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Senate Rules Committee

Senate Rules Committee, March 12, 2026

2025-2026 Regular Session · 450 CAP · 32 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.

Copy for LLM, View as markdown, and Send to AI use the Markdown version: the summaries Georgia Commons wrote, under headings that name them, then the whole transcript with its times. View raw is the transcript alone.

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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 moved HB 445 from its standing committee to the general Rules calendar, then heard presentations and reviewed bills awaiting floor consideration. Discussions included tax refunds, court fees and judicial elections, police training reimbursements, probation credit, and protections for animals in enclosures. The committee unanimously approved a floor calendar containing SR 697, SR 698, HB 521, HB 535, HB 983, HB 1000, and HB 1196. The chair postponed consideration of HB 1020 until Monday because a substitute was not ready. The other measures reviewed were not included in the approved floor calendar.

Bills discussed (16)

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.

HB 445. Ad valorem tax; language required to be included in notices of current assessment; revise

From 0:07:46 · turns 8 to 12

The chair described HB 445 as helping with property-tax appeals and said the committee had already heard testimony. The chair said changes considered previously had not been made. The standing committee unanimously approved moving the bill to the general Rules calendar.

HR 251. Local government; probate judges shall be elected in nonpartisan elections; provide - CA

From 0:08:35 · turns 16 to 48

The sponsor said HR 251 would propose a constitutional amendment requiring nonpartisan elections for all probate judges, subject to voter approval. A committee member asked why other judges were not included. The sponsor said the remaining partisan judicial elections were for 53 probate judges out of more than 1,600 judges statewide. The chair explained that local legislation currently allows jurisdictions to choose nonpartisan elections and that the proposal would make the change statewide. No vote was taken.

HB 61. Motor vehicles; issuance of separate license plates for hearses and ambulances; provide

From 0:10:57 · turns 50 to 327

The presenter requested consideration of HB 61, describing it as a squatter-reform measure. A committee member asked whether its language had changed since its Public Safety hearing and raised concerns about provisions involving sheriffs, off-duty deputies and constables, including time limits and constitutional questions. The presenter said no changes had been made since that hearing and said the Sheriffs' Association had agreed with the measure. The member and presenter agreed to discuss the concerns outside the meeting. Later, the chair confirmed that the bill had already been covered. No vote was taken.

HB 549. Peace officers; extend time frame for which reimbursement of total training expenses by a subsequent employer may be sought

From 0:11:03 · turns 51 to 107

The presenter said HB 549 would require an agency hiring a recently trained police officer to reimburse the agency that paid for the training. The presenter initially described a six-month period. When a member asked how long an officer would have to stay before reimbursement was no longer required, another committee member initially repeated six months, then corrected the answer to three years. The presenter also said the clock would start after training was completed and the officer was released to duty. No vote was taken.

HB 165. Income tax credit; business enterprises for leased motor vehicles; repeal and reserve

From 0:14:17 · turns 113 to 152

A presenter initially identified HB 165 as a funeral-procession measure requiring drivers to yield to law-enforcement-led processions, with an exception allowing truck drivers not to pull off the road when unsafe. After discussion about the bill's identity, a senator clarified that HB 165 concerned manufactured homes. The senator said it would clarify that an existing 90% sales-tax exemption also applies to local sales taxes, would have no state fiscal impact, and had drawn no opposition in committee. No vote was taken.

HB 1000. Income tax; one-time tax credit for individual taxpayers who filed income tax returns for the 2024 and 2025 taxable years; provide

From 0:16:57 · turns 155 to 380

The sponsor said HB 1000 would provide $1.17 billion in tax refunds, following the approach of earlier refund legislation. The sponsor described payments of $250 for individual filers, $375 for heads of household, and $500 for married couples filing jointly. Asked when a refund could be expected, the sponsor said taxpayers would need to file a return and acknowledged that the bill first needed to pass. The committee later unanimously included the bill in the floor calendar.

HB 999. Magistrate courts; collecting sums and fees authorized by law; revise provisions

From 0:18:15 · turns 167 to 183

The sponsor said HB 999 would allow magistrate courts to collect additional fees authorized by local legislation. The sponsor said a judge's request for a technology fee prompted the proposal, after legislative counsel advised that current law did not provide for such additional fees, despite their use in some courts. The sponsor also described a correction to an earlier judicial-election law: a repeal provision had been drafted to repeal the whole law rather than only its probate-judge section. The sponsor said the bill would correct that drafting problem. There were no substantive questions or vote.

