Georgia CommonsSenate Rules Committee, February 4, 2026
2025-2026 Regular Session · 450 CAP · 23 min
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.
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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 six bills covering cemetery protection, licensing, vehicle registration, unclaimed property, dry needling and election oversight. Members unanimously approved sending SB 239, SB 403 and HB 414 to the Senate floor. The transcript shows no calendar action on the other three bills.
Bills discussed (6)
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.
SB 146. Health, Local Government, and Property; regulations and protections of cemeteries and burial grounds; provide
From 0:14:21 · turns 4 to 5
The sponsor said SB 146 concerns protecting cemeteries and burial grounds. No further explanation, questions or calendar action on the bill appears in the transcript.
SB 239. Funeral Directors and Establishments; funeral directors be licensed embalmers; remove the requirement
From 0:14:40 · turns 5 to 40
The sponsor described SB 239 as splitting a license, using an analogy about allowing a family practitioner rather than requiring a surgeon. The chair said the bill had previously reached the floor but was pulled back for an amendment the day before. The amendment's contents were not explained. Later, a committee member requested the bill for the floor calendar, and the committee unanimously approved sending it to the floor along with two other bills.
SB 384. Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation for certain motor vehicles; provide
From 0:15:01 · turns 8 to 10
The sponsor said SB 384 would give Georgians the option to buy a five-year vehicle tag instead of renewing every year. No members asked questions, and the transcript shows no calendar action on the bill.
SB 403. Unclaimed Property; property is presumed abandoned; provide for exceptions
From 0:15:22 · turns 10 to 40
The sponsor described SB 403 as a Department of Revenue agency bill intended to return unclaimed money to Georgians faster, with fewer forms, lower costs and fewer administrative barriers. The sponsor said $3.3 billion in people's unclaimed money was being held in the general fund. No members asked questions. Later, a committee member requested the bill for the floor calendar, and the committee unanimously approved sending it to the floor along with two other bills.
SB 411. Professions and Businesses; dry needling to be performed by certain licensed professionals; provide
From 0:16:04 · turns 12 to 16
The sponsor said SB 411 addresses dry needling in relation to acupuncture and its use by physical and occupational therapists. The sponsor described several months of work with the organizations involved, including hearings between legislative sessions, and said the groups had reached agreement. No members asked substantive questions, and the transcript shows no calendar action on the bill.
HB 414. Elections; "person" to include certain nonresidents; revise definition
From 0:16:41 · turns 16 to 40
The sponsor presented a substitute to HB 414, saying it would allow election oversight to reach out-of-state participants in Georgia elections. The sponsor said those participants would face the same registration, filing and disclosure requirements as in-state participants. According to the sponsor, the Ethics Commission currently cannot investigate outside Georgia to determine whether someone is violating the state's election rules. The sponsor said the substitute would enable those investigations without expanding the commission's scope or power. No members asked substantive questions. Later, a committee member requested the bill for the floor calendar, and the committee unanimously approved sending it to the floor along with two other bills.
Transcript
41 turns. Select a time to play that moment of the video.
- 0:13:40
Rules Calendar Committee on Wednesday, February 4th, 2026, in the year of our Lord. Doc Rhett-
- 0:13:52
Thank you, Mr. Chairman
- 0:13:52
... won't you lead us in a word of prayer?
- 0:13:54
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Oh, Lord, we thank you for this day of liquid sunshine, an opportunity for us to come forth and do the people's work. Guide us, lead us, protect us, show us the way. We ask this through Christ the Lord. Amen.
- 0:14:10
Thank you, Senator. All right. You'll see on your rules consideration calendar, the yellow sheet, you'll notice six bills. So first up, Senate Bill 146. Senator Williams, in fact, I believe you got two, so go ahead and cover 146 and 239. Um, you can be brief since you've already gone over both.
- 0:14:35
146 has to do with protection of cemeteries and, uh, burial grounds. Senate Bill 239 actually splits a license so you don't have to be a surgeon. You can be a family practitioner.
- 0:14:49
And as a reminder, 239 was already on the floor. We pulled it off to do the amendment yesterday. Standing.
