Senate floor session, January 13, 2026 (legislative day 2)

Transcript

191 turns. Select a time to play that moment of the video.

1. 0:00:00

   Oh, yeah, I forget we have this.

2. 0:00:03

   Test, test. Is that good volume right about here? I like this vi- test.

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   The light can be extended.

4. 0:00:12

   Cooly. Good morning, good morning, good morning. The time for convening has arrived. The Senate will now come to order. I'll ask all unauthorized personnel to exit the chamber. I recognize the good senator from Coweta County.

5. 0:00:28

   Morning, Mr. President.

6. 0:20:57

   Good morning, colleagues. Today, I am proud to announce that we have our first pages of 2026- -in the year of our Lord. Out of Perry, Georgia, we have Presley Carruth. Also out of Perry, we have Shallow Thigpen. So y'all give our first pages of the year a big round of applause and a big Georgia Senate welcome.

7. 0:21:36

   Mr. President, the journal has been read and found to be correct.

8. 0:21:43

   All right. Thank you, Senator, and thank you pages back there. Glad to have you. Sounds like they're from Perry, Georgia, so that's a, that's a, that's some good middle Georgia representation right there. So is there objection to dispensing of the reading of the journal? Chair hears none. The reading of the journal is dispensed with. Is there objection to the confirmation of the journal? Chair hears none. The journal is confirmed. All senators who have bills and resolutions introduced, please bring them to the secretary's desk at this time. First reading and references to Senate bills and resolutions.

9. 0:22:14

   Secretary? Senate Bill 379 by Senators McLaurin of the 14th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend chapter 24 of title 33 of the official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to insurance generally so as to-

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    Health and Human Services.

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    Senate Bill 380 by Senators Lucas of the 26th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 7 of Chapter 4 of Title 49-

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    Health and Human Services.

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    Senate Bill 381 by Senators Kemp of the 38th and others, a bill to be entitled that an act to amend Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to the Quality Basic Education Act so as to provide for-

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    Education and Youth.

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    Senate Bill 382 by Senators Hufstetler of the 52nd and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 5 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to-

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    Finance.

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    Senate Bill 383 by Senators Kirkpatrick of the 32nd and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 15 of Title 19-

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    Children and Family.

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    Senate Bill 384 by Senators Hatchett of the 50th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 2 of Chapter 9 of-

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    Public Safety.

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    Senate Bill 385 by Senator Moore of the 53rd, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 1 of Title 28 of the Official-

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    Rules.

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    Senate Bill 386 by Senator Moore of the 53rd, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Title 28 of the Official-

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    Rules.

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    Senate Bill 387 by Senator Moore of the 53rd, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.

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    Finance.

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    Senate Bill 388 by Senate Moore of the 53rd, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 13 of Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.

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    State and Government, General.

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    Senate Resolution 558 by Senators Parent of the 44th and others, a resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution so as to provide that changes-

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    Reapportionment.

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    Senate Resolution 560 by Senator Moore of the 53rd, a resolution reaffirming the-

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    Interstate Cooperation.

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    Mr. President, that concludes the order.

34. 0:24:17

    It is now time for the morning roll call. Are there any motions to excuse?

35. 0:24:30

    Senator from the 2nd, would you mind excusing the senator from the 10th?

36. 0:24:37

    Recognize the senator from the 2nd.

37. 0:24:38

    Thank you, Mr. President. I ask for unanimous consent to excuse the senator from the 10th.

38. 0:24:42

    Without objection, the senator from the 2nd-

39. 0:24:44

    And the 33rd.

40. 0:24:45

    And the senator from the 33rd. Without objection, the senator from the 10th and 33rd are excused. Thank you, Senator.

41. 0:24:55

    Any other motions to excuse? All right. Secretary will call the roll. Senators, signify your presence by voting the yeas switch. Secretary will unlock the machine.

42. 0:25:27

    Senator from the 24th, do you want to be recognized?

43. 0:26:14

    43rd. 43rd.

44. 0:26:16

    26. I was trying to excuse 26.

45. 0:26:18

    We'll get them in a little bit.

46. 0:26:20

    Thank you.

47. 0:26:20

    Uh-huh. I couldn't get my mic working right now. We're still having, still having problems up here.

48. 0:26:27

    I know.

