Georgia CommonsSenate Rules Committee, January 29, 2026
2025-2026 Regular Session · 450 CAP · 8 min
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Summary
Written by an AI model (gpt-6.1-sol) from the transcript. It is not part of the record, and the video is what was said.
The committee heard brief presentations on cemetery protections in SB 146 and funeral director licensing in SB 239. It also revisited HB 117, which the chair described as a shrimp bill heard previously, and added SR 563 for consideration. The committee unanimously approved placing SB 239, HB 117 and SR 563 on Monday’s floor calendar. No vote or calendar decision on SB 146 was recorded.
Bills discussed (4)
Each account covers the stretch of the meeting it names. The bill's number is said in that stretch, unless it was the only bill on a committee's agenda.
SR 563. Georgia Secretary of State; request of the United States Department of Justice to securely produce Georgia's voter registration list; urge
From 0:03:14 · turns 2 to 40
The chair added SR 563 to the list of available measures, noting that it had just been on the floor. Later, the chair said it would return to the floor on Monday. No explanation of its provisions or substantive debate occurred. The committee unanimously approved placing it on Monday’s floor calendar together with two other measures.
SB 146. Health, Local Government, and Property; regulations and protections of cemeteries and burial grounds; provide
From 0:03:41 · turns 4 to 15
The presenter said SB 146 would provide additional protections for cemeteries where graves are being disturbed and give heirs access to maintain them. There were no substantive questions, and no vote or calendar decision was recorded.
SB 239. Funeral Directors and Establishments; funeral directors be licensed embalmers; remove the requirement
From 0:04:22 · turns 16 to 40
The presenter said SB 239 would separate funeral director and embalmer licensing so that funeral directors would no longer have to be licensed embalmers. The presenter said 26 other states already use this arrangement and that the change would help licensed funeral directors moving to Georgia obtain a license through recognition of their out-of-state credentials. No questions were asked. The vice chair later selected the bill for Monday’s floor calendar, and the committee unanimously approved it together with two other measures.
HB 117. Food service establishments; require notification of the country of origin of seafood items
From 0:05:05 · turns 22 to 40
The chair described HB 117 as the shrimp bill the committee had heard previously and invited questions for the vice chair. No questions were raised, and no further explanation of the bill’s provisions was given. The president pro tempore selected it as a gesture of goodwill toward the House. The committee unanimously approved placing it on Monday’s floor calendar together with two other measures.
Transcript
44 turns. Select a time to play that moment of the video.
- 0:02:59
Uh, Senator Albers, will you lead us in a word of prayer?
- 0:03:02
It'd be my honor, Mr. Chairman. Please bow your heads. Lord, thank you for today. Thank you for this great opportunity to serve you, and we ask you give us great wisdom and discernment throughout the, this meeting. For it's in your most holy name we pray, amen.
- 0:03:14
Thank you for that. And thank y'all for getting here quickly, especially the y'all, y'all that got here quickly. Um, all right, one late arriving addition to your yellow sheet, add SR five, uh... Was it 563?
- 0:03:31
563.
- 0:03:32
Yep, 563. So add f- the one that was just on the floor as is available. All right. Um, all right, so we got SB 146. Senator Williams, you wanna cover that real quick?
- 0:03:47
Yes, sir.
- 0:03:47
Briefly.
- 0:03:48
This, um, is the cemetery protection bill that I've been working on several years with Senator Hatchett. And, uh, this just lays out more protections to cemeteries where there are being, uh, disturbed graves, and also gives heirs, uh, accessibility to go maintain 'em and-
- 0:04:08
All right, any questions?
- 0:04:09
No questions.
- 0:04:11
Senator Rhett, you got a question?
- 0:04:13
Yes. Senator.
- 0:04:14
Why are you always trying to bury people?
- 0:04:17
That's what I do.
- 0:04:18
Don't answer that. Don't answer that.
- 0:04:20
All right.
- 0:04:21
All right, moving on. Uh, SB 239. My understanding, Senator Williams, you're gonna be carrying this.
- 0:04:27
Yes, sir. For Senator Walker.
- 0:04:29
Correct. Okay. Jack, you got it?
- 0:04:31
Yes, sir.
- 0:04:32
Okay. Go ahead.
- 0:04:33
All right, this, uh, splits the license like it used to be, so you don't have to be a licensed embalmer to be a funeral director. So that's what this is. This also will help couples moving into Georgia, because there's 26 other states that this now is in effect, so a couple or s- a person could move into Georgia that's a licensed funeral director in another state and could get licensed through reciprocity here in Georgia.
- 0:05:02
Okay, any questions? Hearing none. All right. HB 117, that's, uh, Representative Petrie's shrimp bill we heard from the other day. Does anybody have any questions on that that my vice chairman can answer?
- 0:05:16
Nothing.
- 0:05:17
Nope. Hearing none. All right, and then SR 563, we all know that one. It was just on the floor. And, um, so I am, I'm gonna go ahead and make that a, put that back on the floor. So that'll be on for Monday, so you can circle that. And let's do some picks. My president pro tem, you gonna get the first official pick-
- 0:05:43
Thank you, Mr. Chairman
- 0:05:44
... of 2026 Rules Committee.
- 0:05:47
I'm, I'm honored. I appreciate it, and as a-
- 0:05:50
2000 and 26 in the year of our Lord. Go ahead.
- 0:05:55
Thank you, Chairman. Uh, as a gesture of, of goodwill and friendship with our colleagues in the House, I'd like to pick House Bill 117.
- 0:06:05
Oh, the shrimp bill. All right. Guess what? You got our first ding-ding of the year. Congratulations. Would you like to use that pick now or wait?
- 0:06:18
Uh, I think I will, uh, hold that.
- 0:06:21
Okay. All right. Well, then I'm gonna go to my vice chairman and give you the next pick.
- 0:06:27
Okay. Um, we'll go with, uh, a Senate bill this time, um, Senate Bill 239.
- 0:06:37
All right.
- 0:06:37
Good pick.
- 0:06:39
Funeral home bill. Shocker. Okay, I think that's enough for Monday. We don't wanna overwork you guys. We'll just kinda ease into the session. Okay, what's the will of the committee?
- 0:06:54
Make a motion.
- 0:06:55
I got a motion to pass of SB 239, HB 117, and SR 563. Any further discussion? Oh, I got a second from Senator Rhett. Any further discussion? All right. All in favor say aye.
- 0:07:12
Aye.
- 0:07:12
All opposed say nay. Motion carries unanimous.
- 0:07:17
Good job.
- 0:07:18
Meeting adjourned.
- 0:07:19
Great, great job, Larry