Senate floor session, February 5, 2026 (legislative day 13)

Transcript

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1. 0:22:22

   Good morning, good morning. The time for convening has arrived. The Senate will come to order. At this time, I will ask that all unauthorized personnel exit the chamber. I recognize the distinguished gentleman from Newnan, Georgia, senator from the 6th. Senator, how are you this morning?

2. 0:22:45

   I'm great.

3. 0:22:46

   Can you go up to the-

4. 0:22:47

   Mr. President, how are you doing?

5. 0:22:49

   Decided I'd sign it a little bit earlier.

6. 0:22:50

   You look good and chipper today.

7. 0:22:52

   That's what I like.

8. 0:22:53

   Proud of you.

9. 0:22:57

   Mr. President, we got some great pages here today. Out of Gainesville, Georgia, we have Chloe Almodovar. From Canton, we have Lawson Crawford. From Stone Mountain, we have Jayleon Hawkins-Jones. From Marietta, we have Aarav Rathore. From Silver Creek, Avery Roberts. And from Atlanta, we have Elijah Scott. Y'all give these pages a big round of applause.

10. 0:23:27

    We appreciate your service to the Senate and to the great state of Georgia. Mr. President, the journal has been read and found to be correct, so I move we dispense with the reading of the journal.

11. 0:23:40

    All right. Thank you, Senator, and thank you for our young pages back there. We appreciate all their hard work. Is there objection to the confirmation of the journal? Chair hears none, and the journal is confirmed. The first reason, reading and references the Senate bills.

12. 0:24:16

    S- secretary?

13. 0:24:18

    Senate Bill 458 by Senators Goodman of the 8th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 41 of Title 43 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to residential and commercial general contractors so as to provide for a licensing-

14. 0:24:28

    Railroad industry

15. 0:24:28

    ... Senate Bill 459 by Senators Hickman of the 4th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia-

16. 0:24:34

    Education and youth

17. 0:24:35

    ...

18. 0:24:37

    Senate Bill 460 by Senators Tillery of the 19th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 2 of Title 31-

19. 0:24:43

    Health and human services

20. 0:24:44

    ... Senate Bill 461 by Senators Tillery of the 19th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 2 of Title 31 and Chapter 2-

21. 0:24:50

    Health and human services

22. 0:24:50

    ... Senate Bill 462 by Senator Steel of the 48th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 20E of Title 33-

23. 0:24:57

    Health and human services

24. 0:24:57

    ... Senate Bill 463 by Senators Dolezal of the 27th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 3 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to regulation of specialized land transaction. Senate Bill 464. Oh.

25. 0:25:12

    Economic development.

26. 0:25:14

    Oh. Senate Bill 464 by Senators Howard of the 35th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 1 of Title 35 of the Official-

27. 0:25:19

    Public safety

28. 0:25:20

    ...

29. 0:25:28

    Senate Resolution 697 by Senators Burns of the 23rd and others, a resolution recognizing and commending-

30. 0:25:33

    Higher education

31. 0:25:33

    ... Senate Resolution 698 by Senator Burns of the 23rd and others, a resolution recognizing and commending Dr. Ekater- Ekaterina Makazova-

32. 0:25:42

    Higher education

33. 0:25:44

    ... Mr. President, that completes the order.

34. 0:25:51

    Secretary will read reports of standing committees.

35. 0:25:56

    Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Consumer Affairs has had under the consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation. Senate Bill 435, do pass. House Bill 163, do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Goodman of the 8th District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services has had under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation. Senate Resolution 684, do pass by substitute. Senate Bill 427, do pass by substitute.

36. 0:26:26

    Respectfully submitted, Senator Watson of the 1st District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Retirement has had under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation. Senate Bill 143, do pass by substitute. Respectfully s- submitted, Senator Williams of the 15th District, Chairman. Mr. President, that completes the order.

37. 0:26:47

    First reading references, first reading of bills and resolutions for the second time.

38. 0:26:55

    Senate Bill 150 by Senator Hickman of the 4th and others, retirement: Permit public school systems to employ certain beneficiaries of the Teachers' Retirement System of Georgia as classroom teachers. Extend the program. Senate Bill 261 by Senator Harbin of the 16th and others, magistrate's retirement fund: Early retirement benefit, provide. Senate Bill 400 by Senator Burns of the 23rd and others, education: Unaccredited and institutions from offering degrees, prohibit. Senate Bill 431 by Senator Kirkpatrick of the 32nd and others, education: Enrollment of foster care students within two school days of a request for enrollment by such student, parents, or legal custodian, require.

39. 0:27:28

    Senate Resolution 622 by Senator Kirkpatrick of the 32nd and others, joint study committee on evaluating escalating costs in Georgia's foster care system, create. Mr. President, that completes the order.

40. 0:27:39

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

41. 0:27:46

    Recognize the senator from the 17th.

42. 0:27:51

    Thank you, Mr. President. I ask for unanimous consent to excuse the senator from the 33rd.

43. 0:27:58

    Without objection, senator from the 33rd is excused. Recognize the senator from the 43rd.

44. 0:28:05

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

45. 0:28:13

    Without objection, senator from the 26th is excused. Recognize the senator from the 2nd.

46. 0:28:18

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

47. 0:28:24

    Without objection, senator from the tenth is excused. Recognize the senator from the forty-eight. Good morning, Mr. President. Ask unanimous consent to please excuse the senator from the fifty-six for business outside the Capitol. Without objection, senator from the fifty-six is excused. Any other motions?

48. 0:28:49

    I, secretary will call the roll. Senators signify your presence by voting to yay. Se- switch. Secretary will unlock the machine.

49. 0:30:40

    It is now time for our morning devotion, and I would like to call on the senator from the sixteenth to lead us in our pledge and introduce our pastor of the day. Senator? Thank you. Thank you, sir. If we will, the American flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

50. 0:31:12

    State flag. I pledge allegiance to the Georgia flag, to the principles for which it stands, wisdom, justice, moderation, and courage. Well, good morning. I think you will, uh, I'm excited. I have a friend for, uh, 30 years that's been, uh, speaking and talking about our godly heritage, and I believe that he's gonna share some things with you today that probably you didn't know about, things I didn't know about. But David Ba- Barton is the founder of WallBuilders Ministries, a national organization highlighting America's true history and biblical foundation.

51. 0:31:47

    Best-selling author, nationally recognized speaker. He's widely sought after for his expertise in historical and constitutional issues. His extensive collection of original f- founding era documents and decades of research have made him a trusted resource to legislators, educators, and medias na- na- nationally. David and his wife, Cheryl, reside in Texas and enjoy their family with three grown children and six grandchildren. I encourage you, if you get a chance, uh, in the rotunda this, uh, for today, is their pop-up museum, and the items down there are, uh, personal items of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, some of the first Bibles printed in the, in the nation, and actually a copy of one of the first, uh, drafts of the Constitution.

52. 0:32:33

    So you may want to take a look at that. But with that, I'm honored to in- uh, introduce to you David Barton. Thank you, Senator. Good morning, Senators. Uh, in opening with prayer this morning, I wanna go back for a little bit to some of Georgia's beginnings, and in doing so, I wanna show you a document here. This is original. This is from 1732. This is your birth certificate. This is the act by King George II that authorized Georgia. He gave 10,000 pounds to start the colony of Georgia.

53. 0:33:04

    So this is actually the, the beginning of, of where this colony starts, and you originally had three chaplains here. One was George Whitefield, one was Charles Wesley, and one was John Wesley. All three of those chaplains indisputably had a huge impact, not just on Georgia, but on the nation. Um, George Whitefield particularly, Founding Fathers, pointed to George Whitefield and what he did as the reason that we have a nation. He's, without Whitefield and what he did across the years being chaplain here, but also across America, he's the guy who laid the foundation for the nation.

54. 0:33:35

    So I brought with me two works original by George Whitefield. This is a sermon he preached to his chaplain when he arrived here in Georgia. This is the first sermon preached in America. And then after he had been here for a few years, he went back to talk to the king about what was going in Georgia, and this is a sermon that he preached when he got back to England to say, "Hey, here's what's going in Georgia." So it's kind of early history of Georgia in some ways. Um, in addition to that, there's works by other, other chaplains. Uh, and these are works by Charles Wesley, one of your other first three original chaplains.

55. 0:34:09

    And in addition to these works by Charles Wesley, there's John Wesley right here. Other items that you may find of interest related to, um, to your history and heritage is your three signers of the Declaration of Independence, Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and George Walton. Uh, we have documents from all of them. I brought some of George Walton's documents, uh, here when he was serving as governor of Georgia. These are early documents from your history here. And in addition to that, you started your first constitution.

56. 0:34:43

    This is the Georgia Constitution of 1777, written by Button Gwinnett. So this is your original first constitution. It's quite amazing. It's interesting, even the motto that, um, was for the state back then, it says, "God has bestowed all these blessings upon us." So that was your original motto in 1777. A few decade, a decade later, we get into the signers of the Constitution, and of course, you have with that William Few and Abraham Baldwin, and we have documents up here from both Few and, and Baldwin if you're interested in seeing those afterwards.

57. 0:35:18

    So let me, uh, let me open with prayer, and I wanna open the prayer by choosing three prayers that were prayed by the previous chaplains here, your original chaplains. So let me begin with a prayer from Charles Wesley. This prayer is, Spirit of Heavenly Council, come, teach our senators thy will. Father, let us that ask receive. To us that ask in Jesus' name, thou shalt thy spirit give. Oh, send us now the promised comforter. Father, everyone that asks receives, receives the gift and the giver too, and witnesses that thou art true.

58. 0:35:54

    So shall we pray and never cease. So shall we thankfully confess thy wisdom, truth, power, and love. And here's a prayer from your chaplain, John Wesley.

59. 0:36:06

    "Did God command us to pray without ceasing? Prayer is the lifting up of the heart to God. Whenever thou attemptest to pray, see that it be thy one design to commune with God, to lift up thy heart to Him, to pour out thy soul before Him. We pray that we may do the whole will of God as He willeth in the manner that pleases Him, and may we do it because it is His will. Let this be the whole and the only motive of whatsoever we think or whatsoever we speak or whatsoever we do." And finally, a prayer from George Whitefield.

60. 0:36:45

    He says, "A neglect of prayer has frequently been an inlet to many spiritual diseases and has always been attended with fatal consequences. 'Praying always,' says the apostle, 'with all manner of supplication.' 'Watch and pray,' says our Lord, 'that you enter not into temptation.' He intends that our souls should be kept in praying frame. Prayer brings and keeps God and man together. Oh, believers, pray. Pray without ceasing. When you're about the common business of life, be much in prayer.

