House Special Rules Committee, February 18, 2026 Video: https://vimeo.com/1165810045 (a timestamp t plays at https://vimeo.com/1165810045#t=s) Page: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-02-18/house-special-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. [0:00:04] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If I may approach, I have a letter from the Georgia Restaurant Association I'd like to distribute. [0:00:36] Thank you. [0:00:42] There we go. Uh, thank you, Mr. Chair, esteemed members of the Special Rules Committee. Today, I'm here to present House Bill 1013, which is to designate lemon pepper as the state chicken wing flavor. Um, while this is on par with many bills we've already seen, last year we had the white shrimp, we had cornbread, as well as Brunswick stew. In the past, we have designated things such as the Cherokee rose as the state flower, the bumblebee as the state insect, the pecan as the state nut, the peanut as the state crop, and so on. [0:01:12] Uh, we even have a c- excuse me, we even have square dancing as our state folk dance. Um, so this goes in line with all these other things, so recognizing, uh, cultural pride, heritage in the state of Georgia. And today I am addressing that lemon pepper falls right along with that same cultural pride. Whether it's a small business or a neighborhood restaurant or a Fortune 500, uh, lemon pepper is something that's synonymous with the state of Georgia. And people across our nation have known, come to know Georgia's famous for its lemon pepper wings. [0:01:44] Um, most notably in recent media, uh, if you noticed in the snowstorm, um, if you're on social media, you saw many a meme shared where instead of we use, instead of salt, in Georgia we use lemon pepper seasoning. Um, that just goes in the context is how much there's a cultural tie to the seasoning and particularly the lemon pepper wing in the state of Georgia. Where there's been cultural references such as Gucci Mane, Rick Ross, uh, Quavo from the Migos, and others have made reference to this, this is a homegrown identity. Um, here's a letter that I gave you from the Georgia Restaurant Association that represents restaurants all across our state of Georgia. [0:02:21] Um, again, showing again that this isn't an Atlanta or a metro Atlanta thing, this is a state thing. Um, the signers are all across from the state. While I live in Clayton County, 15 miles south, uh, my co-sponsors are from Valdosta, Savannah, West Georgia, and Dalton. Again, uh, sh- showing that this is a wide bill that affects all demographics in the state of Georgia, both Republican and Democratic. Um, lastly, I would like to say that not only is this bill is a cultural and culinary phenomenon, but it's also a bill about economic tourism, um, and to promote those small businesses and this culinary dish, so when people come to the state of Georgia, that we're driving them to our neighborhood r- restaurants, our neighborhood eateries, where they can have, where that owner can have a sense of pride and say that, "I have the best lemon pepper wing in the state of Georgia," which will cause ec- not only economic tourism on, for the service industry, but when people also stay at our hotels and come to the various towns and cities, when they're eating here, they will ask, "What's your favorite wing? [0:03:27] Where do I get the wings from when they come here?" Um, so this bill is a simple bill. It's about Georgia pride, it's about Georgia heritage, and it's about uplifting Georgia business. Uh, with that, I yield the podium. And I know this is a hearing only, but I would favorably like to request that this, uh, bill is voted on and passed favorably out of committee. Uh, thank you. [0:03:45] Okay, thank you, Representative Bell. Um, I'll have to agree with you, that is my favorite wing, too- ... the lemon pepper wing. I, I do like them better than any other kind. Um- [0:03:54] I did not know that, by the way. [0:03:57] Is, uh, the lemon pepper wings you brought to the ante room today, where were they from? [0:04:02] Um, they were from American Deli at the City Hall location. [0:04:05] Okay. [0:04:05] Uh, we often pass by, but they decided to support today. [0:04:09] Okay, that's awesome. And I know everybody on the House floor appreciated that today. [0:04:13] Yes, sir. I'm hoping they did. [0:04:14] Okay. Any questions from the committee? Seeing none, uh, we'll try to get you back for a hearing. [0:04:21] Yes, sir. Thank you- [0:04:22] Thank you [0:04:22] ... uh, committee members, and Mr. Chairman, thank you for your time. [0:04:24] Have a good day. [0:04:25] You, too. [0:05:06] Okay. Uh, we're gonna be in recess just for a few minutes. We're waiting on a couple of