House Health Committee, March 9, 2026

Transcript

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1. 0:07:03

   There's a sign-up sheet at the end of that table for those of you who wanna speak to a bill.

2. 0:13:00

   All right, we got a quorum. Okay. Um, first up, we're gonna have Senator Harbin with Senate Bill 399. Floor is yours.

3. 0:13:12

   All right. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. An honor to be here. Uh, SB 399 is a, um, a bill that, uh, I started only really about a year and a half ago, uh, with, uh, my constituent here, Scott Sells, and, uh, it's called the Mason Sells AED Coordination Act. And, uh, I wanna first... I, I need to also just thank Georgia Emergency Management, um, uh, and Homeland Security Agency. They have helped us put this thing together, uh, from that standpoint, and I'm gonna let him tell the story.

4. 0:13:44

   But basically, what this is, is that if you can imagine you ride down the road and your car is running low on gas, and it pops up and tells you where the nearest gas station is. Uh, you, uh, pull it up on a map, and you can find out where the next Chick-fil-A is, wherever you wanna go. Well, this is one in which is the locations of AEDs, uh, is not as easy. And, um, my constituent's son passed away because we could not find an AED properly.

5. 0:14:14

   And so what this bill does, it takes 911 services and takes the AEDs and is a coordination bill so that when you call 911, they know where the closest AED is. Right now, they will teach you or walk you through a, what they call cell phone CPR, but they're not doing the training on the AEDs nor the locations. And what this bill does, it brings the locations so that when you call 911, they will know where the closest AED is.

6. 0:14:45

   And then that, I did not know as I've gotten into this more and more, CPR's great, but that's not what you need. You need the AED to get your heart beating and started again, and that's what this bill is really about. Um, I wanna, I wanna allow Scott to tell the story on it, because I b- I believe his courage, he brought it to me, and I just sat there and thought about it and thought about it, and thought about all the technology and all that we have today, and I believe that we can make some differences, and it makes differences in the lives of the people that we see around us as far as that.

7. 0:15:21

   And so s- uh, with that, Mr. Chairman, uh, I don't know whether you would like Scott to, to start, or you have other questions.

8. 0:15:30

   If... I see no questions for you.

9. 0:15:33

   Okay.

10. 0:15:33

    You, you may do some after Scott.

11. 0:15:35

    Okay.

12. 0:15:35

    But you go ahead and speak.

13. 0:15:37

    Yes, sir. Uh, thank you all for, uh, hearing me today. Um, who is Mason Sells? First off, he's the handsome young man in that photograph held by that beautiful lady back there. Uh, Mason is our firstborn child, our son, born September 23rd, 2003, returned to sender to September 23rd, 2024, one week shy of his 21st birthday. Mason was a strong-willed child, teenager, and young adult. His high expectations not only applied to others, but also himself, and he was not shy about letting it be known when they were not met.

14. 0:16:11

    Mason loved life, animals, reptiles, venomous or not, skylines, and sunsets. We don't know if he loved sunrises or not. As much as he loved sleep, we're not sure if he was ever awake for one of those. He loved clothes, shoes, cars. Mason loved his family, the holidays, Thanksgiving was his favorite, his friends, his brothers at ATO, his girlfriend, Laura Grace. Mason enjoyed all sports, baseball, football, basketball, shotgun, and soccer, soccer being the sport that he played the most. He had a natural talent for the game he loved, and when he turned 16, he was able to join me on my men's indoor soccer team, and we were able to share a couple seasons playing on the same pitch, memories I will cherish forever, however long my forever is.

15. 0:16:50

    Mason was on honor roll throughout his academic career, landing himself on the president's list while at, on the accounting track at a challenging university, and was employed at The Brick, a restaurant in downtown Macon. Mason is our son, brother to his sister, Abigail, trusted friend, and loyal boyfriend, but now he is all those things from the distant shores of heaven. Mason's forever has come. What is an AED? An AED is an automated external defibrillator, an easy-to-use, safe, reliable tool to provide the necessary electrical current needed to restart a stopped heart or life-threatening irregular heartbeat.

16. 0:17:23

    What happened? Monday, September 23rd, 2024, Mason joined his teammates at the university's outdoor recreational complex to play an intramural soccer match. At some point during the match, Mason was struck in the chest by a ball, and the timing of the hit intersected with a certain 20-millisecond moment of everyone's heartbeat to cause commotio cordis, a concussion of the heart. Mason collapsed on the pitch, striking his forehead on the turf. Unable to protect himself during the fall, the earth stopped, but the clock kept ticking. With every passing second, Mason's earthly life slipped away.

17. 0:17:56

    The earth stopped, but the clock doesn't. April 10th, 2023, 17 months earlier, at the same university outdoor recreational complex, a scholarship university player named Baba collapsed due to a sudden cardiac arrest. After failed attempts at CPR and no AED present or provided, Baba was transported by ambulance to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:48 PM. 17 months later, our Mason laid on the same soccer pitch, and even though it appears an AED was purchased at some point, it was located in a locked office, protecting it from theft instead of protecting the players.

18. 0:18:30

    No staff member on site having knowledge of its ac- or access to it. After attempts at CPR and a long wait, EMTs arrived and implement the shock needed. A short ride to the hospital, our boys forever was pronounced. Same field, same school, same sport, same outcome 17 months later. Two sides of the same coin. There was three sudden cardiac arrests that occurred in Macon that same weekend. You just heard Mason's story from September 23rd. Baba's 17 months prior. Two days earlier, Saturday, September 21st, a 23-year-old cross country runner collapsed during a meet after a sudden cardiac arrest, pronounced dead, same hospital, 10:30 AM.

19. 0:19:11

    The opposite side of the same coin, same day, Saturday, September 21st, during a home football tame- a home football game against Citadel, there was a player who collapsed, a sudden cardiac arrest. Immediate care was provided and use of an AED, and Khalil Moody was revived, transported to that same hospital where he made a full recovery. Three events, two different outcomes, one big difference: the presence, accessibility, and use of an AED quickly. Did you know... These questions are rhetorical because I do recognize I'm speaking to the Senate, uh, the, the House Safety Committee, so your answers might be yes.

20. 0:19:46

    But did you know that the commotio cordis is the same thing that many sports fans witnessed happen to Damar Hamlin on the football field playing for the Buffalo Bills? Did you know that sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death for student athletes until the age of twenty-five? Did you know that if you or someone you love suffers from a sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital, your chance of survival without an AED present and administered is less than eight percent? Did you know that if an AED is placed on a chest within one minute, the success rate is ninety percent?

