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House Motor Vehicles Committee

House Motor Vehicles Committee, February 10, 2026

2025-2026 Regular Session · 606 CLOB · 1 h 11 min

This is a machine transcript of the General Assembly's video, made by a speech-recognition model. It is not an official record and can mishear words, names, and numbers. Speakers are not identified. The video is the record: every timestamp links to the moment it plays.

Copy for LLM, View as markdown, and Send to AI use the Markdown version: the summaries Georgia Commons wrote, under headings that name them, then the whole transcript with its times. View raw is the transcript alone.

The video is the General Assembly's, played from its Vimeo channel. Select any time below to play that moment. Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Agenda

Summary

Written by an AI model (gpt-6.1-sol) from the transcript. It is not part of the record, and the video is what was said.

The committee considered five bills. Members discussed a revised version of HB 585 requiring information about drivers excluded from insurance policies to be available to law enforcement. A voice vote followed, but the chair did not explicitly announce the result. The committee held a hearing only on HB 809, which would raise the minimum speed on certain highways to 50 mph, while awaiting information about costs and implementation. The committee approved HB 1073, creating a Jackson State University specialty license plate, HB 1181, simplifying title transfers for certain inherited vehicles, and HB 1202, correcting a reference related to motor vehicle crime prevention grants.

Bills discussed (5)

Each account covers the stretch of the meeting it names. The bill's number is said in that stretch, unless it was the only bill on a committee's agenda.

HB 585. Insurance; motor vehicle policy; provide excluded driver

From 0:08:48 · turns 0 to 318

The committee added the bill to its agenda without objection. The sponsor presented a revised substitute developed with insurers and the Department of Revenue. The sponsor said insurers would report excluded drivers to Revenue so officers could identify when a vehicle lacks coverage because an excluded driver is operating it. The sponsor said penalties for that driver and an owner who knowingly permits the driving would match existing uninsured-driving penalties. Members asked about borrowed vehicles, victims’ compensation, premiums, frequency and disputed permission. The sponsor said exclusions are specific to a policy, ordinary permitted borrowing remains covered, and judges would decide whether an owner knowingly gave permission. The sponsor had no statewide count and described reports of increasing misuse as anecdotal. A witness for Taggart’s Driving School reported paying for damage from two crashes involving excluded drivers because losses fell below a $2,000 deductible. The sponsor acknowledged the bill would not reimburse victims, but argued penalties would discourage misuse. A State Farm witness supported the bill and said excluded drivers must be specifically listed in the policy. Members also questioned whether the term already appeared in state law, without a definite answer. A motion and voice vote followed, but the chair did not explicitly announce the result.

HB 809. Motor vehicles; minimum speed limit of 50 miles per hour on certain highways; provide

From 0:53:46 · turns 323 to 388

The sponsor said the bill would raise the minimum speed to 50 mph on public roads with maximum limits of at least 65 mph, without raising maximum limits. The sponsor argued that narrowing the difference between minimum and maximum speeds could reduce rear-end crashes, and cited support from the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association, Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police and Department of Public Safety. The sponsor said discussions with the Department of Transportation were continuing about administrative authority, sign replacement costs and implementation timing. No cost estimate had arrived, and the sponsor favored a delayed start rather than July 2026. One member raised concerns about older and student drivers. The sponsor responded that slower drivers could use other routes and students would need to learn highway speeds. Another member requested crash information showing which lanes were involved; the sponsor agreed to ask Public Safety. Asked whether driving 49 mph could bring a fine, the sponsor said a strict reading could allow one but expected enforcement discretion. Another member said driving schools could teach students the new minimum. The chair confirmed this was a hearing only, with no vote.

HB 1073. Special license plates; Jackson State University; establish

From 1:05:16 · turns 389 to 403

The sponsor said the bill would create a Jackson State University specialty license plate requested by the university’s Atlanta alumni chapter, with proceeds supporting scholarships for Georgia students attending the university. The sponsor said the chapter had provided more than 370 scholarships. The chair said the required startup payment or presales and supporting documentation had been satisfied, and the sponsor confirmed payment. The committee approved the bill by voice vote.

HB 1181. Motor vehicles; application for certificate of title; provisions

From 1:07:31 · turns 409 to 422

The sponsor said the bill would allow a vehicle inherited by a first-degree relative in Georgia to be titled directly from an out-of-state estate, without first obtaining a title in a third state where the estate’s executor lives. The sponsor described that intermediate step as unnecessary and said the change could particularly help military families whose relatives live across the country. There were no questions, and the committee approved the bill by voice vote.

HB 1202. Georgia Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Advisory Board; correct a scrivener's error in a cross-reference

From 1:09:20 · turns 428 to 433

The sponsor described the bill as correcting a code reference related to the Georgia Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Advisory Board and its grant program. The sponsor said the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council administers the program and explained that the correction would point to the provision allowing grants to the motor vehicle crime prevention unit. No questions were asked, and the committee approved the bill by voice vote.

Transcript

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

  1. 0:08:34

    Good, good. There, here we go. I got to mash the button, don't I? Good morning. We have a sign-up sheet up front if anybody'd like to speak to one of the measures. We, we bill, we will be amending the agenda to add House Bill 585. Uh, President, uh, Pro Tem Jones, a bill she introduced last year. So, uh, we will, we will be adding that to the agenda.

  2. 0:12:56

    All right. Good morning. We do have about a minute to go, but we have a sign-up sheet, uh, for anybody who would like to speak to a measure up front.

  3. 0:13:25

    All right. It is 8:00 sharp, and we will, uh, go ahead and get started. And I'm gonna ask, uh, Chairman Vance Smith if he'll open in prayer. Y'all bow with us.

  4. 0:13:33

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Lord, we do thank you for this day, and thank you for all the blessings you've given us. And, uh, thank you for your healing hand. You're the great physician, and we all have people back home and, uh, here in the area that need your help a- and your healing help. Lead, guide, and direct us in everything we do, and let it be your will, and bless this meeting as we come to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

  5. 0:13:59

    Thank you. And, uh, like s- I said earlier, we will be a- amending the agenda. We're adding House Bill 585, uh, which is, uh, Pro Tem Jones' bill we heard last year. Uh, we didn't take any action on it. We, we did go ahead and get it out there. Uh, any objections to adding 585 to the agenda?

  6. 0:14:18

    I vote do pass.

  7. 0:14:22

    Second. But n- no, anyway, with, with no, no objections, we- we're adding that. And I'll, I will ask, uh, Pro Tem Jones if she'll come to the... She wants to go to the podium or the table and, uh, present her bill.

  8. 0:14:39

    Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. So as you mentioned, um, I introduced the bill last year, uh, spoke with the committee about it. Uh, specifically did not take any action because I felt like, uh, the insurance industry, I needed to speak with, more with revenue department, learn more about the issue. And I think we've come to a, a good substitute that takes, um... The insurance industry was very involved in this, just to make sure that it, it works, um, technically as well as I met with the, uh, revenue department two or three times to make sure they could do this.

  9. 0:15:20

    So the issue that I'm bringing before you is that when a, um, when, when a consumer purchases automobile insurance, um, they can, if they want to, exclude drivers. So for example, if somebody's in your household that has a very bad driving record or, um, that would just be an example of how they could exclude them. What has happened, it appears, in talking with some of the traffic court judges and others who have experienced this, is that, um, there's a potential of it being gamed.