other reps to get here. They, uh, had to present in other committees. Uh, so we'll be in recess for just a few minutes. Excuse me, do we need to sign up somewhere for your motion? [0:12:23] Well, I apologize. No problem. See, my committee got pushed back 30 minutes. And we are voting this one out, so. Okay. Go ahead. Okay. Uh, Chairman Hawkins, you have, uh, House Resolution 1204. Is that correct? [0:12:39] That's correct. [0:12:40] Okay. If you will tell us about 1204. [0:12:42] Uh, well, listen, I apologize about being late. There's some confusion about this pushback- [0:12:46] No problem [0:12:47] ... of 30 minutes, so I do apologize. Uh, this is a res- resolution concerning, um, the, um, cancer, lung cancer I hope I've got the right one here. I'm just starting to look at it. Yeah. Well, okay, you know, we had our, uh, study committee access to cancer care this summer, and, um, a lot of what we heard was related to lung cancer. [0:13:17] Emory's doing a v- a very good job of treating and, and advancements of cellular therapy, as is Augusta. My brother-in-law died about three weeks ago of lung cancer, so this is sort of close to me. But this resolution addresses that, and we hope that... I know you've looked through this. I hope that, uh, you, uh, vote favorably on this resolution. Is there any issue? This is just recognizing, uh, lung cancer awareness. [0:13:50] Is that correct? That's right. Okay. All right. Any questions from the committee? [0:13:59] Uh, seeing no questions, um, uh, anybody want to make a motion? [0:14:04] Move to pass. [0:14:04] Move to pass. You got a second also from Mike. Um, all in favor of, um, House Resolution 1204 say aye. [0:14:14] Aye. [0:14:14] All opposed. Okay, on the resolution. Thank you, Chairman Holcomb. Thank you. I really appreciate it. And we are- Yes, sir ... w- we are gonna be applying for funding for a mobile unit in the state of Georgia for cancer detection. Okay. It's gonna roll out of either, um, Mercer or Augusta. That's awesome. For, yeah, f- for the s- southern part of the state, say, from there down east to west. Thank you. See if we can really help those people in the rural areas. Thank you and the committee for your hard work. [0:14:44] Thank you. Yes, sir. [0:14:55] Okay, Representative Martinez on House Bill 1082, come on up to the podium. [0:15:08] Thank you for being here today. And if you wanna tell us what LC number you're operating from, please, sir. [0:15:14] Yes, Chairman. Thank you so much for, uh, letting me be here. LC 64-0022. [0:15:19] Yes, sir. Okay, go ahead. [0:15:21] Yes, sir. Chairman and, uh, committee, thanks again. I'd like to introduce, uh, House Bill 1082. Basically, it's the, uh, it's to designate November 7th of each year at, as, uh, Victims of Communism. As you guys know, uh, communism has been a, a regime worldwide that have killed more than 100 million people and subject to countless others to exploitation, unspeakable atrocities with victims representing many different, uh, eth- ethnicities, creeds, and backgrounds. [0:15:53] And basically, what I'd like to do is, uh, November 7th of each year designate Victims of Communism Day here in Georgia. Uh, the governor, uh, may annually issue a proclamation designating November 7th as Victims of Communism Day. And, uh, and it should also be observed. And also, um, on those, on that same day, um, uh, let's see, in the public elementary, and you see line 41, in the public elementary and secondary schools of the state as a day honoring the 100 million people who have fallen victims of communist regimes across the world. [0:16:29] And, um, [0:16:33] and let's see here. One more thing I wanted to bring to you. And let's see. Uh, [0:16:46] one more page. Oh, yeah. On, uh, the last page on 48, and beginning on, in 2026, the 2027 school year, and continuing each year after, thereafter, students in grade, grades nine through 12 who are enrolled in the course which covers civics and government as part of a core academic course as determined by the State Board of Education or which covers the founding philosophy and principles of the United States of America, and, uh, v- shall receive at least 45 minutes of instructions on Victims of Communism Day. [0:17:20] And, uh, that's basically what the bill says, uh, to recognize, designate November 7th of every year as Victims of Communism, Chairman and committee. And I have two living, uh, folks that have lived under the communism, so I'd like to, uh, ask them to speak after if you have any questions for me. [0:17:39] Okay. [0:17:39] Thank you. [0:17:39] Thank you. Uh, we have one question. [0:17:42] Yes, sir. [0:17:43] Chairman Cheokas or Chairman? [0:17:44] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, Representative Martinez, why November 7th? [0:17:51] Why November 7th? I'm gonna, I'm gonna let Jose Perez answer that when he comes up or, or, uh, or the esteemed- [0:17:59] Or if you wanna answer it now. [0:18:01] Okay. What is, what's the- [0:18:02] It's the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. [0:18:06] Oh. [0:18:07] There you go. [0:18:07] It's a- [0:18:07] Thank you [0:18:07] ... Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, Chairman. Thank you. [0:18:12] Okay, any other questions from the committee? Okay, you wanna bring your, uh- [0:18:17] Absolutely [0:18:17] ... witnesses up to testify? [0:18:18] Go ahead, uh, sir. Introduce yourself and he's a great friend. Uh, his name is, uh... [0:18:32] Anyway, um, I'm gonna let him introduce himself and we'll go from there. Thank you. Go ahead. [0:18:40] How are you doing today? Tell us your name and where are you from. [0:18:44] Well, my name is, uh, Mikhail Nudelman, and I'm from, uh, Loganville, Georgia. [0:18:51] Okay. [0:18:51] And I thank you for letting me speak here. [0:18:55] Yes, sir. [0:18:55] Chairman Scoggins, Vice Chair Ballard, members of the committee- [0:19:00] Thank you. [0:19:01] Let me stop you one minute. We're gonna try to limit it to two minutes because we have to- [0:19:05] Oh, two minutes. [0:19:05] Yeah, 'cause we have to move on with the other people who are coming to this room for committee meetings, so we have to keep them pretty short. So thank you for that. [0:19:13] Okay. Well, I was born and raised in Soviet Ukraine. I spent 27 years inside of communist system, not reading about it, not studying it, but living inside every day. I escaped in 1978 and became an American citizen in 1986. I'm here today not as a political advocate, but as a vict- wit- witness. This bill, um, names dictators and atrocities. [0:19:45] Stalin, Mao, Castro, Pol Pot, those names must be thought. But I want this committee to understand something that no textbooks capture. Communism, the most destructive product of broader philosophy called collectivism, [0:20:05] does not begin with gulags and firing squads. It begins with warmth. On January 1st, as you know, of this year, a newly inaugurated official in New York City stood at his podium and declared, "We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism." I know what that warmth feels like. I spent 27 years inside of it. And 100 million people were killed by this warmth, but it's not in wars, not by foreign armies, but their own governments, by the very systems that promise to protect them. [0:20:49] That is what makes this ideology unlike any other evil in human history. These were not casualties of conflict. These were citizens destroyed by the states they trusted. And it begins not with violence, but with language, with redefining words like equality, justice, and fairness until they no longer mean what free people think they mean. It begins with conditioning, slowly, methodically, from childhood until people surrender their ability to think independently. [0:21:27] The atrocities come later. By then, most people have already been disarmed, not of weapons, but of the critical thinking needed to resist. You can stop me at any time. I support House Bill 1082. I support it became... because right now, Georgia public school students receive zero minutes of required instruction of the victims of communism. This bill changes that. It breaks the silence, and that matters. [0:22:00] But I would be dishonoring those 100 million victims if I did not speak honestly to this committee. 45 minutes once a year with no curriculum guidance, no instructional framework, and no teacher preparation risks becoming a symbolic gesture rather than a meaningful education. A teacher in Georgia who has never lived under communism will be asked to fill 45 minutes with no roadmap. Most will show a video clip and move on. [0:22:31] That is not enough to build understanding. It's not enough to build the immunity our students need. This is why I'm here today, not only to support this bill, but to offer this committee a concrete plan to make this 45 minutes genuinely effective. I have developed a structure and structural framework included in the written mani- ma- materials I'm submitting for your record. The organizers, um, that organizes those 45 minutes into focused, standard aligned lesson. [0:23:05] It opens with the human reality of communist oppression through first-hand survival testimony. It teaches students to identify the specific methods of ideological conditioning, propaganda, language manipulation, forced conformity the communist regimes used and that are still in use today. [0:23:25] Okay, if you could kind of wind it up, wind down. [0:23:27] Okay. [0:23:28] Yeah. [0:23:29] Well, I