21. 0:20:17

    Did you know that if an AED is used within three minutes, the success rate is still sixty percent and goes down ten percent every minute after that? Did you know that at the, the university's outdoor recreational complex, there was an AED less than one minute away from Mason, but for the ignorance to its location and the locked door of the office? Did you know that Mason laid there for thirteen minutes, and once EMTs applied the necessary shock, the AED brought that they, that they, that the EMTs brought with them, a faint heartbeat was obtained, but lost on the way to hospital. Can you guess if a faint heartbeat was obtained at thirteen minutes after he was struck, what's the likelihood of survival outcome if it, it was used within one minute?

22. 0:20:56

    What is our goal? Our goal is to help close the gap between AED's presence, accessibility, and use by ensuring staff members are knowledgeable and 911 dispatchers are aware of AED locations and accessibility so that fast and effective treatment can be used in addition to CPR that reduces brain damage and deaths to sudden cardiac arrest. How does the Mason Sells AED Coordination Act, Senate Bill 399, accomplish those goals? AEDs are being installed in more and more places these days, but common citizens are ignorant to their locations, accessibility, and their usage in the event of an emergency.

23. 0:21:28

    While CPR and AED training is widely available, few answer that call. 911 operators having information about the closest AED and its accessibility and how to coach someone through using it could be the difference between life and death. We know this firsthand as an AED was within one minute of our son, yet he was not shocked for thirteen.

24. 0:21:48

    That's the immediate impact, but that is just the start. What about the ripple effect? After losing Mason, I had different ideas about hiring engineers to help me build a better, smarter, trackable AED, realizing that universities likely lock it away to protect it from theft instead of protecting the students. What if all AEDs had air tags with GPS function? If you pass the Senate Bill 399, I won't need to do that anymore. This act will start n- with 911 receiving rudimentary maps that they'll turn into digital images and file away for access in the event of emergency.

25. 0:22:19

    But it will grow into... Well, what will it grow into as the ripples catch up to your decision? 911 services and AED manufacturers will begin to coordinate as well. Technology will improve as, and soon all AEDs will be manufactured having trap- trackable functions, providing confidence to corporations so they don't lock them away and providing faster AED access during an emergency. I envision these locations will end up on an app somewhere and be shared in real time to a caller by either voice or dropping a pin that would work with Google Maps and Waze.

26. 0:22:49

    This technology already exists. The Mason Sells AED Coordination Act, Senate Bill 399, will provide the jolt that's needed to change the entire AED industry, making it even better. In closing, I can't save Mason.

27. 0:23:06

    I can't help him anymore. But I don't want any more Mason stories. I want more Moody stories. I wanna read you something I wrote that highlights our grief, uh, and a comparison with the two-sided coin for the Camil- Khalil Moody's family. I wrote this one y- on the one-year anniversary of Mason's homegoing. September 23rd. Happy heavenly birthday, question mark? Is today Mason's birthday? No, it's September 29th, but I'm trying to figure out how to memorialize September 23rd. On September 29th, Mason opened his eyes into this world, and that's his birthday.

28. 0:23:39

    On September 23rd, he opened his eyes in heaven. Is that your heavenly birthday, son? The day you were born into heaven? Was our worst day your best? I don't know, but that's what I believe. The morning of September 23rd, our daughter Abigail was planning Mason's upcoming birthday post, and she walked to class, and she was imagining her caption that she would write for Mason's birthday, and she said, "Happy heavenly birthday," in it. Less than twelve hours later, Mason stepped into eternity. Should we be saying happy heavenly birthday to you today, the day you went to heaven? After a heartbreaking phone call, an excruciating hour-and-a-half drive, and a wait in a small hospital room, the di- doctor finally walked in and asked, "Did Mason have any heart conditions that you know of?" Past tense.

29. 0:24:20

    We knew what was coming next. At that moment, I was told I would never see your face again.

30. 0:24:27

    I would never hug your body again. I would never feel your hair. I will never hear you laugh again. Never listen to your obnoxious car spit and sputter and backfire as you engine brake approaching our driveway again. Never attend your college graduation. Never watch you stand anxiously waiting at the end of an aisle. I'll never hold your babies. I was told that our time together one year ago yesterday would have to be our last. I daydream about the writings of the Moody family. Khalil, son, buddy, a year ago today our lives were changed forever.

31. 0:25:01

    You opened your eyes as if for the first time you were reborn and back into our arms. I can't wait to give you a hug and feel your hair in my hand. Oh, to hear you laugh from the other room. The exciting feeling in my stomach when Life360 pings and says, "Khalil's home." I look forward to watching your college graduation, but nothing will bring me more joy than to watch you standing at the end of a aisle awaiting your future wife. I can't wait to kiss the cheeks of your newborn babies. I can't express enough how eternally grateful we are that one year ago today, yesterday was not our last.

32. 0:25:32

    One coin, two sides, one major difference: time. Our world stopped, but the clock keeps ticking.

33. 0:25:41

    I want to thank you for that. It was very special, and you have our condolences. This c- committee, this House, the Senate, and the governor signed an AED bill that we worked on a couple years ago that puts AEDs through K through 12 schools. Also, they established strike teams, and they're, they, um, do CPR including AEDs. They're trained twice a year, one bench, one hands-on. So we're working toward this and, and, um, I appreciate you bringing this to us.

34. 0:26:11

    We have a number of folks that want to, uh, speak to you. Uh, Chairman Newton.

35. 0:26:17

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and once again, thank you to the sponsor and to you and your, your family. And, uh, I'm so sorry for the loss, but I appreciate the fact that you're trying to prevent other Georgians from having the same loss. I know I'm an emergency physician. My first day here, I've had to ask, "Where's the AED?" Because I knew what's gonna happen if somebody passes out, but it wasn't just passing out. And at the time, it was in the cloakroom of the, of the doorkeepers. It was pretty well hidden under some coats and in the back, because they were $4,000 or $5,000. People were worried about the...

36. 0:26:48

    So I'm glad that now the price is under $2,000. That's a big step forward. But I really love the bill that... Because if you don't know where it is, now we have one in the ante rooms and different places to where, you know, it's, it's the old saying, you know, "You call 911, you go do this, that, and the other," as a CPR specialist. But, um, but I love the idea that we're gonna equip- uh, I love the Air Tag idea, but, but the fact is we're gonna say part of owning one of these and having it available. I know Chairman Hawkins has expanded them vastly through both the universities and K through 12, I believe, and trying to get them on the sports fields.

