House Rules Committee, March 11, 2026 Video: https://vimeo.com/1172147240 (a timestamp t plays at https://vimeo.com/1172147240#t=s) Page: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-11/house-rules This is a machine transcript of the General Assembly's video, made by a speech-recognition model. It is not an official record and can mishear words, names, and numbers. Speakers are not identified. The video is the record: every timestamp links to the moment it plays. [0:00:00] There we go. Good morning, everybody. [0:00:02] Good morning. [0:00:04] Good morning. [0:19:25] Glad to see everybody here. Some of our members forgot to set their clock, uh, so they'll be along in a minute, I think, a little bit later. But let's go ahead and, uh, we'll open up, uh, the meeting, and we're gonna ask Lieutenant Williams to open us up with a word of prayer, please. [0:19:41] Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God, eternal God, we thank you once again for the victory. We thank you for having watched over us during the majority of this session. We ask, Lord, that you will continue to protect and put your shield of protection around us. Keep us mindful that we are here just to speak for the people of the state of Georgia. It is in the precious name of the risen Christ Jesus that we pray. Amen. [0:20:09] Amen. Thank you, sir. We've got several guests in the building today that, uh, I know some of you have seen them outside and some of them in here with us, and we're gonna recognize Leader Hugley. I think she wants to introduce some folks that are with her. [0:20:24] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm pleased to let everyone know that we have nursing students from Columbus State University visiting us in the back of the room. Y'all greet them warmly. [0:20:39] Glad to have y'all visiting today. Thank you for being here. Chairman Hitchens. I was gonna say, too, you know, good friend if you can call him that. Friend, uh, the Effingham County Tax Commissioner, Mr. Daniel Rowelt, who also hap- who also happens to be the Speaker's cousin. Hey. [0:21:00] Let's give him a hand. [0:21:05] Great. We're glad to have you all visiting with us. We got a lot of other constitutional officers. Mine was here earlier this morning, but I don't think she made it in here at this meeting. Okay, let's go ahead and take care of some business. We'll recognize our guest over here with us, Senator Kirkpatrick. [0:21:21] Thank you, Mr. Chair. Senate Bill 428 is the next to the last one on the back of your blue sheet. And this is a department bill for DCH, and it gives them authority to submit a waiver application to provide a package of medical benefits, including intensive nurse case management for people who are high utilizers of jails, um, all kinds of other, uh, expensive ways to deliver care, emergency departments, for example. [0:21:56] And, uh, many of these folks end up, uh, falling through the cracks and living on the street. So this is a way that we can try to provide services to, uh, turn things around. Thank you. [0:22:09] Okay, you've heard the explanation. Uh, Senator, I don't see any questions. Thank you. [0:22:14] Thank you. [0:22:14] Sir. Senator Harbin. [0:22:21] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Appreciate it. Thank you for letting me be here this morning. If you will, on page two, uh, six down from the top, it's SB 399. It's the Mason Sales AED Coordination Act. And what this has to do with is, uh, one of my constituents, his son was hit in the chest with a soccer ball and his heart stopped. And the AED that they had was locked in a building, and they could not find any others. So what this does, when we worked with, uh, Senator Albers as, and, and our safety committee and also with the Georgia Emergency Management people, is to coordinate 911 services where they know where the AEDs are. [0:22:57] Uh, what's fun- Not funny, but what really pushed the, uh, constituent, his dad, um, on that same time, two weeks later, another m- young man was hit in the chest with a soccer ball and it stopped the heart, and they were able to put an AED in his, in three minutes and brought him back to life. And one of the things this will also do, it will teach a training for not only cellular CPR, but also for cellular AEDs training, so that you could help somebody that calls you, and they will know the location of the AEDs on, like, college campuses and things of that nature. [0:23:35] And I really believe it's a good bill to save lives and knowing where the AEDs are. One of the things I did not realize is you can do CPR, but that's not what you need. You need that AED to bring your heart back to life, and that's what this bill is really about. [0:23:51] Okay. Senator, I don't, I don't see any questions. Thank you. [0:23:54] Okay. Thank you, sir. Appreciate it. [0:23:56] Senator Watson. [0:24:01] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, SB 427 is on the back page, uh, also. Uh, and this, uh, is a compilation of about three years of work, uh, with the Composite Medical Board, uh, and all interested parties. It has to do with international medical graduates or foreign, uh, medical graduates, uh, to get them, uh, so that we maintain the quality, assure the quality, make sure they can speak English, uh, 'cause they can be tested. They are tested for that. [0:24:32] They can be interviewed. But basically, it puts them in rural or underserved areas for four years with supervision and then two more years in, uh, uh, continued underserved areas, uh, with supervision, but less supervision. And after those six years, you can have your license. So it maintains quality, it gives us more access, and it streamlines the process. Um, I'd be happy to answer questions. The, uh, I will note that in committee we'd left off one word, and, uh, so, uh, if it, if, if it does make it to the floor of the House, it will have to come back over for an agree. [0:25:09] So, uh, that's, uh, 'cause of the one word that we left out, which was an important word, but, uh, still nevertheless a change. [0:25:17] Okay. Don't see any questions, Senator. Thank you. [0:25:20] Thank you. [0:25:21] Okay. Okay. Any other members of the committee have any requests? Don't see any. Okay. Gonna, uh, call on Leader Hugley to speak to the substitute to House Rule, or House Resolution, excuse me, House Resolution 1049. [0:25:46] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, members of the committee, House Resolution 1049, the substitute just changes General Assembly to the Georgia House of Representatives. This is basically a bill that would recognize fentanyl awareness each year as part of Red Ribbon Week on the last Wednesday of October. [0:26:12] Okay. You heard that explanation. Any questions? Don't see any questions. Okay, is there a motion to approve the rule substitute to House Resolution 1049? That's LC 64-0094S. Move. Have a motion and second. [0:26:31] Second. [0:26:31] It's approved, okay? Now then, let's set us a calendar for tomorrow. That'll be, uh, Thursday, legislative day 31. It's my understanding we're gonna start at 10:00 tomorrow. House Resolution 145 by rule substitute LC 49-29-7, 92S. Move. Have a move and a second. Is there any opposition? It's on. House Resolution 1049 by rule substitute LC 64-0094S. [0:27:09] Move. Have a move and second. Any opposition? It's on. Okay. Senate Bill 177. Move. Have a move and a second. Any opposition? [0:27:23] Objection. [0:27:23] Have an objection. Okay. All those in favor of putting it on say aye. Aye. All those opposed say no. [0:27:31] No. [0:27:31] It carries. Senate Bill 220. Move. Have a move and a second. Any opposition? It's on. Okay, that sets our calendar for tomorrow, and we will have our next rules meeting will be Monday at 9:00 AM. Thank you very much. We're dismissed.