- 0:14:55
Thank you.
- 0:14:57
All right. Uh, Senator Hatchett, 384. Senate Bill 384.
- 0:15:04
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. What this bill does is it gives Georgians the option of buying a five-year tag for their motor vehicle instead of having to renew their tag every single year.
- 0:15:16
Okay. Any questions? Pretty cut and dry. Good bill. All right. Senate Bill 403, Senator Kirkpatrick.
- 0:15:28
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Senate Bill 403 is a Department of Revenue Agency bill. And the goal of the bill is to address the unclaimed property issue where we currently have, uh, $3.3 billion of, uh, people's money held in unclaimed property in the general fund, and we're trying to return that money to Georgians faster with fewer forms, less costs, and fewer administrative barriers. I'm happy to go into more detail if you like.
- 0:16:01
Any questions? N- good bill. No questions. All right. Senate Bill 411, Chairman Still.
- 0:16:08
Thank you, Chairman Brass. Senate Bill 411, dry needling as it pertains to the practice of acupuncture and then dry needling done by physical therapists, occupational therapists, and this was a multi, multi-month effort to bring all these different organizations together through a series of hearings in the off-season, and we got everybody together and on one page, and we can finally get it put to rest. Happy to answer any questions.
- 0:16:34
All, all the needlers are happy.
- 0:16:36
They are all happy.
- 0:16:37
Okay. Any questions? I'm hearing none. All right. HB 414, Representative Jones. You should be honored that we're hearing a House bill this early in the session.
- 0:16:50
Thank you.
- 0:16:50
It must be a really good bill.
- 0:16:52
Well, Mr. Chairman, thank you so much. Members of the committee, I bring to you the substitute to House Bill 414. What it effectively does is create a long-arm statute within our elections law. I want to be crystal clear, it does not expand the scope or the power of the Ethics Commission, but rather if you are an out-of-state participant in our elections, you will be subject to the exact same rules as if you were an in-state participant. You still have to do the same regs. You still have to do the same filings. You still have to be sub- subject to the same disclosures.
- 0:17:23
But at this point, the challenge that we have found is, is Mr. Ahmadi, along with his committee, does not have the ability to go outside of the state to do any type of investigations to determine if someone is being a bad actor in our state, and this gives them that opportunity to do that. So effectively, using a college football metaphor, Mr. Chairman, if you're gonna play on our football field, you're subject to our referees no matter where you live.
- 0:17:45
Okay. Like a good football analogy, although we have no football teams playing. Maybe next year. Maybe. Got new coaches. Falcons I'm talking about. All right. Any questions? Hearing none. Good job.
- 0:18:08
Thank you, sir.
- 0:18:08
All right. Let's pick a few. Where are we at on my sheet?
- 0:18:18
Leader Anavitarte.
- 0:18:22
Thank you, Mr.-
- 0:18:23
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So when you talk about the, watching the Falcons, is it gonna be like watching the Browns?
- 0:18:30
Let's hope not.
- 0:18:30
Or as bad as the Browns?
- 0:18:31
Let's hope not.
- 0:18:33
God bless them. Um, let's do Senate Bill 403.
- 0:18:39
Senate Bill 403. All right.
- 0:18:47
Leader Jones.
- 0:18:48
All right. Senate Bill 239.
- 0:18:52
Senate Bill 239. All right. And I do have one last ding-ding left, and Senator Watson.
- 0:19:08
Mm. Um, House Bill 414.
- 0:19:14
Ding, ding, ding. All right. And a ding-ding. Let me make a note. You'll be our first pick tomorrow. All right. I think that's enough for, for today. I can't even talk. All right. I got Senate Bill 239, Senate Bill 403, and HB 414.
- 0:19:38
Motion.
- 0:19:38
I got a motion from the majority leader. I got a second from Senator Anderson. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all in favor say aye.
- 0:19:47
Aye.
- 0:19:47
All opposed say nay. Motion carries unanimous. Onto the floor. You wanna gavel us out? Meeting adjourned.