61. 0:37:18

    Prayers will reach the very heart of God and return to you again loaded with spiritual blessings." And I'll close by adding my prayer. Lord, we thank you for all the blessings you've bestowed here upon Georgia and its leaders. May the prayers prayed over this state for the past three centuries be heard today, Lord. We ask this in your name, amen. Good job.

62. 0:50:34

    Good job. Are there any unanimous consents? No unanimous consents. Today, I, I, I always like to recognize our doctors of the day, and, uh, our doctor of the day is, um, from Macon, Georgia. Lives in Forsyth, actually, but she's from Macon, and I'll have the pro tem introduce her to this body. And probably need to turn this down just a little bit here. I recognize the senator from the 20th.

63. 0:51:06

    Full mile. Good morning. Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, it's my pleasure today to introduce Dr. Rana Ma- Mana, who is our doctor of the day. She began medical school at the age of 45 at Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon and completed her internal medicine residency at the Atlanta Medical Center, then begain, began private practice in Macon, Georgia. She specializes in health, wellness, and fitness, encouraging her patients to lose weight and get fit in order to control hypertension and adult onset diabetes instead of prescribing medication when possible.

64. 0:51:46

    She's been very active in the Macon community with a series of health seminars called A Better You. She was president of the Bibb County Medical Society in 2013 and continues to serve on that board. She's an annual delegate to the Medical Association of Georgia House of Delegates, and she is on fac- on the faculty at Mercer University School of Medicine and mentors medical students. Sh- Uh, we're proud to have her as our doctor for the day. She does this annually for us, and we appreciate her dedicating her time to do that.

65. 0:52:19

    Uh, one of her proudest accomplishments is her son, Christian, who is a na- is now a r- retired from the United States Marine Force. Her husband, Joseph E- Egloff, is a cattle farmer who operates Rocking Chair Ranch Cattle, providing grass-fed beef to several Georgia restaurants and stores. He also operates Mid-South Packers, a beef processing facility in Monroe County. And I'm appreciate her being with us today.

66. 0:52:49

    Introduce Dr. Mana. All right. Thank you so much. Absolutely. Thank you for having me today. I love this day more than any other because never in our doctors' lives do we get thanked for our service like we do when we come here. So it is my joy and honor to serve you today, to help you with your health and wellness, to answer any medical questions that you might have. And I let them tell my story about medical school starting late in life at age 45 simply because there's always somebody in the audience who thinks it's too late to do something.

67. 0:53:26

    Trust me, if it's important, do it. Thank you. Good job. Good job, Rana.

68. 0:55:11

    Does any senator wish to rise on a point of personal privilege?

69. 0:55:19

    No one today. Oh, senator from the 14th.

70. 0:55:40

    I don't think the... There we go. Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, today I rise to celebrate Black History Month with a moment from my senate caucus. Uh, I wanna celebrate the life of bell hooks. She was an author, feminist, activist, and scholar. She unfortunately passed in 2021 but has been celebrated for a long legacy of criticism and independent thinking. Uh, she was born to working class parents in 1952, Gloria Jean Watkins. She grew up in the segregated city of Hopkinsville, Kentucky. She began, uh, being interested in poetry at a young age.

71. 0:56:13

    Um, she was ridiculed for, quote, "talking back" and in her perspective daring to speak as an adult as an equal. Uh, she developed a sense of defiance, and that animated much of her work. Uh, I think one of the best stories I've heard is in teaching in Harlem, she found that her students were just as brilliant as any of the students that she worked with at fancy Ivy League institutions, but the difference was that Ivy League institutions produced students who, uh, were entitled to their future, who felt that their future was a gift that they just needed to receive, and there wasn't that same sense of agency in all of the students that she taught.

72. 0:56:48

    And so the, the takeaway, the insight from that that she shared was that everybody is brilliant, and everybody has a right to a future, and it's just a matter of having the sense of confidence and agency to claim it. Uh, so today we remember bell hooks and her poignant, sharp criticism. Named after her great-grandmother was the name that she adopted, uh, because of her sense of sharp opinions and willingness to claim her own agency. Thank you, Mr. President.

73. 0:57:22

    Thank you, Senator. Recognize senator from the 32nd.

74. 0:57:27

    Thank you, Mr. President.

75. 0:58:10

    I just wanted to point out that you guys have some, um, dental things on your desk today. Today is Georgia Dental Hygienists' Association Day at the Capitol, and I believe there may be some people in the gallery. So if you're with the dental hygienists, please raise your hand.

76. 0:58:27

    All right.

77. 0:58:28

    All right. Let's welcome all these guests. I've got a resolution here for you. And, uh, we all know how important dental hygienists are. And just a couple pointers that I also said last year. One is, when you're brushing your teeth, you can stand on one leg for, while you're doing it, and it'll improve your balance. And the other thing you can do is some people suggest that you sing or hum Happy Birthday while you're brushing your teeth.

78. 0:58:58

    I prefer the chorus from Jolene. But, uh, making sure that you're staying there long enough. So anyway, thanks for coming to the Capitol today, and, uh, I yield the will. Thank you.

79. 0:59:09

    Thank you, Senator. I was wondering who that good-looking crowd was up there was. It's the dental hygienists. Let's give them a big round of applause again for being here today and all their hard work.

80. 0:59:22

    Recognize senator from the 39th.

81. 0:59:39

    Good morning. Thank you, Mr. President. So this morning, I have the great pleasure of recognizing six incredible young women recogni- uh, representing the Miss Atlanta competition, who are right here to my right. Um, and they have earned scholarship awards for their performance. I have with me today Jordan Kula, who's Miss Atlanta 2026, Megan Wright, Miss Capital City 2026, Sarah Jane Houston, Miss Greater Atlanta 2026, Landry Wolf, Miss Atlanta Teen 2026, Melanie Tidmore, Miss Capital City Teen 2026, and Madison Walker, Miss Greater Atlanta Teen 2026.

82. 1:00:22

    These young women will go on to compete at the Miss Georgia and Miss Georgia Teen competition in Columbus in June, and those winners advance to the national level. They are also here today representing the American Heart Association in honor of Go Red for Women Day. February is Heart Health Month. Georgia is considered part of the stroke belt and diabetes belt of the country. High rates of hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity, and diabetes are major drivers of cardiovascular disease in the state.

83. 1:00:58

    Did you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death in Georgia and often preventable? Here are a few things you can do. Know your numbers. Monitor your blood pressure and cholesterol levels regularly. Adopt lifestyle changes like a heart-healthy diet low in sodium and fat. Exercise for at least 150 minutes per week and avoid smoking. Get screened for blood pressure checks and risk assessm- assessment. And of course, learn CPR.

84. 1:01:30

    The American Heart Association recommends learning hands-only CPR to help in emergencies. And the American Heart Association is here today in Cap Room 125 providing CPR demonstrations and offering a heart-healthy lunch at noon, so please swing by. Thank you.

85. 1:01:52

    Thank you, Senator. I recognize the senator from the 21st.

86. 1:01:56

    A point of personal privilege.

87. 1:01:59

    Senator, this is your first, this is your first time in the well, huh, Senator?

88. 1:02:03

    Hey, good morning, colleagues. Thank you so much, Mr. President. I wanted to spend a couple minutes this morning and talk about a few people, uh, that we've got here. Uh, today, my, my page is Lawson Crawford. Great young man and, uh, what I want to say is this guy, he's a phenomenal student and even better golfer. Uh, for all of our golfers in here, he regularly shoots par or better. So, uh, for my friend and colleague, the senator of the 6th, that is, uh, this is a young man that we definitely need on our golf team for sure. I also want to recognize, uh, his dad, Brad Crawford, which is a, um, which is a great friend of mine as well.

89. 1:02:35

    He's here at the Capitol today. Also wanted to recognize, uh, another good friend of mine by the name of Todd Baker. Uh, Todd is a, he lives up in Canton, Georgia, in Cherokee County. He's got a great nonprofit organization that's called Building Fires, and he really mentors, uh, a lot of students in the, uh, in the high schools there in Cherokee County and also provides, uh, his nonprofit provides, um, letterman jackets to students that are not financially able to, to purchase a letterman jacket. And last but definitely not least is I wanted to give a, uh, shout-out and wish a happy birthday to my mom today.

90. 1:03:06

    Um, it's a, uh, very special lady from my standpoint. She's celebrating her 77th birthday today. We spent a lot of years, uh, baking cakes, and I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with her, and that's one of the things that we, we routinely bond over is cooking cakes and, and cooking a lot of different desserts. So Mom, want to say happy birthday to you. I love you, and I look forward to seeing you this weekend. Thank you, Mr. Pres- President. I, uh, uh, yield the will. Thank you so much.

91. 1:03:59

    Recognize Senator from the 34th.

92. 1:04:16

    Good morning, sir.

93. 1:04:17

    How are you?

94. 1:04:18

    I'm good. Good morning, Mr. President. I rise to, um, recognize the Clayton County Chamber of Commerce, which is up in the gallery today. Um, just want to, um, the chamber leadership, uh, Clayton, their strength of the community through their works. Uh, they develop young, strong civil business leaders. Um, business, their relationship expands throughout the community, the growth and purpose.

95. 1:04:48

    The Clayton County Chamber of Commerce, their leadership cohort is with us today. Thank you all, ladies and gentlemen. Have a great day.

96. 1:04:56

    All right.

97. 1:05:05

    Come on up. Hey, Ridley. Ridley, come on up. Come on up.

98. 1:05:22

    Come on. What's going on, man? How you doing? Burt Jones. It's nice to see you. You doing

99. 1:05:32

    all right? Hey, man. What's up, man? It's nice to see you. Is this your first time?

100. 1:06:08

     25. 25.

101. 1:06:16

     Glad to have you. Come on, I'm gonna introduce you real quick here. We have a, uh, very special guest here today. Uh, we have a young guy that, young man that, uh, played many, many years in the Major League Baseballs. And, uh, he made his start here with the Atlanta Braves. I can remember very clearly watching a young Andrew Jones step up to the plate in a, in a big game, World Series game, and I believe it was a home run hit, I believe.

102. 1:06:47

     Wasn't it, uh, sir?

103. 1:06:48

     Yes, sir.

104. 1:06:49

     And, uh, went two for two and two home runs in one game, and we knew a star was born that night. So, uh, we are so excited to have a, a recently named Hall of Famer here today with, uh, Andrew Jones. He, uh, got that big distinguished honor, uh, earlier this year, and, uh, we're very proud of him and glad to have him here. He had a long and very, uh, a, a very productive career. Played for the Braves, played for the Dodgers, played for the Yankees, played in multiple World Series and just was a, just was a fantastic ball player.

105. 1:07:26

     And, uh, and I understand h- that he's even, he's even a better person than he was ball player, so that says a lot about him. So let's give, uh, Andrew Jones a very warm Senate welcome.

