Senate floor session, February 18, 2026 (legislative day 20)

Transcript

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1. 0:17:17

   One, two. Oh, yeah, there.

2. 0:23:23

   Good morning. Good morning. Time for convening has arrived. The Senate will come to order.

3. 0:23:32

   I see our young rules chairman making his way to his desk.

4. 0:23:40

   Questionable. Young is probably a questionable word. I feel young today, Mr. President. Having all these pages here makes me feel even younger. We've got a great group of pages here. I met half of them. I'm sure the other half are great. Out of Gay, Georgia, we have Brooke Barrington. Out of Jonesboro, we have Saniya Boyd. From Acworth, we have Kennedy Burris. From Atlanta, Gloria Campbell.

5. 0:24:13

   From Marietta, Landon Campbell. From Canton, Jack Ford. From Hampton, Kyani Ferch. From Decatur, Evan Graves. From Atlanta, we have Sidneth Girton Causey. From Pearson, Madison Gurley and Savannah Gurley. From Acworth, we have Aria- Ariana Hamner. From Marietta, Claire Hansard.

6. 0:24:45

   From Atlanta, Morgan Jackson. From Atlanta, Maya Nino. From Marietta, Ariana Panthier. From Haddock, Addison Pettigrew. From Ellenwood, Ryan Scott. From Sandersville, Jacqueline Wilson. From Marietta, Jonathan Walensky. And from McDonough, we have Daniel Wright, who is the son of Gina Wright over in redistricting.

7. 0:25:19

   Been there a long time. Glad to have you here on the floor with us. Y'all give these pages a big round of applause. We appreciate you being here to serve the great people of the great state of Georgia. Mr. President, this journal has been read and found to be correct, and the senator from the 26th would like to m- move that we m- forego the reading of the journal.

8. 0:25:50

   Thank you, Senator, and we appreciate all the pages being here today. Thank you, the good-looking bunch back there. So we greatly appreciate it.

9. 0:26:02

   Is there objection to dispensing with the reading of the journal? Chair hears none. The reading of the journal is dispensed with. Is there objection to confirmation of the journal? Chair hears none, and the journal is confirmed. All senators who have bills and resolutions to introduce, please bring them to secretary's desk at this time. First reading and references to Senate bills and resolutions. Mr. Secretary? Senate Bill 513 by Senators Dickerson of the 21st and others, a bill to be entitled an Act to Amend Chapter Two of Title 20 and Chapter Five of Title 40 of the OCGA.

10. 0:26:32

    Education and Youth. Senate Bill 514 by Senators Bearden of the 30th and others, a bill to be entitled an Act to Amend Chapter Two of Title 21 of the Official Code. Ethics. Senate Bill 515 by Senators Hickman of the fourth and others, a bill to be entitled an Act to Amend Part Nine of Article Six of Chapter Two. Finance. Senate Bill 516 by Senators Howard of the 35th and others, a bill to be entitled an Act to Amend- Ethics. Senate Bill 517 by Senators Howard of the 35th and others, a bill to be entitled an Act to Amend Chapter One of Title 35. Public Safety. Senate Bill 518 by Senator Stovall of the 48th, a bill to be entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 24- Insurance and Labor.

11. 0:27:06

    Senate Bill 519 by Senators Anderson of the 43rd and others, a bill to be entitled an Act to Amend- Education and Youth. Senate Bill 520 by Senators Jackson of the 41st and others, a bill to be entitled an Act to Amend Article Two of Chapter 17. Finance. Senate Bill 521 by Senators James of the 20th and others, a bill to be entitled an Act to Amend Chapter- Economic Development.

12. 0:27:25

    What was that? Senate Resolution 788 by Senators Jones II of the 22nd and others, a resolution recognizing and commending the city of- Public Safety. Senate Resolution 789 by Senators James of the 20th and others, a resolution creating the Senate Study- Science and Technology. Mr. President, that completes the order. First reading references of House bills.

13. 0:27:48

    House Bill 256 by represent- representatives Weidower of the 121st and others, a bill to be entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 5 of Title 49 of the Official Code. Children and Family. House Bill 662 by Representatives Oстеen of the 169th and others, a bill to- Health and Human Services. House Bill 818 by Representatives Martin of the 49th and others, a bill to be entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 23 of the- Retirement. House Bill 956 by Representatives Corbett of the 174th and others, a bill to be entitled an Act to Amend Code Section 12-8-40.

14. 0:28:20

    Natural Resources. House Bill 987 by Representatives Jones of the 25th and others, a bill to be entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 8 of Title 34 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to employment security so as to provide for- Insurance and Labor. House Bill 1022 by Representatives McDonald III of the 26th and others, a bill to be entitled an Act to Amend Title 40- Public Safety. House Bill 1063 by Representatives Thomas of the 21st and others, a bill to be entitled an Act to Amend Article 1 of Chapter 3 of Title 46 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. Regulated Industries. House Bill 1083 by Representatives Leverett of the 123rd and Powell of the 33rd, a bill to be entitled an Act to Authorize- State and Local Government.

15. 0:28:54

    House Bill 1084 by Representatives Leverett of the 123rd and Powell of the 33rd, a bill to be entitled- State and Local Government. House Bill 1092 by Representatives Urda of the 152nd and others, a bill to be entitled- State and Local Government. House Bill 1121 by Representatives Williams of the 148th and others, a bill to be entitled an Act to Amend- Judiciary. House Bill 1140 by Representatives Hagan of the 156th- State and Local Government

16. 0:29:17

    House Bill 1168 by Representative Huddleston of the 72nd. State and Local Government. House Bill 1186 by Representative Stevens of the 164th. State and Local Government. House Bill 1205 by Representative Dickey of the 134th. State and Local Government. House Bill 1241 by Representatives Crawford of the 89th. State and Local Government. House Bill 1245 by Representatives Cameron of the 1st and Tarver of the 2nd. State and Local Government. House Bill 1246 by Representative Anderson of the 10th. A bill to- State and Local Government. Mr. President, that completes the order. Secretary, read reports of standing committees.

17. 0:29:54

    Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Appropriations has had under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation. Senate Bill 392, due pass. House Bill 973, due pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Tillery of the 19th District, chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Education and Youth has had under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation. Senate Bill 487, due pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Hickman of the 4th District, chairman.

18. 0:30:28

    The Senate Committee on Regulated Industries and Utilities has had under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation. Senate Bill 94, due pass by substitute. Senate Bill 458, due pass by substitute. Senate Bill 485, due pass. Senate Resolution 482, due pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Cowsert of the 46th District, chairman. The Senate Committee on Retirement has had under, under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation. Senate Bill 11, due pass. Senate Bill 198, due pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Williams of the 25th District, chairman.

19. 0:31:00

    The Senate Committee on Rules has had under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation. Pursuant to Senate Rule 2-1.10B, the Committee on Rules has referred the following legislation from the general calendar. House Bill 521 to the Committee on Rules. Respectfully submitted, Senator Brass of the 6th District, chairman. Mr. President, that completes the order.

20. 0:31:35

    Secretary will read bills and resolutions for a second time. Senate Bill 463 by Senator Dolezal of the 27th and others. Specialized land transactions, business enterprises or business enterprises controlled by natural born persons from owning an interest in more than 500 single family residential properties prohibited. Senate Resolution 744 by Senator Brass of the 6th and others. Silos on Steel Day recognized May 2nd, 2026. Mr. President, that completes the order.

21. 0:32:11

    It is now time for the morning roll call. Are there any excuse... Are there any motions to excuse, excuse me? Recognize the senator from the 33rd.

22. 0:32:26

    Thank you, Mr. President, and good morning to you all. I ask for unanimous consent to excuse the senators from the 40th and the 2nd for business outside the Capitol. Without objection, the senators from the 40th and the 2nd are excused. Any other motions to excuse?

23. 0:32:45

    All right. Secretary will call the roll. Senators, signify your presence by voting to yay switch. Secretary, unlock the machine.

24. 0:36:11

    It is now time for our morning devotion. All senators, please take your seats and cease all conversation. I would ask that the doorkeepers secure the chamber at this time.

25. 0:36:25

    We now recognize the majority whip, the senator from the 29th, to lead us in our pledge and introduce our pastor of the day. Senator. Thank you, Governor. Colleagues, if you'll stand with me to pledge our American flag. I pledge allegiance. To the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

26. 0:36:56

    And now the Georgia State flag. I pledge allegiance to the Georgia flag and the principles for which it stands, wisdom, justice, moderation, and courage.

27. 0:37:11

    Colleagues, I'm honored today to have the chaplain of the day. The chaplain of the day is Billy Andrews. Billy has served in the pastoral ministry for more than three decades. He earned both his bachelor's degree and master's degree from Liberty University. For the past 19 years, he has served as executive pastor of Southside Baptist Church in Warner Robins, Georgia, where he provides leadership in church operations, staff development, and ministry strategy for their five campuses.

28. 0:37:44

    In addition to his ministry work, Billy has spent the last three years on the broadcasting team at Mercer University. He is the color commentator for Mercer Football and provides play-by-play for women's basketball on ESPN+. Previously, Billy coached girls, excuse me, high school girls basketball at Central Fellowship Christian Academy in Macon from 2019 to 2022. Under his leadership, the team won back-to-back state championships, advanced to three consecutive Final Fours, and captured the NACA National Championship in 2021.

29. 0:38:21

    The team's 50 game winning streak was ranked as the fourth longest active streak in the nation at that time, according to MaxPreps. Billy is married to his wife, has been married to his wife, Christie, for 27 years, and they have three children, Kellen and Emery and Gwen.

30. 0:38:40

    And Gwen is the intern this session for the majority whip in the Georgia State Senate. So gives me honor to welcome today and to introduce to you Pastor Billy Andrews.

31. 0:38:55

    Well, good morning. Good morning. So glad to be here. Appreciate the opportunity, uh, Senator Robertson, for inviting me. Uh, it's a unique setting to be here, of course. And as a ordained Baptist minister, it's really hard not to take up an offering when you're up here, but I will refrain from doing that. And also, they said I had five minutes, so you're really asking for a miracle for a Baptist person just to go five minutes, but I am dedicated to doing that for you guys today. Well, we are all leaders in this room, and with having leadership capabilities and doing a lot of different things in leadership areas, it's really challenging to be a leader sometimes, especially in today's world.

32. 0:39:32

    There's a lot of tension. There's a lot of burdens that you carry, that I carry in our area of leadership. And I'm sure you've read plenty of leadership books. You listen to plenty of podcasts on leadership. But I want to take us into just a little bit of scripture today, and hopefully that will come to life in your heart and in your mind about something of leadership, about being a righteous leader. That doesn't mean a perfect leader, but a righteous leader. And this verse is, uh, found in Psalms 119, starting in verse nine. King David, we think, is the writer of this Psalms, and it's the largest Psalm of the entire Bible. But it asks a question in verse nine that's interesting.

33. 0:40:04

    He says, as a leader in the context that we're gonna read here, "How can a young man stay on the path of purity?" Now, let me pause here for a second. I look around this room. I don't see many young men, all right? I, I get that. I understand that. I wake up every morning and realize I'm not as young as I used to be, no doubt about it. But this is a context for all people to ask, how can we stay on the path of purity? And he answers very quickly, the psalmist does, by living according to God's word. Now, we live in a day and a time where, uh, it's, it's fortunate that we get to choose, we get to learn, we get to accept whatever we want, uh, because we live in a free society, and that we never take for granted.

34. 0:40:42

    But for somebody like me, whether it's intentionally or unintentionally, we've made the decisions to follow the Bible and the path that the Bible lays out. And being a righteous leader is about following through in God's laws. And in verse 10, this is how you do it when you want to be a righteous leader. He says, the first thing you do, in verse 10 of chapter 119, "I seek you with all of my heart." Now, this is written in the Old Testament. The word wholeheartedly, I seek you with my whole heart, all of my heart, is translated an undivided heart.

35. 0:41:14

    It's translated a complete heart. It's somebody that knows themselves and knows what they believe fully, a whole heart. And you know this, and I know this as well. You can never have great victories when you're half-hearted in something. When you just put your toe in the water and you jump, you don't jump all the way in, you'll never succeed the way you want. You'll always have regret. And the Bible says, if you're gonna be a righteous leader, if you're gonna be a man or a woman of purity, you've got to go after it with your whole heart. Now, I live in Warner Robins, Georgia. And so many of you are probably a lot like my neighbors.