HB 1196. Crimes; offense of criminal trespass involving a wild animal; provide

From 0:20:04 · turns 196 to 380

The Senate presenter said HB 1196 would create offenses and penalties for unauthorized entry into animal enclosures and interference with wild animals, protecting animals and caregivers at facilities such as zoos and sanctuaries. The presenter cited harassment at Zoo Atlanta, including an incident involving a stuffed animal thrown into an enclosure. Asked whether the bill would affect fishing, the presenter said it would not. Another member asked how wild animals were defined; the presenter described animals currently or historically found in the wild and also referred to domestic animals and livestock kept in agribusiness. A member questioned how the proposal related to existing criminal-trespass law. Another member noted that aquariums were mentioned in the presentation but not in the bill. The presenter said an amendment would be acceptable if aquarium coverage was missing, but no amendment was offered. The committee later unanimously included the bill in the floor calendar.

SR 610. Senate Study Committee on Improving and Increasing Recycling; create

From 0:27:08 · turn 318

While reviewing available measures, the chair identified SR 610 as a proposal for a recycling study committee. There was no further discussion or vote, and it was not included in the approved floor calendar.

SR 697. Colbert, Jason; recognize

From 0:26:57 · turns 318 to 380

The chair proposed placing SR 697 on Monday's floor calendar alongside another recognition resolution. The chair described the resolutions as honoring people, but no further explanation of this resolution was given. The committee unanimously approved the calendar containing it.

SR 698. Mirzakulova, Dr. Ekaterina; recognize

From 0:26:58 · turns 318 to 380

The chair proposed placing SR 698 on Monday's floor calendar alongside another recognition resolution. The chair described the resolutions as honoring people, but no further explanation of this resolution was given. The committee unanimously approved the calendar containing it.

HB 1020. Judicial Retirement System; payment of monthly retirement benefits for creditable service as a district attorney at the age of 65 years; provide

From 0:27:29 · turns 321 to 324

A representative offered to answer follow-up questions about HB 1020 and said an amendment was being developed. The chair said a substitute was not ready and postponed consideration until Monday. The chair also said the bill had been referred from the floor to the standing committee earlier that day. No substantive changes were explained or voted on.

HB 485. Official Code of Georgia Annotated; various provisions enacted prior to 2013 which are contingent upon funding and which remain unfunded; repeal

From 0:28:02 · turn 328

The chair reviewed HB 485 and said its presenter had appeared multiple times previously. There was no explanation of its provisions, further discussion or vote, and it was not included in the approved floor calendar.

HB 521. Local government; deannexation of certain properties; revise procedures

From 0:28:12 · turns 328 to 380

The chair said the committee had previously heard from the presenter of HB 521. No provisions were explained at this meeting. A committee member later requested its placement on the floor calendar, and the committee unanimously approved the calendar containing it.

HB 535. Penal institutions; credit for time served regarding probation revocation sentencing; provide

From 0:28:19 · turns 328 to 380

The Senate presenter said HB 535 would provide credit for time served while someone held for a probation violation waits for the matter to be resolved. A committee member asked whether the credit would apply to an additional charge or only the existing sentence. The presenter said the bill applied only to the sentence being served on probation, although other credit could be addressed through a plea agreement. The committee later unanimously included the bill in the floor calendar.

HB 983. Conservation and natural resources; prescribed burning for silviculture purposes is exempt from certain burning notice and permit requirements; clarify

From 0:29:06 · turns 342 to 380

The chair identified HB 983 as a forestry-related bill and invited questions; none were asked. A committee member then requested its placement on the floor calendar. No provisions were explained, and the committee unanimously approved the calendar containing it.

Transcript

381 turns. Select a time to play that moment of the video.

  1. 0:05:44

    We're officially in Rules Standing Committee. What's the date today? March 12th, 2026, in the year of our Lord. Senator Still, would you lead us in a word of prayer?

  2. 0:06:05

    Heavenly Father, thank you for protecting, uh, our friends and our families as we are away doing the work for the people of Georgia. Pray that, uh, we make great decisions today. Prepare us for Monday and, uh, keep everyone safe over the weekend. In Your name we pray. Amen.

  3. 0:06:21

    Amen. All right. I've got some very special guests here today. Uh, I've got the Noonan Youths- Noonan Youth Council here. Y'all please stand up. These are leaders in, uh, back in Noonan around various schools, and- ... they come up to see how our government works, and they d- they're gonna be great leaders back in, back in my hometown one day. Well, actually, you already are. So thank y'all for being here, and Jamie, thank you for all you do.

  4. 0:06:52

    Um, okay.

  5. 0:06:54

    They're gonna run for Senate.

  6. 0:06:55

    Maybe, maybe. 25, what is that, about seven more years for some of you. You can have it now if you want it. All right, we've got one bill in standing committee I would like to move out. This bill actually made it to the floor last year and then just didn't get called up, so it got sent back to the committee it came out of, which I believe we had made some ch- we were gonna make some changes on it, which is why it came here, b- and we ended up not making those changes. So, um, we have heard testimony on it.

  7. 0:07:30

    Um, you know, it's, it, it essentially helps with the appeal process on property taxes and whatnot. So-

  8. 0:07:38

    So moved.

  9. 0:07:40

    Is it... All right, let's roll with it. I got a motion and a second. I'm sorry, this is HB 445.