49. 0:26:37

    Thank you.

50. 0:26:37

    It is now time for the morning devotion. All senators, please take your seats and cease all conversation. I would ask that the door keepers secure the chamber at this time.

51. 0:26:54

    I'd like to recognize the newly elected pro tem from the 20th to introduce our pastor of the day and lead us in our Pledge of Allegiance. Senator?

52. 0:27:07

    Well, good morning. Happy legislative day two. Um, please join me in the pledge to our nation's flag. I pledge allegiance

53. 0:27:15

    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.

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    And now our state's flag.

55. 0:27:30

    I pledge allegiance to the Georgia flag and to the principles for which it stands: wisdom, justice, moderation, and courage.

56. 0:27:41

    Well, this is indeed a pleasure today. I have the, uh, pastor of the day, that is, uh, Reverend Tom Carruth. He is the, uh, pastor at Perry United Methodist Church, where I've attended since I was a child, and he not only is my pastor, but he is a very good friend, friend of mine. Uh, Reverend Carruth is, um, he's the senior pastor of Perry Methodist Church. He's a native of Dublin, Georgia. He's a graduate of Dublin High School, Duke University, and Emory University's Candler School of Theology.

57. 0:28:16

    Before entering seminary, he served as youth minister and pastored churches across Georgia, including Alpha Methodist in Bloomingdale and Byron Methodist before coming to Perry Methodist Church in 2021. Tom is married to his wife, Shelly. She's originally from Duluth. They have four children that attend We- the Westville School: Holland, a junior, Olivia, a freshman, Presley, a sixth grader who is, uh, serving as a page today for us, and Dax, who is in pre-K.

58. 0:28:50

    Presley's best friend, Shiloh, also from Perry, is serving as a page today with her. Um, Tom's hobbies include preaching sermons that probably should've been five minutes shorter, he says, playing rock music with friends, including my brothers and my sons, and eating the best pizza in his life at Ghost Runner's Pizza, who is, um, the proprietors there are my two sons, Wade and Cody. Um, Tom is just a outstanding guy.

59. 0:29:22

    He's very inspirational. Um, h- his sermons and his friendship and his ministry really mean a lot to the Walker family, and I'm just proud to have him here with us today. Thank you, Tom.

60. 0:29:37

    Thank you.

61. 0:29:38

    Good morning.

62. 0:29:41

    Good morning.

63. 0:29:43

    Uh, Mr. President, Mr. President Pro Tem. Uh, you know, Senator Larry Walker has never been president pro tem until I became his pastor.

64. 0:30:00

    Amen.

65. 0:30:02

    I don't know if there's a correlation there or not. I don't think there is, but it is of note, right? Um, I'm, uh, I'm so honored to be here. I'm nervous. Uh, but tomorrow, I have to guest lecture for my daughter's ninth grade class about religion at her school. I'm way more nervous about tomorrow, so I'm, I'm actually glad to be a little less nervous today. It's only day two, which means a few things are true I would expect for y'all.

66. 0:30:32

    Some of you especially, I think there's a couple serving for the first time. You might feel a little bit like I do, going, "I can't believe I'm here." You know, I already took a selfie a minute ago just to kind of prove it was real. You've probably taken a picture of your name on your desk and texted it to some friends or family saying, "I can't believe this is real." Maybe others of you remember that time. Uh, for others of you, it's not your first rodeo, right? You know where to park.

67. 0:31:03

    You know which meetings really start on time and which ones, um, aspire to. You already have a strong opinion about the coffee. You know that by day two, the excitement is going to start to wear off and it's going to give way to something called work. Scripture, it turns out, has something to say to both the first timers and the old hats. In the letter of James, uh, it says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault." That's a great promise.

68. 0:31:44

    If you lack wisdom, ask God who gives generously to all. No, no fault. Like, no problem. And he doesn't say if you lack intelligence. He doesn't say if you lack experience. He definitely doesn't say if you lack confidence. James says if you lack wisdom because wisdom is different. Wisdom is what helps those who are new hold on to the awe of this moment without being overwhelmed by it, and wisdom is what helps those who have been here a while keep this work from becoming old hat.