36. 0:41:46

    You're big Georgia Bulldog fans. And I respect that. I'm not, that's not my number one team, but I respect the Bulldogs greatly. But when I moved there 20 years ago, I live on the cul-de-sac of a long street, so I have to drive by every neighbor's house to go home and to go back. The first about 15 years of me living in Warner Robins, there was one person on my street that had a Georgia flag out there. That was it. After you guys started winning a lot, about every fourth house had a Georgia flag on it. And you know what that told me? There's a lot of bandwagon fans. They show up when things are good.

37. 0:42:18

    They're not wholehearted struggling when things are not so good, right? It's the same thing, uh, uh, they just said. When I coach, I took over a team that was 0-23. Now, you heard me right. It's hard to be 0-23. I mean, you got to be really bad never to win a game in a whole year. And that was very, very challenging. And people always ask, "What is it, what was my secret of success so fast?" And I said, "Have a really athletic daughter and just give her the ball." That's how you win a lot of ball games, have better players than the other team. But I remember bringing the team around and saying, "Hey, we can be 0-23 this year if you'd like to, or we can go all in and give everything you absolutely have.

38. 0:42:57

    And if you do that, your chances of being better will greatly increase." And that's what the Bible's saying here. Seek God with your whole heart. And to look at the very last verse, in verse 10, he says this, "Do not let me stray from your commands." The Bible is full of all kinds of topics and commands and principles. And the writer's saying here, "I've experienced bad things. I've experienced regret. I've experienced pain. I've experienced suffering. And do not let me stray away, stray off that path." And I know this, I have three kids. And here's what I know is a fact of all facts.

39. 0:43:29

    And if you're a parent, you understand this. I never had to teach my kids- godly way, and we will lead people in the way that we are supposed to lead and follow God.

40. 0:44:18

    Let's pray together. Father, we love you. Thank you so much for this group of people. Thank you for their commitment, their sacrifice, their willingness to lead others. And so, God, I pray from the scripture that you would help them be a people just like me who strive to be not just godly, but to be a righteous leader. Help us not stray from the truths. Help us not stray from your commands. And help us dive in wholeheartedly to serve and follow you as we are leaders of men and women. And it's in Jesus' name I pray all this.

41. 0:44:50

    Amen. Amen. Amen.

42. 0:44:54

    How'd you end up a hurricane fan?

43. 0:53:33

    We, uh, we're having to take a little pause right now, so everybody just kind of stand at ease. But while, while we're waiting on a few things, uh, to, to, uh, to come in here for a couple of guests, I would like to recognize our, our realtors from all across the state of Georgia. Realtors Association is here today. Yeah.

44. 0:53:57

    It is... I am so glad to see so many of our realtors from all across the state. We appreciate everything that you do, and we know y'all are staying very busy right now, 'cause the state is growing. So thank y'all very much. We appreciate each and every one of you for being here today. So thank y'all. Give yourself a round of applause. Good-looking bunch here.

45. 0:54:26

    Recognize Senator from the 31st.

46. 0:54:48

    Thank you, Mr. President. I just wanted to real quick, um, highlight that today is Georgia Tech Day, and this evening at Muchacho at 5:00, we're gonna have a huge crowd, probably nearly 150 students, alumni, agency leaders, and alumni legislators, uh, from this body and the House of Representatives, um, to celebrate all the contributions and work and innovation and all the great things that the Georgia Institute of Technology brings to Georgia and honestly brings across the country, um, with what the work that they are doing every single day.

47. 0:55:28

    So I just wanna commend Georgia Tech and President Angel Cabrera for his work, and hopefully you can join us tonight. Go Jackets.

48. 0:57:40

    We have some, uh, very special guests here today. Secretary, read the caption.

49. 0:57:45

    Senate Resolution 666 by Senators Burns of the 23rd and others. A resolution recognizing Eden Pethel and for other purposes. Whereas in celebration of the United States of America's semi-quincentennial anniversary, the State of Georgia held a license plate design competition open to 6th through 8th grade students in the state. And now therefore be it resolved by the Senate that the members of this body recognize and commend Eden Pethel for winning the State of Georgia's United States semi-quincentennial anniversary commemorative license plate design competition. Mr.

50. 0:58:16

    President, that completes the order.

51. 0:58:18

    Is there objection to the adoption of the resolution? Chair hears none, and the resolution is adopted. Recognize the senator from the 23rd to introduce our special guest, and, uh, we're looking forward to this one. So, Senator.

52. 0:58:33

    Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, colleagues. You know, it's a, it's an honor to recognize young Georgians who make a difference. Today I want to recognize Eden Pethel, who's the winner of the America 250 License Plate Competition Design Contest. If you recall, in '23, '24 we had some legislation that authorized a license plate to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Amer- America we live in. It's called the semi-quincentennial.

53. 0:59:04

    I have some folks with me today, and I have some folks in the gallery. I want you to recognize that the best, the very best ideas come from constituents. And I have Lee Heron in the, in the gallery. Lee is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. He's a member of the Scott Brigade in Scriven County. He's the one who brought to me the concept that said we need to recognize America with a 250th anniversary tag. This is the tag. So I want you to realize that Eden Pethel won a contest over hundreds of her peers in middle school in Georgia.

54. 0:59:34

    She's an 8th grade home school middle school student from, they want to claim Pendergrass.

55. 0:59:42

    Talmo.

56. 0:59:42

    Talmo, Georgia, uh, in Senator Ginn's district. I want you to re- I, I have a question since the old educator in me. As you look at this, it's on your desk. There are seven stars along the Savannah River. Recognize that Georgia was not this size in 1776. The stars, what do the stars represent? Every Revolutionary War battle fought in Georgia. So the, the, the fight for Vance Creek in, uh, Elbert County, the Battle of Kettle Creek in Wilkes County, the sieges of Augusta, there were two of them, the Battle of Briar Creek in my home county of Scriven.

57. 1:00:22

    There were two sieges in Savannah in 1778 and 1779, and then there was the battle at, uh, Sunbury in 1778, and then finally, um, the Battle of Fort Morris in 1779. And I think the best thing I can tell you is that Colonel John McIntosh, when asked to surrender by the British, made the famous staten- statement, "Come and take it." I am proud of Eden Pethel. I'm proud of her artistry, but I'm more proud of her patriotism.

58. 1:00:53

    Please welcome Eden Pethel to the y- the State Senate chamber. Eden.

59. 1:01:04

    Thank you, Senator Burns and Mr. President. It's an honor to be a part of the celebration of Georgia, of America 250 in Georgia, and to help teach Georgians about the American Revolution. Thank you.

60. 1:01:18

    All right.

61. 1:01:18

    All right. Very good. Fantastic job. Stand right here for a second. Stand right here.

62. 1:01:24

    You can get this tag at your tag office today. It will be a default tag in Georgia for five years. It, it stands right there with the iconic peach tag. Thank you for your attention and for your support.

63. 1:01:37

    All right. Thank you.

64. 1:01:38

    Good job. Good job

65. 1:03:38

    We have some more folks we'd like to recognize and honor today. Secretary, read the resolution.

66. 1:03:44

    Senate Resolution 712 by Senators Ginn of the 47th and others. A resolution recognizing the 52nd anniversary of the Consul General of Japan in Atlanta and for other purposes. Whereas the Consul General of Japan in Atlanta has strengthened the cultural, political, and economic ties between the Southeast United States and Japan and has worked to help and support Japanese citizens and companies in the Southeast. And whereas Georgia has become a model for welcoming Japanese companies to the Southeast and the region has grown to become an indispensable part of the United States-Japan relationship.

67. 1:04:17

    Now therefore be it resolved by the Senate that the members of this body recognize the 52nd anniversary of the Consul General of Japan in Atlanta and the long and steady friendship between this state and Japan and commend the efforts of the Consul General to strengthen cultural, educational, political, and economic ties between Georgia and Japan. Mr. President, that completes the order.

68. 1:04:38

    Is there objections to the adoption of the resolution? Chair hears none and the resolution is adopted. Recognize the senator from the 47th to speak to the resolution. Senator.

69. 1:04:50

    Thank you, Mr. President. You know, it's a really exciting day. Yesterday y'all got a little bit of Japanese culture, the, uh, with the origami on your desk, but today I wanna talk about the Japanese people. Now me and the senator from the 5th actually went to Tokyo back, uh, before COVID, said on a economic development trip. And I'm gonna tell you what, said the, uh, you have never met the, the hospitality. We talk about Southern hospitality and Georgia hospitality, but when we talk about going to Japan, those folks could not have been more hospitable.

70. 1:05:22

    But today we're here to welcome and honor the relationship that we have in Georgia between Georgia and our Japanese consul, as well as all the Japanese investment in Georgia. So without further ado, I wanna introduce, uh, General Matsuda and his wife Koko. The, uh, if you would, uh, General, would you address our, our group?

71. 1:05:45

    Uh, good morning. It, uh, it is a great honor to join the distinguished elected officials, community leaders, and partners from across this great state as the consulate receive the, a resolution recognizing the longstanding friendship between Japan and the State of Georgia. I'm sincerely grateful to the Georgia Japan C- Senate Caucus co-chairs, Senator Ginn and Senator Harrell, and their fellow caucus members for sup- sponsoring this resolution, and to the all members of the Senate for your, for their support.

72. 1:06:28

    Your recognition reflects, uh, the enduring friend- partnership between Japan and Georgia, one that has thrived for over 50 years. My wife Yoko and I arrived in Atlanta last October, and from the very beginning we have been very warmly welcome and we have been the very, the deeply appreciate the dynamism and hospitality of Georgia.

73. 1:06:59

    So for us, today's resolution feels like a truly a special gift and, uh, we sincerely grateful. It is especially meaningful that celebrate, to celebrate this resolution on Japan Day, and I hope you are able to visit and stop by the company booth this morning. If not, I encourage you to visit the South Wing where exhibition continue until noon.

74. 1:07:30

    This occasion allow us to reflect on the depths of our strong relationship, not only through investment and trade, but through cultures, education, and shared values. Our relationship is enriched by strong sister city partnerships and meaningful people to people connections. Exchange students and young professional is, it serves a living bridge between our societies.

75. 1:08:04

    My office has partnered closely with universities, businesses, and organizations to advance the, the workforce development and to help create a strong pipeline of skilled talents. These efforts are centrals to ensuring that Georgia has a strong and competitive workforce for the future, and I look forward to continuing this effort.

76. 1:08:35

    As we celebrate this resolution today and we celebrate the, the strong partnership between us, I want to express my sincere appreciation to you all for your continued support to the more than 700 Japanese affiliate companies operating in Georgia, which collectively employ over 40,000 Georgians. Their presence highlight the how international partnership drive economic growth and opportunities to the local communities.

77. 1:09:13

    I look forward to strengthening and the founding the, the how to say, the building on this strong foundation and looking for the new opportunities for collaboration in the years ahead. With your partnership and commitment, I am convinced that the relationship between Japan and the State of Georgia will continue to thrive, creating-

78. 1:09:41

    The lasting benefits for both societies. Thank you very much.

79. 1:09:45

    All right.

80. 1:12:51

    We have some, uh, realtors here today, and, uh, Secretary read the resolution, please.

81. 1:12:57

    Senate Resolution 753 by Senators Jones of the 10th and others. A resolution recognizing and commending Brianne Drake and for other purposes. Whereas as 2026 President Brianne Drake has made history as the first Black president of the Georgia Association of Realtors, which stands as a testament to her dedication to career excellence. And whereas as a highly distinguished industry professional, she has earned numerous awards and honors for her work, including being named Realtor of the Year in both 2011 and 2018 by the Metro South Association of Realtors, receiving the JL Christian Leadership Award in 2009 and 2011, and the President's Award in 2012.

82. 1:13:38

    Now therefore, be it resolved by the Senate that the members of this body recognize and commend Brianne Drake for her many remarkable contributions to the Georgia Association of Realtors, and extend best wishes for continued success. Mr. President, that completes the order.

83. 1:13:52

    Is there objection to the adoption of resolution? Chair hears none, and the resolution is adopted.

84. 1:14:04

    Thank you.

85. 1:14:04

    I recognize the senator from the 10th to speak to the resolution.

86. 1:14:10

    Thank you, Mr. President, and members of this body, and certainly to, uh, friends of Brianne Drake that are, uh, accompanying us up here in the balcony. I am excited to introduce to some and present to others my good friend who I've known for many, many years in this chamber, who a lot of us know as well because she has been outstanding in her advocacy for realtors. I had the great pleasure last night of attending the installation ceremony for Brianne Drake for being the 106th President of the Georgia Realtors Association.

87. 1:14:45

    See, that had to sink in after a while. And that was just an amazing moment. In the 106 year history of the Georgia Realtors Association, there really hasn't been anyone like my good friend, Brianne Drake. Not just because she's a person of color, but because she's a person of magnanimous strength, and she's been a friend to all of us in these chambers for many, many years. Her background is so, is, is, is distinguished in many, many of the positions that she's occupied, and I'll just share a few with you during the couple of minutes that I have left here.