  10. 0:07:46

    Thank you.

  11. 0:07:47

    This is in standing committee, so I would just like to get it to the, um, general rules calendar. So I've got a motion and a second. Is there any further discussion? All right, hearing none, all in favor say aye.

  12. 0:07:59

    Aye.

  13. 0:07:59

    All opposed say nay. Motion carries unanimous. All right, thank y'all. We're gonna adjourn from standing, and we're gonna start with our general rules committee. All right, we'll just go in order of the line there. Representative New.

  14. 0:08:25

    Every day is a new day.

  15. 0:08:27

    Every day is a new day. Thank you, sir.

  16. 0:08:29

    I love it.

  17. 0:08:29

    Appreciate you, Chairman and members. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you today about House Resolution 251, LC473339. This resolution proposes an amendment to change the constitution that would ensure all probate judges are elected in nonpartisan elections. It also includes a plan for this change to be approved or rejected by the citizens of Georgia by putting it on the ballot for them to decide.

  18. 0:08:54

    Oh, there it is. Okay.

  19. 0:08:56

    That's the bill. Thank you, sir.

  20. 0:08:58

    All right. Are there any questions? Senator Rhett?

  21. 0:09:02

    No, I'll let, I'll let him go first.

  22. 0:09:04

    Who? Oh, Senator Ginn, go ahead.

  23. 0:09:07

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Representative New, I, I understand the judicial side with the probate judges, but there are other judges, I think, that run partisan. W- w- why would you not include all of them?

  24. 0:09:19

    So these are the only judges now that run partisan. There's 53 out of 1,600 judges in Georgia that have to run partisan. These are the last ones, sir.

  25. 0:09:29

    Thank you.

  26. 0:09:29

    Thank you for the question.

  27. 0:09:34

    I think it's more than that, isn't it?

  28. 0:09:36

    There's over 1,600 judges-

  29. 0:09:39

    Oh, gotcha

  30. 0:09:39

    ... Su- superior,

  31. 0:09:43

    et cetera.

  32. 0:09:43

    'Cause currently we allow, it's up to the local-

  33. 0:09:47

    Correct

  34. 0:09:47

    ... um, to the local jurisdiction whether they wanna do partisan or not, which they can do through local legislation. So Representative New's attempting to, um, just go ahead and let's make it statewide. 'Cause I believe, if I remember correctly, I think there's only about five probate judges left. Is that right?

  35. 0:10:09

    There are 53 probate judges left in Georgia.

  36. 0:10:11

    That are partisan?

  37. 0:10:12

    That are partisan, yes, sir.

  38. 0:10:13

    All right, I'm sorry. I don't know where I got five. Maybe out of that 53, so... Yeah, that's right.

  39. 0:10:21

    You knew, you knew five of them was

  40. 0:10:23

    I, I c- I can only read one number at a time. All right. Any other questions?

  41. 0:10:30

    Make them all, uh, partisan?

  42. 0:10:32

    Correct.

  43. 0:10:34

    If citizens-

  44. 0:10:35

    If the citizens should decide.

  45. 0:10:38

    Local preference.

  46. 0:10:40

    Everybody understand?

  47. 0:10:43

    Yeah. One person-

  48. 0:10:44

    All right. Thank you.

  49. 0:10:46

    Thank you, sir.

  50. 0:10:48

    Representative Sebaugh, come on.

  51. 0:10:52

    Thank you, Chairman. Uh, I'm back for the third time r- requesting your consideration on House Bill 61, the Squatter Reform Act. Happy to answer any questions on that.

  52. 0:11:02

    All right. You got HB 549 as well.

  53. 0:11:05

    I do.

  54. 0:11:06

    Why don't you go and go through that?

  55. 0:11:08

    HB 549 is a Police Officer, uh, Reimbursement Act, Training Reimbursement Act. It's a bill that will, uh, reimburse, uh, departments that, uh, train officers and then they leave within six months after training. The department receiving that officer would be responsible for re- reimbursing the training expenses to the training department.

  56. 0:11:32

    Okay. Does anybody got any questions? Senator Robertson.

  57. 0:11:37

    Thank you. Representative Sebaugh, on, uh, HB 61, the bill that was heard in, I think, Public Safety, right?

  58. 0:11:43

    Yes, sir.

  59. 0:11:44

    On this side, has it, has any of the language been altered in that bill? Any changes been made to that bill since then that you're aware of or any changes forthcoming?

  60. 0:11:52

    Not since.

  61. 0:11:53

    Uh, none have been made.

  62. 0:11:55

    Okay. I just had some... There's, there's a little bit of language in there where it talks about the sheriffs and off-duty sheriff's deputies and others. I think, uh, yeah, the constables are mentioned in there.

  63. 0:12:06

    Mm-hmm.

  64. 0:12:08

    And, um, I'll, I'll get with you offline and have some conversation about that.

  65. 0:12:11

    Okay. Yeah.