37. 0:27:21

    So I think this is an all-hands-on-deck thing, and I just, I appreciate the wisdom behind this bill that it gets it to the person we're gonna call. When we call 911 and try to get somebody on the way there, it's gonna help us until they get there. And of course, I've been on the other end of them when they got to them soon and when they haven't. And so thank you for, uh, taking this time to do this for so many other Georgians. Thank you.

38. 0:27:43

    Thank you.

39. 0:27:43

    Thank you. Representative Mitchell.

40. 0:27:45

    Yeah. I thank, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and, uh, do wanna thank the senator, and, uh, grateful to be able to one day say that I supported, uh, this bill. The question I have is, when an average person c- comes to use the AED, there is no 911 available, is there protocol established for that? You know, there's some Good Samaritan laws for those that wanna do the best that they can under the circumstances. I don't see anything that grabs that i- in this legislation.

41. 0:28:18

    As I understand it, excuse me, as I understand, many of them have instructions to the AED that are there. Some actually talk, I understand. You press a button and it walks you through the process. Here, what we think is the 911 operator would have training on how to d- to do it on a remote basis, 'cause let's face it, when you call 911, you don't have time to read and don't have time. You need somebody to say, "Do this, do that." And that's our purpose, is to have them trained, and that was one of the parts that we had to go through with Georgia Emergency Management, is to make sure they were trained in how to use the AED, not just CPR.

42. 0:28:53

    And so, uh, I think that w- it gets, it gets us there. And, and when I say this, Scott has done a lot of research because of what happened, and I mean, he's been a great resource. And, uh, you think about what we have today. I've got Air Tags, I've got things of that nature. And on our college campuses, that could be done, and it could be done-

43. 0:29:13

    Very good

44. 0:29:13

    ... easily, I believe.

45. 0:29:14

    Very good. So this-

46. 0:29:15

    And if I could address you as well.

47. 0:29:16

    Mm-hmm.

48. 0:29:17

    I, I heard another part of that, which was about the Good Samaritan law and things like that. How does that protect the end user? I think the Good Samaritan law would still apply to the end user.

49. 0:29:25

    Okay.

50. 0:29:26

    I think there's even language in there about, uh, of some of that. Uh, but to highlight what, uh, Senator Harbin was saying, I bought an AED since this. One rides around in my truck with me, and of course, I wanted to use it and, uh, see how it functions before ending up in that situation. And it does. It talks to you the whole way through. It tells you, "Put this sticky pad here, put this sticky pad there. Start chest compressions." Then it'll say, "I have a shockable rhythm. Uh, step back and press the lightning bolt." And you do that, and you press the lightning bolt, and then it says, tells you to resume. And so it's, it's amazing how user-friendly these items are, um, uh, and, and how quickly somebody would be able to get that information.

51. 0:30:02

    And the, the thing that I've realized is, is that most people won't recognize where one is. You did because of your profession. But you and I walking down a sidewalk, sometimes there'll be an AED sign mounted to the outside of the building, and it'll say it's inside this hallway by a bathroom. Um, most people pass that and never think of it. But you might get 100 yards away, I collapse while we're walking after having lunch together, you call 911. They can tell you it's right inside that hallway leading to the public bathrooms. That, that right there will be what brings someone back to life that wouldn't have but for 911 knowing it was there.

52. 0:30:33

    'Cause the passerby won't know it. Or if they are conscious of those things, in the moment of an emergency, they won't think of it.

53. 0:30:40

    Representative Stinson.

54. 0:30:42

    Thank you.

55. 0:30:42

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

56. 0:30:44

    Uh-huh.

57. 0:30:44

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and my sincere condolences to you and your family on your passing of your son, Mason. And thank you for your work on this, on this bill. And I represent a lot of rural communities, so, uh, I, I like this bill, but I'm just thinking about- my rural communities down deep Dooley County, you know, if something like this should happen, a situation happen. Help me to understand. So these 911 operators, you know, they will, they will know where to tell someone where a defibrillator is located in deep rural Dooley County or Macon County or Taylor County?

58. 0:31:22

    And I also have Fort Valley State and Georgia Southwestern State University in my district.

59. 0:31:27

    It would take, it's gonna take a process to g- get them mapped out. I mean, I, I went to some of the college university websites, and they have them laid out that you can, I can look at them. But we found out that 911 operators didn't know that they were all listed sometime. There was just a chart that the college had put up there. So what this would is, it really puts a formal process with Georgia Emergency Management and putting the 911 folks together where they would know where they are. And like I said, I think even s- Scott's idea of the air tags and things of that nature, that's something even our manufacturers might come out and, hey, he may start something.

60. 0:32:04

    But I really think this is something that needs to be looked at, and, and actually are more important in the rural counties-

61. 0:32:10

    Mm-hmm

62. 0:32:10

    ... than they are anywhere else, because healthcare or health, uh, treatment is further away. And so I think it's a great start to get it started.

63. 0:32:19

    Representative Jones.

64. 0:32:20

    Okay. I'd like to learn more.

65. 0:32:22

    Thank you.

66. 0:32:23

    Yes, ma'am. Thank you.

67. 0:32:25

    Thank you. I'm sorry, uh, to hear about Mason. My question has to do with if you call 911 and they tell you the location of the nearest AED, because of the ones at the school that was in a locked room, were they in a locked room to prevent someone from stealing them?

68. 0:32:47

    No.

69. 0:32:47

    So what happens if you call 911 and they tell you a location and the AED is not there because someone has taken it? What will we do then?

70. 0:32:59

    I would say we have second choices because we know where all the AEDs are on a college campus, so there's a, a secondary opportunity. And I think that's where just making people aware of where they are is a major, major deal because somebody can go get it while somebody else is doing CPR, and that's the part that I see. We can't prevent theft from everything. I wish we could. Uh, but I think this is a start where we at least have them mapped out, we know where they are, and we have some training on the 911 operators because as I understand it, I'm not a doctor, the CPR can extend the timeframe until we can get there with the A- AED and get the heart back and, and pu- pumping as far as that.

71. 0:33:42

    And, uh, to follow up, I'm wondering if during the games that, that are being held, if we are encouraging the s- high schools or colleges to unlock the room that house the AED just in case they need them during the game.

72. 0:33:59

    We certainly should be. I will say K through 12 has got this quite a bit figured out. Obviously, it sounds like due to much of your hard work already, it's missing in the college aspect. One of the things I've left out of this, I, I have for another piece where I do want to get this mandated in colleges as well because as you heard, the leading cause of death goes through 25 when kids kick harder, run faster, probably drink less water, and have less oversight at the same time, right? And so this needs to extend, in my opinion. And in addition, it needs to be extended to intramural.

