that. I said, "I wonder if I'll have a reporter write a good article about me." And then I thought, well, Greg at some point in time in his career I'm sure will write a good one about me, right, Greg? [1:22:08] I love Greg. I'm just picking at him. Good to have Eric Johnson here, our l- one of our former members. Let's give Eric a big round of applause. [1:22:22] It's good to have you here, Eric. Looking good. [1:22:33] I recognize the senator from the 53rd. Good morning, Mr. President. Great to see you again. Um, I move under Senate Rule 7-1.10B to give notice that on the next legislative day I intend to move SB204 after House action. [1:23:02] Secretary, read the caption. Senate Bill 204, a bill to be in... A bill by Senator Jones of the tw- 2nd of the 22nd, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Code Section 17-7-70.1 of the OCGA relating to trial upon accusation of certain felony misdemeanor cases and trial upon plea upon guilty or nolo contendere and for other purposes. Mr. President, that completes the order. [1:23:28] Thank you, Senator. Your notice has been served. I do recognize, uh, one, another Senate, uh, Senate member's wife is in the chamber here today. We got V- Lindsay Strickland here today. Lindsay, give everybody a round of... Give everybody a wave here. [1:23:50] And I'm looking around. They're supposed to let me know when some of these special guests come in here, but, uh, we're learning, we're learning. [1:24:01] All right, we're now moving on with the Senate calendar. [1:24:16] All right, we're gonna stand at ease waiting on the House, which is a common thing for us around here, so we're gonna stand at ease [1:27:43] We also want to recognize, uh, young ladies back there in the back. The, uh, first lady from the fifty-third and the first lady from the sixteenth are here as well today. So I'm glad to have them. [1:57:41] Hello. All right, there it goes, guys. Had a little technical difficulties, uh, today. Anyway, we're gonna reconvene here in about five minutes. We received our information from the House, the resolutions, and so give us, uh... The secretary is just printing, printing them off and gonna put them on your desk. So we'll be back in literally about five minutes. Thank you. [2:03:18] All right, we're back. [2:03:22] The Senate will now reconvene. Senate will now reconvene. [2:03:29] Taking up House Resolution 996. Secretary, read the caption. [2:03:36] House Resolution 996 by Representative Effstration. A resolution to notify the governor that the General Assembly has convened for other purposes. Thank you, Mr. President. That completes the order. [2:03:52] Is there objection to the adoption of the resolution? Chair hears none. The adoption of the resolution is adopted. [2:04:02] Secretary, read House Resolution 997. [2:04:06] House Resolution 997 by Representative Effstration of the 104th. A resolution calling a joint session with the House of Representatives and the Senate for the purpose of hearing a message from the governor inviting the justices of the Supreme Court and the judges of the Court of Appeals to be present at the joint session and for other purposes. That completes the order, Mr. President. [2:04:24] Is there objection to the adoption of the resolution? Chair hears none. Resolution is adopted. [2:04:38] Now we will read, uh, Secretary read House Resolution 998. [2:04:43] House Resolution 998 by Representative Effstration of the 104th. A resolution relative to meetings and adjournments of the General Assembly and for other purposes. Thank you, Mr. President. That completes the order. [2:04:55] Majority Leader, would you like to speak to the resolution? [2:05:02] Please recognize Majority Leader to speak to the resolution. [2:05:10] Mr. President, House Resolution 998, first I wanna say thank you and, uh, thank you for being collaborative to the leader in the House. Mr. President, you and your team's work and Speaker Burns to provide, provide certainty not only to the staff and folks who work in this building, but to our constituents that we represent to provide transparency, um, so they can plan days to visit, come up here and advocate for the issues that are important to them, but also to, um, so they know what it is we are doing in this Capitol. [2:05:43] So I urge you to vote green on HR 998. Thank you, Mr. President. [2:05:55] Senator from the 26th, for what purpose do you rise? [2:06:05] I ha- I have a question for the gentleman that was in the whip. Let, let me ask you this. This is projected, so it could change if, if we have some problems or need to do some other things and have to change the days. It, isn't that correct? [2:06:24] It would take an action of both chambers, but yes, that's correct. [2:06:27] All right. [2:06:29] Thank you for the question. [2:06:32] Any other senator wish to rise to speak? Hearing none, we're gonna put this one on the board. The question is on the adoption of resolution. All those in favor of the resolution will vote yay, opposed nay. Secretary will unlock the machine. [2:07:02] Notification. [2:07:07] Mr. President, Senator Parkes. [2:07:10] Senator, senator from the 7th, for what purpose do you rise? [2:07:13] Parliamentary inquiry. [2:07:14] State your inquiry. [2:07:15] Is it not true that this calendar does not reflect the holidays of the Jewish and Muslim faith, including Eid and Passover? And is it not true that I am voting yes today for the good of the order, but moving forward we should have an inclusive calendar? [2:07:30] Senator passionate about what she speaks. [2:07:36] S- so we got... [2:07:46] And then this one, it was just... It's the same thing but for the state and the Senate. This is the one that tells the, go tell the governor we're here if the governor wanted it. And then this is the one that will go with the, with him to the state and the Senate and the Supreme Court. But we need to announce this vote first. [2:08:04] On the passage of the resolution, the ayes are 51 and the nays are zero. This resolution has passed. [2:08:20] At this time, I will appoint the following senators to the Committee of Notification to join with the similar committee from the House for the purposes of notifying the governor's office that the General Sena- General Assembly has convened. Like to rec- uh, appoint the senator from the 20th, the pro tem, the senator from the 15th, the dean of the Senate, senator from the 31st, the majority leader, senator from the 22nd, the minority leader, senator from the 49th, the floor leader, senator from the 50th, the floor leader. I would ask that the members of the committee meet in Secretary of Senate's o- office at the conclusion of session today. [2:08:59] We'd also at this time like, we'll appoint the following senators to the Committee of Es- Escort to join the similar committee from the House for the purpose of escorting His Excellency, the Governor, to the State of the State. Senator from the 20th, president pro tem, senator from the 31st, majority leader, senator from the 22nd, the minority leader, senator from the 15th, the dean of the Senate, senator from the 29th, the majority whip, senator from the 41st, minority whip, senator from the 49th, floor leader, senator from the 50th, floor leader, senator from the 46th, and the senator from the 47th. [2:09:34] Recognize the senator from the 20th. [2:09:38] Thank you, Mr. President. Just as a reminder, you have an invitation on your desk to the president pro tem lunch, and I hope to see each and every one of you there. Looking forward to it. [2:09:48] Thank you, Senator. All members are invited to the pro tem lunch, so hope to see each and every one of you there. Thank you for that reminder there, Senator. Recognize the majority leader for a motion. [2:10:00] Mr. President, I move that the Senate stand adjourned until 10:00 AM on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. [2:10:06] Majority leader has moved. [2:10:10] Secretary, read the announcements. [2:10:14] Mr. President, there are no announcements today. [2:10:16] Majority leader has moved that the Senate stand adjourned until tomorrow, 10:00 AM. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. [2:10:25] Aye. [2:10:25] All those opposed, no. [2:10:28] No. [2:10:28] The ayes clearly have it. Have a wonderful day.