106. 1:07:39

     Thank you.

107. 1:07:39

     Say a few words.

108. 1:07:45

     Uh, first of all, it's a great honor to be here today. Um, obviously, uh, a lot going on with, um, the Hall of Fame and, you know, got inducted this year. Um, it's just a great honor to be, uh, selected with such great leg- legacy of the baseball, um, world and, um, now you're with all those guys. So, um, it's just a great honor to be here, um, you know, receive this honor to be, um, you know, a native of, of, uh, Georgia, of Atlanta, b- saying like that because, um, you know, I, I came here when I was 16 years old.

109. 1:08:17

     I threw to the minor league and 19-year-olds. Uh, uh, I made it to, to the Major League here in Atlanta, and I made Atlanta my home since 1996. So, um, I can say I'm an Atlanta Atlantian. Um, I live more here than I live in Curaçao. So, um, I just born in Curaçao. I just live here and I, I, I raise my kids. Uh, I become a man here in, in, in, in, in Atlanta. So, um, I mean Atlanta has always been my home. So thank you. Um, it's a great honor.

110. 1:08:44

     All right. Thank

111. 1:08:52

     you.

112. 1:08:52

     Thank you. Thank you.

113. 1:08:53

     Come on up here.

114. 1:08:57

     How are you, sir? You doing?

115. 1:09:01

     Nice to see you. Nice to see you. All right, y'all. Ready? One, two.

116. 1:10:23

     That's going to be a hard act to follow. Senator from the 55th. I'll go to the next one. Senator from the 38th.

117. 1:10:39

     Hey, man. How you doing? You doing all right?

118. 1:10:51

     What's up, Senator? Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, on Tuesday we talked a lot about affordability, and today I want to tell you a story. I got a call from a constituent whose health insurance costs went up by more than 12%. And we may hear 12% and think, "Oh, you know, that's, that's not too much." But when folks are struggling and barely making ends meet, that's a lot. And for someone to reach out to their elected representatives to share a story of not being able to make ends meet, we have to listen, and we have to take their concerns into full consideration and understand the impact of the decisions that we make here under this Gold Dome.

119. 1:11:36

     His request was simple: stop wasting time and do something about healthcare for working families. Across Georgia, families are being stretched thin by rising healthcare costs and insurance costs despite our actions last year. Premiums are climbing faster than paychecks, and too many hardworking people are being forced to make tough choices they shouldn't have to make between paying for care and paying their bills. Georgians have worked hard to build their lives in this state, and they don't deserve to have them upended the way that they are seeing it right now.

120. 1:12:15

     When people go from paying $400 a month to $1,700 a month in premiums, you're forcing them to put a price tag on their health. At the end of the day, a tax cut means nothing when healthcare premiums swallow it whole. My constituent's story isn't unique, but it shouldn't be acceptable. Together, we can make sure health insurance coverage is fair, affordable, and dependable for every Georgian across this state. It's time for us to put politics aside and put Georgians first.

121. 1:12:49

     So let's close the gap and pass Senate Bill 380. Mr. President, I yield the will.

122. 1:13:29

     Recognize the senator from the 15th, the Dean of the Senate.

123. 1:13:34

     Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the senator from the 29th, I would like to acknowledge in the gallery up there the Columbus Consolidated Government, uh, Youth Council. Years ago, they joined together to form a citywide youth advisory council in an effort to expose these young people to how government works. We planned a day at the Capitol, and that's why they're here today with myself and the senator from the 29th, uh, to make sure they understand that we do good business, we work hard for the citizens of Columbus, Georgia, and the entire state.

124. 1:14:10

     If you stand, we'll acknowledge you. If the people from, uh, Columbus Youth Council over here, please stand so we can acknowledge you. Give you a hand. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President, please.

125. 1:14:27

     Absolutely. Thank you, Senator. Recognize the senator from the 42nd.

126. 1:14:44

     I do, Mr. President. I was waiting for the bell to ring. You can ring it. Holding the whole Senate up.

127. 1:14:55

     All right. Well, um, if you ever see me come in the Capitol in the morning, you s- you just see me coming in closer to 9:00, um, looking a little bit worn out for the day. That's because most days I try to drop my kids off to school every morning. And, um, today we have a great group in the gallery. I have two things I wanna recognize. First off, a great group in the gallery that knows me more as Charles Willis and Beecher's dad, but we have Salem Christian Academy, a large group from our school down in McDonough, which I think, no offense to other schools in the area, Lieutenant Governor, but the number one school in the south side of town, Salem Christian Academy.

128. 1:15:29

     Good to have you all up here visiting at the State Capitol. Welcome to your Capitol. This is half the group. The other half, I was told, is still stuck outside, so honored to have you all up here today. If you don't mind recognizing them for me. Y'all stand up

129. 1:15:44

     Good to have you all at the State Capitol today. So today is also Community Service Boards Day at the Capitol. If you know anything about community service boards, they are an instrumentality of the state, and they are nonprofits that work in our communities to tackle issues on mental health and also developmental disabilities and addictive disease, and to help our citizens struggling with these issues. They play such a very important role in our state. We, last year alone, we had estimated three hundred and twenty thousand people in our state that experienced serious mental illness in the past year, and also a hundred and forty-five thousand adults in our state with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

130. 1:16:24

     And I appreciate the work these boards do, again, in the trenches, serving our most vulnerable members of our society. And I've said this from the well a few times, we are moving and working towards this being a state that can be the number one state in the nation for mental health and addictive disease services, something we strive for every day, and also number one state in the country for families with special needs as well. And I hope we'll keep working towards that every single year, and I appreciate these community service boards and the work they're doing in the trenches to serve our citizens.

131. 1:16:54

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

132. 1:17:05

     Recognize the senator from the 55th.

133. 1:17:16

     My distinguished colleagues, I rise today

134. 1:17:21

     to recognize Black History Month. Black History Month is about recognizing and celebrating the people and stories that helped shape the State of Georgia and this nation. Let me be clear, Black history is not separate from Georgia history. It runs alongside it. It's woven into its foundation. Georgia has been home to leaders who challenged America to live up to its highest ideals.

135. 1:17:52

     Martin Luther King Jr., raised in Atlanta, showed the world the power of courage, faith, and nonviolence. John Lewis reminded us that democracy is never guaranteed. Andrew Young, also the ambassador, let us know that it is attainable only when ordinary people, people show extraordinary participation and courage. But Black history is also made up of countless names that never appear in textbooks.

136. 1:18:24

     Teachers, laborers, parents, small business owners, men and women who showed up for one another and worked every day to build communities, strengthen families, and help create a nation that could endure. African Americans in Georgia played a fundamental role in building communities, institutions, and movements that shaped this state. Schools, churches, businesses, and civic organization rose because of their vision, sacrifice, and determination. The work that did not just benefit one community, it strengthened Georgia as a whole, this nation as a whole, and that legacy still matters today.

137. 1:19:02

     Black history is not only about the past, it's about the responsibility we carry in the present. It's about continuing that legacy, shaping leadership, expanding opportunities, building communities where everyone has a chance to thrive. As a Black senator, as a senator kissed by the sun, serving in this Georgia Legislature, I carry that legacy with me every day. Representation is more than a title, it's an obligation.

138. 1:19:36

     An obligation to listen carefully, an obligation to pass thoughtful legislation, an obligation to open doors and expand opportunities for all people we serve. And that's how we honor those who came before us, not only with words, but with action. And as we celebrate Heart Day today, American Heart, I think it ironic, and I will bring up one other person. When I visited Howard University, I lived in a place called Drew Hall.

139. 1:20:06

     And I asked the question, "Where did this name come from?" Drew Hall came from this guy, a great African American physician who lived from 1904 to 1950. He was the one that developed this thing called plasma that allows all of us to live, to store, uh, blood. He was the one that developed ways to process and s- store blood plasma in blood banks. He directed the Blood Plasma Program of the United States and Great Britain in World War II, and he was the one who resigned from that position after a ruling that the blood of African Americans would be segregated from those of other per- persons.

140. 1:20:54

     He died in April 1st, 1950, and tragically because of, in a car accident, because of a li- a lack of blood. The man that we celebrate because he allowed us to, to give blood for life, but he left this world without having the very thing that he died to help develop. That is the story. The story even goes further to say that he was denied admission at a white hospital, but that's controverted.

141. 1:21:25

     But the bottom line is, we celebrate Black history because it is the American story. It is a story that we've learned to live together because we refuse to die as fools. God bless you. Let's celebrate Black history. Thank you. Thank you, Senator. I recognize the senator from the 43rd.

142. 1:22:05

     What you getting, son? What you getting, son? Black women in film day. Huh? Black women

143. 1:22:13

     in film day. Thank you, Mr. President. Good morning, colleagues. Today is Black Women in Film Day at the Georgia State Capitol. And I will highlight that the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture is Josephine Baker, who is widely known for playing the lead role in the 1927 French silent film, Siren of the Tropics. While she holds this distinction in international cinema, other pioneers in the 1920s include actresses Evelyn Preer in race films and filmmakers like Maria P.

144. 1:22:49

     Williams. Maria P. Williams is widely recognized as the first Black woman to write, produce, and act in her own film, The Flames of Wrath, in 1923. As a pioneer in early cinema, she established the Western Film Producing Company in Kansas City. Iconic Black women movie characters include pioneers like Dorothy Dandridge in Gone With the Wind. Groundbreaking, groundbreaking figures like Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple.

145. 1:23:24

     Action heroes such as Pam Grier in Foxy Brown. Powerful portrayals by Angela Bassett in What's Love Got to Do With It. And our modern iconic icons like Lupita Nyong'o, Black Panther, and Octavia Spencer in Hidden Figures, showcasing strength, resilience, and diversity across genres and eras.

146. 1:23:55

     Thank you to the generations of Black women who came before us to lead the way and blaze trails for many others to pursue their dreams in film. Again, today, we recognize, but every day, we celebrate Black women in film. Thank you, Mr. President, and I yield the will. I pose for my picture too.

147. 1:24:28

     Senator from the 33rd, for what purpose do you rise?

148. 1:24:32

     Thank you, Mr. President. I ask for unanimous consent to excuse the senator from the 28th for business outside the Capitol.

149. 1:24:39

     Without objection, senator from the 28th is excused. Recognize the senator from the 29th for a point of personal privilege.

150. 1:24:53

     Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, colleagues. You know, a lot of times we make, uh, light of when we get ready to come down here. People will say, "What are you gonna do in Atlanta this year?" And you say, "Well, I'm gonna go down there and do God's work." And we like to talk about God and a lot of other things, but I wanna talk about somebody named Cornelius Taylor. A little over a year ago, Cornelius Taylor was living here in Atlanta, if you wanna call it that, in an alley within the shadows of, without a doubt, the most iconic church in the United States of America, and probably the second-most iconic house of worship in the world, and he was killed accidentally while the City of Atlanta was, uh, clearing the homeless encampment.