  10. 0:16:01

    And so that when, i- if that excluded driver were to drive the car and be stopped, say, for, um, a traffic violation, speeding or running a traffic light, or traffic light or traffic stop, um, when the police officer shows up and looks in, I guess, the GICS program, which is supplied by the revenue department, the police officer or sheriff's deputy will see, well, the car's insured.

  11. 0:16:33

    And so, you know, they, they might cite them for some violation or not, but certainly not for lack of insurance. Then when the, the victim or the, the person who, let's say, was hit by this car, uh, then goes to claim insurance, uh, on the, uh, other person, um, they have no insurance. The car is as though it was uninsured. And so then, uh, they, um...

  12. 0:17:05

    What then happens is it's covered by all of us who pay into uninsured motorist coverage. And so I had a, the Atlanta, uh, traffic judge mention to me last year, I mean, he is seeing this over and over again. And, um, it's just a, we, we need to close that loophole. And so working with revenue department, they did not believe it would be a problem since to code, um, when they get the information from the insurance companies, to code it that there is an excluded driver and who that excluded driver is.

  13. 0:17:43

    And so that's what the bill would do is simply make it clear to law enforcement that, um, to check for that. And so, um, with that, I'm, I'm happy to... Well, the other thing I will mention, on C and D, starting on lines 46 through 56, I confirmed with, um, leg- lege counsel, Sarah Creighton, that the, the penalties, A, on the excluded driver- would be if they didn't have proof of insurance.

  14. 0:18:21

    It, it's all uniform with what we do now. Nothing changes for anybody else who didn't have proof of insurance. And then in D, if the owner, and it's a high threshold, knowingly authorizes someone to operate a vehicle on w- upon which they have insurance and that person is an excluded driver, they would... The, um, uh, penalties and potential, um, imprisonment, um, would mimic what is in current law for anyone else who knowingly allows...

  15. 0:18:56

    So for example, if you had a car and you knew you did not have insurance on it of any kind, and you drove the car, these would be the same penalties, because you're authorizing someone to drive a car that does not have insurance coverage for that person. And with that, I'm happy to answer any questions.

  16. 0:19:16

    Okay, you do have a few questions. Uh, number 25. What did I have here?

  17. 0:19:23

    I passed.

  18. 0:19:24

    Passed, okay. Number 26.

  19. 0:19:25

    Yes, but. Um, thank you for bringing this, but I just had a quick question. So, um, if the person driving the car has insurance, and it's your vehicle, if you let me drive your vehicle and I have insurance, then every- and I hit somebody, then my insurance is gonna take care of it, correct?

  20. 0:19:42

    The insurance follows the vehicle.

  21. 0:19:44

    Okay.

  22. 0:19:44

    Not the person.

  23. 0:19:45

    So if you have insurance on it, then every- and I, and you let me drive your vehicle, then we're fine.

  24. 0:19:51

    If, if I ha- if I allowed you to drive my car, um, and you were not an excluded driver, then, then the vehicle would be covered.

  25. 0:20:01

    Well, I guess that's, well, so you, you have to be an actual excluded driver?

  26. 0:20:07

    Yes.

  27. 0:20:07

    Okay. So on your insurance policy you'd say, "This person's not allowed to drive my car."

  28. 0:20:11

    These, these are un- these are not common.

  29. 0:20:14

    Okay.

  30. 0:20:14

    Like, I mean, I don't mean it's rare, but it's not... Most of us have never anticipated having an excluded driver.

  31. 0:20:20

    Okay.

  32. 0:20:21

    So yeah, it would only pertain when there is an excluded driver and that excluded driver drives the car.

  33. 0:20:27

    Okay. So my son driving my truck even though-

  34. 0:20:30

    Is not a problem

  35. 0:20:30

    ... he's got another insurance in, on his own truck, and he drives mine, then that

  36. 0:20:34

    Your car is covered because you have insurance on your car.

  37. 0:20:37

    Okay. Thank you.

  38. 0:20:40

    Number 12, Representative Taylor.

  39. 0:20:43

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, so we have the dynamic where there is the, the un- excluded driver is, is driving the car, causes, creates an accident. So what is the, what happens to that excluded driver if they're not covered and this bill protects the covered? Is there a lawsuit? Does the, the victim have to just do a personal lawsuit? Is that, I mean-

  40. 0:21:07

    So, so-

  41. 0:21:08

    How does it come out?

  42. 0:21:08

    So currently, um, the, um, e- excluded driver, there'd be no citation from law enforcement because they would not know that the car was uninsured under those particular circumstances.

  43. 0:21:23

    Okay.

  44. 0:21:23

    Now, if they caused the accident, um, they might not be cited for lack of insurance, but they'd be cited for a traffic violation.

  45. 0:21:32

    Mm-hmm.

  46. 0:21:33

    That's totally separate and not covered by this. But currently what happens is the, the s- the person who's in the, on the, uh, victim of the accident, not the excluded driver, the victim of the accident thinks that there's coverage, uh, on the vehicle because it appears that the car is insured. They go back to their insurance agent, the agents talk, and they realize, "Oh, no, this is no different than an uninsured car." And so their recourse is to go through the uninsured, uh, insurance.

  47. 0:22:09

    Okay. And which increases your premium.

  48. 0:22:11

    Which increases it for all of us-

  49. 0:22:13

    Yeah

  50. 0:22:13

    ... especially as more and more people learn about this.

  51. 0:22:18

    So if I, if I may-

  52. 0:22:19

    It is a legitimate thing to have an excluded driver. I'm not against that-

  53. 0:22:23

    Right

  54. 0:22:23

    ... policy decision of individuals.

  55. 0:22:25

    Just for clarity, one more thing, please.

  56. 0:22:27

    Yeah.

  57. 0:22:27

    Um, you said that the judges, at least in s- in, uh, Fulton County State Court, uh, Fulton County Court is seeing this over and over and over again.

  58. 0:22:34

    Yes.

  59. 0:22:34

    Tell me again if it's, if it's... This is not a prevalent-

  60. 0:22:37

    It's becoming more prevalent.

  61. 0:22:39

    It's-

  62. 0:22:39

    It appears. Anecdotally, it appears to be.

  63. 0:22:41

    Got it. Thank you.

  64. 0:22:42

    Thank you.

  65. 0:22:47

    Number one, Representative Momtahan.

  66. 0:22:50

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Madam Leader, uh, Pro Tem, sorry, for the, uh, for the bill. I, I think this solves a big problem that I see in our industry. You know, actually, you're sitting here with the Drivers Ed Caucus. A great guy here that teach teen drivers. And oftentimes we see the children who have either left the house and gone to college, who are no longer driving mom and dad's car-

  67. 0:23:18

    Mm-hmm

  68. 0:23:18

    ... um, are still included on these policies that may increase these rates.

  69. 0:23:23

    Mm-hmm.

  70. 0:23:25

    Or you have a, a child who is otherwise eligible to drive a vehicle in the household who does not possess a driver's license or has no interest in driving at that point in time. Though I may recommend that everybody should have an interest in driving a vehicle. That's just a personal preference I have.

  71. 0:23:45

    I can understand your perspective.

  72. 0:23:47

    Wou- would you agree that this would help those parents in that situation who are trying to make insurance a little bit more affordable by maybe working with their insurance company to exclude these drivers from these policies and save a dollar or two, uh, that can help put some more groceries on the table?

  73. 0:24:05

    Well, it, I, I think the, uh, the whole idea of having excluded drivers can do that. This just makes sure that, um, that parent can then feel comfortable telling their child that's been excluded, "Now, Johnny, you're not driving the car." Ever, because if you get stopped, you're going to be cited and I, you know, and if I allow you to, I'm gonna be cited with the penalty, potential penalties that are in the bill.