88. 1:15:21

    Some of her many ac- accolades includes being named Realtor of the Year in both 2011 and 2018 by the Metro South Association of Realtors. She received the JL Christian Leadership Award in 2009 and 2011, and the President's Award in 2012. In 2021, we recognized, uh, Brianne Drake, as well as the House of Representatives issued a resolution in her honor recognizing her long-standing road of service to her community and state.

89. 1:15:56

    She has been celebrated as one of Georgia's most dynamic and dedicated broker associates as, and has been featured in both the Atlanta Business Chronicle and the RIS Media's Real Estate Magazine. Her accomplishments are many, and with the permission of our president, I would like to invite Ms. Brianne Drake to say a few words.

90. 1:16:23

    Good morning, and thank you. I'm so honored to have this, um, today. And I would just like to say that I am proud to serve alongside over 49,000 Georgia realtors, with some of them supporting us up top today.

91. 1:16:45

    As Georgia realtors, we are committed to expanding homeownership and protecting private property rights, and we are honored to work alongside our legislators and look forward to continuing a strong, healthy relationship and continuing to do well for our communities. So thank you so much, and I appreciate it, Senator.

92. 1:17:07

    And you're joined by?

93. 1:17:08

    And I am joined by our Georgia Association of Realtors President-Elect, Ms. Donna Davis.

94. 1:17:19

    Angela Saraparu-Lopez.

95. 1:17:24

    Kimberly Edwards and Barbara Dyer. Thank you, Senator. I appreciate you, and I appreciate our relationship and longstanding relationship with the legislators. Thank you.

96. 1:17:35

    Congratulations.

97. 1:17:36

    Thank you.

98. 1:18:21

    Thank you.

99. 1:18:32

    Thank you. I'm gonna take a picture for my homegirl.

100. 1:18:36

     Okay.

101. 1:18:46

     Hey.

102. 1:18:59

     How you doing, folks? Do you want to say a few things, sir? Yes, sir. All right. Uh,

103. 1:19:08

     point of personal privilege, Mr. Chairman. Yes.

104. 1:19:45

     Are there any unanimous consents?

105. 1:19:51

     Does any senator wish to rise on a point of personal privilege? I recognize the senator from the fourth.

106. 1:20:11

     Thank you, Mr. President. It's a true honor for me today to announce that today is Statesville-Bulloch County Day at the Capitol. And I want to tell you, we got a few people, we actually got about 20 people in the Capitol today from Bulloch County that's, um, out, out meeting people and greeting people. Let me tell you who is here, other than, uh, Joanne, who many of y'all know, my wife. Um, Chris Eldridge, which is county manager. Um, Jan Moore, executive vice president of, uh, of Guyton Technical College of Economic Development. Jennifer, Jennifer Davis, president of Chamber of Commerce.

107. 1:20:44

     Doug Lambert, right there, entrepreneur and, um, on the, uh, Technical College System of Georgia board. Let me tell you a little bit about Bulloch County, okay, in this. Um, Statesville-Bulloch County Day is presented by the Bulloch Engagement and Community Opportunities Network, called BEACON. This group was formed whenever we first-

108. 1:21:05

     Senator

109. 1:21:05

     ... found out that Hyundai was coming-

110. 1:21:06

     Senator. Hey, Senator.

111. 1:21:07

     Yes, sir.

112. 1:21:08

     Just a minute, just a minute. Let's give the senator your attention, please. Uh, those that are exiting, we need you all to be quiet, please, and exit the chamber. Thank you.

113. 1:21:20

     Thank you, Mr. President. Statesville-Bulloch County Day is presented by Bulloch Engagement and Communities Opportunity Network, called BEACON, a collaborative platform designed to inform and empower the citizens of Bulloch County. Statesville-Bulloch County Day provides an opportunity to cel- celebrate Bulloch County, the city of Statesville, and the, and the mu- municipalities of Brooklet, Portal, and Reister, as well as additional communities of Adabel, Denmark, Hope You Like It, Ivanhoe, Nevilles, and Lee Field. Bulloch County was formed in 1796 as the 21st county in Georgia, named for Archibald Bulloch, the president and commander-in-chief in Georgia in 1776.

114. 1:21:59

     The city of Statesville was incorporated in 1803. Statesville-Bulloch County is home to Georgia Southern University and Eagle Nation, a nationally recognized public research institution, and a proud, passionate community of students, alumni, and supporters whose commitment to academic excel- excellence, workforce development, and community engagement benefits the entire state. Many of y'all will know this statement officially. Georgia Southern is also the alma mater of our late, great Senator Jack Hill, senator from the fourth, longtime chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

115. 1:22:35

     And I will add that Senator Hill is the only portrait on the wall in the Senate Budget Office. That tells you how much respect this body had for Senator Hill, whose distinguished career and steadfast commitment to fiscal stewardship and public service left a last- lasting legacy on the State of Georgia. And of course, who, who, his wife, Ruth Ann Hill, was always, was a longtime educator and always by his side. The, let's talk about Ogeechee Technical College. With renowned programs in healthcare, business, manufacturing, and other professions, have worked lo- along with Bulloch County Schools to provide training for its students to succeed.

116. 1:23:11

     The economic development partners in Statesville-Bulloch County have worked together in, to recruit jobs and investment, support businesses and commercial growth, enhance and grow Statesville downtown, and successfully market the community as a tourist hub in Southeast Georgia. Bulloch County continues to be among the most successful agricultural counties in the state, with a long history of farming and agricultural business. And I will add this. Uh, Joanne has heard me say so many times, my, my goal as a, uh, as a member of Bulloch County, or our goal as a member of Bulloch County, I always wanted our children in Bulloch County to have an opportunity to stay in Bulloch County for a job if they wanted to stay.

117. 1:23:51

     And we have now, with the growth of Bulloch County, with the manufacturing jobs, a lot of them created through the Hyundai, many of our, many of our students and, I mean, many of our children now have the opportunity to stay in Bulloch County. Now if they want to leave Bulloch County, I want it to be their choice to leave, and not the choice that we don't have the jobs for them. So Mr. President, I thank you for the time and, um, I'll yield the will.

118. 1:24:13

     Thank you, Senator.

119. 1:24:20

     It's always great to have the First Lady of the fourth district with us, and we have the First Lady of the 42nd district. Your district number changes a lot, Senator. Uh, glad to have you, you with us today, and the, the boys. That's great. All right, I recognize the senator from the seventh for a point of personal privilege.

120. 1:24:51

     Thank you, Mr. President. Today, I rise to recognize Ramadan. Ramadan Mubarak to Muslims across Georgia and around the world and to my Senate colleagues. Ramadan is a sacred month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and service. From dawn until sunset, Muslims abstain from food and drink, a spiritual discipline meant to cultivate self-control, gratitude, and empathy for those who face hunger every day.

121. 1:25:28

     Families wake before sunrise for a pre-dawn meal and gather again at sunset to break their fast to-together. It is a time of charity and compassion that takes center stage. And for many of our neighbors here in Georgia, Ramadan is not just about abstaining from food and drink. It is about renewing faith, strengthening character, and deepening commitment to justice and mercy. Georgia is home to vibrant Muslim communities who are small business owners, doctors, teachers, public servants, and parents raising the next generation.

122. 1:26:04

     They are an essential part of the fabric of our state. And it took 240 years for Muslims to be elected to the Senate chamber. The senator from the fifth and myself are the first Muslims to be elected to the Georgia State Senate. But as we celebrate Ramadan, we must also be clear, there is no place for hate or Islamophobia in Georgia. And legislation that targets, stigmatizes, or singles out Muslim communities does not make us safer. It divides us.

123. 1:26:35

     It undermines the very freedoms of religion and equality that define our democracy. We can honor faith without fear, we can protect security without profiling, and we can disagree without dehumanizing. This is Ramadan, and, and let us recommit ourselves to dignity, inclusion, and the shared values that bring us together. Ramadan Mubarak, and all of you have these packets, uh, from Care Georgia that explains, uh, a little bit more about Ramadan. Thank you so much, and I yield the well.

124. 1:27:07

     Chair recognizes the senator from the 29th.

125. 1:27:16

     Chair recognizes the senator from the 29th for a point of personal privilege.

126. 1:27:25

     Just wanna give her a second.

127. 1:27:29

     Thank you, Mr. President. First of all, I'm gonna ask my colleagues to excuse me. I normally don't bring my, my device to the well with me.

128. 1:27:39

     Um, but many times we pass legislation out of this chamber and, and out of the General Assembly, and we never see it again. We never necessarily realize the impact that it has. But yesterday in Athens, something happened significantly that, that emphasizes the reason why we do the right thing when we're here. Back in April of 2023, uh, a friend of this General Assembly, Scott Turner, met with myself and Representative Houston Gaines from over in the House with some concerns he had about how difficult it was to have cold cases reexamined here in the State of Georgia, and the impact it, the impact it had on families whose loved ones had been lost, had been murdered.

129. 1:28:36

     And so myself and Representative Gaines got together, and working along with Scott, we created a piece of legislation that, um, got to be known as the Coleman Baker Act. And the reason it was called the Coleman and Baker Act, it was the last names of two young ladies who had been murdered here in Georgia and whose cases had gone cold.

130. 1:29:03

     And after this legislation passed and this body voted on it, and I remember the evening that we voted on it, it was, um, I believe right at sine die, and the family of the victims were here, and we thanked them for their service, and we thanked them for all the hard work they had done on this. And after we passed the legislation, many of us prayed and hoped that we would see an impact.

131. 1:29:32

     Tara Baker was from Athens, and she was a young lady in her early 20s. And one night, a stranger came to her home.

132. 1:29:48

     He assaulted her, he raped her, he committed the crime of aggravated sodomy on her, he murdered her, and then he set her body on fire. That's very graphic, but it's very real in this world that we live in.

133. 1:30:10

     And because of this legislation, right after this legislation was passed, a cold case was opened. It was not Tara's, but a cold case was reopened, reexamined, and an arrest was made. And then not much longer after that, Tara Baker's case was reopened, examined, and using new technology with DNA, an arrest was made of an individual. And so yesterday, after 25 years of wondering, of struggling, of suffering, knowing that the pain that their loved one had gone through, Tara Baker's family was given justice.

134. 1:30:55

     They were not given their daughter back

135. 1:30:57

     They were not given that bright shining light that they lost 25 years ago back. But what they were given was the justice that our justice system can offer, which is never enough, but it is something. Because yesterday in a superior court in Clark County, the man who stole the life of Tara Baker was convicted on all charges because this body chose to do the right thing and invest the right amount of money in the right place, which caused this case to be reopened and re-examined, and it was successful.

136. 1:31:37

     So I want to thank everybody in here. I want to especially thank Scott Turner. I want to thank my friend and my brother, Representative Houston Gaines from over in the House, and most of all, I want to thank all of you who voted for it, and I want to thank those who did not want it, but we got it through and now they see why we fought so hard for it because they made us stronger through the process. And with that, Mr. President, I yield the well.

137. 1:32:08

     Senator yields the well. Chair, uh, chair recognizes the senator from the 11th.

138. 1:32:20

     Thank you, Mr. President. I was not able to do this yesterday, but yesterday, February the 17th, was National Cabbage Day. Georgia grown cabbage, we grow about, uh, 30,000 acres of cabbage in the state of Georgia. I'm wearing my cabbage tie and, uh, back home on the farm my team is planting the 2026 crop of, uh, cabbage. So eat more cabbage and thank you, Mr. President.

139. 1:32:50

     We appreciate the hardworking Georgia farmers that put delicious food on our table. So thank you for pointing that out. Chair recognizes the senator from the 9th for a point of personal privilege.

140. 1:33:15

     Good morning. Today I rise to recognize Arcado Elementary School in the District 9. Yes, the mighty 9th. Hello. They're up there. Everybody say hello. You guys wanna stand up? Y'all wanna stand up? You can stand up.

141. 1:33:35

     All right. So Arcado Elementary is currently ranked as the third most diverse public elementary school in Georgia, representing families from 25 countries and more than 37 spoken languages. This distinction reflects the school's strong commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment. Arcado continues to prepare students for the future through STEM-based learning and expose, a- and expose them to coding and AI concepts and innovative student initiatives, including the launch of its first student podcast.

142. 1:34:14

     This school's emphasis on leadership, student engagement, and family involvement contributes meaningfully to both the student development and the broader community. To the students, to the educators, and families of Arcado Elementary, thank you for your continued dedication. And to the Arcado Elementary, I hope you're enjoying your visit in the Capitol today and of course you're from the mighty 9th and I'm proud of each and every one of you and thank you for visiting us today.