151. 1:25:46

     And the city and the mayor and everybody caught a whole lot of grief about it, and everybody was coming out of the woodwork looking for somebody to blame that a man who was homeless, living within the shadows of a house of worship, had died. And I'm not casting dispersions upon that particular house of worship. I'm challenging every house of worship, every congregation, the men and women of faith who come down to this building and ask us for state funds to help them solve problems that they're not even asking their own congregation to take care of.

152. 1:26:36

     My faith in the Bible that I read out of tells me it is the church's responsibility, not the bricks and mortar and the stained glass windows, but the congregation inside those. Whether you're in a church, whether you're in a mosque, whether you're in a temple, whether you're in any other faith, it is your responsibility to stand up and go out and take care of those less fortunate, those that find themselves trapped in a place that they cannot get out of, whether it's because of pro- poverty, whether it's because of addiction, or no matter the cause.

153. 1:27:17

     So where was the church that day? Where was the church when he started struggling? Where was the church when he ended up where he ended up? We know where they were afterwards. Churches have focused on themselves for too long. Congregations within those churches have focused on themselves for too long. We see all of it on television. We see all of it on live stream. Church is a place where we go to pick up the weapons we need to go out and fight the battle that we are called to fight, and that is the battle to go out there and take care of the widows and the orphans and those trapped in poverty, those who struggle with demons that we do not understand.

154. 1:28:07

     Atlanta has always been known as a city too busy to hate. And I'm not casting dispersions on the city of Atlanta, I'm challenging every city in the state of Georgia. Do not become the city that depends on the government to do your job, and do not become the city that becomes too busy to care. And with that, Mr. President, I yield the well.

155. 1:28:42

     Recognize the senator from the 44th for a point of personal privilege.

156. 1:29:06

     Thank you, Mr. President. Healthcare access is on the line here in Georgia and across America. Georgians are going bankrupt or giving up trying to find health insurance entirely while Republicans in Washington play politics, refusing to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. Two hundred thousand Georgians have already lost health insurance in the last month. A million and a half Georgians could either lose insurance or see their premiums double or triple in light of Congress throwing Americans under the bus.

157. 1:29:44

     Here in Georgia, our hospitals can lose one point six billion in revenue, deepening the dire financial situation that many are already in. With all the chaos coming from Washington, it's more important than, than ever for our state government and leaders to step in to defend Georgians. Senate Democrats have proposed solutions to this crisis. SB 379 would create a state-based health insurance affordability program.

158. 1:30:19

     This program would lower costs for those up to four hundred percent of the federal poverty line and provide free healthcare for those up to two hundred percent. Georgia Democrats have been fighting for years to expand Medicaid. SB 380 is still the best pass-- best path forward to ensuring that millions of people can afford to see a doctor.

159. 1:30:49

     We have got the third highest number of uninsured people in the nation, and it's getting worse. Here are just a couple recent stories. Teresa Acosta, a single mom of three, saw her premium jump from eighty dollars in December to five hundred and twenty dollars a month in January. Her son has type one diabetes, requires regular care, and she's tied in knots and kept up at night wondering how she will be able to continue to get him the healthcare he needs.

160. 1:31:27

     A small business owner in Dahlonega reported that her monthly premium was ninety-seven dollars before the subsidies were removed, and now it is, instead of ninety-seven dollars a month, it is a whopping a hundred-- one thousand one hundred dollars a month. The solutions are there, but Republicans are sitting on their hands trying to pretend that the crisis doesn't exist.

161. 1:31:58

     This is not a crisis that you can ignore. People understand what is going on when their premiums go up thousands of percent a month. We might hear, "Wait, we have expanded Medicaid for those who could jump through the hoops that have been laid out." The thing is that the Pathways program from the jump has been so purposely contorted with endless paperwork and other requirements that only six percent of those who could have gotten insured m-- have managed to cut through the thicket and get the insurance.

162. 1:32:35

     Meanwhile, that program has wasted tens of millions of dollars to insure a tiny fraction of people. Only thirty percent of the money has actually gone to patient care or to doctors. Seventy percent has gone to administrative expenses. So essentially, it became, it has become a jobs program for paper pushers. And what is the point in that? We should have expanded Medicaid a dozen years ago, where we could have insured a whole lot more people at a lot lower cost.

163. 1:33:12

     The Republicans in Washington s-- Washington just added a work requirement, and they still pay ninety percent. So what's the objection now? I suggest that it's that Georgia Republicans are not yet willing to admit that Pathways has been a failure. We've been told that access has been a great success and we don't clean up Washington's messes. This has left Georgians asking, if it's not the responsibility of Republicans in Washington to fix this crisis and it's not the responsibility of Republicans in Georgia to fix it, then who?

164. 1:33:49

     Who is going to lead on this problem and fix it and lower costs for Georgians? I would suggest to you that it is going to have to be Democrats. Democrats have always led on healthcare. Democrats created Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act

165. 1:34:08

     It's clear to Georgians that Democratic leadership is needed on this issue once again. Thank you. I yield the floor.

166. 1:34:22

     Recognize the senator from the thirty-fifth for a point of personal privilege.

167. 1:34:39

     All right. Uh, thank you, Mr. President. Good morning, everyone. Is it afternoon or morning? Um, I'm gonna read an excerpt from a book of a hero of mine, and I wanna see if you'll be able to guess who this person is. Um, hint, uh, this person is deeply connected to, uh, Martin Luther King Jr. I'm just gonna read this portion of the introduction.

168. 1:35:10

     And as I read this, I want you to imagine if somebody had to write a book about your life, what kind of words, what kind of phrases would they use? But I want you to just listen in to what somebody had to say. "I unabashedly revere this person for his genuine contributions, his strength of character, gifts of mind, vision, and ability to grow and courage to change.

169. 1:35:40

     Creative relentlessness and restlessness and zest for life. His stubborn moral courage, prophetic imagination, and deep commitment to social justice, boundless energy and eagerness to tackle new tasks, devotion to academic excellence, capacity for independence of thought and critical judgment, single-minded commitment to the most precious and enduring values of the human enterprise, and a lifelong romance with the world of higher possibilities.

170. 1:36:23

     He is a wise man. His spirit is indomitable. His will is inexhaustible." This is about Benjamin Elijah Mays. I happen to be a graduate of Benjamin Elijah Mays High School, class of '99 in Southwest Atlanta, Georgia. A revered educator, led Morehouse College for many decades, and a famous preacher's kid was bent on not going into the ministry because didn't have the vision of what ministry can look like for his life.

171. 1:37:02

     And Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays took of Martin Luther King Jr. and said, "Imagine ministry looking a little different than what your daddy did."

172. 1:37:16

     It's Black History Month, and it feels appropriate to highlight some heroes that walked these same streets as we do. And I just hope that we also could have a lifelong romance with the world of higher possibilities. You walk into the Capitol, you-- We have a homelessness problem. We know it's easy to point fingers on who should be doing what and when, but imagine a romance with the world of higher possibilities says, "Well, what can I do?"

173. 1:37:59

     Many of us in here are in here with a pure heart, or at least we hope we have a pure heart. But I want us to really think about what's our lifelong romance consist of. Do we imagine a world of possibilities, or are we stuck in this is just the way it's been? Thank God for those men and women over the centuries who've decided to think about what our world could be.

174. 1:38:30

     I yield the floor.

175. 1:38:57

     Recognize the senator from the 54th.

176. 1:39:30

     Thank you, Mr. President. My friends, uh, it was a blessing this morning to have David Barton here just and explain history. But as he was talking, I thought how fitting that he would me- m- mention, um, Joseph Whitefield, the, one of Georgia's founders. 'Cause, see, that's where I'm from, is Whitfield County, named after Jo- Joseph Whitefield. And I, and I love the history. Yes, there was a change in the spelling, but from Whitefield to Whi- to Whitfield. But I've always been proud to li- be from North Geo- s- Georgia.

177. 1:40:00

     See, we are, um, unique in the fact that we are the, the, you, you ca- you hear, often hear the, the Rust Belt and, and with other, in other states. Well, we are the manufacturing district of Georgia, and always have been, and I'm just very proud of what we do. Um, whether you be from Whitfield County or Murray County or Gordon County, we are where the floor co- we are the floor covering capital of the world. And I'm very proud to stand here before you. And each year we have, Dalton has their Dalton Day.

178. 1:40:33

     And today, I come to the well to s- proudly to tell you that today is Dalton Day. And we invite each and every one of you to come down to the Freight Depot at 4:00 this afternoon so that, because, you know, as I say every year, and you get a rug, and you get a rug, and you get a rug. But being that this is the 250th anniver- uh, anniversary of our state and of our nation, I am proud to display this year, this year's Dalton Day rug, and it's-

179. 1:41:10

     And so everybody's welcome to come down at 4:00 this afternoon. We'd love to have you and meet and understand why Geo- Northwest Georgia is such a great part of our state. And it would be my honor, Mr. President, to give you the first rug of the day.

180. 1:41:28

     Oh, thank you so much.

181. 1:41:28

     Thank you.

182. 1:41:28

     I appreciate it. Thank you.

183. 1:41:35

     Thank you.

184. 1:41:36

     I appreciate that, Senator, and we do appreciate, uh, the good folks at Dalton, Dalton, Georgia, always providing us with these, these, uh, rugs, and, and we appreciate the industry and what it, the, provides far as the, for the state economy as well. So thank you, Senator. I appreciate that very much, and I know everybody'll be happy to see you coming today. So I recognize the senator from the 36th.

185. 1:42:21

     Thank you, Mr. President, colleagues. Uh, I, I, I rise today, uh, we've, we've, we've donned our red, many of us, this morning to, uh, wear to the Capitol to s- to signal our support for the American Heart Association and for heart health, and we're wearing red today because of that. Uh, we can do a little bit more, that's the good news. Uh, and a lot more needs to be done. Uh, you know, unfortunately, over there at the, uh, uh, CDC, the tobacco cessation programs were, uh, shut down, uh, that were, uh, uh, ac- accomplishing something and making a difference.

186. 1:43:03

     Uh, programs were shuttered, and staff were let go, uh, and that, that remains, uh, a, a, a, an issue before us, is to, is, is, is to be sure that they're back in business doing tobacco cessa- cessation. Um, there's a bill that we can support, House Bill 506, to help people quit tobacco. Now, I'm not speaking in the abstract. I'm a former smoker. My daddy was a lifetime smoker, and s- and the s- smoking damaged his heart, and we lost him, uh, when he was still in his late 60s.