69. 0:32:25

    Familiarity is a gift. I, I've been here one time before several years ago at the invitation of Senator Walker. I was glad I knew where the parking place was today because there was so much traffic and I came in on two wheels. You know, fa- familiarity... I was grateful for that familiarity, but as you may know, familiarity breed... Actually, the, the phrase is, "Familiarity breeds unfamiliarity, and unfamiliarity breeds contempt." What once felt weighty, weighty can begin to feel routine.

70. 0:33:02

    What once felt sacred can feel procedural. So wisdom is what restores gravity to work we've done many times before. Recently, I heard someone say, you know, speaking about American government, and I know we're all grateful for our country and for grateful for the principles of our state. Said, "You know, it's not Congress or the Senate or the courts that keep democracy functioning the way it should be.

71. 0:33:34

    It's not the Senate. It's not the House. It's not the courts. It's senators. It's representatives. It's members of the court. It's judges operating with integrity, acting from principle, acting from character." That really spoke to me. It's not the system. It's not the rules. It's you. You called to this moment. People showing up. People exercising restraint.

72. 0:34:06

    People s- choosing justice over convenience. People working together even when agreement is hard. Every one of you, regardless of party or tenure or title, brings something irreplaceable to this room today and every day. Your conscience, your moral compass, your willingness to listen, your ability to say, "I might be wrong." One time I preached a sermon and somebody came up to me afterwards and said, uh, "Pastor, I would agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong." That's good, isn't it?

73. 0:34:54

    Do we have the ability to say, "Hey, I, I might be wrong," or, "Hey, let's slow this down," or, "We can do better"? That's why James' invitation means so much. Wisdom is not certainty. It's not having all the answers. Wisdom often begins by the weight of a decision saying, "I need help with this." When I was in seminary at Candler, uh, living in Atlanta, uh, I happened to be, uh, in recovery from alcoholism myself.

74. 0:35:27

    Uh, I, I, I wasn't supposed to be here. You know what I'm saying? I can't believe my life is, is, is the way it is today. So I, I, I'm a member of a 12-step fellowship which we don't talk about. Uh, it chooses to remain anonymous. But I was meeting at Atlanta Diner right up the road with my AA sponsor and we were working the 12 steps and I had several years in recovery and I'm in seminary, but I was frustrated because I had a problem and I felt like it's either gonna be this or it's gonna be this and I don't li- I, ah, what am I gonna do?

75. 0:36:02

    I'm, I'm, I'm, I, I, rock and a hard placed. I, I, I, I, neither... I don't like either of these choices. And he said, "Tom, you know, you got what you call a sucker's choice." And I said, "What's that?" And he says, "Well, any time that you think it's gotta be A or it's gotta be B and both... y- and you don't like either one, that's a sucker's choice because both choices suck." Forgive me for saying that in the chamber.

76. 0:36:39

    He said, "Any time that you run up against a sucker's choice," he said, "I believe that God's will is almost always something other than I have already thought of. It's usually not A or B. It's usually like P or L."

77. 0:37:01

    Wisdom is saying, "Wait a second. Maybe it's not A or B. Wait." Let's ask God, let's ask wisdom, let's ask spirit, let's listen for something speaking to the deeper things.

78. 0:37:19

    Today, early in the session, I prayed that first day excitement would not fade into cynicism, that long experience would never harden into indifference. Come on, right? Let's believe in something. May wisdom guide not just what you decide, but how you decide, how you speak, how you listen, how you treat one another. 'Cause long after laws are passed, it's the character of the people in this room that will be remembered as what kept things moving in a good and orderly direction.

79. 0:37:53

    Amen. Would you pray with me? Oh, yeah. I'm gonna stand up.

80. 0:38:04

    I got to do a funeral this week at Perry Methodist Church, where I serve, and I was honored to get to meet again s- Senator Sam Nunn. We were having the funeral for his former law partner, Jim Geiger. And afterwards, someone said, "You know, people come up to me and say, 'Wow.'" It was s- Sam's cousin, George. "People come up to me and said, 'Man, we need more people like that. He- I'm so proud of him. He, he stands on principle.'" You know, and George said that he would, he would reply, "Well, that's great and all, but you shouldn't stand out.

81. 0:38:47

    That shouldn't be remarkable that a senator would be that way." Shouldn't we all be that way? Amen.

82. 0:38:56

    Amen.