  66. 0:12:11

    Little, little concern I've got as far as timeframes and some constitutional curiosities-

  67. 0:12:18

    Okay

  68. 0:12:18

    ... I'll get with you on.

  69. 0:12:19

    We did, uh, we did talk with the Sheriffs Association on that, and, um, they were in agreement with it, but I'm happy to talk to you about it.

  70. 0:12:27

    Thank you. I appreciate that.

  71. 0:12:27

    Yes, sir.

  72. 0:12:28

    All right. You got another question from Senator Anderson?

  73. 0:12:30

    Um, the House Bill 549, I know you made example six months. But, uh-

  74. 0:12:39

    Yes, that's correct

  75. 0:12:40

    ... what if when it was to... How long can they be there where the, the department would not have to pay?

  76. 0:12:49

    So this i- this covers, um, officers that complete their training-

  77. 0:12:55

    I understand

  78. 0:12:55

    ... the post-training and that kind of stuff. So as soon as they complete that training and are released to duty, that's when the clock would start.

  79. 0:13:05

    Okay.

  80. 0:13:06

    He didn't say how long, though.

  81. 0:13:08

    Senator Robertson, you're recognized.

  82. 0:13:09

    I think-

  83. 0:13:10

    I think he can help you out

  84. 0:13:10

    ... I think to the Chairman's question, he's saying how long do they have to be employed with that agency for that agency so they, before they could leave without the agency having to pay that training? Uh, it's six months.

  85. 0:13:22

    So-

  86. 0:13:23

    It's currently-

  87. 0:13:23

    ... they just do six months, and they're out the door then

  88. 0:13:25

    ... it's currently... I'm sorry. It's three years.

  89. 0:13:28

    That's what I... Yeah.

  90. 0:13:28

    Three years.

  91. 0:13:29

    Yeah. It's three years.

  92. 0:13:30

    Yeah.

  93. 0:13:30

    Yeah. Too much. Yeah.

  94. 0:13:31

    Questions.

  95. 0:13:31

    I apologize.

  96. 0:13:33

    Once you finally got to it.

  97. 0:13:34

    Finally got it.

  98. 0:13:35

    Yeah. All right.

  99. 0:13:37

    So it's three years. Is it three years?

  100. 0:13:40

    I'm not sure. I think he said three.

  101. 0:13:42

    Three.

  102. 0:13:45

    I think so.

  103. 0:13:45

    Y'all get three? Did everybody get three? I heard three.

  104. 0:13:48

    I think I still understood.

  105. 0:13:51

    Students, youth council, did y'all hear three? All right. Not 53, three.

  106. 0:13:58

    Senator Jackson said she heard six months.

  107. 0:14:03

    All right. Let's move on.

  108. 0:14:04

    Thank you.

  109. 0:14:05

    Uh, Senator, uh, Representative Townsend.

  110. 0:14:08

    Yes, sir.

  111. 0:14:08

    Um-

  112. 0:14:08

    I'm pinch-hitting today-

  113. 0:14:09

    ... from Franklin

  114. 0:14:10

    ... for Rhett, uh, Franklin. He, he lost a little bit of hair, but he could not be here, so I'm pinch-hitting for him. It's HB 165. It's the funeral procession bill. Basically, it requires, uh, drivers to yield at a funeral procession if, if lead, led by law enforcement. However, there is an exception. Tr- truck drivers must yield as well, but they, they're not required to pull off the road if doing so would be unsafe, and that is just of the bill.

  115. 0:14:35

    What bill?

  116. 0:14:37

    165. Representative Franklin.

  117. 0:14:38

    It's, uh, Representative Leeman Franklin.

  118. 0:14:41

    Leeman.

  119. 0:14:43

    Hopefully I gave you the right number. I should have. I think it was changed. Let's see. It was HB 77 originally, and I think they changed it.

  120. 0:14:54

    Just didn't change the title. We got a habit, bad habit of that. We're getting better, though. All right. Any other questions other than which bill are we on?

  121. 0:15:05

    I come with Leeman.

  122. 0:15:08

    And Russ Goodman is, uh, carrying the bill.

  123. 0:15:11

    Ooh.

  124. 0:15:11

    Oh, yeah.

  125. 0:15:12

    Hopefully that's a good sign.

  126. 0:15:14

    I felt-

  127. 0:15:14

    It's a great bill

  128. 0:15:15

    ... I felt like you had a good shot there.

  129. 0:15:18

    All right.

  130. 0:15:19

    Good seeing you.

  131. 0:15:19

    Thank you.

  132. 0:15:20

    Thank you. Thank you.

  133. 0:15:23

    That is not the right bill.

  134. 0:15:24

    Yeah. All right. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on.

  135. 0:15:29

    It used to be 77.

  136. 0:15:35

    I thought it was actually on the right bill. It's on the general calendar.

  137. 0:15:40

    Okay. All right.

