Senate floor session, March 20, 2026 (legislative day 35)

Transcript

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1. 0:25:26

   Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Time for give- convening has arrived. The Senate will come to order. I'm gonna ask all unauthorized personnel to exit the chamber.

2. 0:25:56

   I recognize the good doctor from the first district, the reading of the journal.

3. 0:26:08

   Good morning, Mr. President. Today is the first day of spring. Apparently happens around noon today, so we're so happy about that, and here we are on a good, Good Friday. We have some great pages with us today. Uh, Fletcher Almond, Harper Battaglia, those are from Macon and Watkinsville. Tagan Brinson from Locust Grove. We have Irish Clevenger from Lawrenceville. Um, Mr. Dejou from Buford. Josh Elliott, Peachtree City.

4. 0:26:41

   Jed Hinley from, uh, Rincon, Georgia, down in my neck of the woods, Effingham County. Ella Jensen from Grayson. Kyle Jensen from Grayson. I suspect they're related. Uh, Braxton Christianson and Jada Christianson, both from Loganville. Oliver Lynn from Alpharetta. Tate McGee from Sylvania, Georgia. Hailey Miller from Winder. Avery Morgan and JJ Morgan, uh, and both, uh, obviously related there from S- uh, Statham. Ellie Nedeland from Suwanee.

5. 0:27:13

   Elizabeth Rucker from Monroe. Teresa Smith from Woodstock. Um, Mr. President, the journal has been read and found to be correct.

6. 0:27:25

   Thank you, Senator. Appreciate that, and we, uh, greatly appreciate all the pages that are here today as well.

7. 0:27:34

   We will...

8. 0:27:41

   Senator from the 42nd.

9. 0:27:42

   Good morning, Mr. President. I move the s- that the Senate reconsider its action in failing to adopt H.R. 251.

10. 0:27:52

    Senator has moved.

11. 0:28:00

    Read the caption.

12. 0:28:02

    House Bill 251 by Representative Zanu of the 40th and others, a resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution so as to provide that all probate judges shall be elected in nonpartisan elections to provide for related matters, to provide for submission of this amendment for ratification or rejection, and for other purposes. Mr. President, that completes the order.

13. 0:28:18

    You wanna speak to it? All right. Obje- is there objection?

14. 0:28:24

    Objection. All right. We'll put... All those in favor of the motion from the senator from the 42nd will vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary will unlock the machine.

15. 0:29:40

    Uh, on the motion for reconsideration, the yays are 32, the nays are five, and this motion has reve- Recognize the senator from the 42nd.

16. 0:29:51

    Mr. President, I move that the Senate reconsider its action in failing to adopt H.R. 1243.

17. 0:29:59

    Secretary, read the caption.

18. 0:30:01

    House Resolution 1243 by Representative Martin of the 49th and others, a resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution so as to authorize creation of the Georgia Next Generation 911 Fund, to provide for submission of this amendment for ratification or rejection, and for other purposes. Mr. President, that completes the order.

19. 0:30:27

    Is there objection to the motion? All those in favor of the motion will vote s- Majority Leader, what purpose do you rise?

20. 0:30:35

    Just, m- ask unanimous consent to excuse the senators from the 6th and the 30th.

21. 0:30:41

    Without objection, senators from the 6th and the 30th are excused.

22. 0:30:51

    Senator, it still has to go on the board. All right. All those in favor of the motion will vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary will unlock the machine.

23. 0:32:06

    On the motion to reconsider, the yays are 33, the nays are 10, and this motion has prevailed.

24. 0:32:32

    All right, we're back on task here. Is, is there objection to the confirmation of the journal? Chair hears none. Journal is confirmed. All bill, all senators who have bills and resolutions, please bring them to the secretary's desk at this time. First reading of references of Senate bills. Mr. Secretary.

25. 0:32:50

    Senate Bill 627 by Senators Anavitarte of the 31st and others, a bill to be entitled In Act to provide a homestead exemption from City of Dallas ad valorem tax-

26. 0:32:57

    State and local government

27. 0:32:58

    ... Senate Bill 628 by Senator Burns of the 23rd, a bill to be entitled In Act-

28. 0:33:01

    State and local government, general

29. 0:33:03

    ... Senate Resolution 1001 by Senators McNeel of the 18th and others, a resolution honoring the-

30. 0:33:08

    Transportation

31. 0:33:09

    ... Senate Resolution 1002 by Senators McNeel-

32. 0:33:11

    Transportation

33. 0:33:12

    ... Mr. President, that completes the order.

34. 0:33:15

    First reading of references of the House bills.

35. 0:33:19

    House Bill 1339 by Representative-

36. 0:33:20

    State and local government

37. 0:33:21

    ... Mr. President, that completes the order.

38. 0:33:25

    Secretary will read reports of standing committee.

39. 0:33:28

    Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Education and Youth has had under consideration the following legislation, and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation. House Bill 451, do pass by substitute. House Bill 634, do pass by substitute. House Bill 1114, do pass by substitute. House Bill 1220, do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Hickman of the 4th District, Chairman. Dear Mr. Secretary, pursuant to Senate Rule 2-1.6, I hereby give notice that I will introduce a minority report to be read along with the majority report of House Bill 1220, which passed out of the Senate Committee on Education and Youth on March 19th, 2026.

40. 0:34:02

    Respectfully submitted, Senator Kemp of the 38th District. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Ethics has had under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation. House Bill 583, do pass by substitute. House Bill 963, do pass. House Bill 369, do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Watson of the 11th District, Chairman. Dear Mr. Secretary, pursuant to Senate Rule 2-1.6, I hereby give notice that I will introduce a minority report to be read along with the majority report of House Bill 369, which passed out of the Senate Committee on Ethics on March 19th, 2026.

41. 0:34:35

    Sincerely, Minority Leader Senator Jones II of the 22nd District. Dear Mr. Secretary, pursuant to Senate Rule 2-1.6, I hereby give notice that I will introduce a minority report to be read along with the majority report of House Bill 583, which passed out of the Senate Committee on Ethics on March 19th, 2026. Sincerely, Minority Leader Senator Jones II of the 22nd District. Dear Mr. Secretary, pursuant to Senate Rule 2-1.6, I hereby give notice that I will introduce a minority report to be read along with the majority report of House Bill 963, which passed out of the Senate Committee on Ethics on March 19th, 2026.

42. 0:35:08

    Sincerely, Minority Leader Senator Jones II of the 22nd District. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Insurance and Labor has had under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation. House Bill 1015, do pass. House Bill 87, do pass by substitute. House Bill 323, do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Harbin of the 16th District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Judiciary has had under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation.

43. 0:35:39

    House Bill 304, do pass by substitute. House Bill 447, do pass. House Bill 1185, do pass. House Bill 460, do pass. House Bill 676, do pass. House Bill 1247, do pass by substitute. House Bill 1290, do pass by substitute. House Bill 267, do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Strickland of the 42nd District, Chairman. Dear Mr. Secretary, pursuant to Senate Rule 2-1.6, I hereby give notice that I will introduce a minority report to be read along with the majority report of House Bill 1247, which passed out of the Senate Committee on Judiciary on March 19th, 2026.

44. 0:36:12

    Sincerely, Minority Leader Senator Jones II of the 22nd District. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Regulated Industries and Utilities has had under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation. House Bill 641, do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Cowsert of the 46th District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Rules has had under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation. House Bill 445, do pass by substitute. Senate Resolution 432, do pass by substitute.

45. 0:36:42

    Senate Resolution 834, do pass. Pursuant to Senate Rule 2-1.10B, the Committee on Rules has referred the following legislation from the General Calendar. House Bill 328 to the Committee on Rules. Respectfully submitted, Senator Brass of the 6th District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on State and Local Government Operations has had under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation. Senate Bill 622, do pass. House Bill 847, do pass. House Bill 1452, do pass. House Bill 1484, do pass. House Bill 1504, do pass by substitute.

46. 0:37:13

    House Bill 1530, do pass. House Bill 1503, do pass. House Bill 1515, do pass. House Bill 1527, do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Dixon of the 45th District, Chairman. Mr. President, that completes the order.

47. 0:37:30

    Secretary will read bills and resolutions for the second time. Senate Resolution 927 by Senator Hatchett of the 50th and others. Senate Pharmacy Benefit Managers and Consumer Access to Prescription Medication Study Committee, create. House Bill 413 by Representative Jenkins of the 136th and others. Agriculture, prohibit local ordinances that prohibit operation of mobile sawmills on agricultural land. House Bill 439 by Representative Zierta of the 152nd and others. Revenue and taxation, revised deductions allowed to dealers. House Bill 717 by Representative Cooper of the one, the 45th and others.

48. 0:38:02

    Medical Practice Act, regulation of the administration of psychedelic-assisted treatment and therapy, provide. House Bill 944 by Representative McDonald III of the 26th and others. Motor vehicles, federal regulations regarding safe operation of commercial motor carriers and commercial vehicles, update reference r- date. House Bill 1070 by Representative Hagan of the 156th and others. Income tax, increase and extend a credit for expenditures on maintenance of railroad track owned or leased by Class III railroads. House Bill 1085 by Representative Petrie of the 166th and others. Income tax, various tax credits for forestry manufacturing facilities, provide.

49. 0:38:36

    House Bill 1096 by Representative Taylor of the 173rd and others. Public Health, Department of, provide that if certain employees of a county board of health become employees of such department, such employees will re- retain accrued annual and sick leave. House Bill 1129 by Representative Sebaugh of the 34th and others. Local government, designation of enterprise zones, provisions. House Bill 1161 by Representative Lim of the 98th and others. Motor vehicles, proper operation upon approach by an authorized emergency vehicle or by a law enforcement vehicle for purposes of a traffic stop, provide. House Bill 1230 by Representative Jones of the 25th and others.

50. 0:39:08

    Aviation, prohibit operation of unmanned aircraft systems over place of incarceration. House Bill 1283 by Representative Panteach of the one, of the 51st and others. Family Justice Center Act, enact. House Bill 1409 by Representative Camp of the 135th and others. Domestic relations, revise mandated reporting of child abuse. House Bill 1434 by Representative Jenkins of the 136th and others. Aviation, air facilities, identification of airport-affected areas, provide. House Resolution 1416 by Representative Dickey of the 134th and others.

51. 0:39:39

    Joint Study Commission on Generational Sustainability of Family Farms, create. Mr. President, that completes the order.

52. 0:39:49

    It is now time for the morning roll call. Are there any motions to excuse? Recognize the Majority Leader.

53. 0:39:58

    Mr President, I ask unanimous consent to also excuse the senator from the 51st for business inside the Capitol.

54. 0:40:05

    Without objection, the senator from the 51st is excused. Recognize the senator from the 33rd.

55. 0:40:12

    Thank you, Mr. President. Good morning, y'all. I ask for unanimous consent to excuse the senator from the 5th for business inside the Capitol.

56. 0:40:20

    Without objection, senator from the 5th is excused. Recognize the senator from the 18th.

57. 0:40:25

    Mr. President, I'd like to excuse the senators from the 50th and 29th districts by unanimous consent.

58. 0:40:31

    Without objection, the senators from the 50th and the 29th are excused. Senator from the 9th.

59. 0:40:39

    Ask for a unanimous consent to excuse the senator from the 12th.

60. 0:40:43

    Without objection, the senator from the 12th is excused. Senator from the 8th, the senator from the 51st has already been excused, if that's what you're co- asking about. You gotta go and take care of you. Any other motions to excuse? Recognize the senator from the 43rd.

61. 0:41:00

    Thank you, Mr. President. Good morning. I ask for unanimous consent to excuse the senator from the 26th.

62. 0:41:06

    From the 26th. Senator from the 26th, without objection, is excused. Any other motions? Secretary will call the roll. Senators, signify by your presence by voting the yay switch. Secretary, unlock the machine.

63. 0:42:20

    Uh, it is now time for our morning devotion. All senators, please take your seats and cease all conversation. We have a special guest from Athens, Georgia today. And with that, I call on the good senator from Athens, Georgia, senator from the 46th to lead us in our pledge and introduce our pastor of the day. Senator?

64. 0:42:45

    Thank you, Mr. President. Please join me in the pledge to our nation's flag.

65. 0:42:49

    I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

66. 0:43:02

    Now the Georgia flag.

67. 0:43:04

    I pledge allegiance to the Georgia flag, the principles for which it stands, wisdom, justice, moderation, and courage.

68. 0:43:14

    Special day for me today to be able to introduce my preacher from First Presbyterian Church in Athens, Dr. Ryan Bear. Ryan is a Texas boy. Uh, unfortunately, a Missouri fan. You may noti- notice his, uh, tie this morning. That is not a Yellow Jacket tie, that's a Missouri Tiger tie. But we, we converted him into a Bulldog here now that he's been in Athens since 2019. He's got an interesting lesson for us today. He's, he's a Texas guy, but he's got Hall County roots.

69. 0:43:44

    He's got his great, great, great grandfather was from Hall County, Georgia. Uh, and actually served, uh, in the Confederate Army back in the day. Got captured at Vicksburg. And, uh, he's got a long heritage. He had another grandfather that got captured in April of 1945 fighting in World War II. Fortunately, he was towards the end of that and, uh, was not a prisoner for very long. So he comes from an interesting family of, of essentially public s- servants and patriots.

70. 0:44:18

    He's a, a fun guy, he's got great stories, and he shares my love for baseball. We're letting him have a sabbatical this summer where he's writing a book. He might tell you a little bit about it, but, uh, we have opening day in Little League in Athens tomorrow. That's probably true a lot of places. So we've, uh, had nice chats about baseball, and he's gonna share the word of God with us. Please welcome my pastor, Dr. Ryan Bear.

71. 0:44:48

    Thank you very much, Senator Cowsert. Friends, I bring you greetings on behalf of the members and friends of the First Presbyterian Church of Athens. We give thanks to God for your service to our state. We pray God's blessings upon you and your families. It is truly an honor to be here among you this morning. If you don't know Athens, we play a little football, uh, over in Athens, but we also play some baseball. Tomorrow morning, if you're in Northeast Georgia around 11:45, I invite you to come out for the Athens Little League opening day.

72. 0:45:26

    Senator Cowsert will be there cheering on a grandchild in T-ball. I'll be cheering on my 11-year-old. And as some of you know, the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball Club is the oldest continually operating franchise in American professional sports. They began play in Boston in 1871, had a brief sojourn in Milwaukee, but since the mid-1960s, they have represented the city of Atlanta and the state of Georgia and the South.

73. 0:45:59

    In America's pastime. In just a few days, their opening day will begin, and many of you may know a Major League Baseball season lasts for 162 games. That's nearly twice as many as a basketball season, nearly 10 times as football. Professional baseball is played almost every day from late March to late October, sometimes into November. And because the game of baseball is played for so long, at the end of 162 games, the final standings tell us something.

74. 0:46:38

    Because any team can get hot for a week or a month, but by game 162, every team has dealt with injuries, bad calls, and bad bounces. Over time, because baseball is so long, the randomness gets filtered out. And so the large sample size of a baseball season means that the very best teams will statistically lose about a third of the games that they play, and even the worst teams will back their way in to some wins.

75. 0:47:19

    What separates the best from the rest is what happens in those middle 54, as I call it, those toss-up games that could go either way. I have learned that in the middle 54, in those toss-up games, it's execution in the little things that makes the difference. In that middle 54, pressure-- poise under pressure matters most. The middle 54 is where true greatness separates from mere mediocrity.

76. 0:47:50

    And so I have learned in my career in ministry that the same thing is true about ministry, and I suspect the same thing is true about life in public service as well. I will confess to you, even the most gifted preachers have a bad Sunday every now and then. The Apostle Paul once preached a sermon so long and so boring that someone fell asleep on a third-floor window, fell out, and died.

77. 0:48:21

    Look it up. It's in Acts chapter 20. Don't tell me this isn't a dangerous job. In ministry, greatness is not revealed by a preacher's greatest hits album. It's earned in those middle 54 moments, in those conversations no one sees, in those decisions that don't make headlines, in the small choices that shape things over time. And I have learned, and probably you have too, that a day can turn on how you respond to an unkind email.