83. 0:38:56

    Gracious God, give wisdom to each person in this chamber, wisdom equal to the weight of their responsibility, wisdom to seek justice, to practice restraint, to work together with humility and respect. Guard their consciences, strengthen their character, and remind them that their decisions matter deeply to real people across this state. May their service be guided by what is right and not merely by what is easy.

84. 0:39:29

    Amen.

85. 0:39:30

    Amen. Thank you. Thank you. Good job. Appreciate it.

86. 0:42:10

    So he still gets three. So he still gets three.

87. 0:42:13

    I thought it was five.

88. 0:42:14

    No, three.

89. 0:42:16

    Dude, I gotta, I gotta-

90. 0:48:31

    Recognize the senator from the 43rd. For what purpose do you rise?

91. 0:48:37

    Thank you, Mr. President. I rise to ask for unanimous consent to excuse the senator from the 26th.

92. 0:48:44

    Without objection, senator from the 26th is excused.

93. 0:48:48

    Thank you.

94. 0:48:49

    Thank you.

95. 0:50:01

    If I could have everyone's attention, please. We have a very, very special resolution that we would like to present. And, uh, and to any of you who may or, or may not appreciate your admin, you ought to be in here to show your appreciation, 'cause we're about to recognize the, uh, the best of the best right here. So, um, secretary, read the resolution.

96. 0:50:27

    Senate Resolution 561 by Senators Brass of the 6th and others. A resolution recognizing and commending Cartrelia Denise Sampson on her outstanding service as a legislative assistant serving many senators over the years with the Georgia Senate and now as a director of constituent services with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor and for other purposes. Whereas since 1996, Cartrelia Denise Sampson, fondly known as Denise by all those who know and love her, has served in the Senate as a legislative assistant. Whereas since January 2023, she has been the director of constituent services for the Lieutenant Governor of Georgia.

97. 0:51:01

    And whereas she has diligently and conscientiously devoted innumerable hours of her time, talents, and energy toward the betterment of her community and state as evidenced dramatically by her 30 years of superlative service as a legislative assistant. And whereas Denise has served with honors and distinction with the Georgia Senate and her vision and unyielding commitment to the State of Georgia have set the standard for public service. And now, therefore, be it resolved by the Senate that the members of this body recognize and commend Cartrelia Denise Sampson for her efficient, effective, unselfish, and dedicated public service to the State of Georgia and extend the most sincere best wishes for her continued health and happiness.

98. 0:51:41

    Mr. President, that completes the order.

99. 0:51:43

    Is there objection to the adoption of resolution? Chair hears none. The resolution is adopted. Before I, I introduce my, uh, old roommate, um- who also, uh, had the opportunity to have Denise as his admin. I wanted to say a few words. Uh, Den- uh, Denise Sampson has, uh, been by my side ever since I got elected, uh, back in 2013, uh, which is now in our 14th year, and I will tell you, she's is the absolute best. Uh, I knew she was good 'cause when I first got here, I had to, I had, uh, my suitemate was a guy named Jason Carter, and, uh, I knew Jason was gonna have the best of the best.

100. 0:52:23

     And, uh, and so, uh, when he left and went and ran, ran for governor, I told Denise, I was like, "I wanna keep, I want, I want you to stay with me." And she said, "Well, they've offered me more money to go with the, the, the, the other party." And I said, "I don't care what they offer. I'll match it," you know? So, but, uh, at any rate, Denise is always in a great mood. Those of you who know her well, uh, know that she's never had a bad day. Uh, she is a very, she's very good at what she does. She's very professional at what she does.

101. 0:52:55

     And any time, any and every year, we always have, doesn't matter, the n- new, the new admins that get hired or the interns that come and work for us for a season, they always find their way to Denise's office because they feel, they feel wanted, they feel loved, and they feel appreciated. And she a- absolutely is the example, uh, that I give everyone o- of what we need to strive through as far as adminis- a- a- administrative service individuals. So, uh, I love her like family.

102. 0:53:28

     I know, um, uh, senator from the sixth feels the same way I do, and every senator who has had the opportunity to have her before we ha- were fortunate enough to have her obviously feels that way, too. 30 years is a long time in this body. Uh, she doesn't look like she... She looks 30 now, but, uh, so, uh, it's amazing that she still looks as young as she does having been around, having to deal with a bunch of senators all the time. But, uh, she's a wonderful, wonderful lady, and, uh, I would like, I'm, I'm glad we could recognize her today.