73. 0:34:29

    Um, Mason was an intramural soccer player. The football game had one on the sidelines, and I promise you not a football game starts at that school without an AED present and an ambulance sitting there. But there are 2 million intramural student athletes in the nation. There are 500,000 scholarship athletes. There is way more kids at risk in intramural, but underprotected because they don't have that same requirement. I do think that should exist. I think it's a separate measure than this one. Uh, but to speak back to your first question about it's, if someone takes it and it's missing, that obviously might still happen and that would be unfortunate.

74. 0:35:05

    Um, in the case where I believe technology will catch up to where we need to be because of this bill, um, there are some manufacturers, I w- did research. There are some manufacturers already making it with air tags and trackability. So if then the school is more confident that they can mount it to the outside of the building, which is where it needs to be. It never needs to be behind a locked door. It needs to always be there.

75. 0:35:27

    Mm-hmm.

76. 0:35:27

    And they have alarms that will call 911 when it gets opened.

77. 0:35:30

    Mm.

78. 0:35:30

    So if it's trackable, someone wants to steal it, they open it, it calls 911, now they can go get their stolen AED back. 'Cause you're right, in this case, rural counties like Macon and those kind of places where Mason was, you have a situation where stealing one of those $2,000 devices, you can go sell for 400. So it's theft is a real consideration. Granted, the 12-foot tall fence with barbed wire on the top should have kept that out. But either way, um, if it's mounted to the outside of the building and you buy the box that triggers the alarm when it goes off and calls 911, and it's now trackable because 911 needs to know where they are, well, heck, they can tell the police officer where it is.

79. 0:36:07

    And so I think this one step will trigger so many other ripples that will solve that problem in my opinion.

80. 0:36:13

    Representative Schofield.

81. 0:36:15

    Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, thank you, Senator, and thank you so much for making Mason's life, uh, live on.

82. 0:36:23

    Mm-hmm.

83. 0:36:23

    You have as now created a legacy, so thank you so much-

84. 0:36:26

    Thank you

85. 0:36:26

    ... that your sacrifice will help so many others. My question is, um, a- a- and you mentioned about how this rippling effect. I would love to see this in some of our older apartments that don't have these. When I first came into the general assembly, that was one of the things I looked for.

86. 0:36:43

    Mm-hmm.

87. 0:36:44

    And it took me a minute to find it in, uh, the other buildings. So thank you. This is needed. My question is, uh-

88. 0:36:50

    And I'm just trying to better understand how, what will happen, and I like the air tags, what will happen if they stop working or their power, they're losing power? How will we be able to do compliance and track the usability of these across the state?

89. 0:37:04

    So you already have some Georgia codes in place. I apologize. Uh, you already have some Georgia codes in place that, uh, when you buy one, uh, especially as a entity with any type of liability or responsibility, um, you're supposed to keep up with its maintenance and training. And those things, those Georgia codes should be followed. Uh, and if not, there's a liability consequence. Um, whe- when, uh, these batteries last five years on average, and so you need to ha- there needs to be a process by the person who buys it. So you guys aren't buying the AEDs and installing them in places. What you're doing is connecting them to other locations with others.

90. 0:37:37

    And so it's a business entity that buys this AED and installs one. I just installed one at my mother's salon. And in that salon, there's 15 other commercial industries. And so we mounted a sign to the outside of the building, and we got a code for the door so that anybody there can go access that AED. And so it's a business entity that says, "I'm gonna buy it." And then they need to keep up with its battery life, set an alarm, keep the sticky pads, need to have them s- they need to be replaced every two or three years. And so there's a responsibility on the entity that purchases one, um, and then the, the device itself will be trackable.

91. 0:38:11

    Thank you.

92. 0:38:11

    Yes, ma'am.

93. 0:38:12

    Okay. Representative Lim.

94. 0:38:15

    I will echo the thanks for telling your, your story, especially to the extent that I'm sure that's not always easy, and also for including the stories of others. Mine is a technical question, um, 'cause I definitely support the bill and understand the intention of it. But with respect to line 51, when we're crossing out emergency medical services system and putting in public safety answering point, and I get that public safety answering point, that makes a lot of sense. I just wanna make sure that when we're saying public safety answering point, that that still includes emergency medical services system, because to me, that also makes sense to still have them.

95. 0:38:50

    So that's my guess, that it, that does include that.

96. 0:38:52

    Right. Yeah, we had the Georgia Emergency Matter, uh, Management Group and Homeland Security people helped us draft this and put this together. In fact, they did some cleanup of their own that they wanted to do, and s- and trying to make sure that we get everybody trained across the state from that standpoint. And then I think the biggest thing is gonna be mapping and putting these things together. I do think the technology, and if you can see, Scott has done a lot of work on this, because you know what? He has a vested interest in it.

97. 0:39:20

    Sure.

98. 0:39:21

    And you know what? When this affected you, you take it personally and you get involved as far as that portion. And, and I applaud him. When he came to me, I said, "We're gonna work on this thing. We're gonna find a way to get it done." And I believe this, I believe that lives will be ch- be saved. And like I said, when we were at the Senate, the, uh, the people from the Georgia Emergency Management System were there, and they were behind us 100% on that portion. So we worked through them in our wording as well.

99. 0:39:46

    Thank you.

100. 0:39:46

     Thank you.

101. 0:39:47

     Thank you. Thank you very much. I see some senators in the back of the room starting to sway, so I appreciate your, um, speaking to us. Do I hear a motion?

102. 0:39:56

     So moved.

103. 0:39:57

     Do I hear a second? Second. All those in favor, say, "Ah." Ah. Okay. LC 461465S, SCS Senate Bill 399 has a due pass. Who is your House sponsor?

104. 0:40:12

     Josh Bonner.

105. 0:40:13

     Josh Bonner. Okay.

106. 0:40:14

     He is also his representative, so that was my-

107. 0:40:18

     Good choice

108. 0:40:19

     ... who you got. You got one of them.

109. 0:40:20

     Good choice.

110. 0:40:20

     We'll get you both of them.

111. 0:40:21

     Yeah, we have- Okay.

112. 0:40:22

     Okay. Thank you.

113. 0:40:22

     Up next, Senator Steele with Senate Bill 411.

114. 0:40:35

     So let's see. We have this, this has been submitted. I think it's 411.

115. 0:40:44

     Two inclusions.

116. 0:40:47

     Go ahead.

117. 0:40:48

     Thank you, Chairman. Thank you, Committee. Good to see y'all. Presenting Senate Bill 411, which is LC 520991S. This bill is putting much needed guardrails on the practices of acupuncture and dry needling. Acupuncture is traditional Chinese medicine. Dry needling is the practice performed by occupational therapists, formerly occupational therapists, uh, the ability to perform dry needling was, uh, taken away a couple of years ago, and, uh, physical therapy, which has been performing this for, um, nearly two decades.