78. 0:48:57

    I've learned that a week can turn on a conversation you had in the hallway that brings sudden clarity and insight. I've learned that the faithful long work of listening carefully, of showing up consistently every day either makes the play or it doesn't. In a long season, whether in baseball or ministry or public service, success is not measured by what happened in a single inning or a single day or a single month.

79. 0:49:31

    No one is as good as their best moment, and thanks be to God, no one is as bad as their worst moment. Everyone goes through hot streaks and slumps. It's what happens in the middle that reveals the truth over the long season. Some of you may know that in baseball to be-- to hit 300, to post a 300 caree- season batting average is considered excellent. That's a benchmark.

80. 0:50:01

    And over the course of a season, the difference between achieving that benchmark and not, over that long season, the difference is one more hit per week. Not per game, not per series, one more hit per week. See, over time, greatness, you know this, it shows up in the small, incremental things. And you also know, and I know, and baseball players know, if you can't handle losing every now and then, don't play the game.

81. 0:50:37

    Don't go into ministry. I imagine don't go into public service. No one wins every game. Still, best teams take the field knowing they'll win some and lose some. But they show up ready to play every day. They show up in the excitement of opening day, in the businessman's special that Wednesday afternoon, 12:05 first pitch at Truist Park in late July.

82. 0:51:08

    It's delightful out there. In the soft light of September, they show up. And over a long season, the truth has a way of coming out in the end. So I leave you with these words of encouragement this morning from the Apostle Paul, who wrote a letter to the Galatians, and he said this: "Let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time if we do not give up.

83. 0:51:41

    So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all." Will you pray with me, please?

84. 0:51:57

    Almighty God, bless th-those who hold office in the government of this state. That they may do their work in a spirit of wisdom and kindness and justice. Give them wise minds, discerning spirits, and a heart for the most vulnerable among us. For you tell us it is to such as these as your kingdom belongs. Amen. Thank you, friends.

85. 0:57:24

    If I could have everybody's attention real quick. If I could have everyone's attention. We got a special guest with us here today. We've got the, uh, former state senator from the 21st in Brandon Beach, now known as the Treasurer, the US Treasurer of the United States of America, BLB right here. So, so Tre- Mr. Treasurer, will you say, say a few words for us?

86. 0:57:52

    Well, thank you, Lieutenant Governor.

87. 0:57:56

    Thank you. It's great to be back here in the Senate. Um, you know, I served 13 years here serving Georgians and serving with y'all, and it was a great honor to do that, but it's also a great honor to serve you as your 46th Treasury of the United States, and, uh, I'm really enjoying it. And I wanna tell you, we're doing some great things up there. But before I t- say that, I, I wanna thank the senator from the 15th. I know you're retiring, the dean. Thank you for your years of service. Let's give him a big round of applause. Thank you.

88. 0:58:26

    Indeed.

89. 0:58:31

    Let me tell you what. I, I got up to Washington, and as you know, President Trump hit the ground running from day one. He signed several executive orders, and then Secretary Bessent and our team, we got working on tariffs to make sure the business community had an even playing field so that we could bring manufacturing jobs back to the US. And then we did something that was unbelievable. We passed the one big beautiful bill, which was really 17 bills combined into one big omnibus bill. And I will tell you, we laid the groundwork last year, and we're seeing the prosperity this year.

90. 0:59:02

    I'm really bullish and, and optimistic about 2026, and I'll tell you why. One, it's our 250th year birthday. We're all Americans, and we should be proud of that. We're gonna talk about American exceptionalism. We're gonna talk about American pride, American spirit, and American success stories. I mean, we got-- I'm gonna give you two success stories. One from here in Georgia. A guy named Jeff Sprecher moved here 30-plus years ago with $1,000, started the Intercontinental Exchange. Now he owns the New York Stock Exchange, several other exchanges.

91. 0:59:33

    He's a multi-billionaire. That only happens in America. Number two, a, a native from Louisiana, where I'm from, but he actually went to the University of Georgia, and he, he wanted to start a restaurant, and he tried to get a loan from a bank. They wouldn't do it, so he went and worked on oil rigs for two years, saved $50,000. Now he owns a little company called Raising Cane's. He's worth $22 billion. Only happens in America, folks. Those are the kinda things we're gonna talk about. That's what we should be proud of. Also, we got the FIFA World Cup coming.

92. 1:00:03

    We're gonna showcase our, our country to the world, and we're here in Atlanta. We're gonna have eight games. That's like four Super Bowls. And I'm very fortunate 'cause we're doing the FIFA World Cup coins and medals, so I'm very involved in that, and it's been fun to be part of the FIFA World Cup. Also, the one big beautiful bill, like I talked about, no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security. You're gonna see money flowing. Also, we're gonna not just be oil independent, we're gonna be oil dominant. After this Iran conflict's over, you're gonna see the price of gas going down to $2 a gallon.

93. 1:00:36

    S- then, then the final thing we've got, we've got a new Fed chair. I met with Kevin the other day. We had, uh, he came to my office, and then we had dinner, and I will just tell you this, that, uh, interest rates will come down, and we'll have affordability for these young kids to be able to buy a house. GDP hit four point four. We think it'll go to five. And then we had f- since President Trump's been elected, we've had 53 record days on Wall Street, and about three weeks ago, the Dow hit 50,000 for the first time. So I'm very optimistic and bullish on 2026.

94. 1:01:08

    I think we're gonna have a good year. I think things are gonna be great. And, um, I will tell you this, one final thing I wanna talk to you about is something called Trump accounts. If you have a child that's under 18, you need to go sign up, and it's a-- You go to the trumpaccount.gov. You fill out one form, IRS Form 4547. You know why it's called 4547, I'm sure. But I can tell you this, w- we're gonna have-- we're gonna invest in our children. Our children will be invested in our country. We're gonna teach them financial literacy.

95. 1:01:40

    We're gonna talk to them about compounding interest. Michael Dell put in $6.25 billion. Uh, the lieutenant governor was up there when we, uh, announced these Trump accounts on July 4th. You can sign your child up. We've already had four million people sign up. This is gonna be, this is gonna be transformational for, uh, genero- uh, uh, general, I mean, wealth, generations of wealth for our kids. So I'm really excited about that. It'll, it'll continue to really create capitalism in our country. So I'm, I'm very excited about that.

96. 1:02:10

    Now, I'll tell you one final story. I was very fortunate to, uh, do a lot of different things as a senator and as Treasury of the United States. I went to Fort Knox. The gold is there, stacked to the ceiling. But, um, but I, I wanna tell you one thing I did get to do. I was honored to strike the last penny in Philadelphia about three months ago. We eliminated the penny, and the reason we eliminated it, before COVID, we did 10 billion in pennies in production. Last year, we did o- less than two billion, but the price went from a penny to four and a half cents. So my LSU math kicked in, and I said, "This isn't, doesn't make sense." So we decided to eliminate the penny.

97. 1:02:44

    I got to strike the last penny. After I struck the penny, I signed the authenticity papers, and we decided to auction it off. We got-- We thought we'd get five million for it. We sold that penny for 16.7 million. That goes back to you, the taxpayer. So we, we were glad to do that. That was a great thing to do, and I was happy to do it. But I, I wanna end by saying this. Just thank you for all y'all do for Georgia. And, um, You know, we, we, we really need this year to come together and celebrate the 250 year celebration of our country and realize how lucky we are to live in the greatest nation in the world.

98. 1:03:25

    God bless Georgia and God bless the United States. Thank you very much.

99. 1:03:31

    All right. Good job. Good job. Good job.

100. 1:03:32

     Thank you, Lord.

101. 1:03:32

     Amen.

102. 1:03:32

     Thank you.

103. 1:03:47

     Recognize Pro Tem.

104. 1:03:53

     Is it?

105. 1:03:54

     Hello. Thank you, Mr. President.

106. 1:03:56

     Yeah.

107. 1:03:56

     Parliamentary inquiry.

108. 1:03:58

     State your inquiry.

109. 1:03:59

     Is it not true that, uh, the treasurer, US Treasurer was my seatmate here in the Senate for 10 years, and I miss him every day that we're here?

110. 1:04:09

     Yeah.

111. 1:04:10

     But my question is, is this: Do you think sitting by me is the reason he got elevated to the United States Treasurer, or is him, him sitting by me the reason I'm now the Pro Tem?

112. 1:04:24

     Well, tell you what, there's a lot of success in those two stories right there. Lot of success. There's just some of us in here just are happy that, that we can look at you both and say, "I, I remember you when," you know? So, all right, l- we've got the doctor of the day. Doctor of the day, come on up here so we recognize you, sir. But we appreciate having the treasurer here. Brandon Beach is doing an outstanding job, and he's one of President Trump's favorite people inside the administration there.

113. 1:05:00

     He asked me about, every time I talk to him, he somehow asks me about Beach all the time, so he loves him Brandon Beach.

114. 1:05:35

     Recognize the senator from the 41st to introduce our doctor of the day. Senator?

115. 1:05:42

     Good morning, colleagues. It's my great honor and privilege to represent, uh, to introduce you to our doctor of the day. It's Dr. Thad, um, Dr. Thaddeus Linn. He is a native of Atlanta. We don't get a lot of those. Went to our very own Morehouse College, graduated cum laude with a Bachelor's of Science. He's a Morehouse man. Then he moved out to Ohio State, where he got his, um, medic- Doctor in Medicine at the, uh, school in Ohio State, and then he did his internal medicine internship at the Christ, Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, with a family medic- medicine residency in New York.

116. 1:06:20

     But he knew where home was, and so he made sure that he came back home. I'm honored to introduce him, but also he has his little daughter with him. His daughter today, who's five years old, Anastasia, is with him, so we welcome them. Please greet them. Thank you.

117. 1:06:41

     Good morning, and thank you for having me here among Georgia's most positive and effective and efficient change agents. Thank you for the monumental work done to date regarding Georgia's healthcare. I'm Dr. Thad, Thaddeus K. Linn, MD, a private practitioner at Thaddeus K. Linn MD PC, located in Sandy Springs, Georgia. For my, for more information about my practice of medicine, please visit drthad.com, D-O-C-T-O-R-T-H-A-D.com.

118. 1:07:17

     I would like to thank the legislators of the Senate chamber for their hard work and service to the great state of Georgia. The physicians of Georgia care about our patients and also appreciate the efforts of our state legislators to ensure that a system of quality healthcare in Georgia is preserved and strengthened. The physicians of Georgia appreciate your sincere efforts to see that all of Georgia's children, both young and old, be afforded the opportunity to have a life of longevity filled with good health, prevention, and wellness.

119. 1:07:57

     The physicians of Georgia appreciate your sincere efforts to create laws for the great state of Georgia that will continue to serve as a positive change agent that allow all Georgians to develop their vision of good health into a tangible manifestation that leads to a positive transformation. When I reflect on what is a positive change agent, I am reminded of a prism. You see, a prism is a transparent optical element that refracts, reflects, and disperses light into a band of colors as seen in a rainbow produced by separation of the components of light by their different degrees of refraction according to wavelength.

120. 1:08:44

     As a positive change agent, we thank you for refracting and bending the will of illness into wellness, bending the will of health parity into health equality and awareness, bending the will of poverty into prosperity, and bending the will of pessimism into a culminating rainbow of optimism and hope. You can have fame and fortune, but what good is any of it if you do not have good health and wellness?

121. 1:09:16

     Through prevention and wellm- wellness, we prevent and reduce pain, suffering, morbidity, and mortality. Through prevention and wellness, we give life to all Georgians by simply improving the quality of life. I'm Dr. Thad, your doctor to the community, specializing in all of you. Together we shall be better, we shall be healthier, and we shall be well. I stand with you in a strong effort to promote prevention and wellness for all Georgians as you unselfishly give of yourselves to govern the great state of Georgia, where everything that is good for humanity is possible.

122. 1:09:58

     Thank you.

123. 1:10:02

     Good job. Thank you, again. We appreciate it.

124. 1:10:03

     Thanks for coming.

125. 1:10:03

     Thank you, Doctor. Sorry, we were working in the midst of all of it.

126. 1:11:05

     Are there any unanimous consents?

127. 1:11:10

     Any senator wish to rise on a point of personal privilege?

128. 1:11:19

     Recognize senator from the 49th.

129. 1:11:33

     Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, good morning, colleagues. I'm gonna be brief. I know we've got a lot of bills to, uh, to get to, but, uh, tomorrow, um, is World Down Syndrome Day, and some of you guys have on some, uh, crazy socks that, uh, to celebrate that. But I've got a couple special guests with me this morning. One of them is not a stranger to the chamber. Uh, Cohen Echols, mine and Shelly's son, he's sitting back there in the corner. Cohen, will you raise your hand? Throw your hand up. All right, and so Cohen is, uh, a...

130. 1:12:04

     Thank y'all. And his friend, Ms. Emma Clark, she's sitting back there. She is, um, the daughter of M- Mr. Corey Clark and Ms. Dixie Clark. She's here with us. They're very special people, and y'all are gonna see some of these folks all around the Capitol today. Just, uh, smile at them, shake their hand, give them a hug. I promise you there's gonna be a lot of hugs given out in the hallway, so thank y'all. I appreciate everything you guys do, and, uh, just look forward to getting home this afternoon. See y'all.

131. 1:13:03

     Senator from the 28th, would you like to do it from there?

132. 1:13:11

     Senator from the 32nd, point of personal privilege.

133. 1:13:35

     Colleagues, I have breaking news for you today from the wonderful city of Marietta, Georgia. Yesterday, Mayor Thunder Tumlin, who many of you know from previous service down here, announced that Arthur Blank's expansion franchise for the National Women's Soccer League is going to locate their practice facilities on Franklin Gateway in Marietta. We already have the Atlanta United facilities in that area, and this is going to be a big deal for Marietta.

134. 1:14:11

     The site was originally sold to IKEA. The, uh, company decided not to build a store there, so Marietta bought it back. And now between Mayor Tumlin and, um, Arthur Blank, we're also gonna get a new park out of it. So I'm very excited about the new women's soccer team that's coming to Marietta, and look forward to telling y'all more as it develops. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield.

135. 1:14:54

     Recognize the senator from the 21st. Senator, we're waiting on you.

136. 1:15:10

     All right. Thank you, sir.

137. 1:15:15

     Thank you, Mr. President

138. 1:15:19

     Mr. President and colleagues, ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, today I rise with great pride to recognize a truly remarkable Georgian, Mr. Robert A. Banks of Cherokee County. And today it is my honor to present a Senate resolution recognizing and commending him for his many years of dedicated service to his community and to the state of Georgia. Bob Banks is the kind of man who represents the very best of our state. For decades, he has been a steady, positive force in his community, someone who has given his time, his wisdom, and his heart to the people around him.

139. 1:15:55

     His contributions to Cherokee County civic, economic, and social life have helped shape a stronger, more connected community for generations. But beyond all of his accomplishments, what truly sets Bob apart is something far more personal. Bob Banks never forgets a name. You can meet him once, and 10 years later he'll greet you like an old friend. That simple, genuine act speaks volumes about the kind of man he is. He sees people, he values people, and he makes everyone feel welcome.

140. 1:16:30

     That gift of remembering, of connecting, of caring is rare, and it is powerful. Throughout his life, Bob has mentored others, lifted others up, and led not just with words, but by example. His devotion to faith, to family, and to community reflects the very values we strive to uphold in this chamber and across the great state of Georgia. His legacy is not just what in, what he has done, but in the countless lives he has touched along the way.

141. 1:17:07

     Today, it is only fitting that we pause to honor a man whose life has been defined by service, integrity, and kindness. Mr. President, I ask that this body join me in recognizing and commending Mr. Robert A. Banks, and in thanking him for a lifetime of making Georgia a better place. Thank you. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

142. 1:17:35

     Good to have you here, Mr. Banks, and we appreciate all your contributions to your community there. Thank you, Senator, from the 21st for sharing that. Senator from the 28th, you ready?

143. 1:17:48

     The floor is yours.

144. 1:18:20

     Excuse me for making a noise. I'm sorry. Okay. Thank you. Yes, ma'am.

145. 1:18:32

     Oh, my. Mayor, you might as well stay up there so, so, uh, because I needed you down here, but...