187. 1:43:42

     Just had retired and was, wanted to, uh, enjoy a, a, a nice retirement, but that was not to be, uh, thanks to, uh, lifelong use of tobacco. Uh, I was smoking when I came to the legislature. I went through the battles of smoking. We, we started smoking behind the bleachers in high school at cheerleading practice. Uh, a- a- and, and that's, that's where the habit gets built, is in very young people who make a lot of, uh, less than smart decisions.

188. 1:44:15

     Uh, and the next thing you know, they're hooked on tobacco. Um, smokeenders is what the, uh, was the remedy for me, but I, I, one year in the legislature, and that was my last cigarette, cigarette, April of, uh, 1987. Right now, we can provide a great assist, uh, to people in Georgia who need help to quit smoking. And the good news is, it's a, it's, it's not only a lifesaver, it's a money saver at the same time.

189. 1:44:49

     The Medicaid population is more than twice as likely to be smokers than those that are on private insurance. Georgia spends $699 million annually on Medicaid costs related to tobacco use. If 1% of the Medicaid population quit smoking, it would save Georgia $38 million the very next fiscal year. These are compelling numbers, aren't they?

190. 1:45:17

     Right now we've got barriers for tobacco cessation programs for those who need it most, and that's what House Bill 506 would do. House Bill 506 would remove barriers, create a level, level ac- a- access to smoking cessation, uh, no matter what, what your coverage is, whether it's Georgia Medicaid, fee-for-service, or managed care. We need to bring parity between all of these programs and w- with, with the primary goal of getting more people access to smoking cessation.

191. 1:45:52

     It works. SmokeEnders was my pathway. Uh, there are many programs, but right now there, th- uh, and increasingly there are, uh, uh, meds, uh, that, that you can take as well. But counseling as an indivi- an, an individual and group counseling, very valuable. The point is, we have a structure right now that's not working to maximize the benefits of smoking cessation, and I, I would dare say most of us are unaware of that fact.

192. 1:46:23

     Uh, House Bill 506 gives us an opportunity to do the smart thing, save money, save lives, and, and really give a second life to those who have been caught up in the, the dreadful addiction, uh, to smoking and tobacco use. Uh, thank you for your attention to this. I say while we wear our red today, let us then stand together, party, party considerations aside, and pass HB 506 to remove the barriers to tobacco cessation, uh, that are there, uh, currently in our system.

193. 1:46:59

     Thank you very much for your attention. I yield the well.

194. 1:47:10

     Recognize the senator from the first.

195. 1:47:30

     Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, just a clar- points of clarification. So, uh, the chaplain, uh, was talking about, uh, Reverend Whitefield in Savannah, Georgia, and the senator from the 54th was talking about Whitefield County. I'm not sure they're the same, but Whitefield in Savannah is spelled W-H-I-T-E-F-I-E-L-D, and we pronounce it as he pronounced it, Whitefield, and he was the clergy from the church that I go to, uh, Christchurch.

196. 1:48:05

     Uh, other points of clarification have to do with, um, the state of healthcare in the State of Georgia. So let's just talk about the very successful waiver that we did that's called ACCESS. We did that under Governor Kemp's first two bills carried by, uh, the senator from the 19th, I believe, and Appropriations Chair. At the time, he was the governor's floor leader, and that's called ACCESS, and that's 100% up to 400% of the federal poverty line.

197. 1:48:42

     So basically just over $17,000 for a single person and up to $70,000 for a single person in the 400% federal poverty level line. A great success. Over 700,000 people. Stacey Abrams estimated there were 400,000, and it's, it was 700,000 actually. A great number covered under Obamacare. And Obamacare is what we're at right now.

198. 1:49:17

     Under the emergency health orders under President Biden, uh, folks were paying zero, and I just think that's wrong. Personally, I think even a person with, uh, at, uh, 101% of federal poverty level should pay something. I think we all should have skin in the game because healthcare is not free. Hospitals pay mortgages. Hospitals pay bonds. Uh, healthcare workers have mortgages. But the point I was making is that the max under Obamacare that anyone could pay for their premium in ACCESS was 8.1%.

199. 1:49:56

     And yes, it has gone up to 8.2%, the max. So 8.2%.

200. 1:50:06

     Thank you, Mr. President. 8.2% of your salary, of your income. So basically the $70,000 person at the 400% level would pay $478 a month. Uh, I think it's important to have healthcare. I think that is important to carry. And then the last I want to just discuss real quickly, 100% on down, which is called Pathways, hopefully out of poverty, because you should not want to earn $16,000 a year and stay in poverty.

201. 1:50:40

     But you are afforded Medicaid, uh, and that is what is done. Of course, the misnomer of work is, uh, what the press uses and the other side of the aisle uses relating to the work requirements. Let's talk about that. Work requirements, 20 hours a week of work or 20 hours of volunteer work. Go to your YMCA and cut the grass or

202. 1:51:10

     Go to vocational technical school or go to college, and we just put in a waiver that if you have a six-year-old child, then you would be eligible also. But what was done in the One Big Beautiful Bill took that up to 13 years old, and that's what we'll be going to also. Again, we are an example for the nation. Those that did do Medicaid explosion, I mean, expansion, uh, is, uh, that's what they'll be doing also. Thank you very much.

203. 1:51:40

     I yield the well.

204. 1:51:49

     Recognize the senator from the 41st.

205. 1:51:56

     Ask for unanimous consent to excuse the senator from the 22nd. Thank you, Mr. President. All right. Without objection, senator from the 22nd is excused. Does any other senator wish to rise on a point of personal privilege?

206. 1:52:13

     You have a consent calendar of privileged resolutions. Does any senator wish to remove a resolution from the consent calendar?

207. 1:52:24

     Is there objection to the adoption on the re- of, of the resolutions on the consent calendar? Chair hears none. The resolutions on the s- consent calendar are adopted.

208. 1:52:36

     Are there any motions to withdraw or commit?

209. 1:52:55

     All right. As we are going in a different order today, we have, uh, it's time to consider the confirmation of the governor's appointment to the Judicial Qualifications Commission, the Honorable Richard Hyde. Secretary, read the caption. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Assignments has had under consideration the following appointment to the Judicial Qualifications Commission, Mr. Richard Hyde, appointed by the governor, and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation, that the appointments be confirmed as submitted. Respectfully submitted, the Honorable Burt Jones, chairman.

210. 1:53:27

     Mr. President, that completes the order. I recognize the majority leader.

211. 1:53:34

     Mr. President, I move that the appointment of the Honorable Richard Hyde to the Judicial Qualifications Commission be confirmed as submitted. Majority leader has moved that the confirmation of the Honorable Richard Hyde be accepted without objection. Is there objection?

212. 1:53:55

     Senator, would you like to speak to your motion? Senator waves. Is there objection to the motion?

213. 1:54:04

     All those in favor of the leadersh- majority leader's motion will vote the yea switch. All those opposed, no. Secretary,

214. 1:54:14

     open the gate.

215. 1:55:28

     On the confirmation of the JQC appointment, the yays are 48, the nays are 0, and this motion has prevailed.

216. 1:55:38

     Recognize the majority leader for a motion.

217. 1:55:45

     Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following bills be engrossed, SB 403 and HB 414. Secretary, read the caption.

218. 1:55:58

     Senate Bill 403 by Senators Kirkpatrick of the 32nd and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 5 of Chapter 12 of Title 44 of the OCGA relating to destina- disposition of unclaimed property so as to provide for exceptions to when property is presumed abandoned, to provide for abandonment and liquidation of virtual currency, to authorize delay of publication of notice on the Georgia unclaimed property list under circumstances, to provide for methods of payment of claims, to waive the requirement of a probate court order for claims of heirs under circumstances, and for other purposes.

219. 1:56:31

     House Bill 414 by Representative Jones of the 25th and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 5 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to government transparency and campaign finance so as to revise the definition of person to include certain non-residents of the state, to provide the State Ethics Commission with supplementary investiga- investigatory powers relating to persons, documents, or information located outside the state, to revise venue provisions to address out-of-state persons, to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes.

220. 1:57:01

     Mr. President, that completes the order.

221. 1:57:14

     The majority leader has moved. Is there objection? Objection. We got an objection from the senator from the 2nd and the senator from the 41st.

222. 1:57:29

     I thought we were all gonna get along today.

223. 1:57:35

     All right. Would you like to speak to your motion, Senator? Senator waves. Would anybody like to speak in opposition? All right. We'll just put it, we'll just put it on the board. Put it on the board. All those in favor of the motion will vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary will enlighten the machine.

224. 1:58:55

     On the motion of engrossment, the yays are 29 and the nays are 20, and this motion has prevailed.

225. 1:59:11

     On to the rules calendar. Secretary, read the caption for Senate Bill 239

226. 1:59:20

     Senate Bill 239 by Walker of the 20th and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 1 of Chapter 18 of Title 43 of the OCGA relating to funeral directors and establishments, embalmers and crematories so as to remove the requirement that funeral directors be licensed embalmers to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes.

227. 1:59:46

     The Committee of the Senate on Rules recommend that this do pass by subs- sub- substitute. Senator Brass of the 6th, chairman.

228. 1:59:55

     The Senate Committee on Rules offers the following substitute to SB 239. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 1 of Chapter 18 of Title 43 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to funeral directors and establishment, embalmers and crematories so as to remove the requirement that funeral directors be licensed embalmers to provide r- definitions to provide pr- and for other purposes. Mr. Mr. President, that completes your report.

229. 2:00:26

     Recognize Senator from the 25th.

230. 2:00:42

     Thank you, Mr. President. Ladies and gentlemen, I ask for your favorable consideration for Senate, our Senate bill here. Uh, this splits the license of funeral directors and embalmers. It does not dilute requirements for licensure on either part. It just splits the license. This would allow an out-of-state couple that would move to Georgia and one of the spouses happens to be a licensed funeral director in another state.

231. 2:01:26

     Thank you, Mr. President. This allows people moving into our state to be able to be productive and go to work as a funeral director here in Georgia. Right now, every state that touches Georgia has split license. This is this way in 26 states. Uh, for instance, if a couple moved to Georgia and one of the people, uh, happens to be a licensed funeral director in a neighboring state, they would not be able to b- get licensed in Georgia because in Georgia, in order to be a funeral director, you have to be an embalmer.

232. 2:02:03

     This, uh, is kind of outdated, especially when more people are being cremated today and less embalming's taking place. So this is, uh, just a very simple bill. It will allow people to be productive and get a job, go to work here in the great state of Georgia. Be glad to take any questions, Mr. President. You do have a few questions, Senator. Recognize Senator from the 13th. Senator yield?