143. 1:34:48

     Y'all can meet me on the steps and we'll get a picture. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the well. It's always good to recognize our bright students and good-looking crew up there. Thank you, Senator. Chair recognizes the senator from the 21st for a point of personal privilege.

144. 1:35:24

     Thank you, Mr. President. Good morning, colleagues. Today in honor of Black History Month, uh, we gather to honor the life and legacy of an extraordinary American, a businessman, leader, patriot, and a man of deep conviction whose life story embodies the promise of the American dream, Mr. Herman Cain. Born in Memphis, Tennessee and raised in Atlanta, Herman Cain came from humble beginnings. The son of a chauffeur and a cleaning woman, he was taught early the values of faith, hard work, personal responsibility, and perseverance.

145. 1:36:01

     Those values shaped not only his career but his character. Herman Cain rose to national prominence in the business world through talent, discipline, and fearless leadership. As CEO of Godfather's Pizza, he took a struggling company and transformed it into a profitable enterprise. His success was not accidental. It was the result of vision, accountability, and a relentless belief that problems are meant to be solved, not accepted. Before that, he served as chairman of the board of the Omaha branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City where he brought a businessman's perspective to economic policy discussions.

146. 1:36:43

     He believed that free enterprise, limited government, and opportunity were the true engines of prosperity in this nation. Many Americans came to know Herman Cain during his campaign for President of the United States in 2012.

147. 1:36:58

     Though he did not win the nomination, he won something perhaps even more enduring: respect. He entered the race not as a career politician, but as a citizen leader who believed our country deserved bold ideas and straightforward solutions. His 9-9-9 tax reform proposal sparked a national conversation about fairness, simplicity, and economic growth. But beyond the titles and accomplishments, Herman Cain will be remembered for his spirit. He was optimistic in the face of adversity.

148. 1:37:31

     After surviving stage four cancer against long odds, he often spoke about faith and resilience. He credited his strength to God, to his family, and to the belief that every setback can be overcome with determination. Herman Cain understood something fundamental about America, that it is not defined by where you start, but by what you're willing to work for. He believed in empowering individuals, not expanding dependency. He believed in personal responsibility, not excuses.

149. 1:38:03

     And he believed in the greatness of this nation and its people. His life reminds us that leadership is not confined to elected office. It's found in boardrooms and communities, in churches, and in homes. It is found wherever someone is willing to stand firm in their convictions and serve others with, with integrity. As we reflect on his legacy, may we remember Herman Cain, not only for what he achieved, but for what he represented: courage, faith, entrepreneurial spirit, and an unshakable belief in the American dream.

150. 1:38:37

     May we honor his memory by striving for excellence, speaking boldly, and loving this great nation as he did. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

151. 1:38:49

     Thank you, Senator. Does any other senator wish to rise on a point of personal privilege? Chair recognizes the senator from the twenty-seventh.

152. 1:39:09

     Mr. President, good morning, colleagues. It is time for the State of Georgia and its election board to do what we called for and allowed for in Senate Bill 202 and appoint a new election supervisor for Fulton County. Why? If we put aside everything that happened in 2020 for a second, if we ignore the double-scanned ballots, if we ignore the missing ballot images, if we ignore all of the violations in law that happened in Fulton in 2020, and we look at what happened in 2024 and 2026, there is still more than enough reason and more than enough violations of Georgia state law to initiate the takeover.

153. 1:39:53

     At the end of early voting in 2024, Fulton County announced that they would continue taking ballots, and myself and a number of senators drove down over the weekend after early voting had ended and watched Fulton County refuse to allow the state-required election observers into the room where they were accepting ballots in direct violation of Georgia law. Secondly, I recently traveled around Fulton County and visited a number of locations where citizens are still registered to vote.

154. 1:40:32

     We assume they're citizens, are still registered to vote in illegal locations all over Fulton County. Dozens of people registered to vote at UPS Stores, empty parking lots, abandoned buildings, homeless shelters that have been closed for a decade, all in violation of Georgia law. But lest you believe that Fulton County is a fair arbiter in the way that they conduct their elections, I would lastly point you to the partisan makeup of their election board.

155. 1:41:09

     You see, under Georgia law, counties are required to have Democrat members of local election boards and Republican members of election boards. And in Fulton County, the way their election board is supposed to be structured is one individual appointed by the chairman of the board of the county commissioners, which I think we could safely ass- assume we could say would be a Democrat, two members appointed by the local Democrat party, and two members appointed by the Republican Party. That's the rule. That's the law. But Fulton County doesn't care about rules and laws.

156. 1:41:42

     Fulton County likes to make it up as they go along. So since summer of last year, Fulton County has refused to seat and confirm the nomination of one of the Republican nominees to the Fulton County Election Board. They've been ordered to do so by judges multiple times. They have been fined $10,000 a day. But Fulton County, they don't care about the rules and the laws. They still refuse to seat the Republican individual to the state election board.

157. 1:42:15

     They have now gone to court to fight the plain reading of the law simply because they don't like who the Republicans appointed. Mr. President, we've seen the shenanigans of 2020. We've seen broken laws in 2024. We've seen gross negligence in the maintenance of the voter rolls. And unfortunately, it is now time for the state election board to step up and step in and begin the process of replacing the election superintendent in Fulton County.

158. 1:42:50

     Senator's yielded the floor. Chair recognizes the senator from the thirty-eighth for a point of personal privilege.

159. 1:43:09

     Thank you, Mr. President. Ah, colleagues, I did not plan on speaking today, but I could not stay in my seat as my colleague from the 27th, uh, decided to get up here and call out Fulton County. I want to remind everyone in this chamber and under the sound of my voice that Donald Trump w- lost the election in 2020. I also want to call out the fact that there was something else that you probably saw on the news, and that's a county in Georgia called Coffee County, which is 60% white.

160. 1:43:42

     We don't hear elected officials get up and talk about what occurred in Coffee County, but we do hear them punch, uppercut, and stomp every chance they can to attack Fulton County, Georgia. Donald Trump lost the election. No- nothing you do can change that fact. What is happening now is folks are trying to make sure that Georgia does not once again be the deciding state in changing the direction of this country.

161. 1:44:20

     So if you are hearing me right now, the way that we defeat these attacks on Fulton County is showing up and showing out when the elections occur. Get out and vote, speak up, stand up, and do something to change the direction of this state and this country. We cannot continue to allow folks in this room and in across the hall to attack a county government that is trying to do the right thing while ignoring what happens in other places across this state.

162. 1:44:51

     So as someone that represents Fulton County, I just felt it my responsibility to get up here and say something, uh, because we cannot continue to allow these baseless claims to go unaddressed. We've litigated, we've recounted, we've recounted, we've audited, and Donald Trump still lost. Mr. President, I yield the wheel.

163. 1:45:23

     Does any other senator wish to rise on a point of personal privilege? Seeing, uh-

164. 1:45:30

     Senator, you're gonna seek recognition. He's already had one.

165. 1:45:33

     Senator, you- you're allowed one per session, per day. Sorry. All right, we're gonna move on. Uh,

166. 1:45:47

     senator from the 31st, what purpose do you rise? You wave.

167. 1:45:54

     Y'all don't make this harder than it is for me, please. You have before you a consent calendar of privileged resolutions. Does any senator wish to remove a resolution from the consent calendar? Is there objection to the adoption of the resolutions on the consent calendar? The chair hears none, and the resolutions on the consent calendar are adopted.

168. 1:46:18

     Are there any motions to withdraw and commit?

169. 1:46:29

     Chair recognizes the senator from the 31st. What purpose do you rise?

170. 1:46:35

     Mr. President, I ask you and your members consent to add the following bills and resolutions being engrossed, SB 432 and SB 446.

171. 1:46:45

     Senator from the 31st has made a motion to engross Senate Bill 432, Senate Bill 446. I believe these come out, came out of Senate Finance, which is our practice. Is there objection?

172. 1:47:01

     Yes.

173. 1:47:01

     I don't know if I heard any.

174. 1:47:05

     There is objection. Um, all senators in favor of the motion to engross Senate Bill 432 and 446 will vote yay. Those opposed will vote no. Th- Secretary, uh, we need to read the captions? All right, sorry. We're gonna read the captions.

175. 1:47:24

     Senate 432 by Senator Walker. Yeah. It's all good. Senate Bill 432 by Senator Walker of the 20th, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to education so as to extend automatic repeals of certain provisions regarding non-lapsing revenue of institutions of the University System of Georgia and units of the Technical College System of Georgia. To amend Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to state government so as to extend automatic repeals of certain provisions regarding writing off small amounts due to the state. To provide for related matters, to provide for an effective date to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes.

176. 1:48:01

     Senate Bill 446 by Senator Dixon of the 45th, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 2A of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to student scholarship organizations so as to provide for the State of Georgia to participate in the federal tax credit program for con- contributions of individuals to scholarship granting organizations. To provide for legislative intent, to provide for rules and guidelines, to provide for definitions, to make conforming changes, to amend Code Section 48-7-29.16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to tax credits for contributions to student scholarship organizations so as to make a conforming change to provide for related matters, to provide for an effective date and applicability, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes.

177. 1:48:43

     Mr. President, that completes the order.

178. 1:48:48

     Senate will stand at ease.

179. 1:49:10

     All right, the motion before you is to engross Senate Bill 432 and Senate Bill 446. All those in favor of the motion will vote green or yay. Those opposed will vote red or no. The secretary will unlock the machine.

180. 1:50:29

     On the motion to engross Senate Bill 432 and Senate Bill 446, the yays are 30, the nays are 21. The vote, having met the req- the constitutional requisite amount, is passed.

181. 1:51:18

     All

182. 1:51:50

     right, we're back to order. Uh, senator from the 29th, why didn't... Go ahead with your-

183. 1:51:55

     Mr, Mr. President, I ask for unanimous consent to excuse the senator from the 1st for business outside of the Capitol.

184. 1:52:01

     Senator is excused. Secretary, read the caption to SB 432.

185. 1:52:17

     Senate Bill 432 by Senator Walker of the 20th. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to education so as to extend automatic repeals of certain provisions regarding non-lapsing revenue of institutions of the University System of Georgia and units of the Technical College System of Georgia. To amend Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to state government so as to extend automatic repeals of certain provisions regarding writing off small amounts due to the state, to provide for related matters, to provide for an effective date to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes.

186. 1:52:48

     Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Finance recommends that this bill do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted by Senator Hufstetler of the 52nd, chairman.

187. 1:52:58

     Substitute.

188. 1:53:01

     The Senate Committee on Finance offers the following substitute to Senate Bill 432. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to education so as to extend automatic repeals of certain provisions regarding non-lapsing revenue of institutions of the University System of Georgia and units of the Te- Technical College System of Georgia. To amend Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to state government so as to extend automatic repeals of certain provisions regarding writing off small amounts du- due to the state, to provide for related matters, to provide for an effective date to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes.

189. 1:53:34

     I recognize Senator-

190. 1:53:38

     S-

191. 1:53:38

     I recognize Senator from the 20th District to speak to SB 432.

192. 1:53:49

     Thank you, Mr. President. Senate Bill 432 will allow the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia to continue using strategic reserves for another five years. The current authorization for this expires July 1, 2026, and this extends that sunset. Strategic reserves refer to the ability to carry forward or move, uh, a, all or a portion of unexpended revenues beyond the fiscal year for which it was originally earned.

193. 1:54:27

     Typically, these funds not expe- expended by state agencies within a fiscal year would lapse. But this was, uh, first allowed in 2003 for the University System of Georgia. Uh, it was extended in 2005, again in 2007, where the Technical College System of Georgia was added, then again in 2009, 2013, 2015, and the last time it was extended was in 2021, which extended it, as I said, through the end of this fiscal year.

194. 1:55:09

     Strategic reserves are made up of tuition funds, indirect cost recovery, technology fees, and departmental sales and service. And the idea behind this is th- these are really, you know, earned funds by the university system or the technical college system, and the initial thinking, and the thinking still today, was we don't want the university presidents or the technical college presidents to be under a, a use it or lose it mentality where they feel like they've gotta expend all of their funds before the end of the fiscal year or they will lose them.

195. 1:55:53

     Uh, that does not promote, uh, kind of a business operation or business philosophy in operating these schools, and it's not, in our, my view, a good way to be good stewards of the taxpayer, uh, assets. It also gives them flexibility for unexpected things like a, a major HVAC system going out. They would have some reserves to be able to, to fund that.

196. 1:56:25

     Or a good example that the senator from the 23rd gave was, uh, a lot of these universities and technical college systems have parking facilities for their students and visitors, and to fund these parking facilities, you know, they charge a fee to park. And obviously, they have to maintain these facilities and improve them over time, and if, if they didn't have the ability to carry forward some funds, they wouldn't ever be able to have the money to do that. So it keeps them from having to come to the legislature for small capital projects.

