Georgia CommonsHouse Defense & Veterans Affairs Committee
House Defense & Veterans Affairs Committee, February 11, 2026
2025-2026 Regular Session · 132 CAP · 25 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.
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 approved two bills. HB 1087 would waive local permit fees for disabled veterans making home renovations to accommodate a disability. Members asked about eligibility, local government input and whether the proposal covered developments for veterans. A Georgia Realtors witness supported the bill. HB 1184 would end honorary promotions for retiring Georgia National Guard officers. A Georgia Department of Defense representative said some retirees were improperly wearing honorary ranks on federal uniforms, creating confusion and enforcement work. Members asked about the program’s purpose, benefits and penalties. The committee passed the second bill unanimously.
Bills discussed (2)
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 1087. Disabled Veteran Home Modification Act; enact
From 0:12:13 · turns 4 to 46
The sponsor said the bill would waive local permit fees for disabled veterans renovating their homes to accommodate a disability. Asked what disability rating would qualify, the sponsor said any rating would qualify if the improvements addressed that disability. Another committee member asked whether local governments and the Georgia Municipal Association had been consulted. The sponsor reported receptive conversations with local mayors, council members and other municipal representatives, but did not report direct consultation with the association. A third member asked whether the waiver could cover a development containing several homes for disabled veterans. The sponsor said the bill was intended for homeowners, not developers or landlords, and suggested addressing those situations in a separate measure. A witness for Georgia Realtors supported the bill, saying it would reduce financial burdens and help veterans obtain needed accommodations in their homes. After a motion, second and voice vote, the chair announced that the bill passed. No vote count was stated.
HB 1184. Military; treat retired officers the same as warrant officers and enlisted persons at the same grade as such members earned during their military service
From 0:17:00 · turns 46 to 92
The sponsor introduced the bill as a Georgia Department of Defense request concerning honorary promotions for retiring National Guard officers. After initially suggesting recipients could wear the honorary rank, the sponsor accepted a correction that they could not. A department representative said the bill would end the honorary promotion option, which applied to officers but not enlisted members. The representative said some retirees wore the state honorary rank on federal uniforms, which was not permitted and required staff to counsel them. One committee member confirmed that the bill would end the program entirely. Another asked about its original purpose and benefits. The representative described it as recognition at retirement and said it provided no pension increase or other benefit. The sponsor and representative explained differences between state and federal service, with the representative emphasizing that honorary ranks were not federally recognized. Asked about penalties, the representative said existing state and federal laws already addressed unauthorized uniform use, so no new penalty was needed. The representative said ending the option would align Georgia with active duty, reserves and every other state known to the representative. The committee passed the bill unanimously.
Transcript
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- 0:11:04
Thank you, Chairman. Let's bow. Dear Heavenly Father, as we gather here today to do the people's work, we ask you to fill us with wisdom as we make decisions on behalf of our great state. We also ask you, Heavenly Father, to, uh, bless all the men and women around the world who wear the uniform to protect us every day. We ask you all this in your name. Amen.
- 0:11:26
Amen.
- 0:11:27
Thank you.
- 0:11:28
All right. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. At
- 0:12:10
this point, I'll turn over the mic to you to present, uh, House Bill 1087.
- 0:12:16
All right, we'll do 1087 first. Um-
- 0:12:18
Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want to-
- 0:12:19
No, I... No, that's, that's perfectly fine. Hey, uh, thank you and thank you members of the committee. Um, so House Bill 1087 is really a very straightforward bill, and it's gotten, um, it's gotten a good bit of, uh, momentum as I've discussed it around the community. But essentially what it does is says that if you are a disabled veteran as defined by code, and you, um, make renovations to your home that, uh, accommodate your disability, then you would not pay those local permit fees, um, for those renovations.
- 0:12:51
So, um, that is really the essence of the bill. Um, and I'll be happy to open it up for any questions, Mr. Chairman.
- 0:12:59
All right, Mr. Chairman. Uh, questions from the committee? Wait, we have, uh, one question. Go ahead.
- 0:13:08
Yeah, so disabled veteran as defined by code. I know there's like percentages and such as that. What, what exactly is that defined by code?
- 0:13:16
Well, in, in, in, whatever you're, if you have any type of disability rating and you make re- uh, improvements to your home to accommodate that disability, you would qualify under the bill.
- 0:13:27
Okay. Good deal. Thanks.
- 0:13:29
No problem. Who, Ray, are you number five?
- 0:13:32
Yes.
- 0:13:32
Is that Representative, uh-
- 0:13:34
I'd like to know-
- 0:13:34
... Martinez
- 0:13:35
... um, have we contacted, uh, GMA or the local folks? Are they good with that, local mayors and local planning and zonings? And so-
- 0:13:42
So I've had some general conversations with, uh, with the, the mayors and city council people in my community, and they have been extremely receptive. Uh, I've also spoken to some of the other, uh, not, uh, not GMA, uh, exclusively, but other folks that are a part of those municipalities, and they've all been very receptive to it.