118. 0:41:33

     And, uh, what this bill has done is brought together the culmination of working with the medical licensing board, the PT industry, the OT industry, and the acupuncturists from across the state. We had three study committees. We had, um, an entire, uh, intern group working over the summer on this, and this brought everyone together to have a comprehensive bill that covered truth in advertising to differentiate between acupuncture dry needling, clarifying that occupational therapists, if they are going to begin the practice of dry needling, that they would have the same level of hours and training as physical therapists, and, uh, that it would also, uh, eliminate the need to do, um, some of the, um, uh, supervised, uh, one-year practice by traditional Chinese medicine acupuncturists after they've already completed their over 2,000 hours of training so that they can begin, uh, begin practice on that.

119. 0:42:38

     Um, it's a, seems like a relatively simple bill. Um, it, it was a, was a, a very arduous task to navigate it, but happy to answer any questions, or I can go through the bill in more detail if needed.

120. 0:42:51

     I don't see any questions, but we do have someone to speak to the bill. Ben Braxley?

121. 0:43:04

     Hi. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm, uh, Dr. Ben Braxley, physical therapist here in Georgia. I've been a licensed physical therapist in Georgia for 20 years, and I'm currently the American Physical Therapy Association Georgia president. And I really just wanted to, to come up and express my appreciation to Senator Still for navigating a, a challenging process. There were a variety of opinions about how this should move forward, and I, speaking on behalf of the physical therapists, we're, we're very pleased with this compromised language and are in support of seeing it move forward. So thank you, Senator Still, and thank you all for your time.

122. 0:43:36

     Thank you. Okay, I see no questions. Your light's not blinking. Which, which mic are you-

123. 0:43:42

     Well, I just wanna add to number one.

124. 0:43:45

     Okay.

125. 0:43:45

     Yeah.

126. 0:43:46

     Go ahead.

127. 0:43:46

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

128. 0:43:47

     Sure.

129. 0:43:47

     I'm just really, when he said, uh, therapy f- uh, occupational therapist, I, I'm, I'm kind of in search for someone to, uh, if there's anyone in the audience-

130. 0:43:54

     He's a physical therapist, right?

131. 0:43:55

     I am physical.

132. 0:43:56

     He's not an occupational therapist.

133. 0:43:56

     But, uh, d- did you mention occupational therapist?

134. 0:43:59

     The bill is including them.

135. 0:43:59

     The bill includes including them.

136. 0:44:01

     Right, right.

137. 0:44:01

     That's what it-

138. 0:44:01

     Right. Well, I just, that just kind of ch- triggered my thoughts. I need to connect with someone that may be, uh, a part of the licensing process for occupational therapists. I got some s- constituents in my district that are having difficulties renewing their, or getting their, their license. So if there's anyone in the audience that can probably help me with that, I certainly appreciate it.

139. 0:44:20

     That's the what? That, that-

140. 0:44:21

     I think it's the secretary of state.

141. 0:44:23

     Yeah.

142. 0:44:23

     Yeah.

143. 0:44:24

     Secretary of State.

144. 0:44:24

     But I just thought maybe if somebody's in the audience who can-

145. 0:44:26

     This is, this is adding, uh, to their list of, of, of, of treatments.

146. 0:44:31

     Right.

147. 0:44:31

     So if they're having problems with a license, this ain't gonna affect them. They're, they've had problems before this happens. This just allows them to do a procedure that two groups already doing.

148. 0:44:40

     Very good.

149. 0:44:41

     Yeah.

150. 0:44:41

     Thank you.

151. 0:44:41

     Same, same education. Good bill.

152. 0:44:44

     Thank you.

153. 0:44:44

     Okay. Let me see, who do we have? Oh, uh, Representative Mathiak.

154. 0:44:49

     Yeah. Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman.

155. 0:44:51

     Surely.

156. 0:44:52

     On line 55, it just, it adds a completed minimum of 50 more hour instruction. Is that correct?

157. 0:45:01

     Minimum.

158. 0:45:02

     That's what I said.

159. 0:45:03

     Oh, minimum.

160. 0:45:03

     Minimum. Yes, Representative. So if, currently, um, occupational therapists are not allowed, so this brings them up to the exact same standard as physical therapists because they have the same three-year post-graduate, post- post-bachelor's training, uh, to get their OT license. So once they have that, they would need a minimum of 50 additional hours specific to dry needling, and that, that way OT and PT are on the same platform.

161. 0:45:27

     Okay. Thank you.

162. 0:45:29

     Okay. Thank you. Seeing no o- uh, no other questions, do I hear a motion?

163. 0:45:33

     Move to add.

164. 0:45:34

     Second?

165. 0:45:35

     Second.

166. 0:45:35

     All those in favor, say aye.

167. 0:45:37

     Aye.

168. 0:45:37

     All those opposed? None of those. Okay. Congratulations. You have a do pass on Senate Bill 411-

169. 0:45:44

     Thank you, Chairman

170. 0:45:44

     ... LC 52091SSCS, and your House sponsor is moi, right?

171. 0:45:52

     It, it's either gonna be you or your designee, sir.

172. 0:45:55

     I'll do it for you.

173. 0:45:56

     Thank you.

174. 0:45:59

     Okay. Uh, s- Chairman Watson, uh, he's not here. I guess he left.

175. 0:46:06

     He had to step out.

176. 0:46:07

     He was here. I don't see him now. How about, uh, Chair Lady Kirkpatrick? That'll be Senate Bill 428.

177. 0:46:21

     Thank you, Mr. Chair. I've invited some of my friends to, um, back me up here. This is, um, Senate Bill 428, and the LC number, if I can find it, is 600311.

178. 0:46:40

     S.

179. 0:46:41

     S. Is that what you have?

180. 0:46:42

     S is. Mm-hmm.

181. 0:46:43

     Okay. This is a department bill for DCH, and this is to try to address the, what in my world as a physician we used to call frequent flyers. It's the high utilizers of services that are frequent users of our ERs, our jails, and some of them are on our streets. And, um, w- what this does is this allows or authorizes DCH to use new flexibility in Medicaid in H.R.1 to apply for a waiver that's called a 1915C waiver.

182. 0:47:23

     And what that would do is provide for intensive case management for these individuals and, um, certain types of supports that they could get that could hopefully help to get them turned around. These are members that are not currently eligible, and, uh, DCH would apply for the waiver. It's n- there's no appropriations request that goes with this. And so, um, I'd be happy to answer questions. I may have to invite-

183. 0:47:54

     Re- Representative Schofield, is that you?