  138. 0:15:42

    Yeah. I was told 165.

  139. 0:15:43

    Thank you. It's, that bill's still-

  140. 0:15:48

    165

  141. 0:15:49

    ... to 165?

  142. 0:15:50

    Yeah.

  143. 0:15:52

    Yeah. Senator Hufstetler hijacked it.

  144. 0:15:55

    Yeah, 77's on the green sheet, which means that it ain't quite made it here yet. It's close, though.

  145. 0:16:02

    We're close.

  146. 0:16:03

    One step closer.

  147. 0:16:04

    165.

  148. 0:16:04

    Thank you, Mr. Chair.

  149. 0:16:05

    165, uh, Senator Hufstetler's gonna cover that.

  150. 0:16:08

    This, this is Beth Camp's, uh, bill that we had passed out last year dealing with manufactured home. The current law gives a 90% sales tax exemption on manufactured homes, but historically the exemption, it wasn't clear on whether it went to local sales taxes or not. So this says that it does, that it will go to the local sales tax as well. Um, no fiscal impact on the state. I didn't hear any opposition in committee.

  151. 0:16:36

    All right. Well, I want to commend Representative Townsend for at least trying, so.

  152. 0:16:41

    Yes, sir.

  153. 0:16:42

    We will notify- ... Representative Franklin you're fighting f- for his bill. All right. Representative Campbell.

  154. 0:16:50

    What number?

  155. 0:16:51

    Thanks for coming out.

  156. 0:16:53

    Thank you, Chairman. It's good to be with y'all today. I've got, uh, House Bill 1000 on the back of your sheet. Um-

  157. 0:17:00

    One that's actually on here

  158. 0:17:01

    ... one that's, uh, actually on there. Imagine that. So this is, uh, again, House Bill 1000. It's a repeat of three pieces of legislation that we've all actually done before. House Bill 1302 from 2022, House Bill 162 from 2023, and House Bill 112 from 2025. Uh, this is a tax refund for Georgians, uh, to the amount of $1.17 billion, and it will be given out in the form of $250 for an individual filer, $375 for a head of household, and 500 for those married filing jointly.

  159. 0:17:41

    So that is what the bill is, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

  160. 0:17:46

    Any question? No questions. Oh, Senator Rhett.

  161. 0:17:49

    When can I expect my check?

  162. 0:17:51

    You can expect your check as soon as you file your return for th- this year. Have to file a return, and you can't file less than-

  163. 0:17:58

    You may want to wait till we get 1199 done, though

  164. 0:18:00

    ... Well, yeah, until we, yeah, pass the bill, too, so. Anyway, appreciate your consideration.

  165. 0:18:07

    Thank you.

  166. 0:18:08

    Thank you.

  167. 0:18:10

    All right.

  168. 0:18:13

    Afternoon, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. I have House Bill 999.

  169. 0:18:16

    999.

  170. 0:18:17

    It's at the bottom of the first page, I believe, very bottom.

  171. 0:18:20

    Representative Levert.

  172. 0:18:20

    This bill relates to magistrate courts, and it does two things. First, it provides that a magistrate court can collect additional fees other than what are specifically set out in statute if authorized by a local act of the General Assembly. The context in which this came and was presented to me is one of my judges wanted to collect a technology fee. Many courts already do. Legislative counsel opined that there, the statute currently does not contemplate additional fees by local act, so we're trying to amend the statute to cap- catch up with what is apparently the practice in a number of places.

  173. 0:18:52

    And then there also is a second section which is related to the resolution that Representative New presented, and that's the resolution that calls the election on pro- whether probate judges would be nonpartisan. They're a constitutional officer, so there has to be a referendum to change the nature of their office. We had House, House Bill 426 last year which dealt with both magistrate and probate, and provided they would be nonpartisan, but had repealer in there for the probate judges. Well, the way the repealer section was drafted, it would repeal the entire bill, not just the section related to probate judges.

  174. 0:19:25

    So we're, we're trying to sort of correct a typo, for lack of a better word.

  175. 0:19:30

    Y'all following this?

  176. 0:19:31

    Yes.

  177. 0:19:32

    Okay.

  178. 0:19:33

    It's exciting stuff, I know, Mr. Chairman, but it is important-

  179. 0:19:36

    Good bill

  180. 0:19:36

    ... to our state's magistrate and probate court judges.

  181. 0:19:38

    Good bill. Any questions? All right, no questions.

  182. 0:19:43

    Thank you.

  183. 0:19:43

    Thank you, Representative Levert.

  184. 0:19:44

    Appreciate it.

  185. 0:19:45

    Senator McNeel, what do we owe the pleasure?

  186. 0:19:47

    Hey.

  187. 0:19:47

    Welcome this morning.

  188. 0:19:49

    Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, members of my fellow-

  189. 0:19:51

    Are you here to present a bill?

  190. 0:19:53

    I am. I am here to present-

  191. 0:19:53

    This is your first bill.