146. 1:18:42

     Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. Today is a great day in Georgia. We have our leaders and members of the City of South Fulton here today. Yeah. It's a ci- it's a young city with a bold vision. It was incorporated in 2017. South Fulton is a modern, forward-thinking city committed to smart growth, innovation, and leadership driven by its community.

147. 1:19:23

     And most of you know all about it because we worked for three years trying to b- us get a city called the City of South Fulton, and I gave my blood, sweat, and tears, so I feel like a proud mama right now. The city's rich, uh, mix of cultures and backgrounds create a vibrant inclusion environment that enhances everyday life and strengthens community connections.

148. 1:19:56

     Strategic location for economic growth. It has a community that cares. And the City of South Fulton residents are deeply engaged, showing pride in their neighborhoods through their civic involvement, local events, and a shared vision for the city. Abundant green space. In fact, we're probably the, uh, have the most, uh, undeveloped land in all of Fulton County for sure, and maybe, uh, most of the metropolitan Atlanta area.

149. 1:20:31

     So come to South Fulton if you have something quality you wanna bring. I'd like to introduce to you in the gallery, uh, the mayor of South Fulton, Mayor Kamalitha Gumbs, everyone. Hey, you can give her a hand. And Council Member JC Sebastian. There's about eight- he's taller than, than Ma- than Senator, uh, Mangham. And Natasha Williams Brown, our city councilwoman.

150. 1:21:06

     She's my city councilwoman. And we have the, um, the city manager of the City of South Fulton in the white up there. You wanna raise... And then all the members of the City of South Fulton that's, that's upstairs, please raise your hand. Stand up. Stand up and let, and let's give them a warm...

151. 1:21:26

     Senate, welcome. So thank you, Mr. President. We, we are very excited today, and we have food downstairs if you wanna come, come and taste it. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you.

152. 1:21:48

     Recognize the senator from the 24th.

153. 1:21:51

     Thank you,

154. 1:21:55

     Mr. President. Ladies and gentlemen, we s- we in the short rows now and we're running out of time, but I need your help, all of y'all.

155. 1:22:34

     The Georgia Sportsmen's Caucus, we are having raffle tickets, and we'd love for each one of you to, to buy a raffle ticket. And we extend the love to the staff and to the lobbyists that they can, uh, y'all can buy tickets too. Mr. President. Mr. President.

156. 1:23:01

     Yes, sir.

157. 1:23:01

     We extending the love to you that you can buy a raffle ticket- ... from the, for the Georgia Sportsmen's Caucus.

158. 1:23:12

     Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

159. 1:23:13

     And also that we, this is a good need. We're trying to buy a trailer for to be able to carry around the vehicles, the, uh, machines to be able to take wheelchairs where, uh, disabled people can go in the woods and have a good time in the woods.

160. 1:23:30

     How much is the trailer?

161. 1:23:32

     A ticket is $100. We don't have but a-

162. 1:23:34

     No, I'm asking how much is the trailer?

163. 1:23:35

     We don't have but 150.

164. 1:23:36

     Mm-hmm. I asked for how much-

165. 1:23:38

     So let-

166. 1:23:38

     ... is the trailer there, Senator.

167. 1:23:40

     The trailer-

168. 1:23:40

     I didn't ask for the ticket, so.

169. 1:23:41

     The trailer's somewhere in the neighborhood of, uh, I say around 10,000.

170. 1:23:47

     Well, why don't we figure, we fi- we figure out something with the trailer then.

171. 1:23:49

     And then, and then also, let me say, the Senate won last year.

172. 1:23:54

     We always win, Senator.

173. 1:23:56

     So we send it, I'm, I'm reaching out to you with love, asking you to get some tickets from me. Thank you.

174. 1:24:05

     No, give, give, hey, give me some.

175. 1:28:06

     Senator from the 14th.

176. 1:28:19

     Thank you, Mr. President. I rise this morning to wish all Muslim communities in Georgia an Eid Mubarak, a happy end of the month of Ramadan, which is the holiest month of the calendar, uh, in Islam. Uh, today is a day for celebrating, uh, an end of a period of self-reflection, God-consciousness, and self-improvement. Um, the, it's actually forbidden to fast today, but Muslims have been fasting for... Thank you, Mr. President. Muslims have been fasting for the last month, uh, in adherence to these principles, and, uh, just wanted to make sure that the State of Georgia recognizes this important holiday.

177. 1:28:55

     Uh, Eid literally means feast or festival in Arabic. And so, uh, Muslims all over the state with their friends and neighbors will be celebrating the end of this holy month. Thank you very much, Mr. President.

178. 1:29:06

     Does any other senator wish to rise on a point of personal privilege?

179. 1:29:12

     You have before you a consent calendar of privileged resolutions. Does any senator wish to remove a resolution from the consent calendar? Is there objection to the adoption of the resolutions on the consent calendar? Chair hears none. Resolutions on the consent calendar are adopted.

180. 1:29:32

     Are there any motions to withdraw and commit?

181. 1:29:37

     You have before you a consent calendar of local bills. Mr. Secretary, have there been any objections been filed for any of the bills on the calendar?

182. 1:29:45

     No objections have been filed, Mr. President.

183. 1:29:48

     Is there objection to agreeing to the report of the committee w- on the state and local governmental operations, which is favorable to the passage of the bills on the local consent calendar? Chair hears none.

184. 1:30:01

     Hear the report the committee has agreed to. Question is on the passage of the bill on the local consent calendar. All those in favor will vote yay, opposed nay. Secretary will unlock the machine.

185. 1:32:21

     On the passage of the bill, the yays are 44, the nays are zero. The bill on the local consent calendar, having received the requisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed.

186. 1:32:34

     Senator from the 14th, for what purpose do you rise?

187. 1:32:37

     Uh, Mr. President, I rise to make a motion. Uh, I would ask unanimous consent that the rules of the Senate be suspended to allow the senator from the 46th to wear jeans.

188. 1:32:50

     Oh, man. So is there objection to that motion? Well, hearing none, I guess we'll-

189. 1:32:57

     Thank you, Mr. President

190. 1:32:58

     ... I'm, I'm glad you did that, Senator. I appreciate that. Your parliamentary skills are unmatched.

191. 1:33:08

     Recognize the majority leader.

192. 1:33:12

     Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that HB 1261 be engrossed.

193. 1:33:16

     Secretary, read the cab.

194. 1:33:18

     House Bill 1261 by Representative Huddleston, Studden of the 72nd and others. A bill to be entitled an Act to amend Part 1 of Article 2 of Chapter 5 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to tax exemptions so as to provide for level one free port exemptions for certain goods in inventory for electric utilities, to provide for application for such exemptions, to provide for related matters to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes. Mr. President, that completes the order.

195. 1:36:13

     The majority leader has moved to new, to ask for unanimous consent on HB 1261 to be engrossed. Is there objection? There is objection. We'll just put it on the board here. All those in favor of the majority leader's motion will vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

196. 1:37:34

     On the motion to engross, the yays are 29, the nays are 19, and this motion has prevailed. Moving on to the

197. 1:38:03

     rules calendar.

198. 1:38:11

     Secretary read HR 251.

199. 1:38:21

     House Bill 1268 by Representative Burchett of the 176th and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend the Official Code of Georgia Annotated so as to revise, modernize, correct errors or omissions in and reenact the statutory portion of said code as amended in furtherance of the work of the Code Revision Commission to repeal portions of said code or acts and amendment thereof which have become obsolete, have been declared to be unconstitutional or have been preempted or superseded by subsequent laws. To codify principles of law derived from decisions of the state Pr- Supreme Court to provide for other matters relating to revision, reenactment and publication of said code to provide for effect in event of conflicts to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes.

200. 1:38:56

     Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Judiciary recommends that this bill do pass respectfully submitted Senator Strickland of the 42nd District. Chairman, Mr. President, that completes the order. Senator from the 44th. You have the light on. Uh, thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to ask for unanimous consent to excuse the senator from the 22nd. Business inside the Capitol. Without objection, senator from the 22nd is excused. Recognize the senator from the 50th to speak to the measure.

201. 1:39:26

     Senator from the 50th.

202. 1:39:33

     Senator from the 50th. You're on, babe. Mm.

203. 1:39:48

     The floor leader. Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, every year we pass a bill to revise the Official Code of Georgia to correct errors. A team works on it year-round. This is the code revision bill and I ask for your favorable consideration. No questions, Senator. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor. Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Chair hears none. Is there objection to the previous question being ordered? Chair hears none. The previous question is ordered.

204. 1:40:20

     Is there objection to agreeing to the forward committee which is favorable to the passage of the bill? Chair hears none. The forward committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered? Chair hears none. The main question is ordered. The question is on the passage of the bill. All those in favor will vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

205. 1:42:10

     On the passage of the bill, the yays are 45, the nays are zero. This bill having received the requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed.

206. 1:42:19

     Moving on to HR 1050. Secretary, read the caption.

207. 1:42:33

     House Resolution 1050 by Representative Green of the 154th and others. A resolution authorizing the conveyance of certain state-owned property in Clayton County, authorizing the lease of certain state-owned property in Dawson County, authorizing the conveyance of certain state-owned property in DeKalb County, authorizing the lease of certain state-owned property in Troup County to provide an effective date to pr- provide for related matters to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes. Mr. President, the, the Senate Committee on State Institutions and Property has recommended this bill do pass by substitute respectfully submitted.

208. 1:43:04

     Senator Harbison, chairman. Mr. President, the Committee on State Institutions and Propert- Property offers the following amendment to Sen- to House Resolution 1050. A resolution authorizing the conveyance of certain state-owned property in Clayton County, authorizing the lease of state-owned property in Dawson County, authorizing the conveyance of certain state-owned property in DeKalb County, authorizing the lease of certain state-owned property in Dougherty County, and for other purposes. Mr. President, that completes the order. Recognize the Dean of the Senate, senator from the great city of Columbus.

209. 1:43:35

     President, uh, the bill I have right here before you, the resolution simply deals with the annual department bill from state properties and the amendments are some key changes made about three in, in involving Floyd County, two in Floyd County and one in Troup County. Its annual bill had been cleaned up and filtered by the House and the Senate. On our side of the House, some concerns came from the senator from the 19th and we dealt with that and it's a clean bill before you.

210. 1:44:13

     No other questions, Mr. President, I yield the well. No questions, Senator. Thank you, Mr. President. Could be your last time in the well there, Senator. It's been a good run. Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Chair hears none. Is there objection to the previous question be in order? Chair hears none. Previous question is ordered. Question is on the adoption of the committee substitute. Is there objection to the adoption of the committee substitute? Hearing none, the committee substitute is adopted. Is there objection to agreeing to the reporting committee which is favorable to, to the adoption of the resolution?

211. 1:44:46

     Chair hears none. The reporting committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question be in ordered? Chair hears none. The main question is ordered. Question is on the adoption of the resolution by substitute. All those in favor of vote yay. All opposed nay. Secretary, allot the machine.

212. 1:46:15

     On the adoption of the resolution by substitute, the yays are 46, the nays are zero, and this resolution having received requisite constitutional majority is therefore adopted by substitute. Secretary, read H.R. 1051.

213. 1:46:40

     House Resolution 1051 by Representative Green of the 154th and others. A resol- a resolution authorizing the granting of non-exclusive easements for the construction, operation, and maintenance of facilities, utilities, roads, and ingress and egress in, on, over, under, upon, across, or through property owned by the State of Georgia in Baldwin, Bartow, Bullock, Camden, Catoosa, Chat- Chattooga, Clayton, Colquitt, Dekalb, Emanuel, Glynn, Habersham, Hall, Laurens, McDuffie, Morgan, Oconee, Paulding, Peach, Talbot, Tift, and Walton Counties, Georgia and Hamilton County, Tennessee, to provide for related matters, to provide for an effective date, to repeal conflicting laws for other purposes.

214. 1:47:17

     Mr. President, the Senate Committee on State Institutions and Properties recommend that this bill do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Harbison of 15th District, Chairman.

215. 1:47:32

     Senator from the 41st, for what purpose do you rise? Ask for unanimous consent to excuse the senator from the 44th, the 22nd, and the 36th. 44th, 22nd, and the 36th. Without objection, they're excused. Secretary, continue. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on State Institutions and Property offers the following good substitute to H- House Resolution 1051. A resolution authorizing the granting of non-exclusive easements for the construction, operation, and maintenance of facilities, utilities, roads, and ingress and egress in, on, over, under, upon, or across, or through property owned by the State of Georgia in Baldwin, Bartow, Bullock, Camden, Catoosa, Chatham, Chad- Chattooga, Clayton, Colquitt, Dekalb, Emanuel, Glynn, Habersham, Hall, Laurens, Long, McDuffie, Morgan, Muscogee, Oconee, Paulding, Peach, Talbot, Tift, and Walton Counties, Georgia and Hamilton County, Tennessee, to provide for related matters, to provide for an effective date, to repeal conflicting laws for other purposes.

216. 1:48:27

     Mr. President, that completes the order.

217. 1:48:49

     Recognize the Dean of the Senate. Once again, thank you, Mr. President. This is simply the companion resolution to the previous bill and deals with, uh, easements of state-owned property. There were some key changes in the, our committee that was dealt with to the, uh, satisfaction of our committee and passed unanimously out of committee to this body. If there are no questions, Mr. President, I yield the well. You, you have a few questions, Dean. All right, Mr. President. Yes, sir. They're all loving questions- Yes, let's do it ...

218. 1:49:20

     I'm quite certain. Recognize the senator from the 19th. Thank you, Mr. President. Senator, do you yield? Yes, sir. Senator, is it not true that this is the last bill to come out of your committee for this year? I believe so. Yes, sir. And is it not true that I've had the honor of serving as your vice chair for, I believe now, almost 10 years in the Senate? Yes, sir, and I've had the honor of having your company there and your guidance on several issues. Well, Senator, I think, uh, if you'll yield for another question, I don't think that- I do ... uh, the honor has definitely not been yours.

219. 1:49:53

     It's been all of ours. And on behalf of the 55 colleagues who serve with you, I wanna say thank you so much for your decades of service to our chamber, for your decades of service as this committee chair, and just for your overall kindness in everything you do, whether the member be of the majority party, the minority party. Uh, you have been a class act. You'll be a hard act to follow, and we're all better people because we got to serve with you. Hear, hear. Well, thank you, sir, for your kind words. Thank you. Thank you.

220. 1:50:23

     Thank you. Really appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Really appreciate it. It's a high honor for me of my life to have served with you guys. Thank you. God bless yous. You have one more question. You have a couple more questions, Senator. I yield the well if there are no other questions. Re- recognize the senator from the 29th.

221. 1:50:45

     Well, I don't think I wanna yield to the 29th. He carry a, a badge sometimes, I think. I yield, Mr. President. Senator, yield? I do. Senator, is it not true that for the past almost 40 years you and I have been friends? Absolutely. Yes, sir. Is it not true that once I came into this chamber, you became a mentor and someone who advised me on when I got- when I didn't get mad enough and when I got too mad? Absolutely. Absolutely. That's, that's the way it should be done when you're trying to do things in an honorable way and reach a conclusion for the best thing that's good for the citizens, not only of Muscogee and Harris, but of the entire state.

222. 1:51:28

     Senator, further yield? Yes, sir. Senator, is it not true that you and I never let the obstacles that seem to impact other people's friendships impact mine and yours- Yes, sir ... through the many years that we've been friends? That's absolutely true. Yes, sir. And is it not true that we're gonna remain friends long after? Absolutely. And would it- That's my intentions. Although you test me sometimes. Yeah.

223. 1:51:53

     And is it not true that the most important person in both of our lives were our mothers? Amen. Amen. And they raised us to be the men we are, and that's a- another relationship that you and I will carry forward for as long as the Lord allows us to live on this planet. Well, there's no doubt I really appreciate the way you will form your dedication to your job and your service to your constituency in the 29th, and the direction you take from your wife, Teresa. That's right. As, and as you did from yours- Absolutely ... when she was here with you.

224. 1:52:24

     Absolutely. Well, possibly breaking protocol, but I wanna thank you for your friendship. I wanna thank you for your mentorship. I wanna thank you for being available at the times that I called you, whether the sun was out or the moon was out, you were always there for me, and then I will always, always be appreciative of your friendship, your leadership, and being my brother. Thank you. Thank you. God bless. Thank you for, I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you so much for your kind words, all of you.

