Georgia CommonsSenate Judiciary Committee, February 19, 2026
2025-2026 Regular Session · 307 CLOB · 19 min
This is a machine transcript of the General Assembly's video, made by a speech-recognition model. It is not an official record and can mishear words, names, and numbers. Speakers are not identified. The video is the record: every timestamp links to the moment it plays.
The video is the General Assembly's, played from its Vimeo channel. Select any time below to play that moment. Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Agenda
Summary
Written by an AI model (gpt-6.1-sol) from the transcript. It is not part of the record, and the video is what was said.
The committee unanimously approved SB 443 by committee substitute and sent it to Rules. The chair said a subcommittee had already heard testimony and that the substitute addressed most concerns raised by committee members and speakers. No members asked questions, debated the bill or offered amendments during this meeting.
Bills discussed (1)
Each account covers the stretch of the meeting it names. The bill's number is said in that stretch, unless it was the only bill on a committee's agenda.
SB 443. Offenses Against Public Order; the punishment for the offense of obstructing highways, streets, sidewalks, or other public passages; increase
From 0:14:11 · turns 4 to 10
The chair brought forward a substitute for SB 443, noting that the sponsor was chairing another committee and that testimony had already been heard in subcommittee. The chair said the substitute addressed most concerns raised by committee members and people who spoke on the bill, although some committee opposition might remain. The chair identified the working substitute as LC492642S but did not explain its provisions or changes. No members asked questions or offered discussion or amendments. A member moved to approve the bill by committee substitute, another member seconded, and the committee approved it unanimously. The chair announced that the bill would move to Rules.
Transcript
11 turns. Select a time to play that moment of the video.
- 0:13:20
Trying to find a quorum, and everybody's balancing different committees, and so let's start, though, with a word of prayer. Anybody feeling inspired on the committee? Nobody will look me in the eye. Oh, Senator Still, you up to say a word of prayer?
- 0:13:37
Please bow your heads. Heavenly Father, thank you that we have a day when the non-lawyers outnumber the lawyers in Senate Judiciary. We ask for wisdom and discernment as we decide the fates of the legal community without using a law degree to do so. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
- 0:13:51
Now, my- we're trying to teach my kids to say the blessing, and sometimes, you know, we get in trouble, we forget. And, but my youngest son will get mad, "I'm ready to eat," so I'll ask him to say it. He just says it really, really fast, and he has, like, a speed version of it. I thought that's what you were gonna do today, but-
- 0:14:04
No, just old
- 0:14:05
... said you had the sarcasm. It's worse. Um, the- so we have one bill on the counter today. It's to substitute Senate Bill 443 that was already in subcommittee. Senator Summers is currently across the street chairing the Banking Committee, and I was just with him, and he's gonna continue chairing that. But we have a lot of bills still to get through in the next week and a half, so we're gonna go and move forward today with action on this bill. Again, we've already took testimony in, in subcommittee. Um, Subcommittee Chairman Hatchett was gonna give an update on that, what I was told.
- 0:14:36
He's presenting a bill as well, but I was told that there was some concerns raised from the committee and also those who spoke on the bill that I believe, um, for the most part were addressed with this substitute. I think there may still be some opposition to the bill from the committee in talking with members, but I think we got to a place where it seemed like most people were comfortable with the substitute. Does anybody from the committee have any questions on the substitute working off of LC492642S?
- 0:15:06
Well, this will be the appropriate time to take action on the bill, then we can have discussion on the bill. Is there... What's the pleasure of the committee?
- 0:15:14
Motion to pass.
- 0:15:14
Motion to pass, Senator Bearden, a second from Senator Still by committee substitute. Any discussion from the committee? All right. Any amendments? Hearing no discussion, hearing no amendments. This will be the fastest Judiciary Committee hearing in history. I'll slow down, because I don't want to set a record. All those in favor of the motion, please raise your hand. Well, we did work out the concerns. That's unanimous. So, Senator Summers, probably would not done as well if it was just him here, so we'll tell him-
- 0:15:45
It would have been way longer.
- 0:15:46
Yeah, yeah. So, Senate Bill 443 by committee substitute will move on to Rules. That is all the business we have today. But remember, Monday is a committee day, and so we will have our committee hearing at the usual time, which I believe is 4:00 on Monday, and we an- we'll anticipate a very busy subcommittee so we can be ready for full committee later in the week next week. Unless somebody has anything else, with that, we are adjourned. Thank you.