  192. 0:19:55

    It is.

  193. 0:19:56

    I thought you was in the Senate.

  194. 0:19:58

    Yeah. What's, what's-

  195. 0:19:59

    Still got my baby shoes on

  196. 0:20:00

    ... so your first bill's gonna be a... What's the bill number?

  197. 0:20:02

    It's bill number 11- House Bill 1196.

  198. 0:20:06

    So your first bill is gonna be a House bill.

  199. 0:20:08

    That's it.

  200. 0:20:10

    Wow. Wow.

  201. 0:20:13

    It is.

  202. 0:20:14

    That's-

  203. 0:20:14

    Would you like to hear about it, Mr. Chairman?

  204. 0:20:16

    I'm not sure how I feel about a senator's first bill being a House bill, but I guess we'll hear it.

  205. 0:20:22

    All right. This, this House bill establishes specific criminal offenses and penalties for unauthorized entry into animal enclosures and interference with wild animals. This bill is intended to protect animals housed in facilities such as zoos, aquariums, safaris, sanctuaries, and other similar institutions, as well as protect the people responsible for their care. The legislation creates a new framework within Georgia law defining criminal trespass involving a wild animal, including definitions, degrees of the offense, and penalties.

  206. 0:20:52

    And this bill, uh, was, uh, was presented to judiciary a few days ago, uh, by Representative Tyler Paul Smith. And Zoo Atlanta's had some issues with people throwing and harassing the animals over there, and what-

  207. 0:21:04

    Which animals?

  208. 0:21:06

    What's that?

  209. 0:21:06

    Which animals?

  210. 0:21:06

    Which animals?

  211. 0:21:07

    The ones you probably

  212. 0:21:09

    Oh, my.

  213. 0:21:09

    Yeah. Perhaps some gorillas, monkeys, chimpanzees, um, and other species of the that I, I, I'm, uh, fully unaware of. But, um, the overall impact of House Bill 1196 is that it would strengthen protections for animals and animal facilities by creating specific criminal offenses for-

  214. 0:21:29

    Are you reading the whole bill?

  215. 0:21:30

    No, no, no, no, no, no.

  216. 0:21:32

    You don't have to read the whole bill. Senator Kirkpatrick, you're recognized at this time. Yes. I... Is this gonna interfere q- with when I wanna go fishing?

  217. 0:21:38

    This will not. This will not. No, ma'am.

  218. 0:21:40

    At the zoo? Well, those are wild animals. Yeah.

  219. 0:21:43

    Those are, those are, those are within-

  220. 0:21:44

    The zoo

  221. 0:21:44

    ... sanctuaries and c- custody of people, um-

  222. 0:21:47

    Do you fish at the zoo? No, not yet. Now, you're the reason- Not yet. You're the reason we got this flock up here. Oh, y'all stop. This isn't her first bill. This is Senator McNeel's first bill. All right.

  223. 0:22:02

    Great.

  224. 0:22:02

    Senator Albers, you're recognized.

  225. 0:22:04

    Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate it then. Scratching my head on this one a little bit. Uh, Senator, um, can you define wild animal for this committee?

  226. 0:22:13

    Yes. Um, any animal currently or historically found in the wild, but that, that definition would also include domestic animals and livestock, um-

  227. 0:22:23

    Hmm. So domestic animals-

  228. 0:22:23

    ... kept in the normal course and scope of agribusiness.

  229. 0:22:27

    Would this involve the practice of cow tipping?

  230. 0:22:31

    This, this would, um-

  231. 0:22:33

    Would that make it legal or illegal?

  232. 0:22:35

    Illegal.

  233. 0:22:35

    Illegal.

  234. 0:22:36

    Mm-hmm.

  235. 0:22:36

    Illegal.

  236. 0:22:37

    Yeah.

  237. 0:22:37

    Okay. Um, it, now this is a, this is a House bill, right?

  238. 0:22:41

    Correct.

  239. 0:22:41

    And it references a zoo.

  240. 0:22:43

    Yeah.

  241. 0:22:44

    That is correct.

  242. 0:22:45

    Do you find any connection between those two?

  243. 0:22:48

    I, um, I'm too green to know the, the, the reference here.

  244. 0:22:52

    All right. No further questions.

  245. 0:22:54

    All right. Senator Robertson, you're recognized.

  246. 0:22:56

    Thank you. Senator, do you practice criminal law?

  247. 0:22:59

    I do not.

  248. 0:23:00

    Obviously. Um- If someone leaves the door of their house open, and somebody walks in it without the intent to commit a felony, what would that charge be under Title 16?

  249. 0:23:11

    Without the intent, that'd probably be a misdemeanor.

  250. 0:23:13

    What would that misdemeanor be called?

  251. 0:23:15

    Trespass.

  252. 0:23:16

    Or would it be called criminal trespass?

  253. 0:23:19

    Ooh. Um, that's a great question there, Senator Robertson.