  74. 0:24:32

    It seems like the writing would change to only the family members who would normally be, you know, who now would regularly be... I, I think this is... I think what I'm saying is, I think this is gonna help, uh, people in the State of Georgia afford insurance. And, uh-

  75. 0:24:48

    I, I do think in some small way it will.

  76. 0:24:50

    Yeah, and so-

  77. 0:24:51

    I'm no expert on insurance, let me just say. Um, but yes.

  78. 0:24:54

    So thank you for bringing the bill.

  79. 0:24:56

    Thank you.

  80. 0:24:58

    Number 27, Representative Mathis.

  81. 0:25:00

    Yes. Good afternoon. Thank you very much. I, I got a question. I had an incident in my hometown where I had a constituent contact me. He was, he was in an accident. A car ran a red light, hit him. The car was insured, but the driver was... I don't know if it was excluded, but it wasn't listed, so they went-

  82. 0:25:18

    Uninsured

  83. 0:25:18

    ... Yeah, when they went to cover it, he was not, uh-

  84. 0:25:22

    That's right

  85. 0:25:23

    ... their insurance didn't pay.

  86. 0:25:24

    That's right.

  87. 0:25:25

    So his had to pay. So yeah-

  88. 0:25:27

    This is-

  89. 0:25:28

    I, I'm, I'm trying to get clarification.

  90. 0:25:29

    That is, that would probably be an instance of this.

  91. 0:25:32

    That is exactly what I say, but now let me ask you this. If, if we stop this, uh, there'll be no insurance premiums for the victim of the wreck, the person. But now in a case where right now if we don't pass this, if you hit me, but you aren't, uh, an, an, an in-

  92. 0:25:52

    Mm-hmm

  93. 0:25:52

    ... an intended driver, my insurance would go up. Is that, is that correct? Do we have any recourse as of right now until this goes into effect?

  94. 0:26:00

    Well, the, the recourse really is the uninsured motorist-

  95. 0:26:04

    Mm-hmm

  96. 0:26:05

    ... fund.

  97. 0:26:05

    Mm-hmm.

  98. 0:26:06

    But I think what this will do is discourage this practice, um-

  99. 0:26:12

    Mm-hmm

  100. 0:26:12

    ... a- as they learn... 'Cause listen, if you're gaming it, you know they're, they're not gonna be cited for not having insurance.

  101. 0:26:19

    Mm-hmm.

  102. 0:26:20

    And so, um, when, when an- when owners of vehicles learn that section small D on line 51 could apply to them-

  103. 0:26:31

    Mm-hmm

  104. 0:26:31

    ... I'm gonna tell you, I think that'll end it, or certainly greatly discourage it. You can literally go to jail.

  105. 0:26:38

    Sure.

  106. 0:26:39

    And you know, I did double check. This is no harsher than what we do now for someone who drives without insurance. It's the same penalty, 'cause that's what's happening.

  107. 0:26:49

    Yeah.

  108. 0:26:49

    They're driving without insurance. So I, I don't have a way for the long arm to reach. This does not reach that owner of the vehicle. I mean, it's a contract with their insurance company. You wouldn't want to make the insurance company pay for illegal behavior.

  109. 0:27:07

    Mm-hmm.

  110. 0:27:08

    Uh, and this does not. But I think you will find this happens over time far less frequently.

  111. 0:27:16

    Yeah, I was, I was a little surprised at when... I thought when I ha- had insurance, I have commercial vehicles, and I let people drive a vehicle, borrow a vehicle or whatever, I was just under the assumption that that policy covered it. But when this individual came in, uh, the driver of the car that hit him ended up not being listed as a driver, um, you know, a- an eligible driver, and they didn't pay. He had to file a lawsuit.

  112. 0:27:41

    So you were behaving legally by... because your car was covered for anybody who drove the car-

  113. 0:27:45

    Yeah, yeah

  114. 0:27:45

    ... that you allowed.

  115. 0:27:46

    Yeah.

  116. 0:27:47

    Um, but yeah, the o- the other, uh, party, uh, was, uh, behaving illegally.

  117. 0:27:56

    Mm-hmm.

  118. 0:27:56

    And that's what this would address.

  119. 0:27:57

    Mm-hmm. Okay. Thank you.

  120. 0:28:00

    Thank you.

  121. 0:28:02

    Number 17, Representative Alexander.

  122. 0:28:06

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, um, Madam Pro Tem. I know you said that it wasn't very prevalent, so how many occurrences, uh, did law enforcement share with you how many occurrences are happening here in Georgia-

  123. 0:28:17

    Yeah, well I, I don't-

  124. 0:28:18

    ... to the point to where we would need this?

  125. 0:28:20

    I don't think anybody's keeping a record of it. But, um, after I... The reason I introduced the bill last year was to hear from others. And I can tell you over and over, including, um, from the representative you just heard from, it is definitely happening. And the traffic court judges or magistrate judges, they are seeing this. But, um, if it happens one time, there's no reason not to make it illegal and knowable to law enforcement that someone is knowingly, the, the owner of the vehicle knowingly allowed someone to drive a car uninsured.

  126. 0:29:01

    Thank you.

  127. 0:29:01

    Thank you.

  128. 0:29:05

    Madam Pro Tem, I thought you explained this bill very well, but we, we keep getting-

  129. 0:29:09

    That's all right

  130. 0:29:09

    ... a lot of questions. But-

  131. 0:29:11

    I never heard of this either, so-

  132. 0:29:12

    Nu- nu- number 18.

  133. 0:29:14

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Madam Pro Tem. I, no, I just got all real confused, 'cause that's, uh... So now who would be responsible? I mean, when I say responsible, would the agent be responsible for says that, if you, you know, you... I mean, it's when I bring you the policy that you can exclude a driver. Because I mean, this is the first I've heard about-

  134. 0:29:34

    Yeah. So it-

  135. 0:29:34

    ... an exclusion because I-

  136. 0:29:35

    Right

  137. 0:29:35

    ... I see all of my, my children on my, my policy.

  138. 0:29:39

    Sure, sure. So it is, it is a private decision between the vehicle owner and the insurance company if they choose to exclude a driver. Most of us sitting here probably have never anticipated doing that, but there are people who do it. And it is a... I, I, I do not oppose that ability for a, an owner of a vehicle to be able to make that decision if it brings down their insurance rate or if there's somebody they definitely don't...

  139. 0:30:10

    It could be a, um, a vehicle that they use for work as well, and they have employees at their work they do not want to cover to drive the vehicle. Um, this does not- in any way interfere with that decision of someone to purchase one of these policies. What this does is simply make sure that law enforcement is aware when they stop someone for whatever reason, that this is a policy in which some people are not covered when they drive the vehicle, and then they can know who those people are to, if they're checking for insurance coverage.

  140. 0:30:53

    Mr. Chairman, just a follow-up.

  141. 0:30:55

    Okay.

  142. 0:30:55

    Okay, so let me just... This is a scenario. I'm excluded from driving my parents' vehicle-

  143. 0:31:02

    Right

  144. 0:31:03

    ... but I drive my uncle's vehicle, um, and I have a accident. Does that, does that-

  145. 0:31:12

    This does not touch that because-

  146. 0:31:13

    Doesn't? Okay

  147. 0:31:13

    ... you're driving your uncle's vehicle, not your parents' vehicle.