197. 1:57:01

     Uh, also, like the U- especially Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia, but others have contracts with the federal government, like the Department of Defense, or they do continuing education work for the private sector, and they get fees in for that, and they're able to reinvest that money into their facilities or into technology or into programming. Um, this bill passed out of the Senate Finance Committee unanimously. It is a way to allow our technical college system of Georgia and university system of Georgia to operate more with some business principles in their operation.

198. 1:57:42

     I'll just go through the sections of the bill. Section one extends the sunset for the university system of Georgia. Section two extends it for the technical college system of Georgia. Section three, uh, allows them to continue the ability to write over- write off uncollectible amounts up to three thousand dollars. And what this is, is I- I'm told it's, oftentimes, let- let's say a student is there on a Pell Grant and they drop out and the university system or the technical college system endeavors to try to collect this money, um, but if they aren't able to write it off, they have to keep it on their books as an outstanding receivable.

199. 1:58:31

     This allows them to, on small amounts of money, write it off. They still will continue their collection efforts, but it just keeps their books clean. Um, section four says it'll be effective upon the signature of the governor, and section five repeals all conflicting laws. I, I think I've explained the bill well, but I'm happy to answer any questions if there are any, Mr. President.

200. 1:58:59

     Are there any questions?

201. 1:59:03

     I ask for your favorable consent.

202. 1:59:05

     Senator, you have one question. Second, uh, chair recognizes... Uh, I'm sorry. You have no further questions.

203. 1:59:12

     I ask for your favorable consent on Senate Bill four thirty-two. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the way.

204. 1:59:18

     Chair recognizes the senator from the twenty-third.

205. 1:59:38

     Thank you, Mr. President. I rise in support of Senate Bill four thirty-two. Strategic reserves are essential in the university system of Georgia and the technical college system of Georgia. These are not state appropriated funds. These are funds that are carried forward from year to year from tuition or fees. And as the, uh, pro temp pointed out in his presentation, there are a variety of opportunities for individual university system institutions to accumulate funds to pay for major ticket items, whether it be in parking or healthcare or dining or technology.

206. 2:00:20

     We're talking about a multi-billion dollar enterprise. And in any enterprise, we need to ensure that we can weather a storm or prepare for the future. And so, Mr. President, I urge the Senate's favorable consideration for Senate Bill four thirty-two. Thank you for your attention. I yield the way.

207. 2:00:43

     Chair recognizes senator from the thirty-ninth.

208. 2:01:00

     Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, I also rise today in support of SB four thirty-two because at its core, this bill is about something we talk about often in this chamber, flexibility and paired with accountability. We all know our public colleges and universities, our technical system are engines of opportunity that educate our workforce, power innovation, and anchor communities across the state. But like any large institution operating in a rapidly changing environment, they need the ability to respond to real time pressures and opportunities, and that's what SB four thirty-two recognizes.

209. 2:01:37

     Rigid structures can sometimes create inefficiencies that force our institutions to delay projects, miss savings opportunities, or make short, short-term decisions that cost more in the long term. At a time when families are thinking carefully about affordability and value, we should want our higher education and technical college system operating at peak efficiency. This is a practical bill. Uh, our higher education system is one of our greatest assets and SB four thirty-two gives it the tools to operate with the same level of strategic discipline we expect in every other sector.

210. 2:02:15

     For those reasons, I respectfully ask your favorable consideration of SB four thirty-two. Thank you. I yield.

211. 2:02:24

     Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? The chair hears none. Is there objection to the previous question being ordered? The chair hears none and the prev- previous question is ordered. Pursuant to Senate rule, uh, senator from the twentieth, do you wanna close debate? Waive. The question on the adoption of the committee substitute, is there objection to the adoption of the committee substitute? Hearing none, the committee sub- substitute is adopted. Is there objection to agreeing to the report of the committee which is favorable to the passage of the bill?

212. 2:02:57

     The chair hears none. The report of the committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered? The chair hears none and the main question is ordered. The question on the passage of the bill by substitute, all those in favor of the bill will vote yay. Those opposed, nay. And the secretary will unlock the machine.

213. 2:03:59

     What purpose does the senator from the 38th rise?

214. 2:04:02

     Parliamentary inquire.

215. 2:04:03

     State your inquire.

216. 2:04:04

     Is it not true that the gentleman from the 31st wished that the lieutenant governor would go back into his office so he could stay up there a little longer?

217. 2:04:11

     That's for each and every senator to decide. On the passage, uh, the ayes are 47, the nays are 0. This bill has received the requisite and constant majority, therefore passed by substitute.

218. 2:05:12

     Senate Bill 446. I was gone that long, y'all only got through one bill? Come on. Come on, quarterback.

219. 2:05:21

     Secretary read Senate Bill 446.

220. 2:05:26

     Senate Bill 446 by Senator Dixon of the 45th. To be entitled, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 2A of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to student scholarship organizations so as to provide for the State of Georgia to participate in the federal tax credit program for contributions of individuals to scholarship-granting organizations. To provide for legislative intent, to provide for rules and guidelines, to provide for definitions, to make conforming changes, to amend Code Section 48-7-29.16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to tax credits for contributions to student scholarship organizations so as to make a conforming change, to provide for related matters, to provide for an effective date and applicability, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes.

221. 2:06:06

     Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Finance recommends that this bill do pass, respectfully submitted by Senator Hufstetler of the 52nd. Chairman.

222. 2:06:13

     Mr. President, a minority report.

223. 2:06:14

     Mr. President, a minority report has been filed.

224. 2:06:16

     That completes the order.

225. 2:06:20

     Recognize the senator from the 45th.

226. 2:06:42

     Thank you, Mr. President. Senate colleagues, I'm excited to bring Senate Bill 446 before you today. Uh, it's one of the lieutenant governor's priorities. Uh, I was grateful to work alongside his staff. Uh, this bill simply, uh, codifies a preder- a federal education tax credit, uh, program in Georgia state law. As a longtime proponent of school choice, I believe that one of the best ways we can support Georgia's families is by assuring that they have the necessary resources to make the best decisions for their children's education and future.

227. 2:07:20

     This bill does not cost the State of Georgia any money, but will encourage those who consider making a donation to the scholarship-granting organization to do so by allowing them to collect a federal tax credit, uh, for that donation. Uh, single, uh, filers could contribute up to $1,700 a year. Uh, joint filers could contribute up to $3,400 a year. Prioritizing school choice and education freedom is a policy the Senate has led on and Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones has prioritized since he took office as the president of the Senate.

228. 2:07:58

     I am proud that Georgia is joining the state, joining states across our nation, putting parents' choice in their children's education first. I want to thank Governor Kemp for opting Georgia into this program supporting education freedom and choice. This bill ensures that the actions that carry forward, uh, for many years to come. Actions like these ensure that we put parents in control of children's education, allowing them to meet their children's unique needs.

229. 2:08:31

     With that, Mr. President, I'd be happy to answer any questions.

230. 2:08:38

     You, uh, you have, you have one question. Recognize Senator from the 44th or-

231. 2:08:44

     Thank you, Mr. President. Um, Senator, will you yield?

232. 2:08:48

     I do.

233. 2:08:48

     Terrific. Um, w- can you explain to me what has been set up, um, in the law at the federal level for these, um, SGOs to ensure that there's quality control around the product that they're, that they're delivering in educating our children who might take advantage of this, um, this tax credit?

234. 2:09:12

     Uh, yes. Um, yeah, they have to be registered as a nonprofit, uh, and they also have to, um, have to administer at least 10, uh, scholarships to 10 different students and they all can't be from the same school.

235. 2:09:28

     So, um, following up on that, that sounds to me like there, there isn't anything to ensure that the institutions that would receive this money are having accountability on educating the children for our- workforce and, and societal needs? It's just sort of ... So for example, our public schools, you know, there's a lot of accountability in, uh, performance, in money spent.

236. 2:10:02

     What, what is there in this program that would mirror that with these taxpayer funds?

237. 2:10:22

     Yeah, so it's, um, it's governed and the, uh, the s- the United States Secretary of Treasury will s- they, they will provide a, a code section and, and rules and regulations for that.

238. 2:10:34

     Uh, thank you. Can I ask, um, a couple more questions? Will the gentleman yield?

239. 2:10:38

     What's that?

240. 2:10:38

     For a- another question or two?

241. 2:10:40

     Sure.

242. 2:10:40

     Terrific. Thank you. Um, it's my understanding that the s- the institutions receiving the money do not need to be accredited. Is that the, is that your understanding as well?

243. 2:10:51

     That's correct.

244. 2:10:52

     So they don't need to be accredited, okay. Um, d- does that cause you any concern? It just seems really strange to have no accountability and no accreditation for-

245. 2:11:06

     Oh, no, they, they do have accountability

246. 2:11:07

     ... taxpayer money.

247. 2:11:08

     They do have-

248. 2:11:09

     Hmm?

249. 2:11:09

     ... accountability, and it's not t- taxpayer money. They're making donations. There's no-

250. 2:11:14

     I'm sorry. I couldn't hear you. It's so loud in here. Could you repeat that, um, Mr. Chairman?

251. 2:11:21

     I said you said, you've mentioned taxpayer money. This is, uh, folks that are donating to these scholarships, and they're receiving a federal tax credit for it.

252. 2:11:29

     Right, which I sort of equate, right. It's money that, that would come in. So basically you're saying it's a backdoor way of avoiding accountability then, 'cause you're running it through an organization that would not have to be subject to the same accountability rules as the public schools. Is that what you mean?

253. 2:11:46

     All this is is a- another option for parents to control their, uh, choice of school for their children, and there's many options in our state, not only public schools. Thank you.

254. 2:11:57

     Right. Um-

255. 2:11:57

     I'll take more questions.

256. 2:11:58

     I have one more question.

257. 2:11:58

     Uh, Mr. President, I yield the will.

258. 2:12:00

     Okay.

259. 2:12:02

     Senator's yielding.

260. 2:12:05

     Does any other senator wish to speak for or against ... Oh, excuse me, I'm sorry. I recognize the senator from the 36th.

261. 2:12:46

     Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, it was an interesting finance committee meeting when this bill came before us.

262. 2:12:56

     I posed questions, I got a blank stare, and we moved to the next person being recognized. There, there was simply very little, uh, uh, uh, explanation of, for example, why would we sign on to a plan that includes s- schools that, uh, have not been, uh, have not received accreditation, but they're, they're in a process of applying for accreditation.

263. 2:13:35

     Why, why on earth is that a, a good idea? Now, this, th- this, this body, interestingly enough, uh, I think the day before or a few days before this bill was in finance committee,

264. 2:13:51

     heard f- uh, uh, the distinguished gentleman from the 23rd, the chair of our higher education committee, um, walk us through why we needed some real scrutiny on some schools that have been set up around our state. 200 and, 238 schools purporting to deliver, uh, uh, education and credits to students that entered their doors.

265. 2:14:25

     And a- as I recall, uh, our higher ed, uh, chair, chair of the higher ed committee, uh, it, it was up between two and 300 schools that were, um, problematic and had to be closely watched, uh, because there were, uh, irregularities that were troubling. In some cases, a, a, a, a, a school that, uh, cl- closed up and, a- and all there was was a, kind of a blank storefront.

266. 2:14:59

     There was no place to go to find any records or any background, uh, on what happened to that, uh, th- th- that. And we heard, we heard, uh, a- and being on the higher ed committee, I certainly supported the passage of that bill to, uh, allow scrutiny and transparency about bad actors that are, uh, in the field of education, uh, but not really delivering education. So we heard that bill in the, in the higher ed committee.

267. 2:15:30

     We passed that bill unanimously in the higher ed committee, and we passed it on the floor of the Senate, uh, uh, under the leadership of the distinguished, uh, gentleman from the 23rd, our higher ed committee chairman. And yet we come with this bill- which go-- is going to sign up for a proposition coming from the feds where schools don't even have to have accreditation to participate. And when we r-- when, when I raised that in the, in the, um, um, during the, d- during our review of this bill, uh, when it was coming to a vote, I- I- I got blanks, blank stares.

268. 2:16:13

     No explanation of why we would sign on for that when we had just heard from the, uh, our higher ed committee chair days earlier and voted in unison for his proposal to have scrutiny of schools that are bad actors. But we blithely, uh, blindly da- da- dare I say, uh, accepted the, this bill with this language in it, that, that we're signing on, we're signing on to, to a, a, a scheme, uh, that includes schools that don't even have accreditation.