103. 0:53:58

     But I'll recognize the actual person who brought the, brought the resolution, the senator from the sixth.

104. 0:54:06

     Thank you, Mr. President. It does give me great honor to honor our friend, and I'll call her family member, Denise Sampson. And there's one part of the, uh, the resolution I do wanna highlight, and it, and it says, "Denise's significant organizational and leadership talents, remarkable patience and diplomacy, keen sense of vision, and sensitivity to the needs of the citizens of this state." And I was, uh, I had just finished up my freshman session, uh, this was back in 2017, and my admin was leaving.

105. 0:54:44

     She had, uh, she had actually gone, got a great job and with a great company and, and was leaving and, um, I say that to say she wasn't leaving 'cause I was, I serve, she served me for a year, but, um, or at least that's what I tell myself. But I got a call from, uh, our lieutenant governor, who was, uh, losing his suitemate over there at CLOB, and, and he asked me to come join him. And, and, you know, I was a little hesitant at first because I was thinking, "All right, here I've known this guy since college.

106. 0:55:20

     You know, I don't know if being up here, being with a friend, we might get in a little trouble. Uh, this may not be a good idea." But, but then when I looked and I knew his admin was the best of the best, and it really Denise is, is, was the real reason that, that I joined. No offense there, Mr. President. Uh, but she was the real reason that I wanted to be a part of that office. And, and I was right. My instincts were right. We did go on and, and get in a little trouble together.

107. 0:55:52

     Uh, but, but Denise stood by our side through thick and thin. She always has. We truly became a family in that office. Uh, even got to play chess with her, her grandson. Uh, I think he beat me in less than a minute and a half, um, and it would've been shorter had I not delayed some of my moves. Uh, but, uh, she's just been a dear friend and just someone that, that really I look up to. I know the, the, the president of the Senate looks up to her as well, 'cause she's, she just truly cares about people.

108. 0:56:25

     She cares about helping citizens of Georgia. She cares about helping us. And I think about, like Nick Saban and his, his coaching tree, and you see the, you see the people that, that were under his tutelage, and they've gone on to do great things. And you look at the interns, uh, that Denise has trained, and you look at the, you look at her tree, and you look at where they are in the state, and there's just, there's just great people doing great things that learned under such a great person in Denise.

109. 0:56:58

     So, um, without further ado, Denise, thank you so much for all you've done for us, uh, as individuals. Thank you for all you've done for the citizens of this great state over three decades of service. Uh, so Denise, I know, you know, you're very sh- short of words, but I'd love for you to address the Senate.

110. 0:57:21

     All right.

111. 0:57:28

     Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

112. 0:57:39

     Oh. Ah. Thank you. Thank you all so much. Thank you. Um, thank you, Lieutenant Governor. Oh, I was so young when I started here. Uh, thank you all so, so very much for this recognition. I, I should not be nervous, but I am quite nervous. Uh, but this is my family. Um- Lieutenant Governor, I have, we did have a fun office. Uh, we stayed in the office for 10 full years in the office.

113. 0:58:10

     So, um, thank you, Lieutenant Governor, for this great recognition. Thank you for this amazing team that we have. Um, I feel like I have team members, colleagues that are not just colleagues, but they are real friends. And, um, um, we have a, a great synergy together. Um, but I appreciate it so much. I feel like it is a blessing and it is an honor for me to call the Senate my family.

114. 0:58:41

     Uh, this is my home. Um, I guess that's why I stayed for 30 years. And, um, but it's been a magnificent ride as it continues to be a magnificent ride. So thank you all so very much. Um, it means a lot. Thank you.

115. 0:58:59

     All right. Good job.

116. 0:59:06

     Good job. Good job. Good job.

117. 0:59:09

     Thank

118. 0:59:43

     you.

119. 0:59:43

     Just to make it clear, that wasn't a retirement speech 'cause she, I told her she's got four more years with me, so just at least. So,

120. 1:02:04

     It is always, uh, nice to have our doctors of the day and, and recognize them for their hard work and their time that they volunteer for us. And once again, I'll recognize the senator from the 6th to introduce our doctor of the day.