184. 0:47:56

     Yes.

185. 0:47:57

     Okay.

186. 0:47:57

     Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Madam Chair. I just have a quick question. I noticed that it says may instead of shall. Is there a reason behind that?

187. 0:48:08

     Uh, that was just after some discussion with the department about, um, you know, we don't know what's gonna happen over the next year or so with, uh, changes that might happen in the federal government. And so, um, this just allows them to go ahead and submit a waiver, but they fully intend to do so.

188. 0:48:28

     Okay. Thank you.

189. 0:48:31

     All right. Um, Chairman Petrea, why don't you, uh-

190. 0:48:37

     Uh, thank you, Chairman. And thank you, Senator. Um, this is interesting, interesting to me. We're sending to you guys from our side a new waiver that DCH is interested in for dealing with children with severe behaviors, um, which I think is a phenomenally good idea, uh, to find new, innovative ways to serve them And customarily, uh, when we have a waivered service, it is to, it is to circumvent institutionalization.

191. 0:49:11

     But, um, you mention on here these actually. So these individuals will not actually require a skill, and I'm looking at you and also I know you got DCH people there with you. These individuals would not technically, uh, meet an institutional level of care, or would they?

192. 0:49:28

     Some of them probably would, but they don't end up there because they end up in our emergency rooms and our jails-

193. 0:49:35

     Over and over again

194. 0:49:36

     ... and under our bridges and, um, all over the place. And, uh, I think if we could get a handle on the best way to, uh, track, not track exactly, but to provide services for those individuals, we could turn that around, and that would be great for the state. It would save us a lot of money. It would save our hospitals a lot of money. It would help our sheriffs who are managing doing mental health treatment in our jails. And, um, as you know, we have recently had some more flexibility that's happened by, on behalf of DBHDD.

195. 0:50:13

     They've got another bill because of, uh, ending the consent order that we've been dealing with-

196. 0:50:19

     Right

197. 0:50:20

     ... that re- really doesn't even allow institutional treatment for many people. But this is different. This is for people that are, uh, not currently receiving services, and as a result, they end up kind of wherever they end up. And, uh, by having nurse case managers help to get them the resources that are available, but they're not actually getting currently, um, I think that would help the state of Georgia.

198. 0:50:53

     If I could-

199. 0:50:54

     Sure. Yeah. Th- thank you, Mr. Chairman. When you said, um, nurse case managers, that cleared it up for me. Um, 1915s-

200. 0:51:03

     1915c

201. 0:51:03

     ... fee waivers help give them the laterality so that the patient doesn't go to jail so that w- they can get the services. I think you explained that very well. Thank you. At the appropriate time, Mr. Chair.

202. 0:51:15

     Go ahead. It's a good time.

203. 0:51:17

     Okay. I do pass.

204. 0:51:19

     Hear a second?

205. 0:51:19

     Second.

206. 0:51:20

     All those in favor say aye.

207. 0:51:22

     Aye.

208. 0:51:22

     All those nay say nay. Okay. Congratulation. We have a do pass on Senate Bill 428. That's LC60-0311SSCS. House sponsor?

209. 0:51:37

     Efstration.

210. 0:51:38

     Okay.

211. 0:51:40

     Thank you.

212. 0:51:41

     Thank you. Okay, up next, Chairman Watson, Senate Bill 427.

213. 0:51:57

     Good for you.

214. 0:52:01

     Now I drop it. Hold

215. 0:52:08

     on.

216. 0:52:08

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, Senate Bill 427, uh, I have SB 420s, uh, 427 CSFA as mine. So this is a culmination of about three years' worth of, uh, discussion going back and forth multiple different times. Uh, m- mostly, I don't think this ever has reached the House side, so let me sort of take you to, through it. This is international graduates of medical school, uh, and residency.

217. 0:52:40

     So it's foreign medical graduates is the older term. And, um, basically, uh, as you know, there is a shortage of physicians in the state of Georgia. Uh, when Governor Deal came in, we were around 39th per capita physician to population, and he added about 600 residency spots in the state of Georgia. Since then, we have increased the number of medical students, uh, at UGA and now, uh, in Savannah.

218. 0:53:11

     And Mercer's also increased theirs in a private school standpoint, M- Morehouse. Uh, so we've increased the number of medical students, uh, but we have not increased the number of residency spots since, uh, Governor Deal. But we are doing that in the budget. Uh, over the past two years, we've certainly increased that. But that still doesn't hide the fact that we've gone from 39th to 40th. Uh, we've gotten worse when it comes to per capita physician to population. And the reason is obvious. Uh, the population. Uh, Georgia's a great place to live, work, and bring up children.

219. 0:53:45

     Uh, and the, uh... So people move here, and we've gone from 9.5 million to the last census was 10.9. We're well over, uh, 11 million people in the state of Georgia. That's the background. The bill, uh, wants to balance, uh, getting physicians in the rural areas and underserved areas, uh, meaning, uh, places where there are federally qualified health centers and rural areas as defined.

220. 0:54:15

     And, um, this bill, I think, does that. It strikes a good balance where you're maintaining quality, uh, you're, you're, you're doing medical school, you've done some residency work. We use this in a graded method. You have supervision for four years in the, uh, in those areas that I described, uh, and then you have two years more to serve, uh, pretty much less supervised. And after six years, you have your license to practice, uh, medicine in the state of Georgia. Uh, the bill's outlined as, as traditionally.

221. 0:54:47

     Uh, it goes with, uh, the first section does the, uh, definitions, and the next sections, uh, do those things that, that we outlined. I, I do wanna say that, um, you know, I'm, I'm in a large medical group and, um, you know, some of the smartest physicians, uh, in the city of Savannah, uh, are from... You know, I have one partner that's a nephrologist. He's also boarded in ICU. He's boarded in pulmonary, uh, internal medicine. Uh, one of the smartest guys in town, and he's from Syria.

222. 0:55:20

     Uh, he, he, uh, have another partner who grew up in Savannah but went to India and did his medical school, came back and did the residency here. Um, uh- we have, uh, folks from all over, uh, the world. But the fact is, is that they are good quality physicians, so we're not giving, uh, subpar care in the rural areas and, and in the federally qualified health centers or urban areas. As a matter of fact, I have heard it said, and I think it is accurate, you probably need to be, uh, a better physician if you're practicing in those areas because you have to do a lot and you have to have a big background, uh, and you have to do a lot of things that you wouldn't necessarily have to do if you're in a area that is supported by a lot of sub-specialists.

