House Rules Committee, February 10, 2026 Video: https://vimeo.com/1163630016 (a timestamp t plays at https://vimeo.com/1163630016#t=s) Page: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-02-10/house-rules 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. [0:18:30] Morning, everybody. [0:18:34] Good morning. How are you? [0:18:37] Morning, Dean Greene. Good to see you. [0:18:40] Thank you. [0:18:43] Good morning, everybody. [0:18:46] Morning. [0:18:46] If you will, please take your seats and we'll call the meeting to order, and we'll begin. Uh, we're gonna ask, uh, Chairman Lumsden to open us up with a word of prayer this morning. Thank you. [0:19:00] Should, should be on. Try it. Try it now. [0:19:07] Try the one next to you. [0:19:13] Well... Yeah, hold on, we'll get the wireless to you over there. A little technical difficulty here. Yeah. [0:19:22] Y'all got great minds [0:19:24] Yeah. May- mash your button again there. [0:19:29] Try it again. Nope. Try that one. Okay. [0:19:35] There you [0:19:39] go. [0:19:39] All right. [0:19:40] If you would bow with me please. [0:19:42] Yeah. [0:19:42] Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you for your love and your goodness to us, and for watching over us and caring for us. We thank you for the opportunity that you have, uh, given to each of us to be here today. We just pray that you would bless our time together. Uh, we thank you for the, uh, p- position that you've placed each of us in. We just ask for your guidance and your wisdom as we, uh, look at doing the things that, uh, come before us today, uh, hopefully do good things for the people of the state of Georgia, and we just pray that what we do would be pleasing in your sight, and ask for your guidance and direction. [0:20:12] For we pray it in Jesus' name and for His sake. Amen. [0:20:15] Amen. [0:20:16] Amen. [0:20:17] Thank you, sir. Sorry about the, uh, technical difficulties there. [0:20:22] Okay, let's go ahead and begin. Representative Glaze. [0:20:30] Thank you, Chairman. I come before you with Georgia House Resolution 1177. It's a bipartisan resolution about saving lives, because when 84% of pedestrians' death happen at night, visibility becomes a matter of life and death. That single fact tells us that this resolution matters. Across Georgia, pedestrians' fatalities are rising at an alarming and an unacceptable rate. [0:21:03] In 2024 alone, 294 pedestrians were killed, and the vast majority of them were at night. These are not just isolated incidents. They are a clear pattern demanding action, and House Resolution 1177 responds to the crisis with common sense, data-driven approach focused on a critical factor, visibility. So when drivers cannot see, lives are challenged. [0:21:37] Thank you. [0:21:38] Okay. Thank you, ma'am. I don't- don't see any questions. Thank you. My senator, Senator Burns. [0:21:48] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning, Committee. I have before you today Senate Bill 74. Senate Bill 74 protects Georgia's children from being provided access to harmful materials in libraries. It repeals an exemption for libraries and librarians from the provisions of OCGA 1612-103, which is our obscenity laws, but it has certain protections. I wanna thank the, uh, Judiciary Non-Civil Committee for working with me on this bill. I wanna thank the West Georgia Regional Library System for, uh, offering some friendly amendments that we adopted, and I appreciate the consideration for SB 74. [0:22:27] Okay, got a couple of questions for you. Whip Park. Um, I don't know what's going on over here. Just use that wireless. Try- try that. [0:22:37] Thank you, M- thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, Senator Burns, um, why are you trying to criminalize librarians? Y- why are you trying to criminalize librarians? You know, I, I received the emails, you know, saying or implying that libraries were these dens of sin with obscene material. Can you help me understand or demonstrate some proof in which libraries a- have all these obscene materials that would warrant the criminalization of library, of librarian in Georgia? [0:23:09] Uh, thank you for the question. First of all, this bill in no way criminalizes librarians or libraries. Let me explain what it does not do. It does not change long-established Georgia statutes as, as it relates to obscenity. Obscenity laws in Georgia go back to 1969. It does not ban any book. No book- [0:23:30] It has some [0:23:31] ... is banned. Number three, it does not criminalize librarians. It does require them to re-catalog and place those books in the appropriate areas. I'm happy to provide you with examples, and your colleagues are happy to provide you with examples of materials in Georgia libraries, in children's sections, that are inappropriate. [0:23:52] One more follow-up question. Would it not be more appropriate if you're concerned with obscenity to ban the internet from children with respect to their access, as opposed to criminalizing librarians, which this bill does do? [0:24:06] Uh, I, I appreciate your comments, and I acknowledge the fact that the internet provides access that is virtually unfettered, although we do have filters in libraries and schools to protect our children. I want to reiterate, this does not criminalize anything. It simply requires all Georgians to follow long-established Georgia law. So you, sir, must follow this law. [0:24:30] I must follow this law. It does in no way criminalize anyone. [0:24:37] Chairman Hawkins? He waived his right. Okay, took care of that. He waived. Uh, Representative Miller? [0:24:46] Try your mic. See if it works by chance. Nope, just use the wireless mic. Thank, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, just on your point of, of not criminalizing, just, just so I'm clear, there's no provision in this bill that allows for the arrest of a librarian as it relates to- There are certain provisions in the legislation that gives protections to the librarians. It's been there for a long time. What this bill does is remove the exception and places the responsibility on the governing authority of that library or that school. [0:25:21] The only way that a librarian will be held accountable is if they fail to comply with their local