225. 1:52:55

     It's been my absolute pleasure to serve here with this great body. It's none other like it, and, and you'll do well in life and the things you contemplate. Pray, work hard, and have faith because hope is the eternal thing that we draw from. Keep hope alive, as they said. Thank you very much, Mr. President. I yield the well.

226. 1:53:39

     Senator from the 31st, Majority Leader, what purpose do you rise? Mr. President, since this esteemed senator left the well, I do wanna make one comment, uh, Mr. President, as a point of order, that is it not true that I know, um, one of the most fascinating things about, uh, this leader's life, I think we've found in common since I've come to the Senate, is your service in the United States Marine, um, being a Purple Heart recipient like my father and serving during Vietnam, in Vietnam, in one of the most challenging times in American history.

227. 1:54:15

     And I just wanna say thank you for your service, not just to the state, but to America. What you've done for kids like me and my dad, um, we will never forget it. And I also like just about, you know, as much music as you, um, and we will never forget your voice.

228. 1:54:39

     Senator from the 22nd. Thank you, Mr. President. Point of order. State your order. Mr. President, isn't it not true that, uh, senator has, w- have been a great friend, not only to myself, but to this caucus, to this body, that he embodies everything that was right about the Georgia State Senate. And not only that, he has dedicated his life to public service, and that our charge from this point forward will be to make sure that we continue to operate this body in a way that honors him and similar people such as himself, that still honors that handshake deal, still honors saying, "Hey, this is my word.

229. 1:55:14

     This is what I'm gonna do," and still always honors the decorum of this body to make sure it continues beyond our tenure, to make sure it continues to represent the best of Georgia. Is that not correct, Mr. President? Absolutely. Absolutely. Thank you, Mr. President. With that, I yield. You're not a final man.

230. 1:55:55

     Is there objection previous question be in order? Chair hears none. Previous question is ordered. Question is on the adoption, uh, of the committee substitute. Is there objection to the adoption of the committee substitute? Hearing none, the committee substitute is adopted. Is there objection to agreeing to the reporter committee, which is favorable to the pass, to the adoption of the resolution? Chair hears none. The reporter committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question be in order? Chair hears none. Main question is ordered. Question is on the adoption of the resolution by substitute. All those in favor signify by voting yay, swish.

231. 1:56:29

     All those opposed, nay. Secretary will unlock the machine.

232. 1:57:35

     On the adoption of the resolution by substitute, the yays are 46 and the nays is zero, and the nays are zero. The resolution having received the prerequisite constitutional majority is therefore adopted by substitute, and it's my bill. Don't ever forget that.

233. 1:58:25

     Thank you.

234. 1:58:26

     Well, they don't get any better than the Dean of the Senate now, I can tell you that.

235. 1:58:59

     I've been down here a long time and there's not a better, better man walking these halls. And so we greatly appreciate your service, your friendship and everything. Every-- The, the great thing about being able to compliment you is it is all true, you know? And, uh, a lot of times you get down here, people say all these nice things and other people are whispering under their breath. Not with this guy. He's, uh, he's the real deal. He's the real deal. They don't get any better than, than Ed Harbison. Fine, fine gentleman.

236. 1:59:30

     Just a prince of a guy and, uh, you'll be missed, but, uh, you're the best and we appreciate it. We're gonna stand at ease for a few minutes. We've, uh, we're gonna, uh, the governor is going to be signing the, the, uh, gas tax relief bill, uh, and so we're here in a little bit, so we're gonna stand at ease and then we'll, we'll get back started as soon as we finish with the, uh, governor and the speaker. So you stand at ease.

237. 2:38:46

     Senate come back to order.

238. 2:39:01

     No, but if we, uh, we play our cards right, we're going, we're about to turn and burn on these things, so. Just as long as the senator from the forty-first won't, you know, won't be objecting to everything.

239. 2:39:16

     We can just do these by acclimation.

240. 2:39:21

     Secretary read House Bill sixty-one.

241. 2:39:46

     House Bill sixty-one by Representative Sebaugh of the thirty-fourth and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Code Section forty dash two dash one fifty-one of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to annual license fee for operation of vehicles, fee for permanent licensing of certain trailers, and fee for new passenger car with paid title ad valorem taxes so as to provide for the issuance of separate license plate for hearses and ambulances to provide for related matters, to provide for an effective date, to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Public Safety recommends that this bill do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Albers of the fifty-sixth district, Chairman.

242. 2:40:23

     Mr. President.

243. 2:40:23

     Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Public Safety offers the following substitute to House Bill sixty-one. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter Ten of Title Fifteen of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to magistrate courts so as to provide for magistrate court jurisdiction over certain proceedings to amend Code Section sixteen dash seven dash twenty-one point one of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to unlawful squatting so as to revise offenses, offense provisions to amend Article One of Chapter Twenty-One of Title Forty-Three of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to rights, duties, and liabilities of innkeepers so as to provide for certain guest removal procedures for innkeepers to provide for an affidavit to amend Title Forty-Four of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to property so as to provide for limitations on law enforcement officer safety regarding removal, to provide for legislative findings, to authorize real property owners to request assistance from law enforcement for the immediate removal of squatters from their property under certain conditions, to require such property owners to submit a verified complaint, to provide for complaint requirements, to provide for law enforcement requirements, to authorize arrest of squatters for legal cause, to authorize a fee for service, to provide for law enforcement and proper- property owner immunity in certain instances, to provide for civil remedies, to provide for criminal pen- penalties, to provide for definitions, to provide for an effective date and applicability, to provide for related matters, to provide for a short title to repeal conflicted laws and for other purposes.

244. 2:41:32

     Mr. President, Senator McLaurin of the fourteenth offers the following amendment to House Bill sixty-one. Amendment one, amend the Senate Committee on Public Safety substitute to House Bill sixty-one by replacing lines one thirty-five through one thirty-seven with the following. Accommodations were provided on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis, provided, however, that a guest who resides at a room for ninety days or more in a hundred-day period of time shall be deemed to be a tenant under Chapter seven of Title forty-four. For purposes of this paragraph, the term reside shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code Section sixteen dash seven dash twenty-one point one.

245. 2:42:05

     Mr. President, Senator Halpern.

246. 2:42:11

     Mr. President, Senator Halpern of the thirty-ninth and others, others offers the following amendment. Amend, to amend House Bill sixty-one, amendment two. Amend the Senate Com- Committee on Public Safety substitute to House Bill sixty-one by inserting to provide for construction after an affidavit on line seven by inserting to prohibit access to courts of depository proceedings under certain conditions after so as on line eight. Mr. President, that completes the order.

247. 2:42:36

     Bringing out Senator from the forty-eighth.

248. 2:42:54

     Thank you, Mr. President.

249. 2:43:01

     House Bill sixty-one is, if you look in your folder, uh, no longer a, uh, license plate bill. This bill, uh, was replaced last session Because the underlying bill, uh, was passed elsewhere, uh, with a bill from the senator from the 56th.

250. 2:43:25

     This bill clarifies the difference between innkeeper and guest.

251. 2:43:33

     For over 100 years in our state statute, we have had this language clarified. There is a difference between a landlord tenant and an innkeeper, hotelier, and a tenant or a guest. It defines that. So when innkeepers have a guest at their hotel, and that is the official language is, is innkeeper for a hotelier,

252. 2:44:00

     they have a relationship that you're paying whether it be a day, a week, an extended stay, months at a time.

253. 2:44:12

     And we all know that in this world and in this state, there are those that are unable to maybe be able to do a first and last month's rent to be able to get an apartment. And so extended stays become their home of choice or maybe out of necessity. But what it does do is it gives them that option to decide what it is they're going to do.

254. 2:44:45

     It allows them to decide this is the best place for me to go. Or maybe it's a, it's a worker, someone that is working, you know, on a project. They're away from home for an extended period of time. This clarifies that relationship because when someone chooses to stay at a hotel or a motel, whether it be extended stay or not, and they choose not to pay,

255. 2:45:15

     they are staying there unlawfully.

256. 2:45:20

     And arguments have been made that hotels make enough money or that, as my good friend, the senator from the forty- fourteenth put on our desks, efficiency lodge promoting that there are those that, that offer, um, stays whether it's a night or forever. And that's okay because that's their right. As a business owner, that's their business model of what they're doing.

257. 2:45:52

     What this bill does is it clarifies that someone can choose to occupy a room, but if there's an interruption in payment, what happens next? Many of you have discussed this with me over the course of the better part of a year. This bill was on our calendar a year ago.

258. 2:46:19

     And we chose to pull it because we knew that there was more work to be done, that we needed to take into consideration what does this mean if maybe a, a young mother and child were staying in an extended stay hotel, a nonprofit was paying for that hotel, and there's an interruption in payment, a credit card lapses, or maybe some other event that causes them to, to have an interruption.

259. 2:46:53

     In working with the minority leader, the minority whip, with countless, countless advocates from the homeless community, we crafted a very, very comprehensive, well-thought-out amendment, which is Amendment 2 on your desks, that explains that if there is an interruption, that there is a process, that there is a, a time of up to ten days to work that out and make sure that we can get payment reinstated and that they can continue to stay there.

260. 2:47:37

     But what we cannot do is legislate and force private property owners to enter into a different type of contractual relationship to switch from innkeeper to tenant, to make it like an apartment type situation. This bill cannot do that. Any amendment to the contrary can't do that.

261. 2:48:08

     It's not fair to force a property owner to allow someone to stay for free just because someone doesn't have another option. The Amendment 2 that's on your desk speaks to that very plainly, that if there is an interruption, there is time to cure that, satisfy the payment, and continue to stay there or don't continue to stay there. But it is unlawful, and we have seen evidence of this very, very recently, just a few weeks ago in Gwinnett County, of a bad actor who fraudulently went into a hotel, committed credit card fraud.

262. 2:48:56

     A POST certified member of the Gwinnett County Police Department went there to remove him and he was shot and killed doing his job because of non-payment, because there was no mechanism to try to get them properly evicted and deal with that. This bill will hopefully prevent issues like that from happening again. The Amendment 2 that's on your desks I believe gives the proper amount of time to satisfy any questions or concerns about how much we care about those that are unhomed, those that are forced to stay in extended stays longer than they'd like to.

263. 2:49:45

     But it makes sure that we are showing compassion to that, that we have worked together to do this.

264. 2:49:56

     You know, about an hour ago, we were honoring the senator from the 15th for all of his work to this chamber.

265. 2:50:08

     And our minority leader made a statement that really resonated with me. He said that he hoped that we would honor the senator from the 15th by proving and showing that our handshake is our word. In my four years in this chamber, I have learned that with him. Many of you have been here far longer than me. But what I do know is this, that the compromise that went into Amendment 2 was not only a handshake, it was a year's worth of work between industries that had never had peaceful negotiations and conversations before.

266. 2:50:55

     I want to thank my dear friend, the minority whip, for working with me on that. I appreciate the senator from the 39th, the 41st, the 22nd in crafting this amendment.

267. 2:51:10

     And I know that with your favorable consideration on this vote, we will have been able to thread the needle on the clarifying language and still showing that we have been thoughtful and caring about making sure that we don't wrongfully evict people that by no other choice of their own have to use an extended stay hotel as their primary residence. I'm happy to answer any questions if you have any.

268. 2:51:41

     You do have a couple questions, Senator. Recognize the senator from the 33rd.

269. 2:51:51

     Thank you, Mr. President. I ask for unanimous consent to excuse the senators from the 28th and 35th. Okay. Senator, Senator, just we'll get them here in a second. We're just taking questions right now. Oh, okay. Recognize the senator from the 41st. Thank you, Mr. President. The senator yield? Of course. Senator, thank you. Um, I just have a series of questions to reiterate some of the things you've already said. Um, Senator, isn't it true that you and I and several of us in this room have worked in good faith with one another over the year to come up with compromise language?

270. 2:52:23

     That is very true. Senator, isn't it true that the best way to know that compromise has worked is when both parties leave a little bit unhappy? That is the best way to define compromise. Is it not true that there are people in the hallway who normally love me who are a little bit unhappy about the compromise that we have come up with? If they are unhappy, then they do not understand the effort that you have put into this, and I appreciate your efforts.

271. 2:52:55

     Thank you. You have no more questions, Senator? Thank you. I yield the floor. Recognize the senator from the 9th.

272. 2:53:06

     Actually, hold on, Senator. I apologize. I got to let the people with, that have done amendments first.

273. 2:53:14

     Recognize the senator from the 14th to explain amendment number one.

274. 2:53:28

     Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, I rise to speak in support of amendment one and to explain my concerns with this bill. Um, I'll go ahead and give kudos to members from my caucus and the senator from the 48th on the work they've tried to do to reach compromise, but we have to be honest with the public about that compromise. That compromise is under the shadow of a house bill and a majority caucus position that is not going to leave us much room to do the right thing by Georgians who are vulnerable, who are in search of housing.

275. 2:54:07

     That compromise is crafted given the political realities of what people think is possible under the Gold Dome and not necessarily what should happen. So even though compromise can, uh, be a good thing, in this case is a good thing, I will be voting for amendment two. I think amendment two makes the bill better. Uh, I have also presented amendment one for your consideration because I think that the, the voters of Georgia, the residents of Georgia, people who find themselves in this vulnerable position deserve to have this public policy put up for consideration within this chamber.

276. 2:54:42

     And the difference between what amendment one does and amendment two does... Actually, I'll start with this. Th- they are technically compatible in the sense that they modify different parts of the underlying bill. So if you wanted to vote for both amendments, you could, and it would not be inconsistent in terms of the text of the bill. There might be some lawyer implications that get cleaned up in the house, but procedurally, we can vote on both one and two today if that's something that you would like to do. Uh, but let me talk about this advertisement. If I could direct your attention to the advertisement

277. 2:55:17

     for Efficiency Lodge.

278. 2:55:22

     Everybody should have a copy of the ad on your desk

279. 2:55:35

     Efficiency Lodge's advertisement says, "Stay a night or stay forever." That's, that's an advertisement to stay at Efficiency Lodge. So the clear implication of this business' advertisement is they want you to stay at Efficiency Lodge. I, I... Forever, the literal meaning of forever is longer than 90 days. So I think we'll go ahead and take it as granted that Efficiency Lodge is advertising stays that are longer than 90 days for individuals who may not have much in the way of other options, or places they could go rent an apartment.

280. 2:56:10

     And I appreciate the candor of the senator from the 48th that sponsored this bill, acknowledging the phrase business model. That this is in fact the business model of places like Efficiency Lodge, is that they seek to advertise to folks with housing instability that this is an acceptable, reasonable, affordable option to solve their housing insecurity. Now, why is that important? In the law, there are many places where Georgia law, state law, federal law, everywhere acknowledges that when you avail yourself of something, that's a legal term of art.

281. 2:56:45

     When you avail yourself, meaning when you approach somebody else under the law and say, "I wanna have this relationship," that is a reason why the relationship you're asking for should be applied, should be recognized under the law. When you go solicit business, when you... I mean, gosh, even when you're, uh, driving by an accident and you see somebody by the side of the road who's injured, you, you change your own legal rights and duties by stopping your car to try to assist somebody who is in need of help on the side of the road.

282. 2:57:17

     So the law recognizes many places where you change rights and responsibilities by going up to another person and saying, "I wanna have a certain kind of legal relationship with you." In this case, you've got a hotel and innkeeper industry that is trying to have its cake and eat it too. The having its cake is that they wanna be able to keep advertising to vulnerable people with housing insecurity to say, "We want you to think of us as a reasonable, safe, affordable option for a long-term stay, a forever stay." But the eating of the cake is to say, "Well, if you find yourself to be too vulnerable, if your housing insecurity is too significant, we wanna be able to usher you quickly out the door and make room for other customers, or just not have you on our property." But that's not how apartment complexes have to conduct themselves under the law.

283. 2:58:16

     Apartment complexes who advertise for extended stays have a whole bevy of rights and responsibilities that come with the notion that they are, that their tenants are staying there for a long period of time. And that's why other states besides Georgia have a 90-day rule. Virginia, states like North Carolina have a rule that anywhere you stay for longer than 90 days, as this business model suggests that you should do, you get the rights of a tenant under Georgia law.