223. 0:56:07

     Um, that's it in a nutshell. I'd be happy to answer any specifics about the bill if you'd like.

224. 0:56:13

     This is a good bill. I mean, you've got in here oversight all the way through. Uh, they can also be in hospitals. I think the hospitals do not have to necessarily be in a rural area. Is that right the way I read it?

225. 0:56:25

     That's, that is correct.

226. 0:56:26

     Mm-hmm.

227. 0:56:26

     I did, I did fail to mention that, thank you, uh, Mr. Chairman, that, uh, medical schools, uh-

228. 0:56:32

     Right

229. 0:56:32

     ... do, uh, hire, um, uh, foreign medical graduates, and they're obviously in a very supervised environment if you're in a medical school.

230. 0:56:40

     Right.

231. 0:56:41

     Uh, so that is one of those, uh, exclusions also.

232. 0:56:43

     Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Uh, Chairman Petrie.

233. 0:56:48

     Yes, sir. Thank you, Chairman. And, uh, to my good friend and my senator and my very good friend, I'm, I'm gonna apologize to you in advance. I, uh, had a difficult weekend with some family stuff, as you know, and so I was not able to review this. So I'm, I'm gonna ask you, if you don't mind, because I did have somebody, I had a, a neighbor of mine who's a physician reach out to me, uh, actually stop me in the street and question me about this. So the g- you, the... Could you just very broadly speak to the goal obviously is to get more physicians, make more physicians available to Georgians.

234. 0:57:25

     We all want that 100%. We want to make sure when we do that though, that they are, uh, they are at least, uh, as capable and competent as, as, as our physicians. So help me to understand with a little more detail, if you don't mind.

235. 0:57:44

     Sure.

236. 0:57:44

     And again, I apologize. I was not able to review it this weekend.

237. 0:57:47

     So starting on line 45, uh, it discusses that federally he- qualified, current and active license in good standing, uh, in a foreign jurisdiction. Uh, license has never been revoked, suspended, restricted, denied, or any, uh, aspects relating to that, or any disciplinary action. They've had to have done 130 weeks of medical education, and then down to 62 you'll see they also have to, uh, at least five years of, uh, a two-year residency program, or at least 10 years, uh, after graduation medical school in a foreign jurisdiction.

238. 0:58:20

     You'll see they also have to, just like here in the US, you have to st- uh, pass the boards, step one, two and three. Uh, and, um, and it also talks about the accrediting agencies and those that are accepted. So we don't accept every medical school, uh, or residency program. They have to be, uh, approved, and that is, that is a certain standard, uh, uh, way that we do that. The medical board has a, their book, uh, Association Medical Regulatory Authorities International Association.

239. 0:58:52

     And then, uh, you can be boarded, uh, well accepted, or you'll see line 77 there, uh, American Board of Medical Specialties, osteopathic specialist, uh, Rural College of Physicians, uh, in Canada and so forth. Um, you also... Let me drop down to 87. You, you got to be able to speak English and you've got to be proficient. And you'll notice that it says, uh, that includes, uh, you, you may have to pass an examination of reading, speaking, writing and listening. Uh, and the board also reserves the right to do an interview, uh, to follow up on all that.

240. 0:59:27

     And then you're supervised. Uh, you're supervised for four years, and you're supervised for two more years beyond that. I, I do have one correction I do want to, uh-

241. 0:59:36

     Right. We had a later question

242. 0:59:37

     ... make on line 107. Yeah.

243. 0:59:39

     Yeah.

244. 0:59:39

     But I'm sorry.

245. 0:59:40

     Follow up question, Mr. Chairman.

246. 0:59:41

     Go ahead. Yeah.

247. 0:59:42

     So how is the, uh, everything you just described, and I appreciate you running through that, how is that different than what we have today?

248. 0:59:49

     Well, it-

249. 0:59:49

     Because this is all new

250. 0:59:50

     ... it really-

251. 0:59:51

     This is all new statute

252. 0:59:52

     ... it, it really is... Oh, how is it different than it is today?

253. 0:59:55

     Yeah. Th- this is all new.

254. 0:59:55

     This is, this is, uh, is outlined, uh, by the composite board. This is their comfort level. This streamlines it a little bit, uh, and it puts in the guardrails of the supervision that is not, uh, necessarily done today.

255. 1:00:09

     And it makes it statutory.

256. 1:00:10

     Correct.

257. 1:00:10

     So is it not statutory today?

258. 1:00:12

     That's correct.

259. 1:00:13

     It's just, it's pil- it's practice, it's not statutory.

260. 1:00:16

     Right. And it adds in the, like, the English proficiency, that is statutory. It adds in the supervision for four plus two years. It adds in a- another hierarchy above that also.

261. 1:00:26

     Is it practiced right now? Until we pass this-

262. 1:00:28

     Say again.

263. 1:00:29

     It's, yeah, we have to pass this, we'll be able to do that.

264. 1:00:33

     Chairman, may he add that?

265. 1:00:36

     I, I really just wanted to make a comment. Um, when a doc comes from another country, and I think it's in here, I just can't find it now, and I think you spoke to it about the comparison of education from another country to here and the, the, um, stan- it's not a standard, I can't remember the... But there's a board that looks at that, correct?

266. 1:01:02

     That is correct. Well, it, there is a, there is a composite board of medical examiners that Georgia has, and then there is the United States composite board-

267. 1:01:11

     United States, right

268. 1:01:11

     ... and they're part of that.

269. 1:01:12

     Okay.

270. 1:01:12

     And-

271. 1:01:13

     That's what I was understanding in the past. Um, we were able to get interns from out of state in my community, and I'm very thankful, and I'm glad that you put the English in there because my, my community tends to be older and that was a issue for us. So thank you for putting that in there. And at the appropriate time, sir.

272. 1:01:36

     Mr. Chair. Tim, we got some speakers too.

273. 1:01:40

     Mr.-

274. 1:01:40

     Um, Representative Lam.

275. 1:01:45

     Quick question. With respect to line 180 where it says that this... Essentially, it's a have in the appropriations specific reference to the full funding of this code section. What is the full funding amount? And then secondary question to that, I know that in lines 181 it also says that it, this basically gets repealed for any year that we don't make reference to that. Uh, what's the purpose for, for that?

276. 1:02:12

     Well, I mean, you gotta be appropriated to, uh, to pay the people who do the supervision, and the supervisor, and the supervisor of the supervisor, uh, from that standpoint.

277. 1:02:24

     And what is the... I guess, what's the fiscal note then for that?

278. 1:02:26

     Uh, there is no fiscal note that I have. I can get the composite board may be able to answer that. Uh, is there-

279. 1:02:34

     Yes, sir.