233. 2:02:33

     I do. Senator, are you an expert on embalming and funerals? I would think so after 54 years. I'm glad you said 54 years. This brings me into my question. I read your bill and I'm, and I voted for your bill and I support your bill, but I'm a little concerned about, confused about your bill. It says no less than 15 times in your bill, dead human bodies. Now, do you all work on live humans? No, sir. We don't.

234. 2:03:03

     Is there a reason it takes 300 and, 3,120 hours and 18 months to figure out that they gotta be dead human bodies? No, it just figures out what to do with them. There we go. So the situation is this simple. You teach them you can only work on dead human bodies. That is correct. Senator, I yield. Thank you. All right. Thank you very much. Mr. President, if there's no other questions, I yield the way. I ask for your favorable consideration.

235. 2:03:34

     Thank you. The senator has yielded. Would any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Senator from the 33rd? I was gonna ask some questions. Yeah, senator has yielded.

236. 2:03:48

     Chair hears none. Is there objection to the previous question being ordered? Chair hears none. The previous question is ordered. Question is on the adoption of the committee substitute. Is there objection to the adoption of the committee substitute? Hearing none, the committee substitute is adopted. Is there objection to agreeing to the report of committee, which is favorable to the passage of the bill? Chair hears none. The report of committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered? Chair hears none. The main question is ordered. Question is on the passage of the bill by substitute. All those in favor will vote yay.

237. 2:04:18

     All opposed nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

238. 2:05:48

     On the passage of the bill, the yays are 50 and the nays are zero. This bill, having received the requisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed by substitute.

239. 2:06:04

     All right. All right. Senate Bill 403. Secretary, read the caption.

240. 2:06:11

     Senate Bill 403 by Senator Kirkpatrick of the 32nd and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 5 of Chapter 12 of Title 44 of the OCGA relating to disposition of unclaimed property so as to provide for exceptions to when property is presumed abandoned. To provide for abandonment and liquidation of virtual currency. To authorize delay of publication of notice on the Georgia Unclaimed Property List under circumscir- cir- circumstances. To provide for methods of payment of claims to waive the requirement of a probate court order for claims of heirs under certain circumstances. To provide for circumstances under which a claim is void.

241. 2:06:43

     To provide for definitions to amend Title 48 of the OCGA relating to revenue and taxation so as to waive confidentiality of certain tax records. To provide for related matters. To repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes. Mr. President?

242. 2:06:58

     The Senate Committee on Finance recommends that this bill do pass by substitute by Senator Hufstetler of the 52nd, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Finance Committee offers the following substitute to SB 403, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 5 of Chapter 12 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to disposition of unclaimed property so as to provide for exceptions to when property is presumed abandoned, to provide for abandonment and liquidation of virtual currency, and for other purposes. Mr. President, that completes the order. Bring it down to the senator from the 32nd.

243. 2:07:47

     Thank you, Mr. President. This bill deals with unclaimed property held by our state Department of Revenue. This is an agency bill that I've been working on for several months after I sort of accidentally found out that I had a small amount of unclaimed property. Subsequent to that, I found out that there's currently 3.3 billion, with a B, dollars in the custody of the state that's unclaimed property. And these properties end up there for different reasons. Maybe an inheritance issue, it could be an insurance policy, or a forgotten bank account.

244. 2:08:24

     Many Georgians are not aware that they have unclaimed property, and the current process for getting it from the department is cumbersome. I'm guessing each of you has constituents who have unclaimed property who don't even know to ask. Since I presented this bill in committee, a number of people have told me that they found unclaimed property in varying amounts on the DOR website, and I expect that website to get very busy. The goal of this bill is to return more money to Georgians faster with fewer forms, less costs, and fewer administrative barriers.

245. 2:09:00

     This bill does the following. It establishes an exact match program to automatically return small amounts of unclaimed property to owners using tax records, no claim form required. It allows virtual currency to be legally reported and remitted as unclaimed property. It streamlines heir claims by allowing small estates to be paid using a small estate affidavit instead of probate. It requires stronger holder outreach before property is turned over to DOR, helping to return the money before it ever becomes unclaimed property.

246. 2:09:37

     It allows the state to permanently take ownership of very small or long abandoned unclaimed property, and we're talking about 25 years. Improves timing and accuracy of the Georgia unclaimed property list by allowing delayed publication until the prox- property is actually received by the state. This bill will help get money back to Georgia's citizens, and I appreciate the cooperation of the Department of Revenue and the governor's office on this agency bill to help our constituents. And with that, I'd be happy to answer any questions and would ask for your favorable consideration.

247. 2:10:11

     You have no questions, Senator. Thank you. I yield. Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Chair hears none. Is there objection to the previous question being ordered? Chair hears none. The previous question is ordered. Is, the question is on the adoption of the committee substitute. Is there objection to the adoption of the committee substitute? Hearing none, the committee substitute is adopted. Is there objection to agreeing to the reporter committee, which is favorable to the passage of the bill? Chair hears none. The reporter committee is agreed to.

248. 2:10:43

     Is there objection to the main question being ordered? Chair hears none, and the main question is ordered. The question is on the passage of the bill by substitute. All those in favor of the bill, vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

249. 2:12:18

     On the passage of the bill, the yays are 50 and the nays are 0, and this bill, having received prerequisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed by substitute.

250. 2:12:31

     Secretary, please read House Bill 414.

251. 2:12:37

     House Bill 414 by Representative Jones of the 25th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 5 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to government transparency and campaign finance so as to revise the definition of person to include to certain non-residents of the state, to provide the State Ethics Commission with supplementary investigatory powers related to persons, documents, or information located outside the state, to revise venue provisions to address out-of-state persons, to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes.

252. 2:13:08

     The Committee of the House on Information, eh, hmm, hmm, the Committee on, of the Senate on Ethics recommends that this bill do pass by substitute Senator- Watson. Watson of the 1st, Chairman.

253. 2:13:23

     Senator, the substitute. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Ethics offers the following substitute to House Bill 414, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 5 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to government transparency and campaign finance so as to revise the definition of person to include certain non-residents of the state, to provide time periods for responding to civil actions brought by the Attorney General pursuant to this chapter, to provide for award of default judgments in such actions, and for other purposes. Mr. President, that completes the order.

254. 2:14:05

     Bring it down to the senator from the 25th.

255. 2:15:14

     I apologize. It was the senator from the 29th. They wrote the 25th on my paper, Senator.

256. 2:15:25

     It's a simple mistake. Uh, our hair is exact same color.

257. 2:15:33

     Colleagues, uh, HB 414, very simple piece of legislation, um, crafted by Representative Jones from over in the House. All it, all it does, if you heard the reading of the preamble, is it holds those out of state to the same rules and regulations when it comes to elections as we are held to. And colleagues, I hope you all know what Monday is. Monday is the last day to get your disclosure in.

258. 2:16:06

     It'll be looked at to make sure it's transparent. It'll be reviewed to make sure everything is right, and if it's not, there'll be sanctions and ramifications because of our failures. All we are attempting to do in HB 414 is to hold those outside of the State of Georgia who choose to participate in our elections through campaign contributions to the same standard. It gives our friends in state ethics the opportunity to subpoena someone outside of the state.

259. 2:16:45

     It gives them 30 days to respond, and the jurisdiction of that case will be here in Fulton County. It is what we refer to many times as the long arm of the law. Gives them the opportunity to go outside of our state and address individuals who choose to come into our state with their money or their influence. Uh, the bill went through committee, Senate Ethics Committee, with a lot of friendly conversation, s- suggestions, and passed out bipartisan.

260. 2:17:24

     And with that, uh, Mr. President, I'll yield for any questions.

261. 2:17:29

     You do have a couple questions, Senator. Recognize Senator from 26.

262. 2:17:42

     Thank you, uh, Mr. President. Will the gentleman yield?

263. 2:17:46

     I absolutely will yield with my friend from Macon.

264. 2:17:50

     Your explanation of the bill

265. 2:17:55

     does not seem

266. 2:17:59

     to be, uh, what the bill is asking. What are you looking for? If you do campaign disclosure, you got to put where the money comes from and the address where you got it from.

267. 2:18:16

     What it is, it's looking for disparages. When somebody outside of the State of Georgia decides they want to give money to State Senator Randy Robertson, and they do not provide all the information, or I do not provide all the information about the individuals that I receive those contributions from, and if it raises the antennas or the concerns of the Georgia Department of Ethics, then they have the opportunity to send a subpoena outside of the state. Let's say that money comes from Florida. They're able to send a subpoena down to this contributor in Florida and ask them, I wish it was about water, it's just about me, uh, and ask them to come to Fulton County and give an explanation of who they are, if they are allowed to participate in this.

268. 2:19:03

     What it is, there's a lot of people giving a very little bit of information about campaign contributions who want to come into Georgia and influence our elections. We've seen it happen year after year after year after year, and all we are attempting to do is hold those out-of-state actors to the exact standard that we are held to within the State of Georgia.

269. 2:19:28

     Gentleman, further yield?

270. 2:19:29

     Absolutely.

271. 2:19:30

     It seems as though you're kind of contradicting yourself. I mean, we get money, like, from Publix. That's out of Lake- Lake Bloom, Florida.

272. 2:19:40

     They absolutely are.

273. 2:19:42

     And when you put down the, the dona- the, the, the donation of the amount of money you got, you also have to put the address

274. 2:19:55

     where it came from.

275. 2:19:57

     That's right.

276. 2:19:58

     So what is the rationale for this bill when on your campaign disclosure, when you put the money in that you receive, you also had to put the address of where that money came from?

277. 2:20:15

     Senator, I've explained the rationale twice. Well, I'll explain to you once again is there are bad actors who choose to influence Georgia elections, and they do it through nefarious ways. And it gives the ethics, should concern rise to that standard, the opportunity to subpoena those individuals and to come in here. Because I'm sure as you know, there are people that will use other avenues. Now, the contributor that you're discussing out of Lakeland, Florida, um, I believe in the past they have actually contributed to my campaign.

278. 2:20:46

     And what I have provided in my disclosure is every bit of the details of that individual, not just an address in some cases, other things, along with copies of the checks and to make sure they have copies of my W-9s or whatever else they need. So we're just holding people outside of the state to the same standards because the, the example you gave is a good actor. This is to go after those who choose not to be good actors. That is why we refer to it as the long arm of the law, so that we're able to reach out and prevent people outside of the State of Georgia from having undue influence in the State of Georgia while attempting to hide their identities.

279. 2:21:32

     Recognize the senator from the 20th.

280. 2:21:36

     Thank you, Mr. President. Will the senator yield? Yes, sir, I yield to the, uh, president pro tem. So when we file our campaign disclosure reports by midnight on Monday, uh, we're held to a standard, a high standard of transparency and compliance with the State Ethics Commission. Uh, w- is that correct? The gentleman knows of which he speaks. And, uh, this simply gives the State Ethics Commission the tools to hold out-of-state entities that are participating in, uh, Georgia elections to the same standard that we are held and the citizens of Georgia are held to.

