Senate floor session, February 6, 2026 (legislative day 14)

Transcript

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1. 0:32:09

   Good morning, everyone. Good morning. The time for convening has arrived. The Senate will come to order. All unauthorized personnel, please exit the chamber at this time. Chair recognizes the senator from the sixth.

2. 0:32:33

   Good morning, Mr. President, and happy Friday. Oh, happy day. Mr. President, we got a long, great list of pages joining us today from all over this great state. Out of Eatonton, Georgia, we've got Zoa Abbott. From Dallas, we have brothers Baylor and Drake Bentley, and their cousin Kennedy Fields, also from Dallas.

3. 0:33:06

   From Cochran, we have Jake Floyd. From Hiram, we have the twins, Lily and Molly Fuller. From Milton, we have June Gruskin. From Eatonton, we have Emma Lewis. From Douglasville, Sunny Lynn. We have another set of twins, Palin and Zuri Milbratt, and they are from Marietta. Also from Marietta, we have Zara Makwando Wiri.

4. 0:33:41

   From Waycross, we have brothers Baylor and Cooper Peacock. From Atlanta, we have our very own Senator Kemp's nephew, Trenton Presley. From Valdosta, we have Corey Smith. From Atlanta, Cameron Sneed. From Suwanee, we have Samdish Thukral. And from Atlanta, we have Sire Washington. Y'all give these pages a big round of applause.

5. 0:34:13

   We appreciate your service to the great state of Georgia and to the Georgia State Senate. Mr. President, I was reading through the journal, and it seems to be correct, so I would move that we dispense with the reading of the journal.

6. 0:34:40

   Welcome back.

7. 0:34:42

   Yes, sir.

8. 0:34:44

   Welcome back.

9. 0:34:45

   It's so good to see you, Senator.

10. 0:34:49

    I miss you.

11. 0:34:49

    Are you done for the day?

12. 0:34:51

    I made a motion that we dispense with the reading of the journal, and we congratulated these great pages.

13. 0:34:59

    These are wonderful pages here today, Senator. You're exactly right, and we got a lot of them here today. How'd you get so many here on a Friday?

14. 0:35:07

    They didn't wanna go to school today.

15. 0:35:08

    Well, that's good. That's probably, that's probably right. That's probably right. Well, thank you, Senator. Appreciate that. And, uh, is there objection to dispensing of the reading of the journal? Chair hears none. The reading of the journal is dispensed with. Is there objection to the confirmation of the journal? Chair hears none. The journal is confirmed. All senators have bills and resolutions introduced, please bring them to the secretary's desk at this time.

16. 0:35:58

    Secretary.

17. 0:36:01

    Senate Bill 465 by Senators Gooch of the 51st and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 2 of Chapter 7 of Title 48 of the Official Codes-

18. 0:36:09

    Finance

19. 0:36:09

    ... Senate Bill 466 by Senators Bearden of the 30th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 27 of Chapter 2 of Title 20-

20. 0:36:15

    Education and Youth

21. 0:36:16

    ... Senate Bill 467 by Senators Cowsert of the 46th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Title-

22. 0:36:21

    Children and Family

23. 0:36:22

    ... Senate Bill 468 by Senators Cowsert of the 46th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 2 of Chapter 1 of Title 42 of the OCGA relating to-

24. 0:36:31

    Public Safety

25. 0:36:31

    ... Senate Bill 469 by Senator Still of the 48th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend an act creating-

26. 0:36:37

    State and Local Government

27. 0:36:38

    Mr. President, that completes the order.

28. 0:36:41

    First reading and references to the House bills.

29. 0:36:46

    House Bill 985 by Representatives Bonner of the 73rd and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Part 3 of Article 2 of Chapter 4 of Title 38 of the Official Code of Georgia.

30. 0:36:54

    Veterans

31. 0:36:55

    Mr. President, that completes the order.

32. 0:36:57

    Secretary will read reports of standing committee.

33. 0:37:03

    Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Insurance and Labor 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 444, do pass. Senate Bill 409, do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Harbison of the 16th District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Judiciary 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 398, do pass by substitute. Senate Bill 405, do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Strickland of the 42nd District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Regulated Industries and Utilities 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 86, do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Cowsert of the 46th District, Chairman.