- 0:14:04
And I think we may have some folks that may want to comment on it as well.
- 0:14:09
All right, Representative Davis.
- 0:14:11
Thank you, Chair. My, my question is-
- 0:14:15
What number are you?
- 0:14:16
Uh, 17.
- 0:14:18
That's s- uh, yeah.
- 0:14:18
Okay. There you go.
- 0:14:19
I need my reading glasses.
- 0:14:22
Yeah, try 16. That one doesn't work.
- 0:14:24
In. Hello? Hello? Okay. Thank you. My question is this. When we say, uh, disabled veterans, what if someone wants to do a development and have like four condos together, and they want it to be all for disabled vets? Is this for an individual residence, or can you make this for like a, um, four units or expanded?
- 0:14:54
Well, well, so the intent of this is for, is essentially for the homeowner that makes th- those improvements. Um, any, it, it doesn't contemplate any like a, a developer or a, a landlord making those improvements. So that, I'm certainly supportive of that. Uh, I think we may want to look at a, at a, at a different measure for that to address that specifically.
- 0:15:14
Okay. Thank you.
- 0:15:17
Mr. Chairman, there, there was not a sign-up list, I guess, put out, but do I have someone-
- 0:15:22
No, I'm, I'm sorry. I, uh, no, but if there, if we have some folks that want to speak to it. Jeff, you want to-
- 0:15:27
Yeah.
- 0:15:28
Uh, uh, Mr. Jeff Sir, uh, come on down.
- 0:15:38
All right. Oh, it's a deep chair here. Hi. It's been a while. Jeff Ledford, I'm with the, uh, Georgia Realtors. And, uh, thank you, uh, Mr. Chair, members of the committee. And, uh, Mr. Chair, what a, what a wonderful bill here. So, uh, I would say, uh, we are always in favor of anything that makes housing more attainable to someone. And, uh, this is something that, uh, we look at as doing exactly that. Is these are some individuals that this makes not only housing attainable as in the physical needs they may have, but also financially, this is a little bit less of a burden in accomplishing that, uh, so that they can, you know, so that they can h- have the accommodations they need in their own house.
- 0:16:21
So we're in favor, and, uh, I don't know that I can add much more to that. Thanks.
- 0:16:26
All right. Thank you very much.
- 0:16:28
Thank you.
- 0:16:29
Um, I'm, I'm just being the amount of people in the room, I'm just gonna ask was there anybody else that wanted to speak on the bill? No? Okay. All right. Seeing none, uh, I would be happy to entertain a motion at this time.
- 0:16:42
So moved.
- 0:16:43
So moved. Do I get a second?
- 0:16:45
Second.
- 0:16:45
Second. Okay. Move, second. All those in favor, I.
- 0:16:49
I.
- 0:16:49
Opposed? Okay. Chairman Bonner, your first bill, House Bill 1087 LC461363 passes, and we will go ahead and continue on to House Bill 1184
- 0:17:02
Great. Thank you so much. Uh, so, uh, House Bill 1184, uh, LC461304 is a measure that was brought to us by, uh, our Georgia Department of Defense. And so I'm gonna ask, if I could, Mr. Chairman, um, Mr. Joe Farrar to come forward and explain the details of the bill. But essentially, and I'll, I'll, uh, tell me if I'm off base here, um, th- there exists, right now in code, an opportunity for a, a guardsman, um, when they retire to request e- essentially an honorary promotion.
- 0:17:37
So someone retires as a lieutenant colonel in the Guard, they have an opportunity to request to be a, to get an honorary promotion to colonel. And when they do that, they would be eligible, uh, to wear that rank on a, on a uniform. Is that-
- 0:17:56
They're not eligible
- 0:17:56
... Well, they're not eligible, and that, and that's what we're trying to address, is, is the fact that there are folks out there that are wearing their honorary rank rather than the rank that they retired at. And so we want to, uh, help those folks understand that that's not, uh, what we want here in Georgia. So with that, Mr. Farrar, if I could have you provide some more detail on that.
- 0:18:19
Certainly. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, thank you, all, uh, members of the committee. Uh, we did... This has just become, uh, it's almost kind of a, a nuisance. But, uh, and the other thing I'll say is that this only applies to officers, uh, that, that had the option for this honorary promotion. It doesn't apply to enlisted folks. It doesn't apply, uh, people, uh, active duty doesn't have this. Uh, no other state that I know of has this. And, uh, what we have had a few instances, and it's embarrassing. It's embarrassing to admit it here in front of you that, uh, we've had, uh, some number of our people who got an honorary promotion who the next time you see them out in public, they're wearing this honorary rank on, which is a state thing, but they're wearing it on a federal uniform, which is technically illegal.
- 0:19:04
So I'm trying to help them not cross the line, uh, by getting rid of that possibility at all. And I, and, and I know that our senior staff is getting tired of having to try to police that up and, and have these individual counseling sessions with retirees to get back in line and, uh, wear the proper uniform. Um, again, it, it, it only applies to officers in the, uh, Georgia National Guard, and, uh, we would just like to abolish that, that whole thing. And, uh, people have earned an honorable rank, uh, throughout their service and their career, and, uh, that rank, uh, is, is satisfactory.