121. 1:02:24

     Thank you, Mr. President. It gives me great honor to introduce Dr. Tesfaye Telele. Uh, he's a US-based interventional cardiologist. He's actually based right in, uh, Newnan, Georgia at Piedmont Newnan, serving with, uh, my sister and my, and my wife. Uh, he comes from Ethiopia, and he was born and raised in humble circumstances on the outskirts of Ethiopia. Dr. Telele developed an early commitment to service and a clear calling to medicine.

122. 1:02:58

     Guided by this purpose, he pursued medical education at the University of Ethiopia, graduating in 2008 as class valedictorian. He's been an assistant professor of medicine at Addis Adaba- Ababa University before relocating to the United States in 2010 to pursue advanced training in cardiology. Over 14 years of medical training, Dr. Telele earned multiple honors, including Best Resident Teacher of the Year and Excellence in Teaching Award.

123. 1:03:32

     Dr. Telele holds board certifications in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, interventional cardiology, nuclear cardiology, and adult echocardiography. He's committed his service beyond traditional practice. He has volunteered for the past five years at the Healing Bridge Clinic in Georgia, providing free cardiovascular care to uninsured and underserved populations. And despite his professional success in the United States, Dr.

124. 1:04:04

     Telele was, has profoundly affected by the disparity in the cardiov- cardiovascular outcomes between high and low resource settings, and where led him and his wife to found the Heart Attack Ethiopia, which is a, uh... Together, they lead this mission to build sustainable and comprehensive cardiovascular care in Ethiopia, which I've had the pleasure of working with him a little bit on, on helping get his, uh, supplies and, and people over to Ethiopia.

125. 1:04:40

     Um, to date, these efforts have resulted in over 400 life-saving cardiac procedures, transforming access to care and strengthening local capacity. He's a devoted husband and father of four young children, and he balances family clinical excellence and global service with a deep sense of purpose. With that, I give our doctor of the day to you, Dr. Telele, a great man.

126. 1:05:06

     All right. You wanna say a few words?

127. 1:05:09

     Thank you.

128. 1:05:11

     Good morning, uh, Mr. President, members of the Senate. Thank you for welcoming me today. It's truly an honor to be invited to be the doctor of the day for the 2026 Georgia legislative sessions. Uh, I stand before you today, uh, not only as a successful interventional cardiologist in Georgia who has over hundreds of meaningful encounters with patients when they have heart attacks, including one from this morning at 2:00 AM, but also as someone who is deeply, uh, dedicated to improving access to cardiovascular services for the people of Ethiopia and bigger Africa.

129. 1:06:08

     Um, what we do in medicine, uh, with service, access, and compassion Has an impact that, ah, transcends far beyond any local community or any country. I stand before you as someone who is born and raised in Ethiopia, in rural Ethiopia with poor access to electricity and running water.

130. 1:06:38

     And after I moved here, I successfully managed to train as an interventional cardiologist, and this dream was made possible because of the service that you provide. Thank you so much on behalf of the people of Georgia, the physicians in Georgia, and the community that we support in Ethiopia. I would like to express my deepest gratitude for your service and I wish you a productive legislative session.

131. 1:07:08

     Thank you.

132. 1:07:09

     All right. Good job. Good job.

133. 1:07:38

     Recognize the minority leader for a motion.

134. 1:07:46

     Mr. President, ask unanimous consent to remove my name as primary author of SB 204, and pursuant to a prior agreement, senator from the 53rd will become the primary author.

135. 1:07:58

     The senator has moved for, uh, that we, you- and you'd like to ask for unanimous consent to remove his name from, as the primary author on SB 204, and have the author now be senator from the 53rd. Is there objection? Secretary, read the caption.

136. 1:08:17

     Senate Bill 204 by Senator Jones of the 22nd. A bill to be entitled an act to amend code section 17-7-70 of the official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to trial upon accusations in certain felony and misdemeanor cases and trial upon plea of guilty or nolo contendere, so as to allow for offenses that are not serious violent, uh, felonies, sexual felonies or, uh, or other certain offenses to be charged by accusation of the district attorney. To provide for definitions, to provide for conditions, to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes.

137. 1:08:50

     Mr. President, that completes the order.

138. 1:08:54

     Is there objection? Without objection, motion granted.