269. 2:16:50

     Okay, so, so o- on those grounds alone, uh, skepticism would be more than appropriate, uh, about this bill. But, uh, nonetheless, it passed, it zoomed through on a party line vote. Um, a- a- and it also has language in it that makes it permanent, a- a- a-- that purports to handcuff Georgia's future governors and, and the g- General Assembly members by forcing us into a federal voucher program, uh, that becomes in the words and the language in the bill, becomes the permanent policy of the State of Georgia.

270. 2:17:26

     The permanent policy. And I- I-- we were informed by our finance committee chair that Legislative Council, uh, was not familiar with that language being, uh, used in our Georgia Code Annotated. Permanent policy of the State of Georgia. But it passed. This bill passed on a party line vote. I simply say to you, uh, be ready to be held accountable at, at-- when you cast your vote for what, what, what this bill in fa- in fact purports to do.

271. 2:18:01

     Uh, it, it is, it is a, a, a less than, uh, ideal approach. It, uh, hitches our wagon to a, a star we know not where it will, will land. And, um, and, and, and frankly, there were, there were not, there were f- few, if any, answers to the questions that were raised about the bill, uh, in the committee process. Uh, so, uh, my friend from the forty-fifth has, has had the, the job of working this bill and passing this bill, and he got the bill passed.

272. 2:18:34

     And, uh, um, highly skeptical would be how I would describe the, uh, h- skepticism that you should use in looking at this bill and what it purports to do. Uh, if there are any questions, I will yield. If not, I'll yield to Well.

273. 2:18:51

     Senator, you have-

274. 2:18:52

     Thank you

275. 2:18:52

     ... one question or some-- you'd like to speak? Okay, never- you have no questions, Senator.

276. 2:18:57

     Thank you.

277. 2:18:58

     Mm-hmm. Recognize the senator from thirty-seven.

278. 2:19:19

     Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, I rise today in support of Senate Bill four forty-six. Um, there's a reality that exists across our communities. Whether you're in rural Georgia, whether you're in metro, downtown Atlanta or somewhere in the outer lying rim of the metro, one thing is true about parental choice in education. School choice and being able to decide where your kid goes to school, this very, very personal thing that's, that's, that's the hours and hours and hours a week where kids are handed over to others to help educate them in our culture, whether it's in a public setting or private setting, depends on one thing, unfortunately, in our culture today.

279. 2:20:00

     We have school choice, but it's segregated. You know what it's segregated on? It's segregated on income. If you've got the resources that you want to move to a place where the schools work for your kids, you can sell your house, you can take a loss if you need to, and you can go to a school sy- a public school system and put your kids in a school that works for them. If you've got dollars, you can stay home and homeschool your kids. Mom can or dad can stay home and homeschool the kids.

280. 2:20:30

     If you have dollars, you can, um, put them in a private school for fifteen or twenty thousand dollars a year after tax income. But if you're a low income parent, single mom perhaps working two jobs to keep the lights on, school choice is out of reach for you without scholarship programs like the one provided in Senate Bill four forty-six. This allows Georgians from all across our state to put money into a pot that supports not just their kids, or not their kids, but any kid that qualifies for these scholarship programs.

281. 2:21:04

     I ask parents, "What's one of the most important things that happens in the life of your young adolescent?" They say, "It's the school they attend and the friends that are in that school setting." And I ask them, "What could you-- If you could do anything as a parent to influence that, what would you like to do the most?" They say, "Ed, I'd like to have influence about where my child goes to school and who educates my child." Friends, this is fundamental to what parents do. Without the financial resources to do it, that's a false promise. It's a promise that exists for those that have the finan- financial resources.

282. 2:21:37

     But with bills like Senate Bill four forty-six, we create scholarship programs that folks without those financial resources can enjoy the same kind of school choice as parents with means. My district's got a wide variety of people

283. 2:21:51

     But who I represent here are the people who need us to, to help them p- provide a, a hand up here. Not a handout, but a hand up. I got single working moms in my neighbor- in, in my, my district who care about their kids as much as families with means, and I think they ought to have the same ability to choose the right school setting for their kids as parents who have the means to make those decisions with their own dollars. Senate Bill 446 gives the means to regular working class folks.

284. 2:22:22

     Without this, it would be out of reach to them. I think this should be a bipartisan bill because the, the need for this is a bipartisan need. I urge your support for Senate Bill 446. Y- y- senator is yielded.

285. 2:22:44

     This, I mean, this is a, just a tax credit bill, right? A federal one, right? And it's totally voluntary? Okay. All right. I'm, I'm wondering why there's so much debate on this because senator from the 27th, I recognize you.

286. 2:23:08

     Thank you, Mr. President. You bring up a great question, and you asked why is there so much debate about this. Well, what is this? This is a federal tax credit, it's part of the big beautiful bill, that allows people to give money to help kids go to school. In exchange for that, there's a tax credit in the federal code. Those of you watching at home may be wondering how much this costs Georgia. Zero dollars. Those of you at home may be wondering how many Georgians want to participate in a program like this, and we know from our own program that the answer is thousands.

287. 2:23:47

     As a matter of fact, in our own state program, the GOAL Scholarship, we have to cap it, and it fills up on the first day of eligibility every single year. Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit Cristo Rey School about seven minutes here from the Capitol. Met a number of high school students who all participate primarily due to the school's participation in that local scholarship, the GOAL, the Georgia Scholarship Program.

288. 2:24:19

     But they're only able to get about 48% of the money that people want to give to them because of the cap. This federal program will allow schools like Cristo Rey to expand their support for children. And these aren't rich kids. The leader of the school told me that the average family of four at their school made in the $48,000 a year range. For most of them, they will be the first children in their j- in their families to ever go to college. Every single child at Cristo Rey will be accepted into a college after their senior year.

289. 2:24:54

     Most of them will be accepted to multiple colleges. They participate in an internship every single year with a different business in Atlanta, whether that's Emory or Children's Healthcare. We heard that day from a researcher who was visiting with the students who had taken on their interns, and this particular researcher had developed the primary antiviral medicine that is used in moder- currently to treat HIV and AIDS. So Mr. President, we re- return to the question. This doesn't cost any money.

290. 2:25:26

     It helps kids and families get choice. Why is there debate? Well, there's debate, Mr. President, because my friends on the other side of the aisle believe in the one-size-fits-all education system. And if we do anything in this chamber to allow parents to have choices and options, we get resistance. Over a decade ago, some members who are still in this chamber voted against the special needs school choice program for kids that were disabled to be able to use some state tax money to go to a school that may better fit their needs.

291. 2:26:06

     We have quotes from the newspaper from the members of the ch- at the chamber at the time who are still here today, and man, was it doom and gloom. The entire education system was gonna fall apart. We heard the same complaints when we passed the GOAL Scholarship and when we expanded the GOAL Scholarship. We heard the same complaints and the same doom and gloom when we passed the Georgia Promise Scholarship. But they just never come true. 8,000 families this year are able to attend a school of choice because of the Georgia Promise Scholarship.

292. 2:26:38

     And the minority report says that we're afraid to, or we're passing this bill because we're fearful of elections in November, but here's the reality. This is an issue on which Democrats and Republicans agree, except the Democrats in this room. But when you poll Democrat families, and we've done it a lot of times, this is like a 70% issue among Democrats. This is like an 85 to 90% issue among Republicans.

293. 2:27:09

     But the special interests in the hallway have such a stranglehold on my friends in the, in the minority party that even though this will benefit their constituents, they just can't bring themselves to vote for it. Mr. President, I'm passionate about this issue, and I know this isn't my bill, um, but I'd be happy to take any questions. If there are none, I'll yield the will. You did an excellent job of explaining it, Senator, and you do have a couple questions. I'll be happy to take them. Recognize the distinguished man from the 55th.

294. 2:27:42

     Thank you. Will the gentleman yield? I will. I am not on the education committee. I am deeply troubled about our educational system. I'm deeply troubled about teachers not being able to teach in public school. I'm deeply troubled that we are dealing with education

295. 2:27:59

     A hundred years from now, I think we'll still be fighting over it. So is it not true that there is some component of this bill that makes it permanent? Tell, tell us what is that component and why is that necessary?

296. 2:28:16

     Yeah, I would-- I, I think-- Are you referring to the first twenty or so lines of the bill? I'm trying to look for the exact line here, but I saw it earlier in, in the preamble. Um,

297. 2:28:29

     I think it might be section two. Yes. On line twenty-four. I would just remind you, Senator, that does not get codified into Georgia law. This is essentially the preamble of the bill. Since it is not underlined, as you know, that is not something that goes into Georgia law. I think what we are doing here is we are saying this is a posture of the general assembly, that as long as there is federal money that is going to be made available to Georgians, just like it's being made available to every other state in the union, that we want Georgians to be able to participate in this tax credit, because think about what happens if you don't pass this.

298. 2:29:02

     Dozens of s-- I think twenty, twenty plus states have already opted in. So what you're saying is to Georgians, if they wanna give money to help a child at Cristo Rey and they wanna get a federal tax credit for it, they can't do it in Georgia, but they can do it in Florida, they can do it in Tennessee, they can do it in Texas. And so we are just saying in that section of the bill that as long as this tax credit is available and doesn't cost the state of Georgia a dime, we would like to opt in to this provision, the same way I think that we opt into every other federal tax credit. I'm not aware of another federal tax credit that's out there that citizens in Georgia cannot take advantage of, that citizens in Florida or Tennessee can take advantage of.

299. 2:29:40

     So thank you for the question. I, I-- If you have another one, I'll yield.

300. 2:29:43

     Will the gentleman further yield?

301. 2:29:44

     Yes, sir.

302. 2:29:45

     Uh, why is there a necess- a necessity to make it permanent to, to, to ca- to ha- to handcuff the next administrations?

303. 2:29:55

     Senator, I think the re-- Uh, uh, I, I think you mean the next general assemblies. I just wanna clarify. You're not referencing the, the presidential.

304. 2:30:01

     The next lawmakers, period. The next-- Why handcuff future generations?

305. 2:30:10

     Well, Senator, this does not handcuff future generations. In fact, like I just explained to you, this actually does not get codified into law. But this is merely law. And so as, as I think you recognize, and I think as you accurately recognize, this is not something that would-- that a future general assembly could not undo should they wish to, for whatever reason, undo it. But we are just saying that it's the policy of the State of Georgia to permanently participate in the federal tax credit. So we are saying forward-looking, as long as this tax credit is available to Georgians, we would like to participate in it.

306. 2:30:41

     If a future general assembly chose to come back and unwind this for any other reason, they would just go through the process that you and I are going through right now, and they would pass a bill that would unwind us from that, the eligibility of that credit.

307. 2:30:51

     I, I admire the passion of the, the gentleman in the well and the concern for our students in our educational system. I am-- Is it not true that as a senator who is concerned about education that I have reason to be-- my antennas go up when I understand that the Department of Education is to be abolished, and we have this type of federal funding that you're now saying would be available for students for the State of Georgia when on the very first day a similar program, the Promise Scholarship, is, is exhausted on the very first day?

308. 2:31:36

     What-- Something doesn't seem to add up. Is, is it not true that I would have some reason to, to question why this is structured in this manner?

309. 2:31:45

     It's not the Promise Scholarship that is exhausted on the first day. It's the GOAL SSO scholarship. The Promise Scholarship has a sucker- separate appropriation that's separate from that credit. I don't know that the elimination of the federal Department of Education has anything to do with how people file their tax returns. And for the state credits and the federal credits that many of us look at and, and participate in, that is filed with the Department of Revenue, uh, at the state level, and it is filed with the IRS at the federal level. All that we are saying is that the Georgia families who want to donate money to Cristo Rey and other schools like it, Our Lady of Peace Preparatory Academy, for example, will have the ability to do that.

310. 2:32:25

     They will file on their tax return and attest to the fact that they did that, and they will receive a federal credit under federal law that does not impact Georgia's revenue whatsoever. You may be asking yourself, "Well, why do we have to do any of this at all?" And I think that's a fair question. The language that was put in the big beautiful bill does require the states to opt in to this federal program. Governor Kemp went through the first step of that last month of opting us into the federal program, and what we are looking to do is to codify into law that as long as that program exists, that Georgia will participate in that program.

311. 2:33:00

     I really appreciate your passion. I-- And I appreciate your efforts on this. And I'm-- One final question, if the gentleman will yield.

312. 2:33:09

     I will.

313. 2:33:10

     If I can frame this properly, what impact, if any, will this have on our overall public educational system, if any?

314. 2:33:23

     The impact that I hope that it has, and I don't know that it will have it, but the impact that we have seen in gold standard studies from Arizona and other states that have had broader school choice programs, that as the public schools are essentially forced to compete in a f- in an environment where parents and families have options, that they get better at what they do, and that the outcomes for the students who do not take advantage of a program like this, like my four children who are all in public school, that the outcomes for my children actually improve because two things happen.