34. 0:37:33

    Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Regulated Industries and Utilities has had under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation. House Bill 185, do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Cowsert of the

35. 0:37:59

    46th District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on State and Local Government Operations General 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 301, do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Dixon of the 45th District, Chairman. Dear Mr. Secretary, pursuant to Senate Rule 2-1.6, I hereby give notice that I will introduce a minority report to be read along with the majority report of Senate Bill 301, which passed out of the Senate Committee on State and Local Government Operations on February 5th, 2026. Sincerely, Senator Randal Mangham of the 55th District.

36. 0:38:32

    Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Urban Affairs 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 166, due pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Halpern of the 39th District, Vice Chairman. Mr. President, that completes the order.

37. 0:38:54

    Secretary reveals the resolutions for the second time. Senate Bill 143 by Senators Albers of the 56th and others. Georgia's Firefighters Pension Fund of certain members to retire at age 50 provide. Senate Bill 427 by Senator Watson of the 1st and others. Physicians, limited provisional license and a pathway to licensure for certain internationally trained physicians provide. Senate Bill 435 by Senator Goodman of the 8th and others. Georgia Development Authority, renames the Georgia Agricultural Development Authority. Senate Resolution 684 by Senator Halpern of the 39th and others. American Heart Month, recognized February 2026.

38. 0:39:27

    House Bill 163 by Representative Ridley of the 22nd and others. Food service establishments, certain food products be disclosed as containing cell-cultured meat and plant-based alternatives require. Mr. President, that completes the order.

39. 0:39:47

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

40. 0:39:54

    Recognize Senator from the 33rd.

41. 0:39:59

    Thank you, Mr. President, and good morning. I ask for unanimous consent to excuse the senators from the 10th, the 5th,

42. 0:40:12

    7th for business outside the Capitol. Senator from the 10th, the 7th, and the 5th. Without objection, senator's excused. Recognize senator from the 50th. Thank you, Mr. President. I ask for unanimous consent to excuse the senator from the 56th District for business outside the chamber. Without objection, senator from the 56th is excused. Recognize senator from the 48th. Good morning, Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent to please excuse the senator from the 56th for business outside the Capitol.

43. 0:40:44

    We, we got him, Senator. Thank you. Any other motions to excuse? Senator from the 33rd. Thank you, Mr. President, and y'all. I ask for, oops, unanimous consent to excuse the senators from the 28th and 36th for business outside the Capitol. All right. Without objection, senators from the 28th and 36th are excused. Any other motions? Secretary will call the roll. Senators, signify your presence by voting to the yeas switch.

44. 0:41:15

    Secretary, unlock the machine.

45. 0:42:24

    It is now time for our morning devotion. All senators, please take your seats and cease all conversation. I would ask that the door- doorkeepers secure the chamber at this time. I now recognize the senator from the 41st to introduce our pastor today and lead us in our pledge. Senator.

46. 0:42:44

    Thank you, Mr. President. Please stand as we, uh, begin with the pledge of the allegiance to the United States flag. I pledge allegiance. To the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Now it's the Georgia flag. I pledge allegiance. To the Georgia flag, and the principles for which it stands, wisdom, justice, moderation,

47. 0:43:14

    and liberty. Well, thank you everyone. It's my great honor and privilege today to introduce to you all a friend. Um, as many of you all know, I am an ordained Episcopal priest, and so when it comes to having a chaplain of the day, I have a lot of choices and a lot of people that I get to offend by not asking them. Um, and I decided to just make sure I didn't go anywhere near the Episcopal Church, uh, and stuck to somebody in my district. And so, um, today we have with us the Reverend Connie Tuttle, who lives in Tucker, Georgia.

48. 0:43:45

    She is, um, by all accounts an army brat, but was born at Camp Gordon in Augusta. Uh, so she is truly a Georgia girl, um, and has made her home in DeKalb County for many years. She's also the founding pastor of Circle of Grace, um, a church that meets in DeKalb County, um, and has for many long times. It's rooted in, um, a deep commitment to both, uh, God's Word and understanding how God loves us, um, and has deep feminist roots. So a very unique community of people that she's able to serve.

49. 0:44:18

    Um, with that, it's my great honor and privilege to introduce to you Reverend Connie Tuttle.

