--- title: House Regulated Industries Committee, March 5, 2026 collection: meetings id: 2026-03-05/house-regulated-industries cite_as: House Regulated Industries Committee, March 5, 2026, video https://vimeo.com/1170692983 (machine transcript by Georgia Commons) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-05/house-regulated-industries md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-05/house-regulated-industries.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-05/house-regulated-industries/text source_url: https://vimeo.com/1170692983 date: 2026-03-05 status: machine transcript corpus_version: meetings-2026-10-23-8c15ead0f18d license: Machine transcript and summaries by Georgia Commons from the General Assembly's public video; the video stays on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-05.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-05/house-governmental-affairs.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-05/house-rules.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/index.md chamber: House body: House Regulated Industries Committee body_url: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/house-regulated-industries.md meeting_kind: committee session: 2025-2026 Regular Session start_time: 2026-03-05T10:30:00-05:00 location: 515 CLOB duration_seconds: 1825.0 video_id: 1170692983 video_title: 3.5.26 Regulated Industries agenda_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/agendas/house/Regulated Industries%2F3.5.26 Agenda.pdf bills_discussed: - HB 1254 - HB 1385 summaries_model: gpt-6.1-sol transcript_turns: 76 --- # House Regulated Industries Committee, March 5, 2026 House Regulated Industries Committee; March 5, 2026; 2025-2026 Regular Session. Video, on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel: https://vimeo.com/1170692983. Agenda: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/agendas/house/Regulated Industries%2F3.5.26 Agenda.pdf. > 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. ## Summary written by Georgia Commons Written by gpt-6.1-sol from the transcript below. It is not part of the record. Quote the transcript or the video, not the summary. The committee reconsidered two bills returned to it. The sponsor of [HB 1254](https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1254) presented a corrected version combining changes previously approved by the committee, and the committee approved it by voice vote. The sponsor of [HB 1385](https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1385) presented revisions addressing earlier concerns about court access, license suspensions and fines. Members also asked about elevator inspections and challenges to the insurance commissioner’s decisions. The outcome for [HB 1385](https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1385) is unclear: the chair announced that the noes prevailed, but then said the bill could go to Rules. ## Bills discussed (2) Each account was written by gpt-6.1-sol from the stretch of the transcript it names. The bill's number is said in that stretch, unless it was the only bill on a committee's agenda. ### HB 1254. Professions and businesses; move regulation of various professions from individual boards to Secretary of State [HB 1254](https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1254) (2025-2026 Regular Session). From [0:20:08](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1208s), turns 3 to 6. The sponsor said the corrected professional licensing substitute combined changes approved February 24 with nine amendments concerning geologists and cemeterians approved March 3. The sponsor explained that those nine amendments had mistakenly been added to an earlier version of the bill. The chair said the correction did not change the bill’s substance and did not reopen debate. The committee approved the bill by voice vote, with the chair declaring that the ayes prevailed. ### HB 1385. Fire protection and safety; improve government efficiency by updating provisions of office of the Safety Fire Commissioner [HB 1385](https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1385) (2025-2026 Regular Session). From [0:21:45](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1305s), turns 15 to 73. The sponsor presented a substitute addressing concerns from the previous meeting. The sponsor said it removed a provision striking Administrative Procedure Act language, retained local superior courts rather than requiring Fulton County Superior Court, and removed language allowing manufactured-housing license suspensions based on a sufficient number of serious complaints, which members had considered too discretionary. The sponsor said it also reduced the commercial-property smoke-alarm fine from $250 to $100 and a manufacturing inspection fine from $250 to $150. Asked about elevators, the presenters confirmed that third parties could review and inspect initial plans, elevators and renewals. Another member asked why local superior courts were retained and whether travel would burden the department’s legal staff. A department representative said these cases generally involved challenges to the commissioner’s actions, making the department the defendant. The representative said the department accepted local courts and was working to expand its legal staff. Asked about frequency, the representative estimated fewer than two dozen cases annually, without an exact count, and said the department generally tried to resolve issues before litigation. A motion to pass received a second and a voice vote. The chair announced that the noes prevailed, then said the bill could go to Rules, leaving the outcome unclear. ## Transcript (76 turns) [0:19:19](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1159s) Well, good morning. Good morning. Oh, there you go. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Quick meeting today. We've had two bills that's been recommitted. Um, one was for some clerical errors and misprints. I want to call up, uh, Representative Reeves, if you would, and just tell us very quickly what was the problem. The content of the bill hasn't changed. [0:19:49](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1189s) That's right. [0:19:50](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1190s) It's just some of the language, it was... It, it's not a scrivener's error, but it was an error in the printing of the bill, where some of the language was put over into the wrong sections. [0:20:02](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1202s) Thank you, Mr. Chairman, committee members, and Ms. Jan for all your work on 1254. Here's what we got. LC 560646S, it combines the changes that, that you made on February 24th with the one, the nine changes you made for the geologists and cemeterians on March the 3rd. So, uh, the nine amendments you did at the last meeting were put into a previous version of the bill, um, erroneously, and this corrects that, and I appreciate you hearing it again on professional licensing. [0:20:31](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1231s) All right. Do we have any questions of any of the committee members on that? I'm not gonna read debate the bill, but, uh, and I think everybody knows what the intent of everything was. If not, what's the will of the committee? Make a motion due pass. We have a motion due pass. Do we have a second? Second. Do we have any further discussion? And hopefully no amendments. If not, all in favor say, "Aye." Aye. Ayes have it. [0:20:59](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1259s) Thank you so much. [0:20:59](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1259s) Oh, I'm sorry. Any nays? The ayes clearly have it. Need more? You'll give me, uh... Do we have any of the sheets? Go back to... [0:21:18](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1278s) Representative Reeves, have you got a sheet with you, or do I need to- [0:21:21](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1281s) Mr. Chair, it's gonna put Colton Moore out of business if we don't get elected. The auctioneer, is that what it was? [0:21:27](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1287s) Yeah. [0:21:27](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1287s) We, uh, knew my predecessor, of course, Colton was an auctioneer, and, uh, I think, I think they're sold on this. [0:21:35](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1295s) Yeah, yeah. [0:21:36](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1296s) Hey, he's saying, "Number 45 with it." [0:21:40](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1300s) All right, next up. [0:21:41](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1301s) Appreciate it. Thank you. [0:21:43](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1303s) Next up we have House Bill 1385. [0:21:49](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1309s) There were- A little concerned. There were a little concerns on this bill, and, uh, I don't think it was, was through no action of the author or the department. But, uh, there's some, some things that just, that had scratched the scab on the wrong members, several wrong members, and I think they'll have addressed that with all those members. So if you would, let's move on. T- tell us about your bill now. [0:22:13](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1333s) Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and we do appreciate the comments and the guidance we got, we received from the last, uh, uh, committee meeting, and hopefully we've addressed all those issues. Uh, the, the new... Uh, obviously we have a sub LC 560642S is the new one that we're working off of. And I wanna, uh... I know we went through the bill pretty extensively last time, so I wanna first to just address these five, five changes that were made, uh, that was recommendation, recommendations and guidance from the committee. Number one, uh, we removed the code section that struck the Georgia, uh, Administrative APA, APA Act. [0:22:50](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1370s) We, we struck that, uh, section from, uh, the previous bill. We also had a lot of, uh, talk, uh, communication last committee meeting on the, on the, uh, Superior Court of Fulton County. Um, and we have changed that to just Superior Court, which makes it consistent with the current law, um, and the petition procedure that's in place now. The third s- section that we changed, uh, was, was brought up by Representative, um, Dubnik on, uh... [0:23:22](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1402s) We removed the section that required the complaints of a sufficient number. Uh, folks felt like that sufficient number was just too, you know, too loose, um, too much discretion. We removed that whole section out of the bill, um, that said, that talked about the sufficient number and of a serious nature to trigger a license suspension and, and relocation of the manufactured housing space. So we took that, we stripped that section out. Uh, we also decreased the fine from the commercial property, uh, not having smoke alarms. [0:23:52](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1432s) There was some communication about that. Um, it was $250. It was 15, it was 250. We changed that back. We dropped that back to $100 in the sub, so $100 fine for that. And we also decreased the inspection fine from the previous bill, uh, while they were being manufactured from $250 back to $150. And I'm pretty sure that was all the communication that we had received at the last meeting. I think we checked most of all the boxes, but we'll be, uh, open to questions. [0:24:25](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1465s) And I really appreciate Bryce that's with us today. He's put a lot of, lot of work in on this bill, uh, working between this committee and, and the insurance commissioner to hopefully get it right. So that's the changes. [0:24:41](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1481s) Give us just a second to- [0:24:43](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1483s) Okay. [0:24:52](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1492s) All right. Chairman Carpenter. [0:24:55](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1495s) Thank you. I appreciate your work on this bill, uh, and I understand what you're trying to do. I just wanted to have a, a point of clarity, 'cause I know we had this conversation, but I, I definitely want it on the record that we had a conversation about elevators. And, uh, we've been notified by the Department of, uh, Insurance that, um, we can, you can in fact have a third party, um, review and, uh, inspect an initial elevator plan, an elevator as well as a renewal. [0:25:26](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1526s) Is that correct? [0:25:27](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1527s) Yes. [0:25:27](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1527s) Thank you. [0:25:28](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1528s) That's correct. [0:25:37](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1537s) Representative Draper. [0:25:50](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1550s) Thank you, Chairman. Um, could you please refer me to the line where it talks about the Superior Court, and can you tell me how you arrived at that decision? [0:25:58](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1558s) Yes. [0:25:58](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1558s) Thank