281. 2:22:20

     It gives them a tool to hopefully, uh, do that rather than having to rely on the goodwill, I guess, of a attorney general or a DA or something in another state. It gives them a legal tool to, to f- file a subpoena here in the State of Georgia, uh, on a out-of-state entity and then turn that subpoena over to, to that state. You know, like State of Florida, for example. Have a subpoena, uh, issued in a, in another state is my understanding.

282. 2:22:52

     Is that correct? It absolutely does that. Um, we have had many of our colleagues in the House and over in the Senate at times run afoul of ethics because of unintended mistakes on disclosures, and our friends correct the mistake, pay the fine, and move forward. And all we are doing is making sure that those who are outside the State of Georgia are held to the exact same standard as we are. Myself, so concerned about my disclosure every time, I've hired someone who's an expert to do all of my deposits and do all of my, um, disclosures because I appreciate the ethical

283. 2:23:42

     hammer that is above all of our heads that hold us to the standard that the citizens who elect us expect us to adhere to. And all we're asking is that others be held to that same standard who are not residences of this state, and in many cases, what we are exactly doing is telling them that they must meet that same standard as a contributor here in Georgia wants to give a Georgia State Senate candidate a contribution. Thank you, Senator. Appreciate you bringing this good bill.

284. 2:24:13

     Thank you, Mr. President Pro Tem. Recognize the senator from the 41st. You wave? With that- Uh, you have no more questions, Senator? With that, Mr. President, I ask, uh, everyone, let's hold everybody to the same standard the 56 of us are held to. And with that, Mr. President, I yield the well. Recognize the senator from the 42nd.

285. 2:24:45

     Thank you, Mr. President. I just wanna make sure we're clear this bill is not as exciting as some people wanna make it. This bill has nothing to do with any campaigns going on right now. This bill was filed over a year ago. Um, this bill simply says that if we're gonna have outside groups, like a super PAC, that's pouring money and doing politicking in our state for a candidate, that they'll play by the same rules the rest of us play by. If you vote against this bill, then what you're saying is that folks inside our state have to play by the rules, but folks on the outside are not held accountable.

286. 2:25:23

     Without passing this, our Ethics Commission can't go and even investigate these outside groups. We have to have this tool for our Ethics Commission to go and make certain that groups that pour money into our state, wanna influence our elections, c- c- can't, for a particular candidate, have to play by the same rules everybody else plays by. And that's all this bill is doing. And I just wanna make sure we're clear for the record, this is something that'll make everybody play by the same set of rules in our campaign. So happy to take any questions.

287. 2:25:54

     I do have one question, Senator. Thank you. Recognize... What? Yeah, senator is yielding. Yeah. You do have one question, Senator. Recognize the senator from the 9th. Thank you, Mr. President. So I'm a little unclear how we're determining what a bad actor is. You, uh, you all keep saying it, but under what conditions are you saying is a bad actor, and how is that verified and you see them on there? So can you elaborate on that? Yeah, it's a great question. So we don't know who the bad actors are without the ability to investigate. So right now, without this bill, our Ethics Commission can't even determine whether or not someone technically is a bad actor.

288. 2:26:27

     They can't go and subpoena records. They can't go and do a complaint. So someone's not following our rules. We have certain disclosure rules. We have certain things you have to put on notices when you do, when you do ads, of course. If a group is not complying with that, without this ability, if they're outside of our state, without this bill, we can't even figure out whether or not they are a bad actor. We're not changing the rules. This bill does not determine who's good or bad or who can, who can influence our elections, who can play in elections. All this bill is saying that we will now have the tools to hold the people outside of our state accountable just like the people inside our state are.

289. 2:27:01

     Does senator further yield? Yes. Yes, I got that, and I understand that this piece of legislation would allow you to be able to go after a bad actor, but it still has not answered my question. How are you determining what a bad actor is, even if we pass this bill? Are you gonna look at a name and say, "Well, hey, that looks kind of nefarious. It looks like a bad actor"? So I am trying to establish where in this bill this puts guardrails and kind of some rules on what you are establishing as a bad actor. Well, it's a whole different topic. This bill does not establish who a good or bad actor is.

290. 2:27:33

     All this bill is doing is saying our Ethics Commission can go and do their job the same way they do it with groups inside Georgia, outside of our state. So the topic you bring up is a whole different topic. If you want to change the current rules, that'll be a whole different bill, different part of the code. This just says now we'll have the tools to know what is happening with these outside groups that come in, so the bill has nothing to do with that.

291. 2:27:55

     Okay. I'm s- and I'm sorry, Senator. I- I'm still a little confused about what we're considering a bad actor. I- I think that's still not quite defined for me, uh, and maybe I'm missing something, but- You're not missing something. It's not in the bill. That's not, that's not this bill. Right. So if you wanna decide what a bad actor is, you could go to the code section that defines that, and we give the, the job to our ethics commission to regulate this and oversee this. This bill is just, again, making certain that those from outside of our state that are coming in and pouring money into elections play by the same rules.

292. 2:28:26

     This doesn't change the rules themself. Mm-hmm. So if we don't pass this, and that means those groups outside of our state, let's say you have a primary that you have, someone running against you. You could have a group from outside of our state come in and directly violate the current rules or do things that deserve an investigation. If you don't pass this, we can't even investigate that. You couldn't hold that group accountable versus someone in Georgia who has to play by the rules. Okay. Does the senator further yield? Yes. Okay. I know we passed the bill, uh, somewhere around my first year, 2021, to allow the establishment of, of PACs.

293. 2:28:56

     Um, I think the governor uses one, these leadership PACs. How would that impact w- this bill impact, because that, that particular bill does allow anyone to feed money into those PACs, and we're not investigating who they are or considering them bad actors, so- Yeah. Again, it's a whole different topic, how those PACs work, whether or not a PAC qualifies as someone that has the same rules for a campaign for a candidate. That's completely separate. And I understand the argument, but that's a whole separate issue. If you wanna change that, you have to bring a different bill.

294. 2:29:29

     The bill before us today is just about the enforcement and making sure everybody plays by the same rules, but you shouldn't oppose this 'cause you don't like the rules. If there's a rule you don't like now, you should file a bill and change that rule versus saying, "Well, people inside our state have to abide by the rules, but I'm gonna vote against this because outside groups should be held accountable." Thank you, Senator.

295. 2:29:50

     Recognize the senator from the 55th. Will the gentleman yield? Yes, sir. From my great hometown area, Griffin, Georgia. That's right. Uh, I'm a little concerned at the senator, the previous senator stating about what is a bad actor, and I, in this atmosphere of politically charged going after each other and retribution, uh, is there a provision, for example, that there must be probable cause to investigate, uh, quote unquote, these particular bad actors, or how does that come about?

296. 2:30:24

     Well, that's, again, I'm not an expert on election law. We're both attorneys in our areas we practice. I'm not an expert on that, but that's not part of this bill. Um, so there's a whole process set up as to, um, someone that has an allegation made against them. There's ethics complaint filed, then there's an investigation of that complaint. Then there's due process or the Administrative Procedures Act where someone can be heard. There's also a way to take that to superior court to enforce those orders as well. There's a whole process and code that's set up. This doesn't change any of that. This just says groups outside of our state abide by the same rules that the groups inside of our state play by.

297. 2:31:00

     Will the gentleman further yield? Yes, sir. I am a little concerned that this not be used as a political pawn to publicize if you're, quote unquote, investigating some group because you don't like their political views. Is there any, are there any safeguards that we can have so that someone does not abuse their power to publicize and put on the front page of the newspaper that they're investigating some group simply because they do not agree with their particular political views?

298. 2:31:32

     A- again, Senator, that's a different topic. Um, but I would say instead this protects everybody because right now it, look, we operate in the world of extremes a lot of times. Let's use an extreme example. If we do have a real bad actor, someone that we both would agree is a bad actor, who doesn't wanna play by our rules, it's very simple. Without this bill, if you vote against this bill, that bad actor could go one county over. Let's go to West Georgia. Instead of staying in Carroll County, they could go over and cross the state line, and they could then not have to play by our rules, and we'd have no way to even investigate that.

299. 2:32:04

     And what I've found as someone who's had a lot of elections over the years, people like to throw things out, and the best thing that could happen is to have an actual complaint filed so it can be investigated, due process can be heard. Without this bill, you can't even have that due process. You won't even have a way to investigate someone that's being accused of doing something wrong outside of our state. So I think this actually brings more due process and makes certain that everybo- everybody plays by the same rules. Thank you, sir. I think you're help- you're helping me out. But so basically, this would be initiated with someone making a complaint, and then the body would then investigate those persons.

300. 2:32:38

     Is that the way it would work? I think that, um, the commission has the ability to also initiate their own investigations in addition to complaints. That doesn't change any of this. But yes, there still has to be an investigation first, and the first step you're doing with this bill is making certain that investigation can happen. Okay. I agree we should investigate, quote unquote, bad actors if we can agree that they are bad actors. But are these complaints under verified, are they verified so that if you are lying on me, that I can come back and have some recourse- And- ...

301. 2:33:11

     if the person is doing a false affidavit against my organization? Yeah, again, it's not part of the bill, but my understanding is there is due process or the Administrative Procedures Act where someone has a hearing if they're accused of something. And we're both lawyers. We know the best thing you want when you're accused of something and you're innocent is to have your day in court and to let the investigation play out versus leaving an allegation out there for the public to make their own decisions on. So this bill, again, does not change the current rules. It doesn't identify who's bad or who's good.

302. 2:33:41

     All this is saying is that our commission that we've tasked with making those determinations and investigating these issues for us can do their job outside of the state of Georgia. Thank you. Thank you very kindly, sir. Thank you. You get one more question, Senator. Re- recognize the senator from the 27th. Thank you, Mr. President. Chairman, do you yield? Yes, sir. Hi. Come over here. Um-

303. 2:34:04

     This is, this has to do with the State Ethics Commission, is that correct? That's correct. And is it not true that the State Ethics Commission, as you just said, either receives complaints and they can either administratively dismiss those complaints if there is no probable cause, or they can bring them before the State Ethics Commission and or they can open ethics complaints on their, of their own accord. Is that not correct? That's correct. And is it not true that this bill does not change any of that and that the term bad actors is nowhere in the bill, but that is your own description essentially of what we're talking about here?