50. 0:44:28

    Thank you, Kim. Good morning, lawmakers. Um, I am grateful that Kim Jackson invited me to this honor. She is everything I hope for in an elected official. She's compassionate, she's smart, she's an advocate for justice. I could probably go on for a long time. The list is long. But more than that, she is a dear friend and colleague who has walked beside me in times of grief and struggle, and in times of joy and holy reckoning.

51. 0:45:01

    Thank you, Kim.

52. 0:45:05

    When I studied on what I might have to say today that would bless the work before this body, I wondered, what, if anything, do we have in common? And I think I've hit on it.

53. 0:45:20

    When I was ordained to ministry, things changed. People began to see me differently, to expect a level of spiritual perfection that frankly I will never attain. And somehow, all of a sudden, when that happened, I was holier than everybody else and I had some kind of direct line to God that other people didn't. Now, I'm gonna imagine that you've had some similar experiences with being elected.

54. 0:45:50

    Because of your office, many see you as smarter or richer or better or more powerful than the average person, and all of a sudden you are the person who can or should solve every problem. You are seen as your role rather than as a person. And that's okay. That's okay. We embody symbols that point to something greater than ourselves. My role is to represent God in human situations, when people are sick, when people are dying, when people are getting married, when people are having babies.

55. 0:46:30

    Um, your role is to make laws with the welfare of the people at heart. Your work embodies the sanctity of the law on which our nation was built. But the truth is, and you know it and I know it, we're just ordinary people. We are no different and no better than anyone else. We are flawed, but at our best, we keep trying to do the next right thing.

56. 0:47:06

    We live every day tempted by the power that other people confer on us, but we are guided by documents, for me the Bible, for you the Constitution, to use that power responsibly. We don't have all the answers, so let's be open to new knowledge, to new understandings, as well as to the wisdom of our ancestors.

57. 0:47:33

    Now, I also believe that people of all spiritual convictions try to live faithfully into their relationship with God. For me as a Christian pastor, it means not that I believe some correct dogma, but that I live into Christ's invitation to follow me. As a Christian, I am con- informed and convicted by Jesus saying in the Gospel according to Matthew, when asked, "Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?" Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.

58. 0:48:15

    All the laws and the prophets hang on these two commandments." Jesus teaches ab- us about love in His parables, and He's not talking about that warm, fuzzy kind of love that we think of around Valentine's Day, but He's talking about a muscular love that welcomes both strangers and unexpected outsiders, the love that does the work of feeding the hungry and ministering to the ill, of visiting those in prison and liberating the oppressed.

59. 0:48:48

    So today, I'm inviting all of us to set aside the accolades that we've been given, the pretenses that we have of some kind of perfection, and even set aside the hidden fears that we may not be enough. Let us all today live and strive to live into the often uncomfortable, sometimes terrifying, but always blessed work of living our faith authentically.

60. 0:49:19

    Today and every day, love God the best you can. Today and every day, let us love our neighbors near and far, gay and straight, old and young, immigrants and natives, red and yellow, black and white, with a faith that encourages us to love unceasingly. Because lawmakers, all the laws hang on those two commandments. Let us pray.

61. 0:49:56

    O Holy One, our only home, give us the courage to live into your call, and then all that has divided us will merge, and then compassion will be wedded to power, and then softness will come into a world that is harsh and unkind. And then both men and women will be gentle, and then both women and men will be strong, and then no person will be subject to another's will. And then all will be rich and free and varied, and then greed of some will give way to the needs of the many.

62. 0:50:34

    And then all will share equally in the Earth's abundance, and then we will all care for the sick and the weak and the old, and then all will nourish the young, and then all will cherish life's creatures, and then all will live in harmony with each other and the Earth, and everywhere will be called Eden once again. In the name of Christ, may it be so. Amen.

63. 0:51:00

    Amen.

64. 0:58:06

    Senator from the 48th.

65. 0:58:09

    Y'all come on so we can introduce our doctor of the day.

66. 0:58:29

    It is now time to introduce our doctor of the day, and to do that honor, well, I'll call on the senator from the 48th. Senator?

67. 0:58:40

    Jonathan. Yeah.