  148. 0:31:16

    Okay. I just wanted to make sure. So it, it doesn't, it follows the-

  149. 0:31:19

    The vehicle

  150. 0:31:20

    ... vehicle.

  151. 0:31:21

    Yeah.

  152. 0:31:21

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

  153. 0:31:28

    He, he waves. I no further questions. We do have two, uh, members already signed up to, uh, speak to the measure. I might ask, come up to the podium. We've got Barry Shrink. Uh, come up to the podium, tell us your name and who you're with.

  154. 0:31:44

    Where are we at? Yeah.

  155. 0:31:50

    Good morning, Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen of the committee, uh, S- Speaker Pro Tem. Uh, my name is Barry Shrink. I'm president and owner of Taggart's Driving School. Uh, when I saw this bill, I went to see Ms. Jones and, um, volunteer as a citizen and a business owner to say that this is a problem. In the last year, two of my cars have been involved in an accident, neither of them our fault, while they were teaching students to drive.

  156. 0:32:21

    The police were called, investigated the accident, issued a ticket to the other driver, and checked their insurance ID cards. When I got the information and I called the other person's insurance company, they told me that person was excluded from the f- from the insurance, and that, uh, they were not going to pay. So in one case, it was about 15 or $1,600 worth of damage, in another case a little under $1,000. I could turn in uninsured motorist coverage.

  157. 0:32:52

    The only problem is, in the driving school business, there are, I believe, the last time I heard, only eight insurance companies that will write driving schools. And, uh, because it's difficult to get, I'm with a, a, a very good company, but I have a $2,000 deductible on uninsured motorist. So both of those accidents came out of my pocket. Uh, I've been in business 50 years. I've been in, in all kind of situations, and, uh, every instructor that works for me knows if they're involved in an accident, you have to call the police.

  158. 0:33:26

    Uh, because for example, if, uh, I've even had cases where, uh, someone has, uh, hit our car, and, uh, then claimed that we hit their car. And, uh, that's why you have to call the police immediately while it's still fresh in everybody's mind before they can come up with stories and, uh, and have it written on an accident report. So, uh, once this happened the first time, I have a pretty good relationship with, uh, the major with our precinct in Tucker.

  159. 0:33:58

    I went to see him, explained the situation, and basically he said, "Tough stuff, son. Uh, they had an insurance ID card, showed the policeman. That's all we can do. Regardless of anything else, uh, we don't have any authority." So when this, uh, when I saw the bill, I went to see Ms. Jones to tell her, uh, just as, if you're looking for somebody that's had this problem, uh, I have had the problem, and I think, uh, it's gonna get worse. I agree with everything that Ms. Jones said. I have no problem with this particular arrangement with the insurance company, but the problem will be resolved if on the insurance ID card or on the computer that the officer can pull up with r- with revenue that there's an exclusion, then they can, uh, they can handle it different and write a ticket for no insurance.

  160. 0:34:44

    Pretty simple, I think.

  161. 0:34:47

    Okay. We do have one question. Chairman Prince.

  162. 0:34:49

    Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Base, uh, this is to Mr. Shrink. Uh, based on your scenario you just used, so who pays? You still end up paying, is that correct, based, uh, regardless of whether-

  163. 0:35:01

    Yeah, I pay. I pay because I didn't want my car on the road-

  164. 0:35:03

    Yeah

  165. 0:35:03

    ... looking like it, like it was in an accident.

  166. 0:35:08

    Regardless of if the person's excluded based on this bill or not, you still end up paying according to this.

  167. 0:35:18

    That's right. Yes.

  168. 0:35:20

    You still end up paying.

  169. 0:35:20

    Uh, yes, yes. Uh-huh.

  170. 0:35:23

    C- if I could just interject-

  171. 0:35:24

    Okay. So-

  172. 0:35:24

    ... he would still pay.

  173. 0:35:26

    Right.

  174. 0:35:26

    This does not solve that.

  175. 0:35:28

    Okay.

  176. 0:35:28

    What it does, though, is through, uh, it becomes a misdemeanor. And so it, it is a misdemeanor. It will greatly discourage that behavior because if I knew that I kn- you know, if I knowingly allowed someone-

  177. 0:35:46

    Right, knowingly

  178. 0:35:47

    ... to use, that they could, they could literally go to jail or have a fine up to $1,000 or both.

  179. 0:35:52

    Mr. Clerk, and this is probably maybe to the m- uh, more to you, um, Pro Tem. Um, so is this bill intended to help the court system adjudicate certain things, uh, because I'm, uh-

  180. 0:36:08

    It, it, the, the, the intent of the bill is to make sure that, uh, law enforcement knows- If a vehicle is uninsured. That's, that's-

  181. 0:36:18

    If a driver, you mean. Excuse me.

  182. 0:36:20

    If the ... Well, it's a vehicle. Insurance follows the vehicle. So it, does it le- allow law enf- We have a system now-

  183. 0:36:27

    Right

  184. 0:36:27

    ... a computer system called GICS that every insurance company-

  185. 0:36:32

    Mm

  186. 0:36:32

    ... feeds all this information to. You may be aware of this. And so that when there's an accident or somebody's stopped, you can go, "Oh, car's insured," 'cause that we have a pretty-

  187. 0:36:41

    Mm-hmm.

  188. 0:36:42

    So no different than ... If you think of it, this is treating that vehicle, which is uninsured, no different than we treat any other vehicle-

  189. 0:36:53

    Right

  190. 0:36:53

    ... that would be uninsured. So if he hit, if his car, um, the two cars you were referring to, two accidents, if they were hit by drivers who didn't have an excluded policy, they just were uninsured.

  191. 0:37:07

    Right.

  192. 0:37:08

    The vehicles were uninsured-

  193. 0:37:10

    And you still pay.

  194. 0:37:12

    He would still pay.

  195. 0:37:13

    Got it.

  196. 0:37:13

    So this is in line with what happens today for all other uninsured vehicles that are on the road. I, I don't treat it any differently. If, if someone wants to try to address that in the future, like allow the long arm of the law to go after someone in a different manner, you would want to do it for all uninsured vehicles, not just this particular kind of policy.

  197. 0:37:38

    Okay, so-

  198. 0:37:39

    In my opinion

  199. 0:37:40

    ... just a quick ... Um, one more.

  200. 0:37:41

    Yeah.

  201. 0:37:41

    Just a quick, just for clarification. So if you, if I, it, um, if I am an excluded, uh, person, I have an accident, you still pay. If you are not an excluded, if you're, but your name is just not on there. Y- y- your name is nowhere, and you're driving the same vehicle, you have an accident, he still has to pay because you're not on his-

  202. 0:38:09

    Uh, no. So if, if, if those two, if the two veh- vehicles he had, um, were hit by insured drivers-

  203. 0:38:18

    Mm-hmm

  204. 0:38:19

    ... or insured cars-

  205. 0:38:21

    Cars. Got it

  206. 0:38:21

    ... uh, and there was no excluded driver- ... somebody was driving the car, the car's covered, whatever's in his policy, whatever's in their policy would cover that. Um, this would treat it no different than if the vehicle was not covered by insurance.

  207. 0:38:39

    Okay. Thank you.

  208. 0:38:41

    All right. Number 27, Representative Mathis.

  209. 0:38:45

    So we're, we're just, the owner of the vehicle in Section D would just be fined. Okay, so that's basically the only thing we're adding to this. It, it doesn't, uh ... Ms. Shrink's case sounded familiar to the one that I was told about. So basically, we're going after the owner for allowing an excluded driver to drive a vehicle.

  210. 0:39:11

    That's right, and making sure that law enforcement knows it.