board's, uh, decisions on the materials. Again, the materials themselves are not removed. They are re-cataloged and placed in appropriate sections for adults. Okay, and just so I understand, the, the removal of immunity, the immunity was from criminal prosecution, correct? That is correct. So if we are removing immunity from crimin- uh, removing immunity from criminal prosecution, how is that not criminalizing librarians? [0:25:57] There's no difference between a librarian in a middle school and a seventh grade teacher in a middle school. The middle school teacher is not afforded any protections from, uh, providing harmful material to min- minors. What this does is place the school librarian in the exact same posture. You, madam, are- Representative ... response... I'm sorry. Representative, forgive me. Uh, you, Representative, are under this statute, as I am. [0:26:30] And so we're not criminalizing anyone. We're trying to protect children. One, one follow-up. There was a rationale for providing librarians this, this carve-out. Is, is that not true? Uh, y- you're welcome to share with me that rationale. I fail to understand why it was ever put in the statute. Well, I, I guess what I'm, what I'm trying to make sure I'm clear on is if, if you know that there was immunity provided to librarians, who do hold a special place in our society and in our community, um, if we are stripping that immunity away, y- have you not thought through why they had it in the first place? [0:27:08] We had that discussion extensively in committee, and there was a great deal of input from both libraries and librarians as well as pub- the, the public. I think I spent, uh, five sessions in, uh, House Judiciary Non-Civil debating and discussing this issue. Where we landed, where, where we finally agreed to on the language that you see in front of you now, is based on a recommendation from the director of the West Georgia Regional Library System. [0:27:44] And we're trying to protect children, but also provide librarians the flexibility to do their job professionally, and we're grateful for that. Thank you. I, I think we can protect the, the, the intent of your bill is certainly admirable, but, um, removing immunity does not seem to be necessary, uh, for us to do that. We, we don't need to incentivize prosecution of librarians when we are obviously overrun, uh, in our society and our communities by violent crime and other criminals who deserve to be prosecuted. [0:28:16] So, um, I'm, I'm sorry, I can't support this bill. Thank you for your input. Okay. [0:28:23] Waives, okay. Don't see any other questions. Thank you, sir. [0:28:30] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Chairman Thomas. [0:28:37] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm here to present House Bill 1063. It's on page two, bottom of the blue sheet. [0:28:47] House Bill 1063 protects residential and retail electric, uh, electricity customers from costs asso- associated with data center construction and operation. Uh, it does th- so at the very high level, it requires electric utility contracts with data centers to include terms protecting residential and retail customers from costs related to data center construction and operation. It mandates minimum billing requirements and contracts to recover incremental costs of serving or, or preparing to serve data centers. It allows contract terms to exceed the length of the standard utility service tariffs. [0:29:21] It requires performance of credit provisions and contracts to protect retail customers if data center defaults on the contract. It mandates termination provisions to protect retail customers if electric service contracts with data centers are ended. Uh, it applies the new requirements only to contracts entered onto or after the effective date of the act. And it grants the Georgia Public Service Commission authority to determine compliance with these requirements. So that's the, uh, high level overview. Okay. Any questions? [0:29:54] Don't see any questions. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Recognize Speaker Pro Tem. [0:30:03] Uh, thank, thank you, Mr. Chairman. I've got a, um, rule substitute to House Bill 907 that I would request that the committee consider. It makes a, um, a very minor but meaningful change on, in section two. Um, the language needed modifying, um, to make sure that an existing completion school [0:30:32] ... could offer services in a region that does not currently have a completion school available to students at risk for dropping out. There's one in particular that wants to offer these services. It's Foothills, which is based in the Athens region, and they want to offer services to Rockdale. And the way the language was written earlier, um, they had to already be offering those services. They do not currently offer those services and want to, and I'd ask for the, uh, committee's favorable consideration. [0:31:06] Okay, that's the committee sub. You should have a copy. It's LC 492636S. Do you have a, a motion? Any discussion? Any questions? Okay. I have a motion to accept the substitute. Moved. Moved and second. Any opposition? So ordered. Okay. Um, [0:31:39] we recognize, uh, Secretary, uh, Kelley for the motion. Thank you, Mr. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would move that House Bill 1066 be recommitted to the Governmental Affairs Committee. Okay, we have a motion. Any second? Second. Any opposition? It's back in Governmental Affairs. Okay. [0:32:06] Okay, let's set us a calendar for tomorrow, Wednesday, day 17. [0:32:15] Under modified structure, House Bill 57. [0:32:22] Move. Have a move. Second? Second. Any opposition? It's on. House Bill 383. Move. Second. Moved and seconded. Any opposition? It's on. House Bill 903. Move. Moved and seconded. Any opposition? It's on. House Bill 907 Rule Substitute LC 492636S. [0:32:54] Move. Second. Moved and seconded. Any opposition? It's on. [0:33:01] House Bill 986. Move. Have a move and a second. Any opposition? It's on. Now, House Resolution, House Resolution 251. Move. Have a move and a second. Is there any opposition? It's on. [0:33:29] Yeah. Okay, that's our calendar for tomorrow, Wednesday. We'll meet in the morning at 9:00. Y'all have a good day. Thank you.