284. 2:58:49

     So I've heard remarks today already about fairness. What's fair? Is it fair to the business owner? Is it fair to the property owner? Well, what's the other side of that equation? What's fair to the person who is induced, who is invited by the business' advertisement to stay for longer than 90 days? Is it fair to treat that person like they're an overnight bed and breakfast guest? Because we've seen pictures of the rooms that folks live in an extended stay. At about the 30-day mark, 60-day mark, 90-day mark, you're not just thinking about where your backpack stays in the room overnight.

285. 2:59:23

     You're not just thinking about, "Did I leave my phone charger? Did I get all my clothes out of the hotel room before I leave?" You're starting to settle in. You're starting to think about this place on the wall that's blank. Maybe it'd be brighter and happier in the room if I put up a piece of art in that little blank place. What about my meal plan for next week? I've gotta figure out, do I have a refrigerator in here? How much space does it have? What hot plate or implement am I gonna use to cook food? Do I have a budget for going out to eat? 90 days for people who are experiencing housing insecurity is a very long time.

286. 2:59:58

     Now, it might be the blink of an eye for a business with an Excel spreadsheet, but for the people who would or potentially might be experiencing homelessness if it were not for these opportunities, this is life. It's everyday life, and it is the most important source of security that they have. So I wanna rebut a couple things you heard this morning from the senator from the 48th. This is not a free pass, this amendment, to establish the rights of a tenant. This is not free housing or free lodging.

287. 3:00:29

     All this is, is rights, legal rights that apply in the landlord-tenant relationship, meaning the right to cure. A similar right as would be created in, in second, but a little more robust. The ability to go through a magistrate court process, to force a, a formal notice process, an eviction process. Enough rights to ensure that that housing insecurity, which by the way, that housing insecurity is the reason that they were drawn in like a tractor beam in the first place according to this business model, that that housing insecurity does not eat that person alive with a summary eviction or kick-out process that doesn't have the same rights as a tenant.

288. 3:01:12

     So I think that's what's really fair. I think what's fair is amendment one, because we've, for a very long time already, identified a legal balance, a fairness, an even-handed way of approaching this issue in the realm of landlord-tenant law. That is what's fair, and that would be the best public policy. And the last point I'll make is a political one. Virginia and North Carolina are very interesting states, uh, for Georgia to be talking about in an election year These are states that have been tipping in the direction of a different party's rule for some time, and I think when you look at the breakdown of even Democratic voters, the number of Democrats who identify as moderate voters that y'all might have been appealing to in the past, those voters see stuff like this and they think it's a good idea.

289. 3:01:58

     Amendment 1. They see basic fairness, good meat and potatoes policy that doesn't unduly prefer business owners and large corporations over vulnerable people. They see that balance and they say, "That's what I want my moderate government to do." This is not some kind of lefty Bernie Sanders stuff we're talking about, right? This is pretty down the middle of the road, good public policy to balance the interests of corporate owners with the most vulnerable people who are specifically invited to stay on these pieces of private property.

290. 3:02:33

     So I'm no Nostradamus. Amendment 1 might fail, but Georgia voters deserve an even-handed, sober discussion about the rights of vulnerable people in these contexts, and that is why I've submitted Amendment 1 for your consideration today. Of course, like I said before, if it fails, I will be supporting Amendment 2 and the compromise language that was worked out, uh, but I will be voting against the bill if it doesn't include Amendment 1 because I think we owe the most vulnerable people in a year where we're talking about affordability more than Amendment 2 gives them.

291. 3:03:07

     Mr. President, I'll yield for any questions. You do have a few questions, Senator. Recognize Senator from the 37th. Does Senator yield? I do. Um, appreciate the example you shared. You know, stay, stay a day, stay forever. Um, do you believe that the, the, the, the extended stay, um, facilities in our communities add value and are an important part of our, of, of our, of our, what, what's available for, for, as places to, for folks to lay their head? I think, so I've used the metaphor in this chamber, and I'll answer, I'll give you a yes, no in just a second.

292. 3:03:39

     I mean, the answer is yes, but let me explain. I've used the metaphor in this chamber before of airline seats reclining, right? I love that metaphor of when, when the airlines decide to pack everybody in really close that all of a sudden, you know, row 34 and row 35 get in a fight because of the, the operation of the seat back, and it's easy to get mad at each other, but who you should really be mad at is the airline who's crammed you in like sardines, right? And I think a similar thing is true about housing insecurity. When we don't fund the housing trust fund, when we don't have affordable housing policy that creates enough supply to bring down costs, I mean, we've been debating the LIHTC in here.

293. 3:04:17

     When we don't create enough supply for people for rent to come down, then we find these folks who are essentially stuck between homelessness and question mark. Like, what's the other option? And so this is a stopgap option, and unfortunately, the nature of the market power, the asymmetry in market power, functions in such a way that those people are really at the mercy of the corporations that choose to engage in this business, and then politically, they don't have the political power to push back against bills like this that try to tip the balance more in favor of the corporate owners.

294. 3:04:49

     I think a good analogy, too, would be, uh, payday loans, right? Industries where the target audience, the, the, the, the, um, the market essentially for these industries is to take vulnerable people who have no other option and present them with the only other feasible option that exists, but to tilt the balance of power incredibly far in favor of the corporation because they have that power because there is no other option. So I answer your question yes, that they provide an important role, uh, in the community. They play a pert- important role, the extended stay places.

295. 3:05:21

     But I think there's a, to again, to use the author's word, of fairness. There's a basic fairness consideration that has to apply where we don't just let it be exactly like payday loans, where we build a balance into this bill that other states have built in, that 90-day rule that sufficiently protects the vulnerable people who are using it for housing. Yeah. Th- th- th- thanks for your, your, your answer to my yes or no question. My, my, my question was though, um, and the concern I've got is th- we, we safeguard the tenant-landlord relationship in Georgia very carefully.

296. 3:05:52

     There, there's a covenant that's entered into, isn't it true, between tenants and landlords? And because of that, we give tenants rights because they've paid a security deposit. They're typically leasing for longer terms. It is a place that's considered permanency. And in that back and forth, that, that two-way agreement, that covenant, we protect that relationship very carefully. What we have here though, however, this is, this is the concern with, with, with, with Amendment 1, if you, uh, if you impose this, what, what we're doing is the, the, the, there will not be advertisements that say, that say, "Stay a day," or, "Stay forever." The advertisements will say, "Stay a day," or, "Stay 89 days." These products and these opportunities are so important, isn't it true, for people to have a place to stay that we can't drive them out of business by imposing, um, a relationship we ca- we safeguard very carefully in law, which is tenant-landlord, by imposing that on that which is a, is, is an extended stay.

297. 3:06:46

     So my question is this: Isn't it true that as we, if, if, if we impose tenant-landlord on these, we will drive down supply as we've seen? Supply has been driven down of these because of the exposure that, that businesses that want to provide a great service feel like they can't provide anymore because this is, the exposure to this kind of treatment is exactly what keeps them from bringing more product into the market, isn't it true? It's not true. I reject the notion that the landlord-tenant relationship is a very careful, sensitive, you know, precious legal relationship that we keep in a lockbox free from interference from policymakers like ourselves.

298. 3:07:21

     It is in fact a longstanding framework that recognizes the importance of protecting vulnerable people who rely on housing once they have invested a certain amount of time, uh, in the housing. And, and I think, you know, let me say this. I remember I was in a mentorship program when I was in college. and you're assigned to a student. I had a middle school, uh, student I was assigned to, and they s- they told us at the beginning of the mentorship program, "If you can't commit more than six months to this relationship, you're actually doing harm to the child.

299. 3:07:53

     It would be better if you never mentored the child to begin with because the child is creating an expectation that you are a reliable person in their life who they can turn to for mentorship, for emotional support, and so we would prefer you not participate in the program at all if you're not gonna stay for six months." This idea of availing yourself, again, like the person at the side of the road. If you avail yourself of a relationship, you need to be able to come correct. And so my suggestion to you, Senator, bold as it might be, is that it would be better for these extended stay places not to exist at all if the way they're going to do business is to continue to make ads like this, but then put people on shaky ground for 90 days or longer and pull the rug out from under them.

300. 3:08:40

     And, you know, Martin Luther King Jr. was the one who said that sometimes the, the path to justice requires fostering such a tension, creating such a, a crisis that we a- actually address the real problem instead of pretending to address the problem in ways that are actually more harmful than doing nothing at all. And so if, Senator from the 37th, we had a companion bill today to regulate these ads to force them to say only one to 89 days, I might be more persuaded. We have no such bill on the floor.

301. 3:09:12

     Instead, we are going to continue with business as usual with these advertisements and the business model, but we are not going to provide the safety net for individuals after 90 days that Virginia, North Carolina, and many people of good common sense think is the correct balance. Thank you, Senator. Any other questions?

302. 3:09:28

     Recognize Senator from the 33rd.

303. 3:09:32

     I think he wants to excuse folks.

304. 3:09:33

     Okay.

305. 3:09:34

     Yeah.

306. 3:09:35

     Recognize the Senator from the 20th.

307. 3:09:39

     Thank you, Mr. President. Um, I was gonna ask you the same question as he did, but you answered that. Um, I guess my question, I have a couple of them, if you don't mind.

308. 3:09:51

     Please, Mr. Pro Tem, yeah.

309. 3:09:52

     Give me a real-life example of... So if they get the rights of tenant- tenancy under your amendment, then what is then the process i- if you needed to evict them for, like, not paying or for tearing up-

310. 3:10:10

     Sure

311. 3:10:10

     ... your property or for being disruptive to the other guests, loud or-

312. 3:10:14

     Sure

313. 3:10:15

     ... criminal activity or, you know, tra- uh, trafficking, suspicion of, you know, human trafficking, those kind of things.

314. 3:10:22

     Sure.

315. 3:10:23

     What then is the process to remove them? It's a longer process, I'm assuming.

316. 3:10:29

     I really appreciate that question. I think that's actually a great question, and it opens up a couple cans of worms that are really important to discuss on this bill. I tried to keep my speech at a high level as long as it already felt. Uh, but in the weeds, there's a couple issues. So number one is this bill creates a mandatory process by which law enforcement is required to charge people with criminal trespass, and to essentially get involved in a very heavy-handed way early on without any magistrate, without any judge involved. I don't think law enforcement love that. I mean, I, you know, I'm, I've been told not to speak for law enforcement in here. However, I do think it's safe to say that law enforcement don't love being thrown into the middle of conflicts without magistrate oversight.

317. 3:11:05

     This is a booting issue too. Quick shout out to the booting issue that law enforcement don't love. Hey, I got it in there. Law enforcement don't love being called out to adjudicate disputes that are not managed by judicial oversight. So that's number one. Number two is, yes, it does create a right to an eviction process through a magistrate court that it gives you a little more time, a little more judicial process. But I wanna raise the point about why we'd be in that situation in the first place. Let's say, for example, that an extended stay y- uh, location has a tenant that has stayed over 90 days that is engaging in something horrible like human trafficking, drug trafficking.

318. 3:11:44

     There's almost certainly a, a level of notice that the extended stay company has that this is going on if it's been happening for three months. And so it, it really stands to reason to ask the question. Again, a lot of this conversation, we're putting the onus on the tenant. What about the landlord? Why is it that an extended stay property would allow for a nuisance for that period of time? And I think that raises much bigger questions about their business model. So my point in response would be that even if it's a longer process after that 90-day mark, you're talking about a corporation that already has fair notice that there's a problem that they should be handling.

319. 3:12:23

     And I think we need to put some of that onus back on the property owner to deal with that problem instead of just the tenant. But I thank you for your question.

320. 3:12:30

     So I have-- Do you mind another question?

321. 3:12:32

     Go ahead.

322. 3:12:33

     Will you yield?

323. 3:12:33

     Sure.

324. 3:12:34

     Um, I probably could get on board with your amendment, I think, if it was 90 consecutive days, because if you're staying 30 days and then you're vacating for three days, and then you come back and stay another 30 days, vacate for three, and come back and do another 30, they would be, fall under your amendment. Um, and that to me is not your, your narrative about hanging pictures and stocking your refrigerator and, you know, really making it your home.

325. 3:13:09

     Yeah.

326. 3:13:09

     That doesn't hold water with, if they're moving in and out.

327. 3:13:14

     So Mr. Pro Tem, let's bring that Monday energy back because I'm ready for it. I, I would be amenable to an amendment that says 90 consecutive days or more. Um, the other thing I want to draw your attention to is line four of my amendment says 90 days or more in a 100-day period.

328. 3:13:28

     Right.

329. 3:13:29

     So that, that-

330. 3:13:29

     So why not consecutive?

331. 3:13:31

     If, if the Pro Tem wants to co-sponsor an amendment 1A with me-

332. 3:13:35

     This isn't my, my issue really, so-

333. 3:13:37

     Okay

334. 3:13:37

     ... uh, but if you wanna offer that, I mean, I'm not gonna draw up an amendment.

335. 3:13:41

     I would be happy to offer the amendment to this amendment. I think-

336. 3:13:44

     But I don't know if we're gonna have time

337. 3:13:45

     ... the Pro Tem's point is well taken. And again, I don't want to ambush y'all with a policy that doesn't apply elsewhere. These other states with moderate sensibilities are doing this policy, and I think they think it reflects the fair balance. So I really appreciate the Pro Tem's openness to that conversation.

338. 3:14:02

     Recognize the senator from the 52nd. Thank you, Mr. President. Will the senator yield? I do. So I have rental property. I have no use for squatters, all that. However, I do have one concern in this bill. If you've got a family that has stayed in one of these for many months, their mail's there, their children are, are getting on the school bus there, and they're not a day late in any of their payments, then I think with this bill and Amendment 2, they could still be removed within 10 days.

339. 3:14:36

     Would that be correct? Yeah, the, the senator's absolutely right. So this is yet another can of worms I didn't open in my initial remarks, which is that the only protection that Amendment 2 provides against removal is protections as to rent, is my understanding. Um, the, the 10 days to cure, there are other pretexts, and again, there are some legitimate issues relating to trafficking or other nuisances, but many landlords and extended stay places will resort to pretext to justify removing somebody from a room even if, as senator from the 52nd identified, they are still, they are current on rent, they are not behind in payment.

340. 3:15:17

     So again, imagine a situation where someone is current on rent or on payment. Now you have a second tier of tenancy that Georgia law would be creating under this bill that would not provide the protections of a judicial process in case an extended stay company resorted to pretext or something false to try to justify immediate removal and charging with criminal trespass by law enforcement. Thank you for the question, Senator. Can I get a couple more questions if you would like to take them? I'll, I'll, I won't torture y'all too long. I do wanna make sure to talk to my whip.

341. 3:15:48

     All right. Recognize the senator from the 41st. Thank you, Mr. President. Does the senator yield? I do. Thanks, Senator. Senator, I just wonder if you would be willing to help kind of paint a picture of the types of families that we're talking about. So isn't it true that when it comes to extended stays, we are often talking about women with children who are staying in an extended stay because they cannot rent a, a rental, um, due to perhaps a, an eviction that's on their record or perhaps they can't come up with the three times the rent, um, that's necessary.

342. 3:16:19

     Is that not true? That is absolutely 100% true, uh, Senator. It goes back to that airline metaphor that the seats are squeezed. We're talking about folks who are on the margins of society. You know, their, their situation's very squeezed, and this is kind of the last resort. Do you further yield? I do. Isn't it also true that we're talking about often children who get on the school bus in front of the extended ho- the extended stay hotel in which they're staying in? Yeah, that's right, Senator, and I believe the senator from the 52nd made that point as well. Yes. Do you, do you further yield? Yes. Can you just extrapolate and, and tell us what are the implications, um, on a child seeing a, a parent, a loved one being arrested for criminal trespass, um, if this were bill, the underlying bill were to come into law?

343. 3:17:02

     What, just tell me about the ramifications of that. Senator, I'm not a licensed psychiatrist, but what I do know is that there are formative years like the kind you're describing where messages from society about belonging really matter, uh, where if you feel like you don't have a stable home, you don't feel the psychological security to, uh, try to start a business or invest in your own education or think that all the stable frameworks that you need to succeed in this life, if they're not available to you, you, you pull back a little bit and you don't want to try as hard.