139. 1:09:05

     Would anyone like to rise on a point of personal privilege?

140. 1:09:19

     You have before you a consent calendar privilege res- res- resolutions. Does any senator wish to remove a resolution from the consent calendar? Is there objection to adoption of the resolution on the consent calendar? Chair hears none. The resolution on the consent calendar is adopted.

141. 1:09:38

     Senator Dixon, withdraw us.

142. 1:09:42

     Recognize the senator from the 45th.

143. 1:09:45

     Thank you, Mr. President. I ask for unanimous consent that SB 106 be withdrawn from the Committee of State and Local Government Operations and be committed to the Committee on State and Local Government Op- Ugh, can't speak. Government Operations General.

144. 1:10:01

     Secretary, read the caption.

145. 1:10:04

     Senate Bill 106 by James, Secretary, Senator James of the 28th. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 1 of Chapter 7 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to landlord and tenant in general, so as to repeal code section 447-19 relating to restrictions on rent regulation by local governments. To provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes. Mr. President, that completes the order.

146. 1:10:32

     Is there objection to the senator's unanimous consent? Hearing none, Senate, Senator, SB 106 will, uh, will be removed from State and Local Government and put into State and Local Government General.

147. 1:10:52

     Uh, that's all we have for today except for the special

148. 1:10:58

     And he is not at his chair right now.

149. 1:11:00

     Senator Moore is not here.

150. 1:11:01

     Oh, there he is. I see him.

151. 1:11:03

     Senator, Senator Moore.

152. 1:11:09

     Recognize the senator from the 53rd for a motion.

153. 1:11:16

     Thank you, Mr. President. I move that this Senate agree to the House substitute on Senate Bill 204.

154. 1:11:28

     Senator's moved that the Senate agree to the House substitute on Senate Bill 204. Secretary, read the caption.

155. 1:11:39

     Senate Bill 204 by Senator Jones of the 22nd.

156. 1:11:43

     Senator Moore of the 53rd.

157. 1:11:44

     Senator Moore of the 53rd. A bill to be entitled an act to amend code section 17-7-70 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to trial upon accusations in certain felony and misdemeanor cases and trial upon plea of guilty or nolo contendere.

158. 1:12:00

     And for other purposes.

159. 1:12:01

     And for other purposes.

160. 1:12:01

     Mr. President, the House offers the following substitute to Senate Bill 204. Read the caption.

161. 1:12:06

     Mr. President, the House offers the following substitute to Senate Bill 204 Bill to be entitled an act to amend Title 16 and 17 of Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to crimes and offenses and criminal procedure respectively, so as to revise certain criminal provisions relating to the authorization of certain public officers and public entities, to revise standards for bringing an action against the government for an unauthorized act re- relating to regulation of weapons, to provide for definitions, to allow for offenses that are not serious violent felonies, sexual felonies, or other certain offenses

162. 1:12:39

     And for other purposes

163. 1:12:40

     And for other purposes

164. 1:12:41

     And that concludes, sir

165. 1:12:41

     And that conclu- and that concludes your Mr. President

166. 1:12:42

     Recognize senator from the 53rd to speak to the motion

167. 1:13:01

     Representatives that, uh, there are a lot of deceivers over there. And they have deceived a great piece of legislation, a piece of legislation that this Senate passed out as Senate Bill 163, which was the most pro-gun piece of legislation that I've seen passed out since I've been a member of the Senate. And I remind you of that piece of legislation. It makes all Georgians, regardless of whether you're from a rural area like my home county of Dade County or whether you're from DeKalb County, you can travel the state freely knowing that you're not gonna be a victim of a crime and then be made a criminal, as we've seen in Savannah, Georgia.

168. 1:13:43

     So what did the House do? They took a great piece of legislation from the Senate and they gutted it, and then they gutted a Democrat's bill, and they put my legislation in with Senate Bill 204. But luckily, the min- Minority Leader and I have agreed to switch over who is the primary author so the Democrats don't have to take responsibility for this great piece of pro-gun legislation. It is now Senate Bill 204. Now, let me remind you again what this piece of legislation does.

169. 1:14:14

     Right now, there are 41 Georgians in Savannah who were victims of a crime who are now been made criminals because some municipality like Savannah has passed gun legislation that is more stringent than what this general assembly has already passed. You see, we are the supreme law-making authority in this state, not some liberal municipality.