  254. 0:23:24

    That's right. So what I'm, what I'm wondering is, um-

  255. 0:23:28

    Was that on the bar exam?

  256. 0:23:30

    I d- I've never taken the bar.

  257. 0:23:32

    Oh. Any lawyers?

  258. 0:23:33

    Did y'all, y'all get that one right?

  259. 0:23:34

    I spent, I spent plenty of time at a bar, but not that one. Um- But, um-

  260. 0:23:39

    Hey, we got kids here

  261. 0:23:40

    ... so, ri- exactly.

  262. 0:23:42

    Keep it clean. Keep it clean.

  263. 0:23:42

    So can I ask you who is, uh, who are you carrying this bill for?

  264. 0:23:47

    The monkeys. The monkeys and, uh, Senator-

  265. 0:23:51

    The senator?

  266. 0:23:51

    Or, uh, Representative Smith.

  267. 0:23:55

    Okay.

  268. 0:23:55

    He just called representatives. Tyler Paul Smith.

  269. 0:23:58

    So you're carrying this for another attorney is what you're telling me?

  270. 0:24:00

    That is correct.

  271. 0:24:01

    Ooh. Thank you. I appreciate that.

  272. 0:24:03

    Do either of y'all represent the zoo or a zoo?

  273. 0:24:06

    Negative. No.

  274. 0:24:07

    Okay. Just curious. Senator Anderson, you're recognized at this time.

  275. 0:24:11

    Senator, a couple of question. One, one is- How many different wild animals are there?

  276. 0:24:19

    Could you repeat that, please?

  277. 0:24:21

    How many different wild animals are there?

  278. 0:24:25

    I would have to defer to the zoologists on that one at Zoo Atlanta. I couldn't begin to know.

  279. 0:24:31

    It's not in your bill?

  280. 0:24:33

    We, no. We, we-

  281. 0:24:35

    You might wanna find-

  282. 0:24:36

    How many wildly-

  283. 0:24:37

    Senator, you might wanna find the answer to that before it hits the floor.

  284. 0:24:40

    Thank you, Chairman.

  285. 0:24:41

    Just giving you a head's up.

  286. 0:24:42

    Yes.

  287. 0:24:43

    Trying to help you out.

  288. 0:24:43

    Follow up, follow up-

  289. 0:24:45

    Oh, wow

  290. 0:24:45

    ... one more question. In your right mind, Senator,

  291. 0:24:52

    why did you choose a house bill to be your first bill?

  292. 0:24:56

    Oh, get gone here.

  293. 0:24:57

    This was assigned to me during judiciary, um, in, in reference to a stuffed animal thrown over the enclosure at a zoo, and apparently the, I don't know what, what primate it may have been. It may have been an orangutan, gorilla, chimpanzee, whatever it was.

  294. 0:25:15

    In fairness to the senator-

  295. 0:25:16

    Special bond

  296. 0:25:17

    ... he was, he didn't get sworn in until a couple days before crossover, so that's why his first bill is a house bill. So I do appreciate you jumping right in. Senator Still, quick question, then we're gonna move on.

  297. 0:25:27

    Thank you, Chairman. Um, Senator, in your presentation you referenced aquariums, but in the bill I don't see that there. Um, are we targeting the Georgia Aquarium in this as well? And what types of foul behavior are happening to our whale sharks, dolphins, fish, and other things that are there?

  298. 0:25:45

    That's where Senator Kirkpatrick's been fishing.

  299. 0:25:55

    That's why I catch one every time. Throw some bait and one shows up.

  300. 0:25:55

    The sharks are large.

  301. 0:25:55

    You're about to recuse yourself.

  302. 0:25:57

    The whales even bigger.

  303. 0:25:58

    There's sharks around here.

  304. 0:25:59

    But that's a fair question. And, uh, if it's not addressed, then we, I would be agreeable to an amendment for it.

  305. 0:26:04

    Man, this is hard.

  306. 0:26:05

    But I believe the rapping on the glass-

  307. 0:26:08

    Yeah, it'd be hard to throw the food

  308. 0:26:09

    ... glass enclosure.

  309. 0:26:12

    Sir, I think he's insulting this body right here by making his first bill a zoo/wild animal bill, a house bill, and then come present it in front of us.

  310. 0:26:22

    Well, we're gonna give him a pass. He just got here. All right, Senator, good job. Thank you.

  311. 0:26:27

    Thank you.

  312. 0:26:27

    I think you're gonna do great on the floor with it- ... should you make it that far.

  313. 0:26:31

    This, this should be, uh, Pandora's box. Thank you.

  314. 0:26:35

    All right, let's, uh... Senator Burns, you got your two resolutions.

  315. 0:26:42

    I, I, I'm fearful of coming up here-

  316. 0:26:43

    I'm gonna save you some time. Let's just go ahead and put those on the floor.

  317. 0:26:46

    Thank you very much. Let's get them out of the way.