  211. 0:39:14

    Yes, ma'am.

  212. 0:39:16

    Yes.

  213. 0:39:16

    And you opened a little door there for me. I wonder if we could talk and see if we could close that loophole for when somebody drives a car to make him be responsible for his car getting hit, and the accident was caused by somebody else. Could we have some conversations to tighten up that? Because that's exactly what happened in that deal, is that they got hit, which was ticketed for it. When they went to file the insurance, they said he was not on the insurance. I don't know if he was excluded, but he, he wasn't.

  214. 0:39:46

    So he ended up having to file his insurance to cover his car. So there you go again. He's got a claim that they're gonna raise his premiums probably, and he had, he had to use his insurance for it. So-

  215. 0:39:58

    That, that would be a big, um ... That would require a lot of work that someone-

  216. 0:40:06

    It, it could

  217. 0:40:06

    ... and that might be something you would be up to, for. The only thing I would encourage you, from what I've learned about this issue, that's why we have uninsured motorist coverage. This is a little tiny piece of it.

  218. 0:40:18

    Yeah.

  219. 0:40:19

    Um, most people who are hit by a vehicle that is uninsured, they don't have an excluded driver. They just didn't have coverage.

  220. 0:40:29

    Yeah.

  221. 0:40:29

    Either they couldn't afford it-

  222. 0:40:31

    Sure

  223. 0:40:31

    ... that's probably the case, or they have such a bad driving record that they can't afford it, they, or they can't get coverage. And so I would think you would want to, if you wanted to address that in a different way, the way we do insurance coverage-

  224. 0:40:46

    Sure

  225. 0:40:46

    ... you'd want to address all-

  226. 0:40:48

    Yeah

  227. 0:40:49

    ... uninsured car-

  228. 0:40:50

    Yeah

  229. 0:40:50

    ... vehicles.

  230. 0:40:51

    Yeah.

  231. 0:40:51

    'Cause this is just a small piece of it.

  232. 0:40:52

    One quick, one quick follow-up. If, if we could just list on there, if that scenario happened and I had to file, or they had to file on their insurance to cover an accident they didn't, that the insurance company could not count that as a claim and raise their premiums.

  233. 0:41:10

    Yeah, I, I would encourage you to maybe talk to the next speaker, who's-

  234. 0:41:15

    Uh, yeah, I think we got somebody coming up

  235. 0:41:16

    ... insurance, because-

  236. 0:41:17

    I think you'll help us out

  237. 0:41:17

    ... he's an expert. I'm not. I don't know that, I don't think it raises your insurance rate, but I'm no expert, because I think that's the purpose of the-

  238. 0:41:25

    Okay

  239. 0:41:25

    ... uninsured motorist coverage-

  240. 0:41:27

    Thank you

  241. 0:41:27

    ... that we are required to carry. We are all required to carry.

  242. 0:41:31

    Thank you.

  243. 0:41:32

    Uh, one more. Number, number 12, and then we're gonna go to our next speaker.

  244. 0:41:36

    Chairman, um, Madam Pro Tem, just for clarity, I'm trying to connect the dots for the, when, when the, it, moto- this bill allow, alerts the law enforcement.

  245. 0:41:48

    Yes.

  246. 0:41:48

    How does that help the judges that are making the decision whether or not to actually implement these charges?

  247. 0:41:56

    So today, um, if a person is driving a vehicle, and because they were excluded, they're driving that vehicle, um, law enforcement stops them for, say, running a s- stop sign the law enforcement doesn't know that that is an excluded driver, doesn't know there's a policy that has an excluded driver. Because the only in- the only information that the insurance industry supplies to the Revenue Department, who just happens to be the agency that runs the program that communicates back to law enforcement on their computer, they look it up, "Ah, they have coverage." Um, it doesn't include that information.

  248. 0:42:40

    And so what this bill does is it directs the insurance industry to provide that in- that additional information to the Revenue Department. Then when law enforcement stops someone, for whatever reason, and says, "Show me your insurance card," y- y- as you all know, you don't really have to see the insurance card.

  249. 0:43:01

    Right.

  250. 0:43:01

    It's in their, it's in their program.

  251. 0:43:03

    Mm-hmm.

  252. 0:43:03

    They can look and tell if a person has insurance. Um, they can look it up. Uh, that's more important, frankly, than an outdated maybe insurance card. You can't find the insurance card. They can then tell, "Oh, there's an excluded driver." Is this the excluded driver that was driving the car? Because if they were, the car is uninsured.

  253. 0:43:24

    The car is-

  254. 0:43:25

    Uninsured-

  255. 0:43:25

    Oh

  256. 0:43:25

    ... at the time of the accident. Because whenever an excluded driver drives a vehicle with coverage, it's as though there's no coverage. And so what is the purpose? The purpose is to let law enforcement know, who could then cite them for lack of coverage, and then they could, when they go to the judge, the judge can determine, did you knowingly authorize this? Um, and if they did, then they could be subject to penalties.

  257. 0:43:55

    Six penalties. Okay, thank you.

  258. 0:43:58

    Yeah.

  259. 0:43:59

    All right. Thank you. We, we've got one more speaker signed up, uh, Bobby Potter with State Farm.

  260. 0:44:09

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Speaker Pro Tem Jones. My goal this morning, uh, having talked with her yesterday afternoon and several times before that, was to come and say I represent State Farm. We support the bill. Um, so I can honestly say that. We work with her. Um, I represent State Farm. Have for a long time. We support the bill. The bill, n- now that I've heard all these questions, and without getting into all that-

  261. 0:44:34

    In my clearly poor explanation.

  262. 0:44:36

    No, no, no, no.

  263. 0:44:36

    Okay.

  264. 0:44:36

    I would say she explained the bill exactly the way it was. The questions got far broader in about what happens to this, what happens to that? I've been in a wreck, what happens to this? This bill does two things. It deals with an excluded driver, and if a law enforcement person pulls that driver over, forget the wreck, probably didn't have a wreck, ran a stop sign, whatever it is, then that person will be listed in the GECIS system as an excluded driver. That law enforcement officer will know that driver is excluded and can ticket him or her accordingly.

  265. 0:45:14

    In D, maybe a little down the road, the owner, if that owner allowed that excluded driver to drive that vehicle knowingly, then that owner suffers the penalties outlined in D. And as we talked about it yesterday, she said, "Well, it costs $200. That doesn't sound like much." And as we went through it, $200 is on one end, that's the minimum. 12 months in jail is the maximum. Pretty severe stuff. It's dealing with this sliver of the driving population.

  266. 0:45:48

    And as we talked about it, it is a sliver, but the driving population is whatever it is, 5 million people, so it's, it's a bigger number. But that's it. That's all this bill does. There are other consequences, totally outside the scope of this bill and this conversation, but that's what this bill does. And it's good from that perspective. It holds two people accountable. Somebody that's driving a vehicle, because they're listed that way in this policy and they shouldn't be doing it, or the owner that allows that and shouldn't be doing it.

  267. 0:46:20

    That's all it does.

  268. 0:46:23

    Do we have a second? We do have one question. Uh, Rep- number one, Representative Martin.

  269. 0:46:28

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, thank you, Mr. Potter, for your, uh, testimony. So I, I have a question for you. Is excluded driver anywhere else in Georgia Code, or is that new? The definition of excluded driver.