you. [0:26:01](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1561s) 94. [0:26:03](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1563s) So, uh, page number four, uh, should be line number, uh, 84. Uh, so it's gonna be section 16 in the bill. Uh, that is where, uh, we, we previously had that as a Superior Court of Fulton County. Uh, I know that the, the committee spoke about, uh, convenience, uh, as a matter of where this, the, the court jurisdiction was chosen. [0:26:23](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1583s) Mm-hmm. [0:26:23](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1583s) Uh, so we just decided, uh, it would be best practice to get this bill moving just to keep it with current law, which is just your, your local superior court. [0:26:31](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1591s) Okay. Sorry, what page is that? [0:26:33](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1593s) Uh, I have it on page four. Uh, section 16, lines number... Sections, uh, uh, lines number 76 to, to 90, page four. [0:26:44](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1604s) Am I looking at the wrong bill? [0:26:46](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1606s) It's on 84. [0:26:48](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1608s) Right there. [0:26:49](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1609s) It's the thin bill right there to your right. [0:26:51](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1611s) Okay. [0:26:52](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1612s) Page nine. [0:26:53](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1613s) It's on page nine as well, but right there, Superior Court. [0:26:56](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1616s) Page four. It's on line 84. [0:26:59](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1619s) I guess my question is, for these actions, uh, what percent more or less is the state the plaintiff, and what percent more or less is the state the defendant? [0:27:08](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1628s) Oh, well, typically, uh, this is if you are aggrieved by an action of the commissioner, so I would say we would most likely be the defendant in most of these cases. Uh, if there are... It's not likely that we are going after, with this code section, uh, that we are going after someone else. This is if, if you've been aggrieved by an action of our office. [0:27:27](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1647s) So m- you know, the concern that I heard from you last time was that your department is small. There's only so many people in the legal department. To have you go to 159 superior courts would be a burden, uh, on the resources in your office. Um, do you maintain that concern, or is that concern alleviated with the language that we have in the bill now? [0:27:49](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1669s) The, our, our position, we are fine with the language as, as the bill's in here. Uh, we are actively working to increase our staffing in our legal team, uh, so we can continue, uh, alleviating that issue. But for the sake of this bill, where we currently are with, with this committee, uh, we, we are okay with it just being the local superior court. [0:28:05](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1685s) Thank you. [0:28:08](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1688s) Representative McCollum. [0:28:10](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1690s) So, um, to follow up on, on, on their, um, her, on her question, h- how many do you think there have been, uh, that's been taken to the superior court? How, how, how many does it, does it get to that place, do you think? [0:28:27](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1707s) Uh, just do you have timeline- [0:28:29](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1709s) Say, a year [0:28:29](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1709s) ... on this year? [0:28:30](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1710s) Yeah. [0:28:31](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1711s) Uh, frankly, I would say it's probably less than a couple dozen, uh, that, that have gone up to that level. [0:28:36](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1716s) Okay. [0:28:36](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1716s) And it's, it's not the most frequent thing that happens. Uh- [0:28:39](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1719s) That- [0:28:39](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1719s) So I don't have an exact number for you today. [0:28:40](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1720s) Okay. Well, I, I guess w- that's where I was going. It's just not very often, correct? [0:28:45](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1725s) Yeah, mo- most of the time, uh, we, we try our best to work with the individuals that are there, uh, before we have to get to the level where we get, you know, lawyers on both sides involved and, and involving more of the judicial circuit's time. [0:28:55](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1735s) Right. Okay. That's, that was my question. I, I just thought it w- was probably not very often anyway. Thank you. [0:29:03](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1743s) All right. I don't see any other questions up here. Is there anyone out there that, uh, wants to make a comment or anoint this bill or otherwise? That's even better. All right. I don't see any other questions of the committee. What's the will of the committee? Motion to pass. We have a motion. [0:29:26](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1766s) Second. [0:29:26](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1766s) We have a second. Any further discussion? Any proposals? Any amendments? If not, all in favor say aye. [0:29:33](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1773s) Aye. [0:29:34](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1774s) Opposed? The noes clearly have it. [0:29:38](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1778s) Thank you. [0:29:38](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1778s) And this bill can go to rules with all the other stuff. Ladies and gentlemen, this is, uh, this is all the business that we have today. I want to thank y'all for taking time to come out, and, uh, you know, we'll reconvene at a later date. [0:29:56](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1796s) Yeah. [0:29:56](https://vimeo.com/1170692983#t=1796s) Get some rest for tomorrow. Thank y'all. This meeting's adjourned.