68. 0:58:43

    Colleagues, good morning. Would love for y'all to, uh, meet my new friend, but, uh, long time constituent, Dr. Jonathan Gillig. He is homegrown from North Fulton, went to high school there, went to med school at Emory, practices at Emory Johns Creek, and he is truly a product of what we love to be able to see for people to be able to grow up in our communities and then come back and, and serve. He, uh, he's an orthopedic surgeon. Uh, did not work at the same time with, uh, another one of our dear colleagues who, uh, used to work at the, the same Resurgens Orthopaedics, but, uh, still exciting.

69. 0:59:22

    But the most fun facts about Dr. Gillig is that, um, he lives in Johns Creek with his wife, Jane, who's a speech pathologist, and their two young children, Elizabeth and William. And William, his little son, is turning two today, and he is still here with us. So with that, our doctor of the day, Dr. Gillig.

70. 0:59:44

    Thank you, all.

71. 0:59:48

    Thank you so much, uh, for the ability to be here and serve you all today. I hope if, uh, there's anything that I can do to help, uh, I'll be downstairs in the medical aid station. On behalf of the, uh, Medical Association of Georgia, the Georgia Orthopaedic Society, and, uh, Resurgens Orthopaedics, we thank you for giving up, uh, time from your family, your friends, and, uh, your livelihoods to be here representing us in the great state of Georgia. We thank you for all of your work in making our, uh, state an excellent place to live, and, uh, hope you all have a blessed day.

72. 1:00:21

    Thank you.

73. 1:01:03

    Are there any unanimous consents? Well, we've got our former senator in the room here. Hello, Representative.

74. 1:01:14

    Hello.

75. 1:01:14

    Hello, Representative. How's the House treating you over there?

76. 1:01:18

    It's good.

77. 1:01:18

    So good. I'm so proud.

78. 1:01:22

    We miss you.

79. 1:01:22

    Well, we miss you. We miss you, Senator. I mean, Representative.

80. 1:01:31

    Are there any unanimous consents? None. Does any senator wish to s- to, uh, enlighten us on a point of personal privilege today? No points of personal privilege today?

81. 1:01:46

    Woo!

82. 1:01:49

    Wow.

83. 1:01:52

    Yay.

84. 1:01:52

    Wow. Senator, no points of personal privilege? I am shocked. I am shocked, shocked, shocked.

85. 1:02:05

    Senator from the 38th, are you, y- you have your light on?

86. 1:02:08

    Yeah, I do.

87. 1:02:09

    Do you have good news for us today, or are you gonna make us all sad and ha- sad and-

88. 1:02:15

    Down

89. 1:02:16

    ... down for the day, huh? All right. I recognize the senator from the 38th for a point of personal privilege.

90. 1:02:31

    Mr. President, I'm gonna do both. I am going to address something that recently occurred, and then I'm gonna turn to some, uh, happier, uh, news. Um, so today is February 6th. It's the sixth day of Black History Month, a month meant to celebrate the contributions of African Americans to the growth of our nation. But last night, Donald Trump shared a video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes.

91. 1:03:04

    This is not humor. It's not politics. This is racism, plain and simple. This was not a joke. It was a message, and the message was clear: racism. This is a tragic, and long, and ugly history of this country on full display by the President of the United States of America. The president chose to dehumanize Black people, deny our humanity, and when leaders dehumanize, violence is never far behind.

92. 1:03:45

    And when someone who has held the highest office in the land amplifies this type of imagery, hate is not expressed, it is endorsed. We can disagree on policy. We can debate values fiercely, but we cannot attack people's humanity because the moment we normalize dehumanization, we normalize injustice. Condemning this is not partisan. It actually is patriotic. And this body and this country must draw a line here.

93. 1:04:18

    Racism is not a strategy, it is not strength, and it has no place in our politics, our leadership, or our democracy And I just want to share the White House's response. In response to this, the press secretary said the following, "This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the king of the jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King.

94. 1:04:51

    Please stop the fake outrage and report on something that today that actually matters to the American public." Well, I want to impress upon everyone in here and that hears my voice, I can assure you the American public cares about this. The American public does not want to see the President of the United States share images of Black people like apes. This is what we're dealing with right now. This is coming from the President of the United States.