  270. 0:46:44

    Well, absolute no to answer that. It was put in here. I think it is, it is utilized, and it's utilized in other states as excluded driver. The number is relatively low, but it exists. And as the Speaker Pro Tem indicated, people can do that if they've got bad drivers in their household, a history of that. They could re- they could list that person as an excluded driver. We're not covering that.

  271. 0:47:12

    Thank you. That's not my question. Mr. Potter, is excluded driver a new term or definition in Georgia Code under this bill?

  272. 0:47:20

    It's in this bill. I don't know if it's o- otherwise in the Georgia Code. I don't know the answer to your question.

  273. 0:47:25

    Mr. Vice Clerk.

  274. 0:47:26

    I, I, I don't believe it's been codified as a new, a new term.

  275. 0:47:31

    So I think, I think... Thank you for that, and it's good to see you back.

  276. 0:47:38

    You bet.

  277. 0:47:39

    Um, so I think if we're gonna a- w- when we're adding this excluded driver, I think this is where things kind of get... I, I think there are some questions. And it's... I love the bill, by the way. I think it's a good bill. I think it does add a level of complexity that maybe, uh, why so many people have questions for you specifically, and that is, if we're going to exclude a driver, we're trying to go down the road, no pun intended, of understanding how this operates- Within the framework of ratings.

  278. 0:48:19

    So w- because if we exclude a driver from a policy with the understanding that that there's a 16-year-old in that, in that household, we're trying to understand that we have effectively now a policy that covers a vehicle who's rated with the possibility of covering a 16-year-old or a college student who's under the age of 25. However, they're excluded from the policy and it wouldn't pay out, 'cause I'm assuming that the insurance company, if now we include them under this excluded driver, is not gonna pay out based on it.

  279. 0:48:55

    Is, is that correct?

  280. 0:48:59

    So I'll tell you two things. The Speaker Pro Tem said our next speaker is gonna be an expert in insurance. I represent State Farm. I don't live this every day, but I would say the answer to your question is this: That excluded driver is driving down the road without insurance because he or she is listed as an excluded driver. That benefits that household because they will pay fewer premiums.

  281. 0:49:29

    If that car is uninsured, whether it's an excluded driver or somebody that just didn't buy insurance, then the responsible citizens will buy uninsured motorist coverage to protect themselves, and that's what a ton of people do, and that's one of the cheapest insurances available is uninsured motorist to protect yourself. You don't otherwise buy liability insurance to protect yourself, you protect the stranger. It also protects your house so somebody doesn't sue and take it. But that's, that's the nature of it.

  282. 0:50:01

    All right. We- we- we've got other bills we've got to get to. I'm gon- I'm gonna cut the questions off. I've got two, two other ... I'm gonna, real quick, number 27.

  283. 0:50:10

    Just one quick thing I m- just want to say is that, uh, if the owner disputes the, the, the right for that other person to drive, I just want to say, what's the recourse? If, if he says, "I don't agree. I didn't, I didn't tell him to drive it. He just took it." Who's gonna get fined?

  284. 0:50:31

    We'll-

  285. 0:50:31

    It, it, it would be a, a, it, that, just like any other, um, thing that comes before a judge, that's for the judge to determine.

  286. 0:50:38

    Okay.

  287. 0:50:39

    Did you murder this person? Did you hit this person? Did you let this person drive knowingly? That's, that's a decision for the judicial system.

  288. 0:50:48

    All right. One, one more question then we're gonna call the question. Number 21. Chairman Powell.

  289. 0:50:54

    Yeah, this is the reason I don't deal with insurance bills- ... uh, quite frankly.

  290. 0:50:59

    Likewise.

  291. 0:51:00

    I don't blame you.

  292. 0:51:01

    Bobby, let me ask you a question. When we're talking about the term excluded driver, I have an insurance policy. It's got me as listed on there. There's nothing on there about anybody being excluded. What determines what's an excluded driver?

  293. 0:51:16

    In your policy, under your circumstance, y- y- if, if you're driving your vehicle, obviously you're covered. If you, if you allow somebody else as a permissive user, they're likewise covered.

  294. 0:51:28

    That would be a family member.

  295. 0:51:30

    A family member.

  296. 0:51:31

    A friend.

  297. 0:51:31

    Could be a friend. It's a permissive user. It's, that's more routine than this sliver that we're talking about right here.

  298. 0:51:38

    So this excluded driver's got to be specifically listed on your policy-

  299. 0:51:43

    That's right

  300. 0:51:44

    ... as being ex- as being excluded.

  301. 0:51:46

    Right.

  302. 0:51:46

    That's right.

  303. 0:51:47

    So how does the insurance companies know who's to be excluded?

  304. 0:51:52

    Because they write the policy.

  305. 0:51:53

    Yeah.

  306. 0:51:53

    It's written in the policy.

  307. 0:51:54

    Is it, is it because it's voluntary on behalf of the coverage, that if I, if I say, "This guy's a friend of mine or a family member and I don't want him driving my car, and I don't want to be put under the pressure to say, 'Hell no, you can't drive it 'cause you're a bad driver.'" Is that how we're getting to this part of being an excluded driver?

  308. 0:52:13

    It's, it's generally gonna be somebody in the household that you would want to exclude.

  309. 0:52:16

    I think you just answered my question.

  310. 0:52:18

    That, that-

  311. 0:52:18

    Thank you

  312. 0:52:19

    ... that is it. And the whole purpose of this bill is to convey that information to law enforcement so they know it when they have a traffic stop.

  313. 0:52:30

    All right. No further questions. What's the pleasure of the committee?

  314. 0:52:32

    Make a motion.

  315. 0:52:34

    Second.

  316. 0:52:34

    I got a motion and several seconds. Uh, any further discussion? All in favor say aye.

  317. 0:52:40

    Aye.

  318. 0:52:40

    All opposed like sign. Thank you, Madam-

  319. 0:52:43

    Thank you

  320. 0:52:43

    ... Pro Tem. This, this was quite interesting. Uh, uh, uh, Chairman Carson, we'll, uh, go to your, your bill next. This is gonna be hearing only, uh, so come up to the table and ...

  321. 0:52:57

    That finally got the damn footage. You gotta have some patience.

  322. 0:53:33

    Ch- ch- ch.

  323. 0:53:41

    We're here.

  324. 0:53:41

    Great. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. Uh, this is House Bill 809. This, uh, this was introduced at the end of session last year just to get, uh, some discussion going. What this is doing is looking to raise not the maximum speed limit in Georgia, but raise the minimum speed limit in Georgia. I have a, a, eng- a civil engineer that's a constituent of mine. He brought up this issue to me- That the minimum speed limit in Georgia, based on his knowledge b- uh, as well as my research on LexisNexis and AI, the, the minimum speed limit in Georgia is 40 miles per hour, has not been increased since, at, at the latest, the early 1970s, about when I was born.

  325. 0:54:21

    Um, and during that time, the, uh, the, the maximum speed limit was for many years, as you know, 55 miles per hour. And then it was raised in the mid-'90s when, uh, there was a change in control of Congress in regard to the restrictions that tied to federal funding. And the various states, including Georgia, raised our speed limit to 65 miles per hour, but we didn't touch our minimum speed, and later we raised our minim- maximum speed to 70 miles per hour. That creates a difference of about fif- uh, 30 miles per hour between the high and the low.

  326. 0:54:54

    And you might see some, uh, information in your, uh, handout there in, in regard to, uh, what other states have done with their speed limits. I believe, uh, you're gonna see, uh, speed limits of around 45, 50 miles per hour in other states. The, the concern that I have, uh, and the concern of public safety that have, uh, endorsed this bill, including the chiefs of police and the Sheriff's Association, is that we have such a high differential between maximum speed and minimum speed.