315. 2:33:58

     First and foremost the local money still stays with the public school. So the per capita spend for the public school goes up. And to the extent that you would tie educational outcomes to per capita spend, which I personally have a, an, an issue doing that, but I know a lot of people think that it matters, you would see, uh, that number would go up, which I think would largely be the position, and I don't want to mi- misrepresent or, or speak for the members of the minority party, I think that's largely the position, is that we need more money for education. And so for the students who stay behind, since the local money stays, Jeffrey Dorfman did a study on this, and in 178 out of 180 school systems in the State of Georgia, under programs like this, the per capita spend actually goes up because the marginal cost exceeds the dollar value of the benefit.

316. 2:34:46

     Um, on the negative side as to what would happen, I would argue that a program like this probably is going to merely support the current structure that we have with our Goal system. I don't think you're gonna see a ton of student movement in this. I have no data to back that up. That's just the, my personal opinion. Um, but I think in the same way that we have been able to fully fund public schools with the existing of the Goal Scholarship program in Georgia, and we've seen improved outcomes over the last couple of years, I'd hope, and I think I join you in this hope, that we would continue to see that improvement in the State of Georgia.

317. 2:35:19

     Thank you, gentlemen. I look forward to working with you to improve our educational system. Thank you.

318. 2:35:27

     You do have a few more questions, Senator. Senator from the 41st.

319. 2:35:30

     Two more.

320. 2:35:31

     Thank you, Mr. President. Does the senator yield?

321. 2:35:33

     I do.

322. 2:35:34

     I, I appreciate that you visited Cristo Rey. It's a school that's near and dear to my heart. Um, I just wanna clarify, um, isn't it true that according to this bill, the SRAO cannot donate all of the dollars to one particular school?

323. 2:35:50

     That is correct.

324. 2:35:51

     So therefore, isn't it true that when you said, "If I want to invest in Cristo Rey," I cannot actually use this program to do that? Is that not true?

325. 2:35:59

     Uh, you would make the, the donation to the entity that you talked about, and then that entity would not be able to send all of their money to that institution. But there is not- nothing stopping that, that entity from sending your money to the institution. I, and I hope I clarified that, that difference.

326. 2:36:16

     Would you try it one more time?

327. 2:36:18

     Sure.

328. 2:36:18

     So if I-

329. 2:36:19

     Reference me to the, the, the line numbers that you're, that you're, that you're referencing, if you don't mind.

330. 2:36:24

     It's the limitations. It's actually, Senator, um, the senator who presented from the bill spoke to too, that limits the entity, the SRO, from being able to give all of the money to one institution. I'm sorry, I don't have the exact lines.

331. 2:36:41

     Do you have-

332. 2:36:41

     But I just wanna be clear that the way this is written is that...

333. 2:36:47

     89.

334. 2:36:47

     Thank you.

335. 2:36:49

     You do have a line number?

336. 2:36:49

     Lines 89 and 90.

337. 2:36:51

     You said 89 and 90?

338. 2:36:52

     Mm-hmm.

339. 2:36:54

     Okay.

340. 2:36:55

     So I just wanna be clear. Is it-

341. 2:36:56

     So each, each scholar- Let's just read it. Each scholarship granting organization shall provide scholarships to 10 or more eligible students who do not all attend the same qualified school or program. So you're gonna have an entity that's gonna receive money from hopefully hundreds or thousands of Georgians. I believe that what this language is seeking to do, that ensuring that you do not have essentially a pipeline that exists just for one institution, so that you did not have an entity that went out to raise money essentially exclusively for Cristo Rey. But there is nothing in this bill, as I understand it, that would stop you from going to one of those entities and saying, "I would like to dedicate my funds to Cristo Rey," the same way that you can do that now under the Goal.

342. 2:37:35

     But this, the entity would just have to work with multiple receiving institutions, is how I would read that bill, and it is also how I understand the, uh, it, it, it being a cousin to the Goal, uh, Scholarship.

343. 2:37:46

     Senator, is it not further true that we have charitable giving that allows a person to give directly to Cristo Rey without having to have their fu- funds dispersed in other ways? Isn't that true that we already have tax incentives through charitable donations?

344. 2:38:02

     We certainly do have the ability to donate to C3s. The conversation that I had with them when I was there, and I'm going off of memory here, so don't hold me to this exact number, but I believe that they told me that it was 24% of their funding came from just that one bucket of funding being the Goal Scholarship. They lobbied to have that cap from the $120 million cap expanded because, like I referenced, they received a number of direct commitments on day one of the funding, the day that the window closed, and they were only able to, and again, I'm going off of memory here, but received 48% of the funds that people wanted to give to them.

345. 2:38:38

     So what I see this as an al- as an alternative option, is a way for institutions like that one to receive additional dollars without it costing the Georgia taxpayers a dime, and I just don't see the downside here.

346. 2:38:55

     Mr. President, if there's no more questions, I will be happy to yield the will.

347. 2:38:59

     Uh, you do have one more.

348. 2:39:00

     Sure.

349. 2:39:01

     You do have one more, Senator, but you're always welcome to yield the will at any point in time. But I recognize-

350. 2:39:08

     I j- I'm just hoping to, to, to win some of my, my friends on, on the-

351. 2:39:11

     Well, good luck-

352. 2:39:12

     ... other side of the aisle

353. 2:39:13

     ... based on, based on the number of people signed up to talk. The sen- I mean, good gracious. All right, recognize the senator from the 36th.

354. 2:39:26

     Thank you, Mr. President. Does the senator yield?

355. 2:39:28

     I do.

356. 2:39:29

     Thank you so much. Um, you referenced Arizona, uh, as a success story for, uh, private school vouchers. Isn't that right? Chris-

357. 2:39:40

     I referenced them as, as one, that there's been a number of Goals, uh-

358. 2:39:42

     The State of Arizona.

359. 2:39:44

     Yes. I referenced them as a state where we have data on the outcomes for the students who do not participate in a voucher program.

360. 2:39:53

     Are, are you aware of the fact that, uh, th- this wide open, uh, private school voucher program in Arizona, um, um, um, uh- Actually threatened the fiscal integrity of the state. Did, did, did you pick up on that little news item, uh, in your extensive research on this?

361. 2:40:10

     I, I'm sure that in no way are you characterizing that as being something different from what it actually is. Um, what I do know is that, um, the state of Arizona has had for a, I think 15 years or so, a school choice program that obviously has gone through different machinations over the years. But I have not heard any instance of it bankrupting the state. I know that Florida that went universal a couple years ago, and obviously they're thriving. Tennessee has gone with universal school choice, they are thriving. Texas has adopted universal school choice, they are thriving.

362. 2:40:42

     Iowa has adopted universal school choice, and they are thriving. So, um, th- this is not, Senator, this is not a bill that has anything to do with a school voucher. This, this bill does not take a dime of state funding and allow families to use it in educational opportunity of their choice. Um, I was referencing the senator's question as it related to essentially what do I see happening with the future of public schools if we adopt this program. So that was the, the framing that I was answering that question in.

363. 2:41:14

     Uh, thank you. Uh, further question. Um, the scholarship-granting organization, um, referenced on, on, on, uh, line 80, um,

364. 2:41:28

     it has been said, and I have it on good authority, is it not true, that it takes about a half an hour, uh, to get on your computer and create a scholarship-granting organization?

365. 2:41:44

     Wh- who's your authority?

366. 2:41:46

     Well, a, a gentleman from the House who did that, who passed the original bill, um, on scholarship-granting organization described that in the presentation to a, a group of parents.

367. 2:42:03

     I suspect-

368. 2:42:03

     It was very simple to set up

369. 2:42:04

     ... I suspect-

370. 2:42:04

     Isn't that true?

371. 2:42:05

     ... that that may have been in reference to the donations, 'cause I have participated in the process-

372. 2:42:09

     Mm-hmm

373. 2:42:09

     ... of going onto the Georgia Tax Center myself and making donations to some of these entities, and I would clarify that as having taken a half hour. I don't know that it takes a half hour to comply with all of the regulations on lines 89 through, uh, 125 that include, uh, tracking commingling of funds, uh, complying with rules that, that are yet to be promulgated and, and elsewhere. So I have not heard, Senator, if your implication, um, is somehow that the SSO entities that are helping schools like Cristo Rey are somehow, uh, abusing the funds.

374. 2:42:48

     I have not heard any accusations of that.

375. 2:42:51

     Uh, one further question, if you'll yield, Senator.

376. 2:42:53

     Yes, ma'am.

377. 2:42:54

     Uh, and, and that is d- describe for me, what is your comfort level with, uh, schools, uh, uh, being allowed to the be, uh, eligibility while they are, uh, do not have accreditation, they are merely in the process of seeking accreditation? How smart is that or not?

378. 2:43:13

     Well, Senator, I've started, I've started multiple entities in my life. I've never started a school, but I've had to start entities that needed to start somewhere, and the accreditation process in Georgia can take months to years. So obviously, if I wanted to start a micro school in Forsyth County and I wanted my students to have eligibility to programs like this, I may have a year where the students are coming to the school that's our first year, and that first year may be a year that we're going through the process of accreditation.

379. 2:43:43

     But that doesn't mean that it's a nefarious school. That doesn't mean that those teachers are unfit to teach the students. I have a lot of faith in parents, Senator, to vet the place where they drive their child to school every single day and the place that they entrust to teach their kids how to read and write. And so this, this similar language, you are probably aware, is in the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act as well. This language is not unique to this bill. This language is in s- in some of our other choice bills that have been on the books for a couple of years or more than that in the state of Georgia, and I, I, I'm not aware of it being a problem.

380. 2:44:21

     But you did, uh, you did hear our s- uh, chairman of, uh, higher education explain to us over between 2 and 300 schools that are bad actors, and these are, uh, uh, uh, th- th- this case, this is post-secondary.

381. 2:44:35

     Yes, higher education.

382. 2:44:35

     But they have to be, they have to be monitored, and so what you're saying is trust 'em, trust 'em. When somebody sets up a school, just, just trust 'em till they get their credentials in order. Is that right?

383. 2:44:46

     Senator, they are required to move through the accreditation process, and if they do not receive an accreditation, then that's a conversation I think that would be a reason for a cause for concern. But simply trying to strangle a s- private school that is getting off the ground from having access to these federal dollars, I don't know that that's the answer. Who I do trust, Senator, is the parents and the families that will go through a process of vetting schools like this in addition to the ones that have already gone through the accreditation process. But I will tell you that every single failing school in the state of Georgia is accredited.

384. 2:45:22

     Every single public school that's got third and fourth graders in it, where less than 10% of them can read on grade level, they're accredited. There is nothing magic about the accreditation process that ensures you're going to get a good education, and so we obviously have the path in this bill for them to go through that. But I think that you're, you're casting a net, um, that, that's trying to put shade on these schools that are in the startup phase that are trying to serve these students and hopefully do it really, really well.

385. 2:45:51

     Well, isn't it true that, uh, in my county, uh, a number of schools have gone under, uh, private schools have gone under, uh, and, uh, parents were very disappointed that that happened. And, uh, Ah, dismayed, in fact. But I've seen them, uh, go up in flames over and over in my county. So isn't it true that's the cause of my concern? Thank you.

386. 2:46:14

     Thank you, Senator. Mr. President, I yield the will.

387. 2:46:19

     All right. Recognize the senator from the 29th. Or excuse me, the, the majority leader.

388. 2:46:27

     Mr. President, I ask to move the previous question.

389. 2:46:30

     Senator has asked to move the previous question. Is there objection? There's objection. There's objection. You wanna just rise and stand and be counted? All those in favor of objecting, rise and stand and be counted. I don't think you should vote. Stand and be counted. All right. Reverse.

390. 2:47:01

     Reverse. It doesn't...

391. 2:47:26

     So let's reverse, reverse ones who object because they didn't get the count when y'all stood up the first time. We ain't done this in quite some time.

392. 2:47:38

     Those opposed. Those opposed. Those opposed, those opposed.

393. 2:47:42

     One more. One

394. 2:47:49

     more. I was trying to speed it along. All right, here we go then. But we'll put it on the board.

395. 2:47:58

     All th- all those in favor of the majority leader moving that we call the question will vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

396. 2:49:10

     On the motion for the previous question, the yays are 31, the nays are 21, and this motion has prevailed. So now we will have the minority report, and that will be delivered by the senator from the 38th, and then we'll allow the author, if he so chooses, to close debate. Senator from 38th, you're recognized.