95. 1:05:25

    I actually came to do a point of personal privilege on a good note, but when I saw that, I felt the need to speak out. And so I'm gonna turn to something more positive, and I apologize in advance, uh, to a good brother from a, a great fraternity for having to preview to interlude that, uh, with this. But I, I wanted to recognize, uh, Lieutenant Colonel Otha Thornton Jr., who is here with us today. He is a great man of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, and he is a long-serving educator and also member of our armed services.

96. 1:06:07

    He was selected for consecutive high tru- trust assignments with the White House Communications Agency, serving as the JI director and a presidential communications officer during the administrations of President George W. Bush and Barack Obama, ensuring the continuity and security of national command communications. And this is actually from, uh, our great senator from the 28th, uh, but in her hap- absence, I wanted to recognize Lieutenant Colonel Otha Thornton for his contributions not only to our country, but also to education as a fellow educator.

97. 1:06:43

    So thank you, uh, Mr. Thornton. Thanks for being here. All right. Let's give him a hand. And with that, Mr. President, I yield the floor.

98. 1:07:12

    Recognize the senator from the 16th for a point of personal privilege.

99. 1:07:27

    Thank you, Mr. President. I appreciate it. Yesterday we had David Barton here speaking as our chaplain of the day, and, uh, on your desk you will find he does a pro legislative conference each year in Dallas, Texas. Um, the documents of the Constitution, the things that he has in hand, I don't know if any of y'all saw it yesterday, some of the original documents that they brought with him here. But on your, uh, desk are the cards. Uh, you can c- scan the QR code on there and get information on that conference. Uh, my wife says it's the best thing we do every year, uh, and it's a really, uh, great, great time to meet with other legislators from around the country.

100. 1:08:02

     Appreciate it. Thank you, sir.

101. 1:08:26

     Recognize the senator from the 41st.

102. 1:08:49

     Good morning, uh, friends. I just rise today with my colleague, the senator from the 14th, um, along with the senator from the 39th in her absence, to wish our administrator, uh, Tina Correa, a happy birthday. Um, tomorrow is her birthday, and so she serves all three of us, and it really is our honor and privilege. Tina is absolutely amazing. If you've ever been into the CLOB in need of a snack or a hug or just a, "How y'all doing?" Um, Tina always has it. And so wanted to wish her a happy birthday and thank her for all of the great service that she provides to us and to the entire State of Georgia.

103. 1:09:24

     Thank you.

104. 1:09:41

     Recognize the senator from the 34th.

105. 1:09:56

     Good morning, Mr. President. I rise with my senate collea- my senate caucus to celebrate in a moment po- important moment in Black history, to honor institutes that deeply are personal to me, that transform us, our communities, our historically Black colleges and universities, our HBCUs, are not just schools, they're legacies, they're lifelines. They are places where excellence was built in the face of exclusion

106. 1:10:29

     This celebration is especially meaningful to me as a mother. My sons are proud graduates of HBCUs, Grambling State University, Jackson State University, and Kentucky State University. I've seen firsthand how these institutes nurture talent, build confidence, and create leaders. Today, I wanna spotlight just a few of many HBCUs that helped shape our nation's history.

107. 1:11:00

     Shaw University, founded 1865 in Raleigh, North Carolina, built one of the first dormitories for Black women, sending a clear message that Black women's education mattered. Our very own Clark Atlanta University, founded 1865 right here in Atlanta, becoming a hub for Black scholarships that helped shape generations of professionals, scholarships, and civil rights leaders.

108. 1:11:31

     The Norma School of Colored Girls, founded 1851 in Washington, DC, was dedicated to training Black women as teachers, eventually becoming part of what's known today as University of District of Columbia. And in 1870, Benedict College, which was founded to provide educational opportunity to African Americans at the time where they were systematically denied access to learn.

109. 1:12:02

     These were not just schools or campuses. They were living proof that Black education was being resisted, demanded, protected, and defined more than 170 years ago. They represent preservance, they represent pride, and they represent the possibility that even today, HBCUs continue to provide leaders in education, businesses, public service, medicine, law, and government.

110. 1:12:38

     That includes many of us sitting right here in the chamber, because when we invest in HBCUs, we invest in generations. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the will.

111. 1:13:16

     Does any other senator wish to rise on a point of personal privilege? You have before you a consent calendar of privileged resolutions. Does any senator wish to remove a resolution from the consent calendar? Is there objection to the adoption of the resolution on the consent calendar? Chair hears none. Resolution on the consent calendars are adopted.