  327. 0:55:26

    So again, I wanna be very clear. I don't want to increase the maximum speed in Georgia. What this is looking to do is raise the minimum speed. Uh, I have been, uh, like I said, I should have in the, in the, in the handouts there, uh, letters of endorsement from the Georgia Sheriff's Association, the Georgia Chiefs of Police. There's also a letter of support from, uh, the commissioner of Department of Public Safety. I have been in discussion with the, um, uh, the Georgia Department of Transportation. Uh, those discussions are ongoing.

  328. 0:55:58

    What they have said is that, uh, that it, it is possible for them to do this administratively rather than do so with legislation. Uh, Mr. Chairman, this is a, a late addition. I apologize for this. But I have a copy of 40.6.184. Um, should I... H- okay. Thanks, Brian.

  329. 0:56:28

    And what this does, this particular section, 40.6.184, uh, I don't know why it's on legal size, sorry. Um, in subparagraph B, it basically says that the Commissioner of Public Safety along with the Commissioner for Transportation can jointly, after an investigation, uh, on the basis of engineering and traffic investigation, may increase the speed limit for a particular jurisdiction, is what it says.

  330. 0:56:59

    To me, if, and how I read that, and how the Commissioner of Public Safety, who, like, like I said, has written a letter of support himself for the bill, he believes this needs to be statewide. And I w- I'm currently in discussions with DOT in regard to making this statewide. If, if it says here, and it does in the, um, in the code, "Whenever the Commissioner of Public Safety and the Commissioner of Transportation or local authorities determine on the basis of any engineering and traffic investigation that slow speeds on any part of the road under their respective jurisdiction impede the normal reasonable movement of traffic, such j- commissioners jointly," and I wanna stress that phrase, "or such local authorities may determine and declare a minimum speed limit below which no person shall drive a vehicle." So it is true that DOT can weigh in in regard to a minimum speed limit.

  331. 0:57:53

    But A, it has to be done with the Commissioner of Public Safety, again, who's written a letter of support for a statewide, uh, law. A- and then secondly, it has to be after an engineering and traffic investigation. So that's what I wanna do, sir. Uh, basically, I want to limit the number of rear-end collisions. I will tell you, uh, I had a little bill about eight years ago, uh, in regard to these things, and I've received, uh, fatality reports from GDOT and Governor's Office of Highway Safety.

  332. 0:58:28

    And quite honestly, um, to my friends both on, on both sides of the aisle, it's horrific. It's horrific, particularly the rear-end collisions.

  333. 0:58:38

    All right. I don't see anybody signed up to speak. We do have a question on there, but I, I think you and I, you and I, we had a conversation possibly about the, the cost, the number of signs, and the time to implement this if we do it, and that's, uh, k- kind of conversations we've had.

  334. 0:58:53

    That's correct. Um, DOT has been undecided on this because they seem to b- and I have had a number of conversations, or several with, um, their legislative liaison as whereas, as well as their chief engineer. They haven't, uh, I, I requested back in January, early January, the first week, as you remember, Mr. Chairman, uh, uh, a cost estimate because we really don't know how many minimum speed limit signs we have in Georgia. I reiterated that request last week. I still have not re- received any cost information.

  335. 0:59:25

    I, I do wanna do this on a collaborative, uh, effort, and I, I would want to do something where this does not have, um, i- in coordination with legislative counsel, just wanna make sure this does not have a, a punitive start date like July 1st of '26. I would wanna do something January 1st of next year or July 1st of next year, enough time for a, a healthy implementation such that DOT and our friends in public safety know about this, and we can move forward with clear communication as opposed to half-assed

  336. 0:59:57

    Right. And, and that's, that's, we're on the same page on that, and that's why it was a hearing only until we can h- hopefully get, get that date what would, what would work for everybody. But anyway, we do have a few questions.

  337. 1:00:06

    Sure.

  338. 1:00:06

    Number, number 12, Representative Taylor.

  339. 1:00:09

    Um, I guess my concern is- ... seniors, for example, or an, a student driver that's learning how to drive. I know we, I, and I, I agree, I want you to get out of my way when we're on the expressway.

  340. 1:00:23

    Okay.

  341. 1:00:23

    However, I think that, I guess in my mind I'm thinking it would be a better solution, although we do say slow traffic move to the, to the right, something in that, uh, that arena, 'cause it's, it almost feel like I'm being penalized 'cause I can't drive 50 miles an hour. And that, that work, that really concerns me in reference to student drivers, new drivers, and seniors driving. So can you address that for me, please?

  342. 1:00:46

    I, based on the current speeds, I don't think there's... In order for a student... Okay, if I can just answer it in two parts. One regard to student drivers and el- elderly, or senior drivers. Senior drivers. I would say in regard to senior drivers, there's var- including on 40 s- dot six dot 184, um, the first, uh, item here on this, uh, handout, uh, subparagraph A, "No person shall drive a motor vehicle a, as slow, at a slow speed to, as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic." Now, that's what I would say to our senior citizens.

  343. 1:01:22

    Um, there are other routes to take across Georgia. It's not as convenient, uh, granted. What this legislation only impair, uh, o- only, uh, uh, impacts is where the speed limit is on a state, uh, public road either 65 or higher, uh, miles per hour.

  344. 1:01:39

    Okay.

  345. 1:01:39

    In regard to the students, um, I, I would say more or less the same thing. They're gonna need to learn to, um-

  346. 1:01:46

    Speed it up

  347. 1:01:47

    ... t- to speed it up, yes.

  348. 1:01:48

    Okay.

  349. 1:01:48

    S- since this is a, a hearing only, I'm gonna ask to keep our questions to, to one. We got, um, four other questions and then we'll move on. We got three other measures to hear. Number 20-

  350. 1:01:56

    I guess I didn't explain it well, sir.

  351. 1:01:57

    Number 20. It, it lit up. Number 26.

  352. 1:01:59

    Oh.

  353. 1:02:00

    I just thought it lit because-

  354. 1:02:01

    You was talking about, you said y'all did the investigation. It's mostly rear-end collisions, correct? Well, I did not do an investigation.

  355. 1:02:07

    Or what the-

  356. 1:02:08

    When I, when I r- quoted investigations-

  357. 1:02:10

    Oh, s-

  358. 1:02:10

    ... I was quoting this code section-

  359. 1:02:11

    Okay

  360. 1:02:11

    ... in regard to what the Commissioner of Public Safety and the Commissioner of Transportation jointly must use to determine the in, uh, adjusting of a minimum speed limit.

  361. 1:02:21

    Okay. Well, I'm guess- you came up with this bill though because there has been, uh-

  362. 1:02:26

    I've heard from... Uh, j- oh, okay. On that, and I've heard from multiple groups, public safety advocates, but specifically, uh, the chiefs of police and the Sheriff's Association, as well as, uh, the Department of Public Safety has noted that a, a lot, some of the, some of the crashes that they're investigating have to do with the differential and speed.

  363. 1:02:45

    Okay. And the rear end. So I was just curious if the, if there's, as we go through this process or as you go through this process, if we could figure out most of these accidents are rear-end collisions. Are they over in the left-hand lane? Are they in the right-hand lane?

  364. 1:03:00

    Yeah.

  365. 1:03:01

    I know, I know as much as we drive, we see everybody driving 40 in the left-hand lane down Interstate.

  366. 1:03:06

    Right. I understand.