- 0:19:42
Uh, and I think they should be proud that they've achieved that rank and, and not, uh, request, uh, this honorary promotion. Again, that just is really causing a headache in trying to manage it, uh, throughout their retirement.
- 0:19:54
Would you be open for some questions?
- 0:19:56
Certainly.
- 0:19:58
Um, Representative, do you waive or did-
- 0:20:01
I'll go ahead. Uh, so this actually gets rid of that, it ends that pro- that process and program-
- 0:20:07
Yes, sir
- 0:20:07
... uh, entire, af- if we pass this, that's not gonna happen anymore?
- 0:20:10
Yes, sir. It cuts it off.
- 0:20:11
Okay. I like it. Thank you.
- 0:20:13
You bet.
- 0:20:19
All right. Representative Gilson. Gisler. I'm sorry. You're new.
- 0:20:24
Working on it.
- 0:20:26
I, I don't have a problem with the bill. I'm just curious, what was the original purpose of that program? Why, why was it allowed?
- 0:20:31
I think just to give people a pat on the back on their way out. And again, if it was just a piece of paper that they hung on the wall and said, "Oh, they loved me when I left, and they gave me this honorary promotion," that'd be fine. You know? I mean-
- 0:20:41
Sure
- 0:20:41
... nobody would care about that. But when they start showing up at public events, you know, Veterans Day, Memorial Day, whatever, and they're wearing this honorary rank, it, it-
- 0:20:52
Yeah
- 0:20:52
... causes a problem.
- 0:20:54
Does it give them any other benefit?
- 0:20:56
No.
- 0:20:56
Okay.
- 0:20:56
No, there's nothing. I mean, it doesn't change their pension. It doesn't change anything.
- 0:21:01
Yeah, for, uh, so just to kind of add a little, kind of, kind of little color to the conversation. So, you know, w- we, if someone's a part of the National Guard, they, they wear the same military uniform that anybody on active duty or in the reserves wears. All right? That, because that is the uniform. However, there are instances where, uh, as a guardsman, they may have different things on their uniform depending on their status, right? And so, uh, effectively, you know, uh, like we had all the folks here today, that we had, uh, our, uh, Air Guard, our Army Guard, and we had our, uh, Defense Force, which are, is purely a state level entity and not federally recognized, right?
- 0:21:47
And you noted, and you may not have noticed, but some of them had their, their, their, the tags on their uniform were a little bit different, right? And so it, it, there are things that are different from state service versus federal service.
- 0:22:00
Yeah.
- 0:22:01
And so this is one, one thing to kind of clear up any ambiguity when it comes to that.
- 0:22:06
Right. And s- since you kind of got, opened the door on that, um, I'll say that all of our National Guardsmen, uh, are federally recognized at the rank that they hold within the Georgia National Guard because we serve a dual state and federal mission and state and federal purpose. Um, so they do wear a federally recognized rank even as a National Guard officer. This one would not, it, these honorary promotions are not federally recognized, and that's where the confusion arises, is when they're going around in a federal uniform, because that's what we wear, uh, but they're wearing a, a state honorary rank.
- 0:22:44
And, and that's the problem that we'd like to get rid of.
- 0:22:50
Oh, we, we have one more. Uh, Representative Martinez.
- 0:22:54
Joe, does it, um, does it state any penalties for this? I mean-
- 0:22:59
So there are penalties in, in federal law for wearing a uniform that you're not entitled to wear, and there's actually already a penalty in state law for doing that as well. So we don't need to add a penalty. Uh, so far, again, it's just like we're, we're chasing a bunch of, you know, cows that got out of the barn by trying to get these guys herded back in and tell them to take it off. But that, I, that's what I'm trying to stop. And once we tell them, they pretty much, you know, acquiesce. Uh, but if we do this, it puts us in line with active duty, uh, the, the reserves, and, and every other state that I know of, uh, that we will not have this honorary rank option anymore.
- 0:23:43
I'd just like to get us, you know, evened out with the rest of the force and, and just not have this headache to deal with.
- 0:23:50
Well, uh, I can only speak for myself. I can't fit into my cracker jacks that I wore in my 20s. So, um, anyway, with that being, with, with that being said, uh, at this time I'll open the floor for motion.
- 0:24:04
Make a motion.
- 0:24:05
Yeah, make motion.
- 0:24:06
Second.
- 0:24:07
All right. Motion to pass with a second. All those in favor, aye.
- 0:24:11
Aye.
- 0:24:11
All those opposed, nay. Your second bill passes unanimously. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
- 0:24:16
Thank you all.
- 0:24:17
With that, I think we're gonna go ahead and close out.
- 0:24:18
Meeting adjourned.
- 0:24:19
You all have a great one. Meeting adjourned.
- 0:24:20
Thank y'all.
- 0:24:21
Thank you all.