304. 2:34:35

     That's correct. The bill has nothing to do with who's good or who's bad. Even the current process that we have, this bill again just makes certain that someone can't abuse our process, abuse our system by moving across the state line. Do you further yield? Yes. Isn't it true that it's not just a requirement to, that this bill is not trying to address even necessarily moving across state lines, but what this bill is trying to address hypothetically would be me hiring an out-of-state consultant to run negative ads against an opponent knowing that if there was illegal money used in such a way that the State Ethics Commission does not currently have the ability to go subpoena the bank records of the out-of-state consultant.

305. 2:35:16

     So what we are trying to do here is close a loophole that currently perhaps has been exploited. Uh, we don't really know if it's been exploited or not because we can't go do that, but this essentially will seek to stop the practice of using dark money to hire out-of-state consultants to prevent the State Ethics Commission from ever getting the sunlight into these, uh, these matters. Is that not true? That's a great way of putting it. You, you make it personal for all of us as elected officials, all of us who have campaigns. If you vote against this bill, what you're doing is allowing yourself the ability to go and hire an outside consultant from a different state, a group from a different state, and they could then come and, and support your campaign, go against your opponent without playing by the same rules everybody else plays by.

306. 2:35:58

     This makes certain that we all play by the same rules.

307. 2:36:04

     No further questions. Thank you.

308. 2:36:08

     Recognize the senator from the 14th.

309. 2:36:21

     Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, I rise in support of the legislation brought by the senator from the 29th. And senator from the 42nd, you got to promise not to clip this video, but basically everything that the senator from the 42nd said on this bill I agree with, I think is correct. Not, not even remotely close, Mr. Leader. Uh, this is, this is a jurisdictional bill, and I want to speak briefly about the code section that follows 9-10-90, which defines a non-resident, and that code section's 9-10-91, which is Georgia's long-arm statute, which determines what rights in-state citizens have vis-a-vis out-of-state residents.

310. 2:37:01

     Now, this is a funny one. This is a funny story, uh, senator from Forsyth County. I don't know if you remember this, but you had a former colleague, Zara Karenshak. I can say her name. She's not here. Uh, wonderful person and helped connect me to some senators when I was serving in the State House. And I said, "I'd love to work on this long-arm issue." And Zara was like, "Listen, buddy, I got, I got just the guy for you." So she connects me with the senator over here, and we had a phone call. This is years and years ago, and I was trying to pitch this guy on the long-arm statute that we need to expand it, okay?

311. 2:37:31

     There's two ways that Georgians' rights against people out of state in this state are constrained. Two ways. One is what's called the federal constitution, due process, right? That, you know, you can imagine why if we just want to sue some person in Alaska who's never been to Georgia, knows nobody from Georgia, why that might not be fair, right, to force them to come to Georgia courts to defend against some kind of lawsuit. So the federal constitution has a basic guarantee that it's got to be fair, but then the other thing is our own state laws. Georgia state laws limit the ability for Georgia residents to go after out-of-state businesses if they do something wrong.

312. 2:38:06

     And that's actually a pretty significant area of Georgia's rights that we are curtailing for no reason except we've just decided to tie our own shoelaces together. This is the pitch I was giving the good senator a few years ago. And it's not like some kind of trial lawyer defense thing. It's about Georgians and our ability to protect our rights vis-a-vis people who are out of state. So a good example of that is if somebody from out of state says something defamatory or, you know, concocts some kind of business interference plan or fraud, and they have very few contacts with Georgia, but they target their, their, their harm into Georgia, there's not a guarantee that Georgia law allows Georgia citizens to sue them in Georgia court the way that the Georgia laws are currently written.

313. 2:38:47

     So it's not just the ethics issue. It's actually a range of issues where Georgia law under protects Georgia citizens' rights vis-a-vis people out of state. So I think this is a really good bill. It's a really good bill because it basically says if there's out-of-state problems... I mean, it's, again, I don't want to toot you guys' horn too much today, uh, but what you just heard from the senator from Forsyth and the senator from the 42nd about the ability for somebody to use an out-of-state entity to harm what's happening in state is absolutely correct.

314. 2:39:18

     And this doesn't change the underlying ethics laws. Again, if you, you know, want to change the ethics laws, you got to go into a different part of the code. So this is a good bill. It is in line with other reforms we also need to increase Georgians' rights vis-a-vis people out of state who might do harm, uh, and I'll be voting yes on this legislation today. Happy to take any questions. You do have a couple questions, Senator. Recognize the senator from the 41st. Thank you, Mr. President. Does the senator yield? I do. Uh, just to help some of my colleagues with a timeline here, isn't it true that this bill was brought forward last session before...

315. 2:39:55

     Certain activities that are on TV on a regular basis began.

316. 2:39:58

     Yeah, that's right. And the other thing I'll say, and I think the minority party finds ourselves in this situation a lot where, look, we're not always gonna agree with the majority party's administration. You know? If the, if the executive, if the governor is from a different party, we're not always gonna agree with the way that the laws are enforced. But I think it's, there's a basic fairness and, you know, conscience test by us. If we were in charge, would we like to have the authority to go out of state and regulate what somebody does out of state in our elections? I think the answer to that is yes. If, you know, the basic operation of, of governance requires that you have the authority that you need to go after people who are violating our laws.

317. 2:40:34

     And I, and I do think there's a loophole right now where out of state actors are able to do that, and the timing, I, I think, absolutely suggests that there was no specific intention in this bill to address anything we're seeing right now.

318. 2:40:44

     Do you further yield?

319. 2:40:45

     I do.

320. 2:40:46

     Isn't it true that this can impact legislators on either side of the aisle in both ways, that all of us are vulnerable to this type of behavior regardless of party?

321. 2:40:56

     Senator, I, I aim to earn my rule of law messaging. I aim to earn my annoying speeches about how the rule of law matters. And so if I want to earn those talking points with my colleagues, one good faith way to do that is to acknowledge that, yes, this is basic good government meat and potatoes stuff, and I would like for Georgians' rights to be robust as to out of state actors that potentially do harm. Thank you, Senator.

322. 2:41:23

     You have no further questions, Senator?

323. 2:41:24

     Thank you, Mr. President.

324. 2:41:26

     Look at us all getting along in here today. I tell you what. Over a House bill nonetheless. A year old House bill. I'll still get blamed for it. Don't worry. All right. Any other senator for or against this measure? Is there any other senator who wishes to speak for or against the measure? Chair hears none. Is there objection to the previous question being ordered? Chair hears none. The previous question is ordered. Question is on the adoption of the committee substitute. Is there objection to the adoption of the committee substitute?

325. 2:41:58

     Hearing none, the committee substitute is adopted. Is there objection to agreeing to the referred committee, which is favorable to the passage of the bill? Chair hears none. Referred to committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered? Chair hears none. The main question is ordered. The question is on the passage of the bill by substitute. All those in favor, vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

326. 2:42:20

     Fire.

327. 2:42:20

     Um, do you want to go? I just want to announce this vote, but I just got a message from the House. We got Blake here who just signed into the House.

328. 2:43:19

     On the pass of the bill, the yays are 50 and the nays are one. This bill having received the requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed by substitute.

329. 2:43:30

     We have a, um, we have a message from the House. Uh, Secretary, read the caption.

330. 2:43:38

     Mr. President, the House has passed by the requisite constitutional majority the following bill of the House, House Bill 973 by Representative Burns of the 159th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend an act making and providing appropriations for the state fiscal year beginning July 1st, 2025, and ending June 30th, 2026, and it is the General Appropriations Act, numbers-

331. 2:43:57

     We will sign it at Appropriations.

332. 2:43:59

     Mr. President, that completes the order.

333. 2:44:00

     The House has given us the, the budget, so we will sign it to Appropriations. And I now recognize the majority leader for a motion.

334. 2:44:10

     Mr. President, I move that the Senate stand adjourned until 9:00 AM on Friday, February 6th.

335. 2:44:15

     Majority leader has moved, but we have a few announcements here. Senator from the 36th.

336. 2:44:39

     Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, quick announcement. You have on your desk the Georgia Working Families Legislative, uh, Caucus invitation today to a luncheon in LOB 307. That's CLOB 307. And the topic is top priority housing and homeless issues that we're grappling with here in the state and here, uh, in this legislative session. Uh, thank you very much. Uh, you are all invited, and I hope to see many of you there. I yield.

337. 2:45:07

     Senator from the 39th, do you have a message or announcement?

338. 2:45:22

     Quick announcement for anybody who's part of the Fulton County delegation. Today is Fulton County Day at the Capitol. Uh, there will be displays all throughout the, um, South Stairs Rotunda, but a lunch for Fulton County delegation members is happening now in Ca- in CAP 122 between 12:30 and 1:30. Please come by. Thank you.

339. 2:45:43

     Recognize Pro Tem.

340. 2:45:50

     Thank you, Mr. President. I know it's already been said, but just don't forget we're gaveling in at 9:00 AM tomorrow morning, and tomorrow is John Bullock Day. If you don't know what that is, ask one of your more seasoned colleagues. Thank you very much.

341. 2:46:05

     Recognize the senator from the 4th.

342. 2:46:15

     Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to remind all colleagues that there is a joint press conference with the House at 1:00 on the south steps on the literacy bill that was dropped as a companion bill yesterday by the Senate and by the House. So please, please join us and support the bill. Thank you.

343. 2:46:31

     Thank you. Recognize Senator from the 55th.

344. 2:46:39

     My colleagues, as on your desk is something for Faith and Clergy Appreciation. Recommend someone from your district who's a person of faith, whether from church, mosque, synagogue, et cetera, and consider co-hosting this thing. Let these people know that there is an obligation of the, as my distinguished colleague that I, the whip stated this morning, there's an obligation for those of faith to do certain things, and let's... On your desk, turn it in.

345. 2:47:09

     Thank you. Appreciate it. March the 3rd, Faith and Clergy Appreciation Day. Thank you.

346. 2:47:15

     Secretary, read the announcements.

347. 2:47:19

     The Rules Committee will meet upon adjournment in room 450 of the Capitol. The Education and Youth Committee has been canceled. The Judiciary Committee will meet in room 307 of the CLOB at 2:00 PM. The State and Local Government Operations Committee will meet in mezzanine one at 2:00 PM. The Urban Affairs Committee will meet in room 125 of the Capitol at 2:00 PM. The Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee will meet in room 450 of the Capitol at 3:00 PM. The Insurance and Labor Committee will meet in mezzanine one at 4:00 PM. Mr. President, that completes the order.

348. 2:47:48

     All right. Any more announcements? Hearing none, the majority leader has moved that the Senate stand adjourned until 9:00 AM, February 6. Tomorrow morning, 9:00 AM, and it is John Bullock Day, I understand, so... All those in favor of the motion, signify by saying aye.

349. 2:48:07

     Aye.

350. 2:48:07

     All those opposed, no.

351. 2:48:10

     No.

352. 2:48:10

     The ayes clearly have it. Y'all have a good day.