397. 2:49:46

     Thank you, Mr. President. Um, so we've ha- heard a lot about the, uh, minority party being opposed to school choice and vouchers. And I wanna push back on that as someone that is a strong proponent of charter schools to say that is factually not true because public charter schools are a form of school choice. What we do have a problem with is sending our tax dollars to institutions without any accountability.

398. 2:50:18

     We've heard reports out of Arizona where folks have brought diamond rings and lingerie with the money that they get from these vouchers. But to speak specifically about this bill, I wanna poi- point out a very important flaw. First off is that we are getting well ahead of our skis in terms of this, uh, voucher that's coming from the federal government. They are still in this moment requesting public comment on this very law.

399. 2:50:50

     And so what that means is there are 3,000 comments right now waiting for them to consider, and this is just an example of one of them that is 30 pages long. So here we are in Georgia passing a bill to say how we're going to execute this law before the federal government even puts forward their guidelines. In addition to that, the majority party argues that this is about helping kids who need this.

400. 2:51:26

     The gentleman from the 37th mentioned the costs of private schools, and I wanna point out that he said between $15,000 and $20,000. We don't even scratch the surface if we're trying to support kids who truly need this. We give them $6,500. And now the federal government is willing to send $1,700. That still, if you do the math, does not help the kids whose families who truly cannot afford the, to send their kids to a Woodward Academy.

401. 2:52:03

     In addition to that, when you look at these guidelines that, uh, are already in existence, if you were to look at the folks who qualify, folks in Randolph County who make $117,000 per year would be able to access these funds. Folks in Forsyth County, where the gentleman from the 27th, uh, represents, will be able to, uh, get access to these dollars, and they can make up to $459,000 per year.

402. 2:52:39

     So when folks say the minority party is opposed to school choice, we are not opposed to choice. We are opposed to just free money being thrown out to folks who do not need it. We are for educating students and improving academic performance. The gentleman from the 27th mentioned that there are many public schools that are accredited, and their scores are subpar. my question to him would be, well, what is the scores of the students who go to private schools?

403. 2:53:16

     Disclaimer: We don't know. There is no accountability on these dollars that are sent to these private schools. And so I'm gonna use this as a moment to do a shameless plug. I actually have a bill for that. Senate Bill 493 was introduced to put some accountability measures on schools that are accepting kids on the Promise Scholarship. If we are going to give money, public money, to students to go to private schools, we should expect to see some results from those schools.

404. 2:53:48

     Right now, we don't know how those students are performing. There was also mention of the Special Needs Scholarship. Once again, money is given without any accountability. There are parents that have taken advantage of the Special Needs Scholarship and they have complained that their private school is not honoring their child's IEP. So if we're going to give money to students who want to go to private schools, we should be expecting some results and some opportunity to know that they are being successful.

405. 2:54:26

     There are currently two million public school students in this state. This bill has a major flaw, and I would like to believe that it's a flaw and not on purpose. In line 72, it says, "Qualified school or program means a non-public elementary or secondary school." The federal law does not have that requirement. This bill is excluding 1.85 million students, because right now the federal law actually allows public school students to have access to this $1,700.

406. 2:55:07

     So we are going further than the federal government and saying, "You know what? We don't want our public school students to have access to this money, but yet we want to give students school choice." So what we're saying is we only want school choice and options for 185,000 kids. Well, s- let me correct that. 150,000 kids that are in private schools right now. That is a major problem. That is why we need to slow down.

407. 2:55:37

     We need to think about what we're doing and not get ahead of the federal government. Whether you agree with this or not, I would hope that you would agree that we should not, it be excluding students that the federal government is not excluding. The federal government is saying, "Hey, we want to give this to all kids." But what Georgia is saying like, "Nah, we wanna go a step further and just allow it for a select few." That is a major problem in this bill.

408. 2:56:08

     Finally, I want to address the fact that, you know, folks have mentioned that this is about school choice is personal. It is a personal decision for a child to be sent to a school and a parent to make that decision, but we also have to be smart about how we're doing it. It is our responsibility to make sure our students are learning. When we have 30% of kids reading on grade level and 70% not, I would believe that it's not just in our public school, folks.

409. 2:56:42

     This happens in our private schools, too. And so if we're gonna send money to private schools, we should know how our students are learning and what their academic outcomes are. And so it's not just that we just reflexively want to be against giving parents options. We want to be able to give options to the parents who truly need them. And I would argue that someone making $459,000 does not need additional government funds.

410. 2:57:13

     The ones who need it are the ones whose families are struggling to make ends meet. And so I strongly oppose this bill because what we're doing is we're saying to 1.85 million students who the federal government has said, "You know what? They can have access to these," Georgia is saying, "Nah, we just want 150,000 kids to have access to it." That is horribly flawed. So those public school students and their families who are listening, I want you to take note that our majority is saying that you should not have access to funds that your federal government is saying you should have access to.

411. 2:57:56

     And with that, Mr. President, I yield the will.

412. 2:58:05

     Senator from the 45th, would you like to close out debate? You're good? Okay.

413. 2:58:13

     Senator from the 31st, what purpose do you rise? Uh, parliamentary inquiry. State your inquiry. Mr. President, is it not true that the City of Atlanta Public Schools have 31, uh, failing schools? We've not heard, uh, any debate or policy position from the minority party of what they're doing with government dollars as they currently have from the state, the local government, and the feds to fix failing schools in their own districts or even statewide and hold local politicians accountable.

414. 2:58:43

     Senator, senator is passionate about what he speaks. Recognize the senator from the 12th. For what purpose do you rise, Senator? Mr., Mr. President, I would like to say, is it also not true that for the last couple of decades the State of Georgia has suffered miserably, dismally from a lack of leadership from the Department of Education? Thank you. The senator is, senator is, uh, passionate about what she speaks.

415. 2:59:17

     She is a ve- she is a wonderful former public educator herself. So recognize senator from the 14th. For what purpose do you rise? Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. President. State your inquiry. Mr. President, isn't it true that we hear a lot from the majority about failing schools or failing state government in general, but this chamber wants to blow a 50% hole in the state budget and the other chamber wants to eliminate homestead taxes entirely, which would be a quarter of APS's budget. So is it not true, Mr. President, that we are kicking them while they're down, these public schools?

416. 2:59:48

     Well, Senator, you're entitled to that opinion. I th- I think, I think, uh, I think the majority party dislikes individuals that choose how they spend their own money, I guess. But Senator from the 38th, for what purpose do you rise? Parliamentary inquiry. State your inquiry. Isn't it not true, Mr. President, that I failed to mention that we allocated funding for 21,000, uh, promise scholarships, but only 7,700 students, uh, have those scholarships today?

417. 3:00:19

     I'm proud 7,000 families have taken advantage of it, Senator. What purpose, uh, senator from the 35th, what purpose do you rise? Parliamentary inquiry. State your- Thank you, Mr. President. I'm just learning how fast things are moving through the Senate. Is it not true that the President of the United States will be here in two days? I think it's less than 24 hours, Senator. Thank you for the clarification.

418. 3:00:53

     All right. Senator from the 45th, you have the right to close if you so choose. All right, he waives the right. Is there objection to agreeing to the forward committee, which is favorable to the passage of the bill? Chair hears none. Forward committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered? Chair hears none. The main question is order. The question is on the passage of the bill. All those in favor of the bill will vote yay. Opposed, nay. Secretary will unlock the machine.

419. 3:02:34

     On the passage of the bill, the yays are 31, the nays are 21. And this bill, having received the requisite constitutional majority, has therefore passed. Once again, the majority party believes in individuals choosing w- choosing how their money is spent. I think it's the best thing for it. I don't think government's there to choose for us, so.

420. 3:03:01

     All right. Moving on. Senate Bill 462. Oh, hold on one second. Before we do that, I need to introduce our, our, our... We've got a new senator to welcome to the chamber here. Mr. Steven McNeel, come on up here. Steven McNeel. Steven McNeel just won a special election for Senate District 18.

421. 3:03:36

     S- Steven had a, uh, hard-fought, uh, jungle primary, where he had, uh, five, uh, Republicans and, uh, and, and one or two Democrats. I can't remember. I think maybe one Democrat. It went to a, uh, runoff and, uh, and Steven was able to win by a pretty large margin, but he, uh, he reigns from, uh, Macon, Georgia. He's got a beautiful family. He's a lawyer by trade. We won't hold that against him. And, uh, but, uh, he's gonna m- he's gonna make a fine senator and I'm gonna give him a, give him a few minutes to introduce himself to everybody.

422. 3:04:08

     So everybody welcome Steven McNeel. S-

423. 3:04:14

     Thank you, Lieutenant Governor. And thank y'all for having me. I just look forward to working with all these distinguished members of the Senate in this historical chamber. It's quite an honor just to be standing up here even and talking before you. Uh, look forward to getting to know each and every one of you and, and working towards proven and sound economic and legal principles, uh, to move Georgia forward. Thank you. All right. Good job. Good job. Good job. Good job.

424. 3:04:43

     We look forward to having the senator elect. Uh, probably he'll, we'll probably swear him in, uh, as soon as his election's certified by the end of the week, we'll swear him in first part of next week. So we're glad to have him. So Secretary, read the caption for Senate Bill 462. Senate Bill 462 by Senator Still of the 48th and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 20E of Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, the Surprise Billing Consumer Protection Act, so as to provide for insurance coverage for certain out-of-network ambulance transportation service.

425. 3:05:16

     To provide for the minimum allowable reimbursement rate for such service. To provide for maximum amounts on co-payments, co-insurance, or deductibles for such service. To provide for definitions, to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services recommends that this bill do pass. Respectfully submitted by Senator Watson, the first chairman. Mr. President, that completes the order.

426. 3:05:59

     Recognize senator from the 48th.

427. 3:06:13

     Thank you, Mr. President. You know, this is twice in as many days. I feel like I'm the cleanup batter to bring us all back together again, get everybody friends again, get a bill that we can all agree on. Senate Bill 462, this is our, uh-

428. 3:06:29

     Patient Consumer Protection Act with ambulances. As you all know, patients do not choose their ambulance in an emergency. This bill will prevent the runaway billing that, ah, sometimes occurs, unfair billing that occurs when people call 911, dispatch arrives, and they don't know what the bill is until after the fact. They don't get to choose who their ambulance provider is. This locks it in at a rate of three and a quarter times the Medicare rate.

429. 3:07:03

     So for simple math, basic life-saving would be around $250 on Medicare rate, so this would be three and a quarter times that, so about $800. Advanced life-saving is usually around 500 to 520. This would keep it capped at around 1,700. You all have constituents. You may even have friends and family that have billed thousands and thousands of dollars on it. This brings that number to something that the insurance companies will bring together with it.

430. 3:07:35

     Happy to answer any questions.

431. 3:07:37

     You have no questions, Senator.

432. 3:07:40

     Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the well. Gotcha.

433. 3:07:44

     Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Chair hears none. Is there objections to the previous question being ordered? Chair hears none. Previous question is ordered. Is there objection to agree to the poorer committee, which is favorable to the passage of the bill? Chair hears none. The poorer committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered? Chair hears none, and the main question is ordered. The question is on the passage of the bill. All those un- unless senator from 38, you need to do a report. You good? You sure?

434. 3:08:14

     I'm sure. Sure? All right, all right, all right. All those in favor of the bill, vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

435. 3:09:27

     On the passage of the bill, the yays are 51, the nays are one.

436. 3:09:37

     This bill having received requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed. What's wrong with the senator from the 26?

437. 3:09:47

     Recognize the majority leader.

438. 3:09:50

     I move that the Senate stand adjourned, Mr. President, until 10:00 AM Thursday, February 19th.

439. 3:09:56

     Majority leader has moved that the Senate stand adjourned until February 19, 10:00 AM. Secretary, read the announcements.

440. 3:10:07

     The Rules Committee will meet upon adjournment of the Senate in room 450 Capitol. The Public Safety Committee will meet at 1:30 in room 450 Capitol. The Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee meeting is canceled. The Finance Committee will meet at 3:00 PM in mezzanine one. The Health and Human Services Committee will meet at 4:00 PM in room 450 Capitol, and the State and Local Government Operations Committee will meet at 5:00 PM in mezzanine one. Mr. President, that completes the order.

441. 3:10:35

     Any other announcements? Hearing none, I remind everybody today marks day 20 of the legislative session, so we're, we're halfway done. So if you, uh, if you plan on getting any bills, is that a, senator, is that a... Are you making a motion, senator from the ninth? Yeah. You making a motion? The sign he done? You make- Yeah, I did that. So if you're gonna get any bills, uh, remember crossover is coming up very soon, so we're at the midway point right now.

442. 3:11:07

     So anyways, all those in favor of the majority leader's motion, signify by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed, no. No. The ayes clearly have it. Have a good night.