112. 1:13:46

     Are there any motions to withdraw and commit?

113. 1:13:50

     Withdrawn.

114. 1:13:52

     Moving on to the rules calendar. Secretary will read SB 383.

115. 1:14:03

     Se- Senate Bill 383 by Senators Kirkpatrick of the 32nd and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 15 of Title 19 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to child abuse so as to modify the review to be performed by local child fatality review committees, to add members to such committees, to provide for required attendance for training, to clarify the scope of child death subject to review, to modify deadlines and requirements for reports relating to child deaths, to modify the procedures of the coroner or medical examiner and the review committee in identifying child deaths that meet the statutory criteria for a review by the review committee, to make conforming changes, to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes.

116. 1:14:37

     The Senate Committee on Children and Family has recommended that this bill do pass by Senator Kirkpatrick, Chairman.

117. 1:14:47

     Mr. President, I complete your order.

118. 1:14:51

     Recognize the senator from the 32nd, the chairlady of Children and Family.

119. 1:15:14

     Thank you, Mr. President. This bill is an agency bill from GBI, and it has to do with cleaning up our current code on child fatality review. It corrects some timelines that are unrealistic and not being followed because they really can't be. It adds a couple of conditions other than SIDS. It adds, uh, sudden infant unexplained death and sleep-related infant death.

120. 1:15:45

     And it, um, changes the meeting structure so that it's gonna be easier for the counties to deal with, and it changes the reports, uh, to be due from 48 hours to seven days. And that's gonna make it much easier to comply with our law. Be happy to answer any questions.

121. 1:16:11

     You have no questions, Senator.

122. 1:16:12

     Thank you. I yield the will.

123. 1:16:16

     Does any 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 there objection to agreeing to the committee, to the report of the committee which is favorable to the passage of the bill? Chair hears none. The report of the committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered?

124. 1:16:37

     Chair hears none. The main question is order. The question is on the passage of the bill. All those in favor vote yay. All opposed nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

125. 1:18:26

     On the passage of the bill, the yays are 48, the nays are zero. This bill has received requ- requisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed.

126. 1:18:38

     Senator from the 44th, for what purpose do you rise? Uh, I'd like to ask for unanimous consent to excuse the senator from the 22nd for business inside the Capitol. Without objection, senator from the 22nd is excused.

127. 1:19:31

     Secretary will read Senate Bill 402.

128. 1:19:41

     Senate Bill 402 by Senator Tillery of the 19th and others, to be, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 5 of Title 49 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to programs and protectin- and protection for children and youth, so as to establish a pilot program relating to the provision of screenings, clinical evaluations, trainings, services, and resources for autism spectrum disorder to children in foster care, to provide for definitions, to provide for the Divisio- Division of Family and Children's Services of the Department of Human Services to develop and implement such pilot program, to provide for a final report and recommendations, to provide for rules and regulations, to provide for automatic repeal, to provide for related matters, to provide for an effective date, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes.

129. 1:20:18

     The Senate Committee on Children and Families recommends that this bill do pass by substitute Senator Kirkpatrick of the 32nd. Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Children and Families offers the following substitute to Senate Bill 402, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 5 of Title 49 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to programs and protection for children and youth, so as to establish a pilot program relating to the provision of screenings, clinical evaluations, training, services, and resources for autism spectrum disorder to children in foster care, and for other purposes. Mr. President, that will be C order.

130. 1:20:52

     Recognize the senator from the 19th.

131. 1:21:05

     Thank you, Mr. President. Senate Bill 402, uh, piles on the efforts of this body and our friends across the hall to combat autism, especially as we realize the relation now between autism and our foster care program. What we saw, what, last year you helped us fund in the budget a $451,000 pilot that studied Region 12 of our state. Our DFCS regions are divided into twel- 14 different regions. In Region 12, we realized that the number of children with autism in foster care is six times greater than the regular population.

132. 1:21:45

     We were able to use that $451,000 to first identify and diagnose and then try to provide additional resources to help combat that specifically in that area. The cost savings is immense. The $451,000 is literally spending pennies now instead of pounds later. What Senate Bill 402 does is replicates that pilot project in three additional regions of our state to see if that correlation holds. If it does hold, we then would look to expand it to the other regions of our state, 14 regions of our state, but let's go forward with a $1.5 million proposal now rather than a $7 million proposal, uh, if we don't know that that correlation is still found.