344. 3:17:33

     And so, you know, there's a cycle that comes with poverty. This is what people refer to as the poverty trap, that some aspects or conditions of being in poverty are self-reinforcing, that they cause other habits and patterns that make it even more difficult than it already was to succeed and to pull up by the bootstraps or whatever other phrase we wanna throw at that issue. And so when people say housing is kind of a fundament- well, it is a fundamental right that is the bedrock of many other rights. This is what they're referring to, is that the stability that housing affords a family and a child is the foundation upon which that child builds their futul- future psychological and economic success.

345. 3:18:07

     One final question if you'll yield. Sure. This speaks to the, uh, Second Amendment. Uh, Senator, is it not true that we begin to chip away at some of this problem when we remove eviction records, uh, from people, evictions from people's records, particularly when they actually were not evicted or after three years? Isn't that true that we begin to really address, like, kind of the bedrock issues that are resulting in people being locked into extended stays in the first place? The, and that, yes, Senator, and that is why the opening of my remarks I said I congratulate you and the senator from the 48th on a bipartisan compromise in Amendment 2.

346. 3:18:42

     Unlike the senator from the 18th, I'm in favor of the Second Amendment. Um, and so I, quick joke there. He didn't hear it. That's okay. But, uh, but I, I just wanna say, I mean, the, the, the Second Amendment moves in the right direction, but the First Amendment is what Georgia deserves. And, and I'm happy to vote for both of them. Thank you, Senator. Thank you for your time today. I think it's an important discussion. I appreciate, uh, y'all's attentiveness to it. Thanks, Mr. President.

347. 3:19:10

     Who authored the amen- amendment number 2? Was that, was that you, senator from the 39th? All right. Senator, I recognize the senator from the 39th.

348. 3:19:28

     Thank you, Mr. President. Um, so I rise to speak to Amendment 2 that is before you. As you heard from the author from the 48- or the, from the senator from the 48th, this amendment is the result of a thoughtful collaboration with housing advocates, the hotel and tourism industries, and other stakeholders to arrive at a balanced approach to the issue. So just a quick reminder that the underlying bill contemplates what happens when hotel guests fail to pay.

349. 3:19:58

     And make no mistake, there are plenty of bad actors who will squat if that pathway exists for them. It also recognizes that hotel workers are put in danger when they attempt to remove guests for non-payment. So this amendment does address what we spent some time already talking about and discussing, which is that across our state there are families or individuals living in extended stay hotels, not for a night or for a week, but for months, and in some cases, years at a time.

350. 3:20:30

     So this amendment does two very clear and reasonable things. First, it says that if someone's been living in a hotel for more than 90 consecutive days, they should not be put out overnight for non-payment. They should be given clear notice at least 10 days to respond before, um, needing to vacate.

351. 3:20:52

     They must respond within 10 days, not indefinitely, um, but they have a defined process. And the amendment also explicitly states that the innkeeper and guest can agree to an alternative remedy in lieu of removal. So that should not be controversial. That is common sense. Second, the amendment addresses something that's quietly locking families out of cr- housing altogether, and that's how eviction records follow people long after their case is over.

352. 3:21:22

     So right now in Georgia, if you have an eviction filed against you and you win the case or resolve the issue, you do everything right, that filing can still follow you indefinitely. And in today's housing market, that one record could shut many doors. Because screening companies are not consistently updating those outcomes, families are judged on those filings and not on the facts of the case. And when that happens, they don't just get denied, but they get pushed into places like extended stay hotels, and then they get stuck there.

353. 3:21:56

     So if a family's resolved their case, met their obligations, or prevailed in court and still can't rent because of an outdated or incomplete record, that is not accountability but an absolute barrier, and it's one that we've created. So this amendment is n- not one-sided. It is balanced and deliberately so. The 90-day provision says no sudden displacement after months of staying somewhere, and the record provision says no permanent punishment after a case is resolved.

354. 3:22:30

     So this amendment will still allow businesses to operate, it still allows enforcement, but it introduces something that we don't have enough of right now, which is both fairness and clarity. So I ask for your favorable consideration of Amendment 2 because it addresses both ends of the problem. It provides stability in the moment and then a real pathway forward after. I will yield unless there are questions.

355. 3:22:59

     Do you have no questions, Senator?

356. 3:23:01

     Thank you.

357. 3:23:05

     We have a- another late-arriving amendment here. Secretary, read the caption.

358. 3:23:12

     Senator McLaurin of the 14th and others offers the following amendment to House Bill 61, Amendment 1A, by replacing "90 days or more in a 100-day period of time" on lines four and five with "90 or more consecutive days." Mr. President, that completes the order.

359. 3:23:34

     Senator, um, do you want to speak to your Second Amendment?

360. 3:23:38

     Yes.

361. 3:23:45

     I don't know how you can cover much more than you did the first time.

362. 3:23:47

     Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, at the suggestion of a senator who will re- remain unnamed because he didn't sign it, but you might have heard it on the Senate floor already, uh, there is a- an Amendment 1A I did not draft. It was drafted at the suggestion of that senator. Uh, and I'm pleased that the senator from the 21st also signed it. It is just a cleanup Amendment 1 to make it clear that it's 90 consecutive days or more to establish the right to tenancy, not 90 days and 100 days, so that the pro tem's question about cobbling together days is resolved. That's all the amendment does. Uh, thank you, Mr. President.

363. 3:24:19

     Recognize senator from the 37th. Speak, speak to the bill.

364. 3:24:40

     Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, senator, I rise today to speak in support of House Bill 61, and I wanna provide some context for this. This is a very important policy debate, but it's one that I think we need to think through very carefully as we act and consider these amendments. As we talked about earlier today, the extended stay product within our innkeeper guest ecosystem, if you will, is very important. Um, extended stay hotels, uh, in the metro and particularly the outer lying rim of the metro area where a lot of folks, um, uh, live that, uh, perhaps don't have the resources to stay in more expensive areas, a hotel night is about $150 a night.

365. 3:25:21

     A traditional hotel rented night by night by night's about $150 a night. Extended stay, if you're careful and you find a place that provides good service, you can get them as low as $350 a week. Now, that's not cheap, uh, for the size of the room, the square footage, it's, it's relatively modest, but $350 a week is one-third of the price per night of an individual hotel room. Now, why do people need this? Who's, who, who's in need of these kind of extended stel- extended stay facilities?

366. 3:25:51

     Families, single moms perhaps who can't afford the high security deposit. Maybe they don't have the, the money to put down two months or three months rent in a place. Um, extended stay is an option for them as a bridge to get them from point A to point B. Uh, in many cases, people need temporary lodging. They might have a lease that's ending on a certain date. They need to ha- they can't move into another place that's within their financial means at another date, and they need an extended stay to carry them in between that. It's an economical means, and it provides a very important, um, product in our market to support those people.

367. 3:26:26

     Extended stays play a vital role in our economy. Think about out-of-town workers. You bring workers from different construction organizations, different service organizations. They move, uh, or they, they, they live where they live, but they're moving into Atlanta or around the metro or anywhere around the state for, for a job. Oftentimes will stay in extended stay hotels because, as we said, the price per night's about one-third the price of a night by night by night rental. Now, if a construction worker that's coming in, a blue-collar worker coming into town to work on a plumbing job or a masonry job, they can't afford $150 a night Out of their salary.

368. 3:27:04

     Extended stay is the perfect product for them to be able to operate and do what they do for a living and do it economically. The concern I have with what's being talked about, what's being contemplated by the senator from the 14th and his amendment is, is we recognize the importance of these products. In fact, the senator from the 41st, the distinguished minority whip, talked about the reason folks can't move sometimes into ex- into ac-actually hotel tenant-landlord relationships is they're, they have bad credit, or they may not have the cash to be able to put down for a period of time to be able to get into a more, um, larger, more accommodating, m- more lavish, uh, place to live.

369. 3:27:46

     They're vitally important to our communities for people, low-income folks, people who have short stay needs and, and workers who move from place to place with their blue-collar jobs. Extended stays fill this very important need, and the ability to fill this need cannot exist. It cannot exist. It will not exist if we impose on what is otherwise an innkeeper-guest relationship, if we impose a requirement for landlord-tenant.

370. 3:28:18

     As I alluded to earlier in my questioning with the senator from the 14th, the landlord-tenant relationship is a covenant. Um, tenants put down a security deposit, one month, two months, in some cases, three months, uh, and they, they sign agreements, uh, that they're gonna be there typically for a longer period of time. Typically, although there are month-to-month leases, typically it is a six-month or 12-month requirement to be able to be in a tenant-landlord relationship. Very often. That's ver-very often the case as we know. If all we have is sleeping in the woods or a tenant-landlord relationship, we're missing something.

371. 3:28:54

     I'm sorry, there's, there'd be three options. Staying in the woods, paying $150 a night on a night-by-night rental, or having a tenant-landlord relationship. But that's the only thing that's available to people. Our economy is missing out on something that's vitally important, the ability to drive down the cost per night to stay places for a week or a month or maybe a couple months at an economical price. I've got single moms in my district who have been out of work. They've had interruptions. They might be working two jobs. They might have lost one job, so their, their, their, their income has been seve-severely depressed.

372. 3:29:25

     These kinds of extended stays are very important to catch people and be, be part of our saf-safety net for folks who can afford to pay something but, but don't have the economic ability to get into a tenant-landlord relationship long-term. They're just in that place. They need these products. The reason this bill is so important is these bills assure by protecting the people who bring these products into existence that they're not gonna be-- that they're not gonna have their kindness and their enterprise as, a- as, as innkeepers weaponized by our laws.

373. 3:29:59

     Our current s- the, the current status of our law weaponizes kindness. It weaponizes the due process of our courts to let folks squat on these facilities. Some of them are, are squatters who do this in a calculated way. In other cases, there's people who have fallen on hard times, but they've not, they, they've not invested up front in the security deposit. They've not, they've not been paying at a level that's commensurate, uh, with w- with people owning these facilities and being able to enter into this tenant-landlord relationship.

374. 3:30:29

     To have a viable tenant-landlord relationship, there's got to be a covenant between the tenant and the landlord. The economics have to work. It's not about landlords exploiting tenants. It's about landlords wanting to bring a product into existence and being able to stay in business. You know, some of, some of the discussion we saw during COVID, this idea that you can't evict people. There was people fa- had fallen on hard times, but the problem we heard in this very legislature was when people were not allowed to, to, to, uh, to move people out who are not paying, what is the, what is the, what's the landlord to do?

375. 3:31:02

     What is the landlord to do who's trying to provide a fair product that's decent, that's occupiable, that meets building code, it's a decent place to live if someone never, ever, ever pays? If they've got to go through thousands of dollars of attorneys, they have to go through weeks and weeks and weeks of process to try to evict somebody who's simply not paying, what is the landlord to do? It's a balance. I serve here because I care about regular people. I don't serve here because I care about landlords. I don't care-- I don't serve here because I care about powerful developers or powerful business interests.

376. 3:31:33

     I serve here for regular people. My concern is without House Bill 61, the products that serve regular people, the products that my constituents need to have for them when they're out of town on business or when they have a little interruption between where they're staying or they need a place to stay for a period of time in transitioning from place, from home A to home B, without these, this careful balance being maintained, that House Bill 61 seeks to maintain, the services my people need, people that are in need will n- there will be no product there for them.

377. 3:32:08

     These products are not being brought into existence in the metro area because folks have figured out how to weaponize kindness. They've figured out how to weaponize our due, the due process within our legal system to take advantage of, of what is, w- what they're asserting is a landlord-tenant relationship and what is w- w- on its face very clearly, um, innkeeper-guest. Friends, House Bill 61 is vital to maintaining the, the, the, the supply of extended stay opportunities for people who are in need.

378. 3:32:44

     If we b- if we blow up this, this balance by imposing landlord-tenant in a circumstance that ought to be innkeeper-guest, the people who need these products, whether they're blue-collar workers working out of town for a couple weeks and they need to pay $350 a week for a place to stay instead of $1,000 a week, or, or moms who lost their second job and they're trying to find a way to kind of bridge between one apartment to the next when they can actually move in, these products are essential

379. 3:33:11

     In reality, not in theory, not in concept, they have to exist. There is a shortage of supply in many, many parts of our metro area in these products, and unless we pass House Bill sixty-one, that shortage of this vital part of our business economy is gonna continue to have shortages and will not be able to serve the people that so desperately need them. House Bill sixty-one strikes that, that, that balance, and I would encourage you to support, uh, the, the amendment by the senator from the thirty-ninth, but not the amendment, uh, by the senator from the fourteenth because it violates the balance we're trying to strike.

380. 3:33:44

     With that, Mr. President, I yield the floor. Recognize senator from thirty-six.

381. 3:34:16

     Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, colleagues, I rise, uh, with, uh, to a- add some more information to this, uh, conversation that I think is vital. Um,

382. 3:34:30

     a little bit more about the history of this bill that, that's, uh, the language that's before us now. Uh, this bill was introduced in the House, uh, last year. It did not pass out of committee.

383. 3:34:49

     Could not make it out of committee. It didn't come over here after a thorough vetting, uh, by the House, uh, and going through the Rules Committee process and coming to the floor and having a vote. No, not at all. It's, it, it, it couldn't make it out of committee, you know, which, which says to me, uh, uh, speaks volumes about the, the issues and problems with the bill. Uh, a- another piece of information I'll share with you is that the Georgia Supreme Court in twenty twenty-three had before it a case, effic- uh, Efficiency Lodge, where have we heard that, uh, name before?

384. 3:35:31

     That, that's the crowd that's advertising, "Come for a night, stay forever." You know, that Efficiency Lodge. So they're in the Supreme Court, uh, Efficiency Lodge versus Neeson. And the, the Supreme Court ruled, our Supreme Court here in Georgia in twenty twenty-three ruled that, uh, uh, in some conditions, uh, people living in extended stay, uh, lodging could claim a landlord-tenant relationship.

385. 3:36:07

     That was the ruling. Then they come running down here to us to pass a bill to undermine the Supreme Court ruling. So follow me on that. That's, that's not, uh, insubstantial. So the, the, the, the, this, this, this narrative of these struggling innkeepers who are holding body and soul together and extending, uh, this opportunity to people that don't have, uh, uh, permanent housing, they, they, they are, they are raking in money like bandits.

386. 3:36:43

     I mean, they are making... This is a very profitable business model, is my point. That, that has not been stressed here, I don't think, much in the debate. It is highly profitable. And they went all the way to the Supreme Court to try to get by with, uh, the, the, the, their, their, their way to resolve a, a tenant situation. And i- if you look at the, the rates that are being charged, they're doing no one any favors.

387. 3:37:16

     It, it's like people that are down at, uh, down kind of at the, at the bottom in terms of, uh, it could be d- from domestic violence, it could be from, uh, losing a job, it could be from massive, uh, um, medical bills, uh, all the, all the ills that can beset us as we go through life, and they're in the p- posture that they cannot, uh, they're gonna live in a car or, or as somebody up here said, live in the woods, uh, and this is where they wind up, uh, as a, as an alternative to that.

388. 3:37:49

     And when they did this extensive study here in DeKalb County, I mean extensive, uh, you know, some fifty, fifty or, or sixty pages of analyzing this situation, uh, if you pay... Survey respondents reported paying rates with an average monthly hotel cost of eighteen hundred and fifty-two dollars, just about what an average two-bedroom rental in DeKalb County costs.

389. 3:38:20

     And more than thirty percent of those who, uh, were r- r- polled paid daily the most expensive option. So you're down and out, and then you've got a situation where you're being milked for your last penny, you know, to keep a roof over the head of your s- your family. Get those kids out there for the school bus that morning and, and get off to work one, two, three jobs.

390. 3:38:52

     So we're being asked to undermine a Supreme Court ruling. That's number one. Let's get clear on that. Uh, and, uh, th- and the reality is, and it's been referenced here from the well today, that, that we have housing insecurity in la- in significant part because we don't have enough housing in Georgia. Our state does not invest enough money in affordable housing, far from it. And now we, uh, we've, we've debated on the floor and, uh, uh, bills have moved forward to th- th- to get our hands on these investors that are finding it very profitable to buy or build housing in our state that's rental housing.