280. 1:02:34

     Okay. All right.

281. 1:02:37

     I apologize.

282. 1:02:37

     And that, um-

283. 1:02:39

     Jason Jones.

284. 1:02:40

     Yes, sir. Threw my back out, so I apologize I'm not dressed for the part.

285. 1:02:44

     No, that's okay.

286. 1:02:44

     But, uh, had to do comfortable. So, uh, with the appropriations, the, uh... This is gonna be new to the board, so we're gonna have to, um, manage it through our personnel, uh, which we're already on that thin line of, of not having enough. So, uh, with this appropriation, just gonna give us the medical director that's needed to oversee, um, the, the functionality of it, make sure that the institutions are abiding by the board's rules. Um, and also the licensed personnel and the, um, compliance personnel needed to make sure that, uh, everybody's in compliance with the rules and laws of the state, so.

287. 1:03:24

     Um, medical director would be about 200 and some odd thousand for salary. Um, the other ones will be, um, probably around 150, give or take, just for those, those positions.

288. 1:03:38

     Just a quick c- clarification question. Just, I, 'cause I wanna make sure that if and when this gets implemented, that we don't make any mistakes. Does the... Lines 178 through 186, basically in the appropriations, does it just need to specifically say, "We are fully funding this code section," and that meets that requirement even if we don't right now identify the full amount? As long as it states that there's full funding, then we should be good to go in any given appropriations year. Is that correct?

289. 1:04:10

     Okay.

290. 1:04:11

     Yeah.

291. 1:04:11

     Just clarifying.

292. 1:04:11

     Yeah.

293. 1:04:11

     Thank you.

294. 1:04:12

     Provided for in the act is funded, you know, appropriate.

295. 1:04:15

     Gotcha. Thank you.

296. 1:04:15

     Yeah, we're good.

297. 1:04:17

     Okay, we gotta...

298. 1:04:21

     The light went out. Did you have a, you have a question, Representative Mitchell?

299. 1:04:25

     Yes, I do. But, well, actually, Mr. Chairman, I agree wholeheartedly with you. This is a good bill, Dr. Watson. Uh, and, uh, I would, uh, move due pass and call for the question-

300. 1:04:34

     Ah, we have to-

301. 1:04:34

     ... if it's appropriate

302. 1:04:35

     ... give two people to speak to it first.

303. 1:04:37

     I may change my mind depending on what they say.

304. 1:04:40

     They're gonna speak whether you change your mind or not.

305. 1:04:42

     Yeah, if they-

306. 1:04:42

     And I know you won't.

307. 1:04:43

     If-

308. 1:04:43

     This is a good bill

309. 1:04:44

     ... you just could quit when they're ahead, as I've always said.

310. 1:04:47

     Okay. Uh, Kim Jones, if you'd like to come up and speak.

311. 1:04:50

     I will just say we support the bill in the name of NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness. Although this doesn't impact any mental health bills, we do know that it impacts pediatricians, who are our first, uh, line of response- ... for children with mental health. And on behalf of the Georgia Mental Health Council Partnership, who represents over 130 organizations that support the work that we do. And I will quickly leave so the gentleman may move forward.

312. 1:05:11

     Thank you. Okay. Ch- uh, Chris Stinson.

313. 1:05:16

     Hey. Chris Stinson, Georgia Health Policy Foundation.

314. 1:05:18

     Georgia Policy Impact.

315. 1:05:19

     Could you speak into a mic?

316. 1:05:20

     Yes, sir. I sure will.

317. 1:05:21

     Thank you.

318. 1:05:22

     Um, I was trying to follow my predecessor there.

319. 1:05:25

     I know. I know.

320. 1:05:26

     Um-

321. 1:05:26

     I should have said it

322. 1:05:26

     ... we're testifying in support. We'd like to thank Chairman Watson. As he noted, this has been a multi-year effort to get this, um, language agreeable. Um, I testified on this, the need for this, last summer before Representative Donatucci's house study committee on access to undersev- access to internal medicine in underserved areas. Um, but in closing, I'll just say 18 other states have, um, created some similar type of program, including three of our neighbors, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina. And, um, just another reason we need this bill, uh, we currently produce, um, more medical school graduates in Georgia than we actually have funded residency slots.

323. 1:06:05

     And so this creates, um, a separate pathway so where, uh, qualified foreign medical graduates are not competing with our domestic medical school graduates as well.

324. 1:06:14

     Thank you. Okay, I see no other questions. Do I hear a motion on this bill?

325. 1:06:19

     So moved, Mr. Chairman.

326. 1:06:20

     All right. Second. Okay, we do have an amendment. Would you like to speak to the amendment, uh, Mr. Watson?

327. 1:06:26

     Well, I mean, I can. Uh, our legal person, uh, picked that up. Vince picked this up.

328. 1:06:32

     Right.

329. 1:06:32

     And on line 107, uh, at the very end of that sentence, uh, it should be for each offense, and then the period.

330. 1:06:41

     Right.

331. 1:06:41

     So-

332. 1:06:41

     So the committee get that? End of line 107, add "offense" after each so it is reads, "for each offense."

333. 1:06:49

     Thank you.

334. 1:06:50

     We good?

335. 1:06:50

     Mm-hmm.

336. 1:06:51

     Do I hear a motion?

337. 1:06:52

     So moved.

338. 1:06:53

     Do I hear a second?

339. 1:06:54

     Second.

340. 1:06:55

     All those approve the amendment, say aye.

341. 1:06:57

     Aye.

342. 1:06:57

     All those against, say nay. Back to the main bill. All those in favor, say aye.

343. 1:07:03

     Aye.

344. 1:07:03

     All those against, say nay. Congratulations. Uh, you have Senate bill due pass on 427. That's SB 427 CSFA as amended. Uh, who's your sponsor?

345. 1:07:19

     Um, you know, I, I hadn't asked Dr. Newton, but I think that would be-

346. 1:07:23

     Makes sense

347. 1:07:23

     ... appropriate, yeah.

348. 1:07:24

     Yeah. Okay. We'll put him down.

349. 1:07:26

     Okay.

350. 1:07:26

     Since he's not here.

351. 1:07:28

     There we go.

352. 1:07:28

     He's defenseless.

353. 1:07:29

     He shouldn't have left.

354. 1:07:31

     Thank you, committee, for hanging in there today. I know it's been a long, seemed like a long couple days.

355. 1:07:37

     Oh, thank you.

356. 1:07:38

     So thank y'all very much. Thanks, thanks for the audience. I know, I know. So we are adjourned.

357. 1:07:44

     Mr. Chairman.