133. 1:22:28

     That is the extent of Senate Bill 402. I think it should be unanimously approved, and I'd appreciate your support. Mr. President, happy to yield to any questions.

134. 1:22:40

     You do have one question, Senator. Recognize the senator from the 14th. Thank you, Mr. President. Senator yield? Yes, sir. I am genuinely curious, 'cause I had this conversation with an autism clinic director a few months ago, and the understanding I have, and I'd be interested to hear what you've heard about it, is that the incidence is going up, uh, generally of diagnosis of autism, not just because of diagnosis rates, but because the actual incidence is going up. But I've also heard that we don't exactly know why. And so I'm curious what you have heard in terms of your conversations with policy experts in this area about the rising incidence.

135. 1:23:14

     Well, thank, thank you for bringing that up. As you know, President Trump is focused on that greatly. I think he's actually using the Health and Human Services director, um, Secretary Kennedy, to look at that as well. They have some ideas. I don't know that all of those play across the field in study. That's something we're looking at, of course. Uh, but I don't think that foster care causes autism. Clearly, the autism is why they end up later on in foster care. So let's try to identify that, diagnose it on the front end. If we can keep children from coming into our system, obviously, I think we all agree that's, they're better served. Thanks, Senator.

136. 1:23:44

     Glad to support your bill. Yes, sir. You have no more questions, Senator. Thank you so much. I urge your favorable consideration of the committee substitute to Senate Bill 402. 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. 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 the committee, which is favorable to the passage of the bill?

137. 1:24:15

     Chair hears none. The report of the committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered?

138. 1:24:20

     Chair hears none. The main question is order. The question is on the passage of the bill by substitute. All those in favor vote yay. All opposed nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

139. 1:25:30

     On the passage of the bill, the yays are 48, the nays are zero. This bill, having received requisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed by substitute. Good work on that, Senator, and thank you, Chair Lady, for all your hard work on that Children and Family Committee. Done a lot of good things for, uh, for the foster care system, Senator. And still have a lot more to go, and we appreciate all your hard work. Moving on, SB 431. Secretary.

140. 1:26:01

     Senate Bill 431 by Senators Kirkpatrick of the 32nd and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Code Section 20-2-670 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to disclosures and information required for permanent enrollment in a grade higher than third, provisional enrollment, and transfer of education records, so as to require the enrollment of foster care students within two school days of a request for enrollment by such student's parent or legal custodian, to provide for reporting noncompliance and corrective action plans, to revise provisions relative to provisional enrollment, to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes. The Senate Committee on Children and Families recommend that this bill do pass.

141. 1:26:33

     The Senator Kirkpatrick, chairman. Mr. President, that completes your order.

142. 1:26:44

     Recognize Senator from the 32nd.

143. 1:27:00

     Thank you, Mr. President. Senate Bill 431 is a result of the study committee that met over the summer in a bipartisan way, and we were dealing with aging out of foster care. The information who, from people who testified was that some kids that are in foster care change placements and schools, but they're not immediately enrolled in the receiving school, and in some cases, this has resulted in credits not transferring. One young lady even had to repeat a year.

144. 1:27:32

     So we, in looking into this, we learned that there are multiple districts in our state that are not immediately enrolling foster kids. And so this bill specifically addresses foster students and requires the school to enroll them within two days. It also gives the Department of Education the authority to, uh, work with the school with a corrective action plan if they're not complying for whatever reason. And with that, I'd be happy to take any questions. You have no questions, Senator. Thank you. I yield.

145. 1:28:03

     Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Chair hears none. Is, is, any objection to the previous question being ordered? Chair hears none. The previous question is ordered. Is there objection to the agreeing to the reporter committee, which is favorable to the passage of the bill? Chair hears none. The reporter committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered? Chair hears none. The main question is ordered. The question's on the passage of the bill. All those in favor vote yay. All opposed nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

146. 1:29:46

     On the passage of the bill, the yays are 49, the nays are zero. This bill, having received requisite majority, constitutional majority, is therefore passed.