391. 3:39:39

     And when they buy a, a, a development of h- of houses and then switch it all to rental, th- and, and jack the rents up. So the- these are realities that are forcing people into this kind of extended stay, uh, situations that are r- that are rife with, with problems for families. Um, we have rejected, I think just in the last week, an effort to, uh, put before the body for a vote, uh, r- raising our minimum wage.

392. 3:40:11

     In Georgia, it's $5.25 an hour, good people. It's $5.25 an hour. And I know if you think about it for 10 minutes or maybe two minutes, it sends chills through you to think of trying to raise a family on $5.25 an hour. But we've rejected the opportunity that we have to raise it to, to $15. Those are pathways, those are part of the structure that we're operating in, in this state that create, A, the housing crisis, l- um, uh, not enough of it, not enough investment in affordable housing, and then, uh, the, these poverty wages that, uh, are, are in, in, uh, in our law books.

393. 3:40:56

     Um,

394. 3:41:00

     and you can look at how much this impacts children because guess what? The big s- uh, the, the... It's not a secret, but we don't, we don't, we don't talk about it nearly enough and we certainly don't act on it. But these syst- these systemic, uh, conditions that people are asked to live under, uh, do great damage to our children. And the, the, the, uh, DeKalb, uh, analysis of, uh, of, uh, a- actually we've got, we've got a statewide... There's, there's a chart that shows in each one of our counties how many, um, uh, children there are that are, uh, unhoused or living, uh, hom- are homeless or living in these extended stay, uh, uh, uh, situations.

395. 3:41:46

     And, uh, in my county, Fulton, there are 1,800, uh, over 1,800, uh, children between pre-K and 12, uh, that are homeless. Uh, 26% of the, of that, that number are in, uh, uh, extended stay hotels. 26%, you know, 20, you know, of, of, of, of one-fourth of those kids. And, uh, and, and it's 2% of the, of the total student population. That doesn't even count the children that are younger than, than, uh, than, uh, pre-K.

396. 3:42:21

     Uh, s- so, a- and, and so when, when w- when we're casual or, or, or, or worse, uh, when we turn a, when we turn a blind eye to this situation and don't deal with it, you're, you're impacting the, the, the, the, the, the lives of the, of these children in ways that from, uh, a- and trauma from which they are, are scarred permanently in all too many cases. Now, I, I will also add this. Families, these families are paying rent. They're just not receiving proper housing for the rent that they pay.

397. 3:42:53

     It's just a reality. Uh, you've got the impact on kids living in situations. These, these, uh, these, uh, uh, rooms offer far less than an apartment, no full kitchen, no private laundry, limited space, uh, and, and often reporting mold and dreadful living conditions. Dreadful living conditions. Uh, in addition to which, all too often, and the police can certainly show you the records of how they get called to these locations because the proprietor is turning a blind eye to, uh, drug dealing that's happening, to trafficking that's happening, to, uh, preying on children that's happening.

398. 3:43:36

     And I don't mean by that hardworking family that's in there paying, uh, this astronomical rents. I'm meaning that they're preyed on because the proprietor does not keep the facility, uh, safe, sanitary, and, uh, and properly run for it to, to... And then, but then you're gonna pay the sky-high rents. The sky-high r- uh, s- s- a studio apartment in DeKalb costs $1,500. Well, uh, that's, uh, nothing compared to what, to what the people are charging, uh, paying daily and weekly, uh, to stay in these places.

399. 3:44:12

     So the balance to me is way off. We're not balancing in this situation. We are, ha- have families subjected to, uh, t- very substandard living conditions and then, uh, a proprietor that can, can kick them out for any number of reasons. They don't have a, they don't have a tenant, uh, landlord-tenant relationship and that's what, uh, the amendments, uh, that, that we have before us, uh, I, I think one and one A I believe they are, uh, w- uh, would create.

400. 3:44:44

     Uh, so we've got a very profitable business model going on for the proprietors. Very profitable. They wouldn't be in the business guys if they weren't, uh, making money hand over fist. And they took it to the Supreme Court to try to keep on doing that and our Supreme Court ruled, uh, "No, that's a landlord-tenant relationship that, that has existed here and you have to abide by it." So I would, I, I, I would urge you to vote for the amendments. Uh, w- w- we're far from fixing the underlying structural problems that we have the authority, the power, and I'd say, uh, a mandate from voters, uh, to, to address this in a more s- uh, in, in a broader way around what, what people get paid for their labor, uh, and uh, whether or not, uh, landlords and proprietors are held to account for the conditions they raise.

401. 3:45:38

     The, the, the it's astronomical, uh, rent levels and, uh, dreadful living conditions, and then they want, they want us to take apart the Supreme Court ruling from 2023. I, I, I'd say that's a, a bad proposition. I, I, I will, uh, yield for any questions, and I'll certainly yield as well-

402. 3:46:00

     You have no questions, Senator

403. 3:46:00

     ... if there are none.

404. 3:46:01

     You have no questions, Senator.

405. 3:46:02

     Thank you.

406. 3:46:03

     Recognize the Majority Leader.

407. 3:46:05

     Mr. President, I move the previous question.

408. 3:46:07

     All right, move the previous question. Is there objection?

409. 3:46:09

     Objection.

410. 3:46:11

     All right, here we go. Objection. All those in favor of the motion to, to move the previous question will vote yay. All against it vote nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

411. 3:46:39

     Senator from the 48th. Senator from the 48th. Senator from the 48th. Do you wanna close?

412. 3:46:50

     Yes.

413. 3:46:50

     Get over here and get on deck.

414. 3:47:25

     On the motion to move the previous question, the yeas are 29, nays are 21. This has prevailed. Senator from the 48th, you can close.

415. 3:47:50

     Handshake deals, policy or politics. Amendment Two is a year of handshakes, a year of policy, a year of doing things right. Amendment One is politics.

416. 3:48:16

     The author of Amendment One, the co-author of Amendment 1A

417. 3:48:27

     didn't stop to ponder the fact that those hotels in your districts

418. 3:48:33

     after three months with no contract, three months of

419. 3:48:41

     just getting by, and that's okay for whatever their reason, they can stop payment.

420. 3:48:51

     What is that going to do to the rates when you have people that are unlawful guests that are staying there? What does that do to that property owner?

421. 3:49:04

     When we look at the state of North Carolina that was referenced multiple times, in North Carolina, they have a process called summary ejectment.

422. 3:49:17

     The sheriff removes somebody following a court order with a writ of possession. That time is 14 days. That's a longer period of time than what we have in Amendment Two. So Amendment Two is actually doing more for people than trying to switch into these different types of relationships. It's giving balance to what we're doing, and they could stay there for 90 days.

423. 3:49:48

     They can stay there for two years. They could stay there indefinitely. To my friend, the senator from the 37th, he described in detail that if people just switch into a rent type situation and it moves away from the innkeeper tenant that we have now, or guest, excuse me, the innkeeper guest, if we go to tenant, what does that do?

424. 3:50:19

     It changes forever the relationship of what hotels are meant to be, what they have been for over a century in this state, and while I think an attempt at, at well-meaning

425. 3:50:37

     from Amendment 1A, it does not solve this issue. It makes

426. 3:50:48

     the relationship less clear. It will create a massive increase to rates that are charged, and the unintended consequences of this are unimaginable.

427. 3:51:05

     A year of working on this

428. 3:51:12

     versus an amendment that was introduced the day of, and an amendment to an amendment that was drafted from a conversation that took place against that wall just a few minutes ago.

429. 3:51:28

     I urge you to vote no on Amendments One and 1A. They will disrupt the entire relationship and balance that we have. Please vote yes on amendment two. Please vote for the underlying bill and let's do the right thing by our business owners and by those that need long-term stay hotels. Thank you.

430. 3:51:56

     All right, the question is on the adoption of amendment 1A, authored by the senator from the 14th. Is there objection to 1A? Objection. All right, with objection. All right, all those in favor of 1A will vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

431. 3:53:19

     On the adoption of am- amendment 1A, the ayes are 24, the nays are 26, and this amendment has failed.

432. 3:53:28

     Moving on to amendment number one, authored by the senator from the 14th. Is there objection? Objection. There is objection. All those in favor of amendment one will vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

433. 3:53:46

     Senator from the 16th.

434. 3:54:41

     On the adoption of amendment one, the ayes are 22, the nays are 28, and this amendment has failed. All right, now we're on to amendment number two, authored by the senator from the 39th. Is there objection? No objection. Without objection, amendment number two is adopted.

435. 3:55:06

     Is there objection

436. 3:55:10

     of the previous question being ordered? Is there, on the adoption of the committee substitute as amended, is there objection to the adoption of the committee substitute? Hearing none, the committee substitute as amended is adopted. Is there objection to agreeing to the report of committee, which is favorable to the passage of the bill? Chair hears none. The report of the committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered? Chair hears none. The main question is ordered. Question is on the passage of the bill by substitute. All those in favor will vote yay.

437. 3:55:41

     All opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

438. 3:56:52

     Three minutes or so. On the passage of the bill, the ayes are 32, the nays are 18. This bill having received the requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed by substitute. Where's that representative at? Well, I tell you what, Representative, you better be glad I like you. I known that thing would've been debated hour and 45 minutes. Woo. Woo. Woo.

439. 3:57:17

     All right. Just hold on if you need to breathe. All right, let's see if we can get through some of these things here. Ha- Secretary Read, House Bill 541.

440. 3:57:28

     House Bill 541 by Representative Dempsey of the 13th and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Code Section 20-3-4- 411 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to definitions regarding tuition equalization grants at private colleges and universities so as to expand the definition of an approved school to include certain institutions which offer programs in nursing to provide for related matters, to provide for legislative intent, to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Higher Educations recommends that this bill do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Burns of the 23rd District, Chairman.

441. 3:57:59

     Mr. President, that completes the order.

442. 3:58:05

     Bringing out Senator from the 25th.

443. 3:58:19

     All right, ladies and gentlemen. This bill has to do with nursing shortages in the state of Georgia. It is anticipated that we're gonna be, uh, very short of nursing in the near future, just like we are now, and it's only gonna get worse and worse. What this bill does, it allows, uh, just Chamberlain University to participate in the tuition equalization grants. Uh, this-

444. 3:58:49

     College puts out RNs. They're ranked third, uh, second-highest number of nurses passing the state board. So they are a brick-and-mortar school, and this is just gonna help us ease our nursing shortage. I'll be glad to take any questions.

445. 3:59:11

     You have no questions, Senator. Thank you. I ask for your favorable consideration. Thank you. Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Chair hears none. Is there objections to the previous question being ordered? Chair hears none. Previous question is ordered. Is there objection to agreeing to the report of the committee, which is favorable to the ta- passage of the bill? Chair hears none. Report of the committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being or- ordered? Chair hears none. Main question is ordered. Questions on the passage of the bill? All those in favor vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

446. 4:00:41

     On the passage of the bill, the yays are 45, and the nays are one. This bill, having received the requisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed.

447. 4:00:51

     We've got a lot of members, so, s- just so you know, we're, I know the pro tem's got some, some food in there. We're not gonna break for lunch because we've got a lot of members that are trying to get out of here, um, because they have other obligations. So we're just gonna go through the, we're gonna go th- pound through these things as fast as we can. If you're hungry, go in the ante room. If you're not hungry, then sit right there and vote. All right, here we go. Moving on to House Bill 907.

448. 4:01:24

     House Bill 907 by Representative Jones of the 47th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 31C of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, the Completion Special Schools Act, so as to require certain local school systems to either be a party to a collaborative o- operating agreement with a completion special school or provide certain education programs and services to students in grades nine through 12, to require local school systems for, to provide to completion special schools the contact information for students who stop attending or withdraw from the local school system subject to condition and expect- expectations, to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes.

449. 4:01:55

     Mr. President, the s- Senate Committee on Education and Youth recommends that this bill do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Hickman, chairman. Mr. President, that completes the order. Recognize the senator from the 48th. For those of us in this chamber, in this building, there are two Jan Jones in our lives.

450. 4:02:31

     One, the first lady of, of this body, and the other one, my mentor across the hall. This is the final bill of an illustrious 24-year career by Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones. This is HB 907, completion schools, and probably one of the most important bills that we will vote on this year. I hope there's no controversy on this one.

451. 4:03:03

     We need to all come back together and start rowing in the same direction. But this is what the bill does. It requires completion schools to provide associated school systems with their available programs and classes and instructions on registration for credit recovery or academic intervention. It requires school systems to make the information available physically on campus and electronically to parents and students. It makes plain that parents shall be permitted to register their student directly with a completion school to attend one or more classes.

452. 4:03:40

     We can fight about taxes. We can fight about hotels. We can fight about a lot of things in this room, but the one thing that we are all on the same page about is getting more kids across the finish line, more kids graduating, more kids reading well, and this does that by including dropout prevention and academic intervention for kids that need it most.

453. 4:04:12

     I'm happy to answer any questions, or I can yield the well.

454. 4:04:21

     Thank you. I yield. Is there any other senator who would speak for or against the measure? Recognize the senator from the 38th.

455. 4:04:43

     Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, I wanna first start by saying I've had the honor and privilege of working with Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones in my capacity in the, uh, world of charter schools. She's been a steadfast supporter and someone that I've spent time in her office, uh, to ensure that we are doing right by students across the state whose family choose that as an option to educate their children. But I also want to address what just happened in this chamber.

456. 4:05:18

     I was silenced, and because I was silenced, I'm gonna use this opportunity to speak out for many of these students that we're trying to help. As I've shared plenty of times before, I am a former high school principal, and I educated students who lived in extended stay hotels. I intended to get up here and share my concern of these students and many families across this state of being kicked out of hotels that they rely on for housing.

457. 4:05:53

     And I'm furious because this is not theoretical to me. I have a family member who lives in these hotels. It's not temporary. It's not for 90 days. They've lived in these hotels for years. And I will go a little bit further to be a little more transparent. It's not a family member. I see smiles and, "Oh, what is Kemp doing?" It's a sibling.

458. 4:06:25

     And so because this chamber takes two hours to do personal points of privilege or we get out early when the House is across the way doing work, we call the question on issues that are going to kick families out of homes that they rely on.

459. 4:06:50

     Right now, we have a situation in which people are paying as much as $2,386 a month because they cannot qualify to live in apartments or homes in their communities. They could be paying around $2,000 a month. So we have a issue. And so I intended to get up here, Mr. President, and share the fact that these families don't live in these houses by choice but because that is what they can qualify for and that is what stability looks like for them.

460. 4:07:32

     We have children whose families are living in these hotels because that is all their parents can qualify for. And so what we just did is we made it easier for extended stay hotels to kick these families out. The Georgia Supreme Court said that these families has just as many rights as folks who live in rental homes and apartments in this state.

461. 4:08:05

     And instead, what we just did is we sided with property owners who are banking on the fact that people are gonna rely on these properties for shelter. We sided with them and said, "You know what? Go ahead, kick them out without any due process," despite the fact that our Supreme Court across this street said they have a right to tenants' rights just as anyone else.

462. 4:08:34

     And so please pardon my passion, and if I'm out of order, I'm out of order, but my button was pushed and I was not acknowledged. So I needed to take this time to address the fact that I stand in firm opposition of what we just did. And Mr. President, I yield the floor. Does any other senator wish to speak for or against this measure? Chair hears none. Is there objection to the previous question being ordered? Chair hears none. Previous question is ordered. Is there objection to agreeing to the order of committee, which is favorable to the passage of the bill?

463. 4:09:08

     Chair hears none. The order of the committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered? Chair hears none. The main question is ordered. Questions on the passage of the bill. All those in favor of the bill will vote yay. Opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

464. 4:10:21

     On the passage of the bill, the yays are 46 and nays are 0. This bill having received the requisite constitution majority is therefore passed.

465. 4:10:33

     Secretary, read House Bill 946. House Bill 946 by Representative Clifton of the 131st and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Title 27 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to game and fish so as to authorize hunting and trapping of feral hogs under certain circumstances, to repeal provisions relating to wildlife control permits for feral hogs, to authorize location of feral hogs with unmanned aircraft systems, to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes. Mr. President, the Committee of the Senate on Natural Resources and the Environment recommends that this bill do pass.