urge this committee to advance House Bill 1082, and I offer myself and my materials as a resource to Representative Martinez and to this committee to help ensure that the, uh, that when Georgia's students sit down for those 45 minutes, they receive something worthy of the 100 millions lives this bill honors. Thank you. Any questions? [0:23:56] Thank you. Any questions for this person? Thank you, sir. Thank you for being here today. [0:24:02] My pleasure. Thank you. [0:24:03] Okay. Representative Martinez, you... [0:24:15] Okay, if you will tell us who you are and where you're from. [0:24:18] Yes, sir. Um, a- and thank you. I know the timing is brief. I've given you copies, and hopefully I can leave that with you. [0:24:29] Thank you. [0:24:29] Just cover a few things up front. [0:24:31] Thank you. [0:24:32] Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, committee, for listening and for having me. I'm gonna be speaking to you from experience, not from theory. Uh, my name is Jose Perez. I introduce myself normally as an American born in Cuba. Okay? I am a Georgian, a father, a grandfather, and a witness and a victim of communism, and I'm here in support of 1082. [0:25:07] Simply put, 1082 is about memory. It's not about mandates. It's about honoring history and not rewriting it. That's what it's all about. It is actually, it will bring us into alignment with the National Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in DC, which is a bipartisan nonprofit organization created by an act of Congress and actually signed into law by President Clinton. [0:25:40] Congress actually charged that foundation with one mission, and that mission is to construct the National Memorial to honor the victims of communism. HB1082 simply brings Georgia into that alignment. US Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz, as well as Joe Wilson of South Carolina, co-chair the Congressional Victims of Communism Caucus in Congress. [0:26:13] Georgia, when passed, would be joining a growing bipartisan national movement. States that have already formally recognized November 7th as Victims of Communism Day include Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin. So we'd be the 10th. Okay. Even the European Union, in- internationally speaking, officially recognizes August 23rd as European Day for Remembrance that commemorates victims of all totalitarian regimes, including communism. [0:26:59] But just to reflect the fragility of freedom, we need to understand that. To understand the dangers of totalitarianism, including communism, and to grasp the resiliency of those, like me, like Mekyah, who fought for their dignity. To strengthen the social understanding and honor the victims, it is not political, it is moral, it is historical, and it is very American. [0:27:34] And frankly, in, in the old saying, no one really knows until you walk five miles in their moccasins. Even my own grandchildren, I raised a question just recently, uh, in, on purpose. I have a 13-year-old know-it-all that corrects you. I'm sure you've experienced that. [0:27:58] Oh, sure. [0:27:59] And, uh, uh, and so I mentioned, in leading conversation, I said, because Hitler had killed 600,000 Jews in the Holocaust, and he went, "No, no, 6 million." Said, "Do you know who Stalin was?" He didn't. And this is a brilliant kid. I'm bragging about him now, but yeah, he's a brilliant kid that knows everything, corrects adults all the time, and he's usually right, so he's hard to argue against, and yet he did not know that. [0:28:32] And he has a Declaration of Independence that I personally gave him on his room. And he knows all the president, the first 25 presidents, he recites them, and yet he doesn't know that. We need to enable these kids to know and understand. And there are many Georgians today, like me, uh, actual victim, and my children and grandchildren that are... My wife is also Cuban, they experienced similar, that, um, that need the... [0:29:07] Our kids do not understand. They haven't walked in the moccasins, and so forth and so on. And what the Jewish people have done is it, let it not happen ever again. So I completely support, uh, uh, I know you're short on time, so I won't go into my whole story, but please read it. It is the experience of a kid. [0:29:27] Okay. Thank you, Mr. Perez. [0:29:29] Thank you. [0:29:29] Let me s- any questions for Mr. Perez? Thank you. I appreciate both of you coming here today and giving us your, uh, thoughts on, uh, House Bill, uh, 1082. Uh, this was hearing only today, so, um, we'll be in touch, Representative Martinez. Thank you very much, and this meeting is adjourned. [0:30:10] Thank you m- members for being here today. I appreciate you.