147. 1:30:10

     Secretary read SR 622.

148. 1:30:17

     Senate Resolution 622 by Senator Kirkpatrick of the 32nd and others. A resolution creating the Joint Study Committee on evaluating escalating costs in Georgia's foster care system and for other purposes. The Senate Committee on Children and Families recommend that this resol- resolution do pass. Senator Kirkpatrick, chairman. Mr. President, that completes your order. Recognize the Chair Lady from the 32nd.

149. 1:31:01

     Thank you, Mr. President. This bill creates a joint study committee on the increasing costs of out-of-home care for foster kids. You should all be aware of the issues that have come up recently with the deficit at DHS, and that has gotten a lot of attention and has affected programs and services that are provided for foster kids. This is a complicated problem that we feel needs further discussion. Some of the factors that have been raised are increased costs for complex needs kids, delays in approval for medical care, and increasing court-ordered directives for specific kinds of care, and there are many others.

150. 1:31:46

     So at this point, in working with Lieutenant Governor's office, the governor's office, and the department, we feel that it needs a deeper dive, and, um, I would appreciate your support and happy to answer any questions. You have no questions, Senator. Thank you. I yield.

151. 1:32:06

     Any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Does any senator wish, does, is there objection to the previous question being ordered? Chair hears none. Previous question is ordered. Is there objection to agreeing to the reported committee, which is favorable to the passage of the resolution? Chair hears none. The reported committee is agreed to.

152. 1:32:25

     Is there objections to the main question being ordered? Chair hears none. The main question is ordered. The question is on the adoption of the resolution. All those in favor of the resolution will vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary will alarm the machine.

153. 1:33:46

     On the adoption of the resolution, the yays are 49 and the nays are zero. The resolution received the requisite constitutional majority and therefore is adopted.

154. 1:33:59

     I do wanna take a second to, to thank, uh, all the members of the, uh, Children and Family Committee. I'd like to thank the chair lady. This is a committee that when I first got elected lieutenant governor, I put together and, um, because I thought it was, I thought it was needed. I thought there needed to be a focus on, on children, uh, especially childrens who are either in foster care homes or, or, uh, you know, go from i- in and out of foster care homes, foster care families, or children who, uh, you know, can be forgotten very easily if we don't watch out.

155. 1:34:33

     So this committee was a, is a, made up of both Republican and Democrats, and I don't believe that we've had many bills, uh, that weren't unanimous out of the committee and on this, uh, floor too. So thank y'all very much. We show that we can all work together, uh, when it's all, uh, working in the same direction for a good cause, and, and we've passed over 20 pieces of legislation, uh, since we started this, uh, three years ago, and I just wanna thank each and every one of y'all, and, uh, wanna continue the good work.

156. 1:35:05

     So thank y'all very much. Give yourself a round of applause for that. So

157. 1:35:15

     Recognize the senator from the 46. For what purpose do you rise?

158. 1:35:18

     Thank you, Mr. President. Pursuant to Senate Rule 7-1.10B, I give notice that on the next legislative day, I intend to move that the Senate consider House action on SB 170.

159. 1:35:33

     Secretary will read the caption.

160. 1:35:36

     Senate Bill 170 by Senators Jackson of the 41st and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 12 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to commissions and other agencies so as to create the Georgia Interagency Council for the Homeless. To provide for the purpose, membership, and duties of such council. To provide for reporting of activities. To provide for compensation. To provide for legislative findings. To provide for related matters. To repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes. Mr. President, I call the peace to order.

161. 1:36:03

     All right. Thank you for the note, Senator.

162. 1:36:12

     Recognize the majority leader for a motion.

163. 1:36:17

     Mr. President, I move that the Senate stand adjourned pursuant to H.R.998 until 10:00 AM, Monday, February 9th.

164. 1:36:24

     The majority leader's moved. Secretary, read the announcements.

165. 1:36:29

     The Rules Committee will meet upon adjournment in room 450 of the Capitol. Mr. President, I call the peace to order.

166. 1:36:36

     Any other announcements? Any other announcements? Yeah. All right. Majority leader has moved that we stand adjourned until Monday, February 9th at 10:00 AM. All those in favor of the motion signify by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed. No. The ayes clearly have it. Have a good weekend.