  367. 1:03:06

    Um, and-

  368. 1:03:07

    I, I, I-

  369. 1:03:07

    And that's dangerous 'cause when everybody starts trying to get over and you start maneuvering, that's when you have a wreck.

  370. 1:03:12

    I was just-

  371. 1:03:13

    So I was just, I was just wondering if there was any findings. I know you're pretty diligent in your, uh, stuff that you do, so I didn't know if you had the chart or anything from- ... DOT showing.

  372. 1:03:21

    I would be, I would be the one, I guess, the one. Uh, um, I would have to ask the Department of Public Safety to have that. Because I will tell you, after we did the, uh, the law concerning these things several years ago, uh, Department of Public Safety put together much more enhanced forms in regard to data collection at crashes.

  373. 1:03:36

    Okay.

  374. 1:03:36

    So that might be available and, and I can ask the question.

  375. 1:03:40

    All right. Number 18, Representative McClain.

  376. 1:03:42

    Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, I guess mine's gonna be real quick. So if I'm going 49, is, is, is there a fine? I'm just trying to figure out, you know-

  377. 1:03:54

    If you're, well, right now, I, I don't know many people that are going 39 and they getting fined.

  378. 1:03:58

    Well, I mean f- I mean, I'm just, you know, I'm just, that was my only concern is, is, is that, so is there a fine associated with it if I'm not going 50?

  379. 1:04:06

    I believe there is on a strict interpretation, but I believe there's also, uh, a little bit of la- leeway above the, the maximum and a little bit of leeway below the minimum.

  380. 1:04:16

    Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

  381. 1:04:18

    One more. Number 1, Representative Momtahan.

  382. 1:04:21

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, thank you, Chairman Carson. Uh, the, the driver's school caucus over here has convened and, uh- ... we are confident-

  383. 1:04:30

    I knew, I knew we was in trouble

  384. 1:04:31

    ... that whatever you want to set this to, we gonna teach them. We'll get them up to speed. Ain't, ain't no issue there. We'll get y'all going. Uh, and I think to the representative's question earlier about the seniors, what you're saying is there's a way, it just ain't the expressway.

  385. 1:04:48

    Correct.

  386. 1:04:50

    Thank you.

  387. 1:04:50

    And I, I know it's not as convenient, I know it's not as quick, but the bottom line is that it is safer.

  388. 1:04:58

    Well, thank, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Like I said, this was a hearing only and, uh, I know DOT, y'all working with them, and we'll try to get it back on the agenda. Which I hope that we can get, get that information and be ready to move on. So, all right.

  389. 1:05:09

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It commits.

  390. 1:05:11

    All right. We got two other bills on, uh, ac- actually three other bills, so we're gonna have to move fast. HB 1073, uh, Representative Carter.

  391. 1:05:20

    I probably probably pass these by y'all.

  392. 1:05:31

    Good morning and happy y- new year to anyone I haven't seen, and this is my first time being in front of you. Lively crew. Interesting committee.

  393. 1:05:40

    Bill number and LC number.

  394. 1:05:41

    So bill number is HB 1073 LC 394874. 1073-

  395. 1:05:50

    That's it. We got it.

  396. 1:05:51

    So, so this is a very simple bill. Jackson State University Alumni Association Atlanta Chapter would like to have a specialty license plate, uh, tag in the State of Georgia. The revenues generated for this tag will, uh, sponsor scholarships for Georgia students to Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi, where I actually went to Jackson State University on a music scholarship. Uh, to date, they've given over 370, uh, scholarships from Georgia students to Jackson State, and I won't go into some of the noted, uh, alumnis, but they, we'd be very appreciative if you would pass this s- simple piece of legislation.

  397. 1:06:37

    All right, and all the requirements due are far as the pre- pre-selling 1,000 tags or writing a check for 25,000 to cover the initial cost of the manufacturing fee, the rendition 501C3, all those requirements have been met, and I've got that notification.

  398. 1:06:51

    All documents have been met. Funds were paid.

  399. 1:06:53

    All right, number 21.

  400. 1:06:55

    If it's the proper time, I'd like to move we pass this bill forward in the abundance of time since some of us have got to get to Rouge.

  401. 1:07:02

    All right. We, we have a motion to second. Any further discussion? All in favor say aye.

  402. 1:07:07

    Aye.

  403. 1:07:08

    Aye. Bill passes.

  404. 1:07:09

    Thank you all very much.

  405. 1:07:10

    All right. Uh, Chairman Ballard.

  406. 1:07:15

    Mr. Chairman, I have another meeting at 5:00.

  407. 1:07:24

    Yeah. Go, go ahead.

  408. 1:07:27

    Okay.

  409. 1:07:27

    Tell, tell us your, your bill and LC number.

  410. 1:07:29

    I've got, um, HB1181, and it's LC640042.

  411. 1:07:37

    What's that? Read that LC number again.

  412. 1:07:40

    640042.

  413. 1:07:42

    42, okay.

  414. 1:07:43

    Okay.

  415. 1:07:43

    That's it.

  416. 1:07:43

    Okay. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. I hope this is a simple bill. Um, this bill just, it cuts red tape. Um, specifically, I think it's gonna work, um, a little better for our military families who have, um, family members that are far-flung all over the country. It allows a decedent's car to come directly from the estate where the estate is domiciled, um, to a first degree relative who is inheriting it. Um, right now what happens is if you have a decedent in one state and then the person inheriting the car is a Georgia resident, but the executor of the s- estate lives in a third state, right now the car has to be titled in that third state to the executor before it can be titled to the person inheriting it in Georgia.

  417. 1:08:36

    I wanna skip that intermediate step and have it go straight from where the estate is to the person in Georgia.

  418. 1:08:47

    All right, I see no questions. What's the pleasure of the committee?

  419. 1:08:51

    Move.

  420. 1:08:52

    I have move and a second. Any further discussion? All in favor say aye.

  421. 1:08:56

    Aye.

  422. 1:08:57

    You, you have your bill.

  423. 1:08:58

    Okay. Thank you very much.

  424. 1:09:00

    Move.

  425. 1:09:01

    All right. We- I'm, I'm, I'm gonna tu- I'm gonna turn the, the meeting over to, uh, uh, Vice Chair m- Matt Barton if he... Uh, what's your number?

  426. 1:09:10

    22.

  427. 1:09:11

    22, okay. Uh, we do have one other bill on the agenda if you wanna go ahead and...

  428. 1:09:15

    All right. Well, Mr. Chairman, it's your bill, so if you wanna present it.

  429. 1:09:19

    All right. House Bill 1202, LC394910. And the, uh, what, what we're doing here, we s- we did a bill a couple years ago, the g- Georgia Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Advisory Board. Uh, and now this bill passed, but now it was set up under the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. A- anyway, they are, uh, set up where they can receive the money. They, they're actually administering this, this grant program. Uh, the code section it was in, 35-68-15.

  430. 1:09:51

    It allows them to do grants to, uh, counties and municipalities. It basically is 35-68-16. That's where they can, uh, grant to this Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention unit. And that's, that's all we're doing.

  431. 1:10:05

    Move.

  432. 1:10:06

    I have, I have a first and a second. All those in favor?

  433. 1:10:09

    Aye.

  434. 1:10:09

    Aye. Mr. Chairman, you have your bill. Thank you. Uh, no further things on the agenda. Uh, the meeting is adjourned.

  435. 1:10:18

    You're not lurking, are you?

  436. 1:10:20

    Is, is this a hearing only? Is this a hear-

  437. 1:10:25

    Mr. Chair, I got a hearing.

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