170. 1:14:45

     We already understand that we have preemptive powers as a legislature, and what this legislation does is it gives those preemptive powers to the citizenry so any citizen can sue a place like Savannah for violating their gun rights at a tune of $25,000 per occurrence. That puts teeth into it and they don't have to depend on some bureaucracy like our attorney general to take care of their rights.

171. 1:15:15

     We're putting freedom back into the hands of the citizenry. I ask for your favorable consideration on this legislation, and it will be the most pro-gun piece of legislation that this Senate has passed since I've been here. Thank you, Mr. President. I'll yield the well.

172. 1:15:32

     Senator has yield. Senator from the 14th, for what purpose do you rise? Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. President. State your inquiry. I don't know. Th- this just seems like kind of an exhausting conversation. I know we have a lot of afternoon plans. Is there any reason that the chair is aware of why we couldn't do this tomorrow?

173. 1:15:50

     Senator is very inquisitive.

174. 1:15:56

     And we appreciate all your feedback too, Senator. Recognize the senator from the 2nd.

175. 1:16:15

     Well, thank you, Mr. President. I didn't intend to be in the well this early in this legislative session, but I wanna be clear about a couple things. The city of Savannah supports the Second Amendment. I support the Second Amendment. And as a gun owner, I wanna be clear about what the ordinance does and what it does not do. This ordinance that the city of Savannah has passed regulates the car and not the gun, and this has reduced gun theft by over 30% in one year in the city of Savannah alone. The city overwhelmingly supports the Second Amendment, but they also believe that public safety is at risk when guns are stolen from unlocked cars.

176. 1:16:48

     And if someone is going to carry their firearm with them and they're gonna use it for protection, uh, a gun in your car cannot protect you from someone breaking into your house. And so if they're breaking into your home and you gotta then get out of your house to get to your car to then get said firearm to protect yourself, then you've already lost. And so it is important that we understand the impact of this ordinance. Again, it is not regulating the gun, it's not regulating the gun owner, it is regulating the car, saying that you cannot leave an unlocked, loaded firearm in a vehicle.

177. 1:17:21

     The same way you would not want a police officer to leave their police unit unlocked with, uh, firearms in the car, the same way we would like gun owners, gun owners to be responsible to not leave them in their vehicles unlocked as well so that they could fall into the wrong hands very easy. And you don't know when someone is going to become a criminal or not until they become a criminal, until they cross that line. There's no, uh, predetermination of who's going to do what. So with that, I would ask for my colleagues to vote no on this legislation. Uh, and let's take it about the right way and do it in the right way.

178. 1:17:52

     With that, Mr. President, I yield the well.

179. 1:17:54

     Senator has yielded. Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Chair hears none.

180. 1:18:06

     We will now vote on the motion. All those in favor of the senator from the 53rd's motions will vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine

181. 1:19:21

     On the motion to agree to house substitute, the yeas are 32 and the nays are 21, and the motion prevails.

182. 1:19:30

     Senator from the 53rd, for what purpose do you rise?

183. 1:19:33

     Thank you, Mr. President. I ask for unanimous consent to immediately transfer Senate Bill 204 to the governor.

184. 1:19:40

     Is there objection? Objection.

185. 1:19:46

     Well, we'll put it on the board. How about that? All those in favor of the motion vote yea. All those opposed, nay. And we'll wait on the secretary to unlock the machine.

186. 1:21:04

     On the motion to immediately transmit to the governor's office, yeas are 31, the nays are 21, and this motion prevails. Fails. It fails. Fails, I'm sorry.

187. 1:21:16

     All right, what we got now? Major- got a majority leader? Recognize the majority leader.

188. 1:21:28

     Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Senate stand adjourned till 10:30 AM, Wednesday, January 14th.

189. 1:21:35

     Secretary, read the announcements.

190. 1:21:41

     The ethics committee in room 307 at 2:00 PM is canceled. Bas- thank you, Mr. President. That concludes the order.

191. 1:21:49

     The majority leader has moved that the Senate stand adjourned until Wednesday 10:30 AM, January 14th. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed, no. No. Ayes clearly have it. We're adjourned. Have a good day.