  318. 0:26:49

    So- We need to honor those great Americans.

  319. 0:26:57

    S- SR 697 and SR 698, we'll do those, what's the day? Thursday, Monday. Okay. Um, going back, starting, we got SR 610. Oh, did I get everybody? All right, SR 610, Senator Hatchett. That's his study committee on recycling.

  320. 0:27:20

    Representative.

  321. 0:27:20

    Representative Reeves, I'm sorry. Did you, you got, you got a bill?

  322. 0:27:27

    I don't. I was just here to follow up on House Bill 1020 at the conclusion or if any follow-up's needed. I think there's an amendment in the works.

  323. 0:27:35

    Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. The, the sub w- isn't ready, so we're gonna, we're gonna take that up on Monday.

  324. 0:27:40

    Thank you.

  325. 0:27:43

    And he's referring to 1020 that was on the floor today and was referred to s- to standing committee. So we'll, we will take up that on Monday. Be prepared. Okay. Senator Still, HB 61. Did we already cover that?

  326. 0:27:58

    Covered it.

  327. 0:27:58

    We covered it. I'm sorry.

  328. 0:27:59

    I covered it.

  329. 0:28:00

    You're right. Uh, HB 485, we've heard from Representative Yoder multiple times on that. We should be good. HB 521, we've heard from Sen- uh, Representative Anderson on that. HB 535, that is Representative Smith, being carried by Senator Cowsert.

  330. 0:28:28

    This just, uh, allows you to get credit for time served if you're picked up on a probation violation and take some time to have a, a disposition of that.

  331. 0:28:38

    Okay.

  332. 0:28:39

    Can I ask a quick question?

  333. 0:28:40

    Sure.

  334. 0:28:41

    Sure.

  335. 0:28:42

    Question, Senator Orrock.

  336. 0:28:42

    Is it, is it if you're picked up only on a VOP? If you're picked up on an additional charge, does it go toward that? Or is it-

  337. 0:28:48

    Only-

  338. 0:28:48

    ... just on the existing charge you're on probation for?

  339. 0:28:51

    Just the existing charge. I mean, you could take care of that in a plea bargain if you-

  340. 0:28:55

    Right

  341. 0:28:56

    ... if you worked it out, but this only applies to the probated sentence.

  342. 0:28:58

    Thank you, sir.

  343. 0:29:01

    All right. Any other questions here? None. All right. HB 983 is Representative Hagens', I like to call the silviculture bill. Any questions? Good. And that's all of them. So let's pick a few.

  344. 0:29:20

    I already got the two resolutions on. I'm gonna do, I've got two ding-dings.

  345. 0:29:25

    Ooh, I got one.

  346. 0:29:27

    So, and Senator Ginn, you know what? You got one, so we're gonna let you have your other one. Go for it.

  347. 0:29:34

    Thank you. How about House Bill 983?

  348. 0:29:36

    House Bill 983.

  349. 0:29:39

    Bottom of the third page.

  350. 0:29:41

    Silviculture. The silviculture bill.

  351. 0:29:44

    Ooh, excited.

  352. 0:29:45

    All right.

  353. 0:29:46

    Something about a tree.

  354. 0:29:47

    And then we're back, uh, the dean of the Senate.

  355. 0:29:50

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

  356. 0:29:51

    Senator Harbison.

  357. 0:29:52

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'd like to have House Bill 521.

  358. 0:29:57

    521.

  359. 0:30:05

    Okay.

  360. 0:30:09

    Senator Cowsert.

  361. 0:30:14

    I'll go ahead and do House Bill 535.

  362. 0:30:17

    Ooh.

  363. 0:30:18

    For the Chairman.

  364. 0:30:21

    Ooh.

  365. 0:30:21

    Judy 97.

  366. 0:30:23

    535.

  367. 0:30:23

    Well, well.

  368. 0:30:26

    Let's see. We've got one, two, three. Al- all right. Y- you can go ahead and do it now.

  369. 0:30:31

    I'm gonna go with the monkey time.

  370. 0:30:33

    Ooh.

  371. 0:30:33

    Uh, 1196.

  372. 0:30:34

    Ooh, monkey time.

  373. 0:30:36

    Oh.

  374. 0:30:37

    Like it. All right.

  375. 0:30:40

    There we go.

  376. 0:30:42

    So that's four, five. All right, and then I'm gonna add HB 1000. Ooh, that one gives me another pick.

  377. 0:30:53

    But I'll save it. All right, so we've got SR 697, SR 698, HB 521, HB 535, HB 983, HB 1000, HB 1196.

  378. 0:31:09

    So moved.

  379. 0:31:10

    I've got a motion from my vice chairman. I got a second from Senator Ginn. Is there any further discussion? All in favor say, "Aye."

  380. 0:31:19

    Aye.

  381. 0:31:19

    All opposed say, "No." Motion carries unanimous. Get on to your committees. Meeting adjourned.

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