466. 4:11:03

     Respectfully submitted, Senator Anderson of the 24th District. Chairman. Mr. President, that completes the order. Recognize the senator from the 24th. And the senator from the 24th is going to show you how to present a bill, get in, get out, and have everybody vote for it. Definitely. And no filibustering. Let's do it. That's a big typical. Some people just like to hear themselves talk. Thank you, Mr. President. I hope everybody really listened to you just then.

467. 4:11:35

     Maybe they can learn something. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you House Bill 946. We just talked about educating our children. Well, let's get them after, after school's out, let's take them h- hog hunting. This bill is, all it simply does is make it to where you can take a drone and locate feral hogs that destroys and damage your property that farmers have and people have private property.

468. 4:12:06

     And this way we can reduce the amount of hogs, feral hogs that we have that's destroying our property. Mis- mis- I just ask each and every one of you vote green so we can go kill some hogs this afternoon. Thank you so much. I ask you to vote green. I yield the floor. Senator's yielded. Do you have a question, Senator? He's yielded. Filibuster. Mm-hmm. I think I'll take it from here. No. You don't need to take it. You good, you good, you good, you- I'll ask you a question.

469. 4:12:39

     A parliamentary inquiry. State your inquiry. Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. President. What's the difference between a hog and a hog? Depends on if you're below the nat line or not. Well done.

470. 4:12:55

     Yeah. All right. Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Chair hears none. Is there objection to the previous question being unordered? Chair hears none. Previous question is ordered. Is there objection to agreeing to the order of the committee, which is favorable to the passage of the bill? Chair hears none. The order of the committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered? Chair hears none. The main question is ordered. Questions on the passage of the bill. All those in favor of the bill, vote yay. Opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the

471. 4:13:50

     machine.

472. 4:14:21

     On the passage of the bill, the yeas are 46 and nays are 0. This bill having received requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed. Secretary read House Bill 987.

473. 4:14:35

     House Bill 987 by Representative Jones of the 25th and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 8 of Title 34 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to employment security so as to provide for portable benefit plans and portable benefit accounts for independent contractors, to provide for definitions, to provide for voluntary contributions, to provide for independent contractors to opt in to withholdings, to provide for independent contractors to opt out at any time, to exclude voluntary contributions from establishing the classification of employer or employment, to provide for related matters, to provide for a short title, to repeal conflicting laws for other purposes. Mr. President, the Committee of the, the Committee of the Senate on Insurance and Labors recommends that this bill do pass.

474. 4:15:10

     Respectfully submitted, Senator Harbin, Chairman. Mr. President, that completes the order.

475. 4:15:21

     Recognize Senator from the 48th.

476. 4:15:37

     It's me again. Third time today. All right, we're done after this, I promise. Or at least I'll be sitting down. HB 987, the Voluntary Portable Benefits Act, gives us for the first time ever the ability for gig workers to get insurance that will follow them where they go. There's a letter on your desks signed by a number of great organizations ranging from the Realtors to NFIB to the Chamber that talks about what this means to our economy, what this means to those that don't have access to health insurance because they're not a W-2 full-time employee.

477. 4:16:28

     So for an independent contractor, this bill permits the creation of this portable benefit account where they can opt in to have the hiring entity and a fixed dollar or percentage of their fee to their account.

478. 4:16:46

     Let that sink in, y'all. One in six Georgians had a full-time job 15 years ago. Today, that's one in four. One in four. This is one of the most important bills we can do for giving healthcare access to those in a gig economy. The bill explains it. It's very simple. It's very straightforward.

479. 4:17:19

     I believe that when we're looking at those in a gig economy and what the future holds for our state and our country, this is probably one of the best things we can do for them. Happy to yield for any questions.

480. 4:17:32

     No questions.

481. 4:17:33

     Awesome. Ask your favorable concision, consideration on House Bill 987. Thanks.

482. 4:17:38

     Recognize Senator from the 44th.

483. 4:17:56

     Thank you, Mr. President. I am, um, rising in support of this piece of legislation, and I definitely co-sign a lot of the comments made by the senator from the 48th. This is an issue that I have worked on for a number of years, and as a matter of fact, um, led a study committee, uh, working with the Georgia Chamber as well on portable benefits with the Pro Tem. Goodness, and it was, it was a while ago now, probably six, six, maybe even seven years ago.

484. 4:18:29

     But this is a concept that, um, when I first learned about it, light bulbs really went off for me because the reality is our system of, of benefits in our country has been set up in a way where they were mostly tied to traditional forms of employment when people stayed at jobs for a really long time, coming through the employer, and that just isn't the reality of a lot of work in our, uh, modern era.

485. 4:19:01

     And, um, that extends beyond such things as gig economy, uh, type, type jobs, which is kind of the most common context where you hear of the need for portable benefits. Gig economy, um, you know, normally when you hear that, we're talking about the Ubers and the Lyfts and the DoorDashes and, and all of those. But there are plenty of other folks that want to be able to chart their own business or be hired as a consultant or say, you know, you've got your own graphic design business, um, meaning that you would not have traditional benefits accessible to you.

486. 4:19:43

     And if you don't have traditional benefits accessible to you, there are all kinds of consequences with that. Um, a- and, and it's, and it's far more than just, "Oh, I might not get a employer match on my 401," right? I mean, you, you don't, you wouldn't have access to Paid time off. Um, he- you know, healthcare is obviously huge. Retirement savings. I mean, all these things that are kinda needed to set oneself and one's family up for any kind of financial security longterm are just not set up for you the way they are if you're getting all of that through an employer.

487. 4:20:20

     And, um, that obviously has a lot of consequences, which, some of which would end up falling back on taxpayers, A. But B, another benefit of, of setting up a s- systems of a, of portable benefits is that it, it not only recognizes the reality of our economy these days, but it also, um, ensures that the economy can be more dynamic. Because a lot of people aren't gonna leave jobs to start their own company or, you know, do what have you if they lose their benefits.

488. 4:20:52

     And that's, you know, gonna lock them in place. Uh, sometimes we call it the golden handcuffs, I guess. Uh, usually, um, that's, that's more tied to, that phrase is more tied to salary. But in this instance, many people are not gonna leave a job to try to start a business if they are gonna lose all their benefits. So starting to envision how we can have this system that stays with the person and allows all of this dynamism and flexibility through our system really makes sense because the old days of someone getting one job with one company and staying there 30, 30 years is unfortunately, um, not the reality.

489. 4:21:33

     Uh, it, it, fortunately and unfortunately, not always the reality, and that's just growing. So we do need to just totally reimagine the benefits that ha- were put into place decades ago that were tied very specifically in many ways to that relationship. So I'm just thrilled to see progress on this issue. Wanna thank the, um, the representative from the 25th for carrying it along. Or I'm sorry, uh, To- yeah, I can say it, Representative Jones, for carrying it along as well as the Pro Tem for working on this issue with me, uh, years ago.

490. 4:22:06

     So I kind of think there probably aren't any questions, but I'm happy to answer any if there are.

491. 4:22:11

     No questions, Senator.

492. 4:22:12

     Perfect. Thank you.

493. 4:22:12

     No question.

494. 4:22:12

     Urge your support, and I yield the well.

495. 4:22:14

     Is there any other senator who wishes to speak for or against the measure? Chair hears none. Is there objections to the previous question being ordered? Chair hears none. The previous question is ordered. Is there objection to agreeing to the reporter committee, which is favorable to the passage of the bill? Chair hears none. The reporter committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered? Chair hears none of the main questions ordered. Question o- is on the passage of the bill. All those in favor will vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

496. 4:23:39

     On the passage of the bill, the yays are 44, the nays are one. This bill, having received a requisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed. Secretary, read House Bill 1086.

497. 4:23:53

     House Bill 1086 by Representatives Chastain of the 7th and others, a bill to be entitled An Act to Amend Chapter II of Title 25 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to regulation of fire and other hazards to persons and property generally so as to require notice to be posted upon certain buildings of the use of light frame truss-type construction; to provide for rules and regulations; to provide for enforcement; to provide for definitions; to provide for a short title; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. Mr. President, the Senate, the Committee of the Senate on Public Safety recommends that this bill do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Albers, Chairman. Mr. President, I complete the order.

498. 4:24:26

     Recognize senator from 56.

499. 4:24:37

     Thank you, Mr. President. Senators, if I can have your attention for a moment. If I could have everyone's attention for one moment.

500. 4:24:46

     This bill that we're gonna talk about right now is in the honor and memory of two fallen firefighters in our state. House Bill 1086 is also known as a Firefighter Preston Fant and Brent Chesney Firefighter Safety Act. These two men gave the last measure of devotion for their community and sacrificed their lives to run in when everybody else was running away. The bill before you today is going to make sure that any building that is not built up to the current codes, that has a light truss system, which is the roof, is gonna be properly marked with a firefighter multi cross, Mal- Maltese cross, so we know when we're going into those buildings that it is structurally unsafe and we're not going to take any unnecessary risks unless someone's else lives are in peril.

501. 4:25:44

     The memory of these two firefighters who served in DeKalb County and Forsyth County, Georgia, will ever, forever be enshrined by the fact that we're going to protect all of our first responders moving forward. So I'd ask you today to light this board up green in the memory of them, the men and women they served with, and their family and friends they left behind. Thank you, Mr. President, I yield the well.

502. 4:26:10

     Would any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Chair hears none. Is there objection to the previous question being ordered? Chair hears none. The previous question is ordered. Is there objection to agreeing to the reporter committee, which is favorable to the passage of the bill? Chair hears none. The reporter committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered? Chair hears none. The main question is ordered. Question is on the passage of the bill. All those in favor of the bill will vote yay. Opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

503. 4:27:39

     On the passage of the bill, the yays are 45, the nays are zero. This bill, having received requisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed

504. 4:27:49

     Secretary read House Bill 1097. House Bill 1097 by Representative Petrie of the 166th and others. A bill to be entitled an Act to amend Title 37 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to mental health so as to provide for criminal background, license status, and registry checks for owners, applicants, and employees of certain mental health facilities. To provide for the Department of Behavioral Health and Development Disabilities to submit fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Georgia Crime Information Center for the purpose of background checks to find disqualifying records. To provide for maintenance of personnel files. To provide for procedures relating to applicants or employees with ineligible determinations.

505. 4:28:23

     To provide for definitions. To provide for related matters. To repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes. Mr. President, the Committee of the Senate on Health and Human Services recommends that this bill do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Watson of the 1st District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services offers the following substitute to House Bill 1097. A bill to be entitled an Act to amend Titles 35 and 37 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to law enforcement officers and agencies and mental health respectively. So as to provide for s- covered individuals to submit certain for national criminal history background checks. To provide for procedures for authorized agents- agencies to make fitness determinations.

506. 4:28:56

     Mr. President, and I can please the order. Recognize the senator from the 29th.

507. 4:29:11

     Colleagues, I'm happy today to present this bill for our friend and Rules Chair from the 6th. It's a very simple piece of legislation. All this bill does is authorize the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to conduct fingerprint background, national criminal history background checks for certain individuals associated with groups and facilities that we allow to run our mental health systems here in Georgia. So that DBHDD would not only run all criminal history through GCIC, but they would also run it through NCIC and the FBI to make sure that we had all good actors operating within the services that are providing good healthcare to those in our mental health communities here in Georgia.

508. 4:29:54

     And if there are no questions, Mr. President, I yield the well. There are no questions, Senator. Thank you, sir. Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Is there objection to previous question being ordered? Chair hears none. Previous question is ordered. Question is on the adoption of committee substitute. Is there objection to the adoption of the committee substitute? Hearing none, the committee substitute is adopted. Is there objection to agreeing to the report, to the report of the committee which is favorable to the passage of the bill? Chair hears none. The report of the committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question be in order? Chair hears none.

509. 4:30:25

     Main question is ordered. Question is on the passage of the bill. All those in favor will vote yea. All opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

510. 4:31:39

     On the passage of the bill, the yeas are 44, the nays are 0. This bill having received the requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed by substitute.

511. 4:31:50

     Secretary read House Bill 1182.

512. 4:31:57

     House Bill 1181 by Representative Ballard of the 147th and others. A bill to be entitled an Act to amend Article 2 of Chapter 3 of Title 40 of the OCGA relating to certificates of title for motor vehicles so as to require an application for certificate of title to contain or be accompanied by the last certific- certificate of title issued by another state when such application refers to a vehicle last previously registered in another state and the applicant is receiving such vehicle upon inheritance, devise, or bequest. To amend Code Section 40-3-34 of the OCGA relating to transfer of vehicle by operation of law, termination of interest and joint interest with right of survivorship.

513. 4:32:30

     To provide for related matters. To repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes. Mr. President, the Committee of the Senate on Public Safety recommends that this bill do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Albers of the 56th District. Chairman, Mr. President, that completes the order.

514. 4:32:46

     Recognize the senator from the 18th.

515. 4:32:54

     Thank you, Mr. President. HB 1181, which was passed unani- unanimously in the House, is a bill that cuts red tape for Georgia citizens. If s- if this will benefit our military f- families in particular who have, were in Fort Benning, Fort Stewart, uh, these bases ar- along our state lines, and allow a decedent's car to come from the state where the state is domiciled directly to the first degree relative who is inheriting the car. As it stands now, if somebody dies with a car out of state, the car has to be first titled in the state where the executor is, even though the, the benefactor is here in Georgia.

516. 4:33:33

     This will just allow a skip to be stepped to get title i- in the State of Georgia. And this should redu- reduce time, taxes, and cost to our citizens, and I, uh, urge your support for HB 1181. If there are no questions, I will yield the well. You do... Well, you, you, your, your light is lit up, Senator. So- We'll call on- Recognize the senator from the 42nd.

517. 4:34:05

     Does Senator yield? He does. You mentioned red tape, um, cutting some red tape. I'm just curious, though, is this bill gonna make it where you can start putting tape on, like, glass surfaces, like, especially, like, doors? That way if someone were to approach that, that door, maybe they would see it and not run into it. This will not. This will apply, uh, to red tape and titling one's vehicle. Thank you for the question, though, Senator- Oh, you're welcome. Thank you ... from the 42nd. Recognize the senator from the 55th.

518. 4:34:36

     Senator, that was, uh, will the sen- will the gentleman in the well yield? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. This is a real question. I, uh, does this have any impact if someone, uh,

519. 4:34:49

     passes here in Georgia, uh, for example, their mother passes and the title is in the car, is in their mother's name, and the mother didn't really have anything else?

520. 4:35:01

     Would this bill have any applicability on transferring title to the only heir, or how would that work?

521. 4:35:12

     Sir, this would just allow an executor to not have to, that is located out of state, not to title the car out of state, such as in Texas, before transferring back to Georgia, even though the decedent may be here and the heir is here in Georgia.

522. 4:35:26

     Has there been any work, uh, with, in the, for those, the, for the convenience of those that are already in the state to pass transfer of title?

523. 4:35:37

     Th- this would only affect vehicles that are titled out of state. Even though the decedent may have died here in Georgia, if, if the car was titled out of state, say a transient military family is getting stationed around from base to base, this allows the, to skip the intermediate step of having to title the car in another state prior to obtaining title here in Georgia.

524. 4:35:56

     Thank you, sir. We'll talk to you about some work on transferring title here in the state. Thank you.

525. 4:36:04

     Here in the state, the, if, if the executor here in the state, they could do an executor's deed to pass it on to the, to the benefactor or beneficiary of the, of the car.

526. 4:36:15

     Thank you.

527. 4:36:17

     You have no other questions, Senator?

528. 4:36:19

     Yes.

529. 4:36:22

     You have no other questions, Senator?

530. 4:36:23

     Okay. I will yield the well.

531. 4:36:26

     Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Is there objection to the previous question being ordered? Chair hears none. Previous question is ordered.

532. 4:36:38

     Is there objection to the agreeing to the poor committee, which is favorable to the pass of the bill? Chair hears none. The poor committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered? Chair hears none. The main question is ordered. Questions on the pass of the bill? All those in favor, vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

533. 4:37:26

     Yes, sir. Uh, senator from the 49th, for what purpose do you rise?

534. 4:37:29

     Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. President.

535. 4:37:31

     State your inquiry.

536. 4:37:32

     Isn't it true that I am extremely happy that the senator from the, uh, 42nd has found a new obsession with the senator of the 18th rather than myself?

537. 4:37:42

     The senator knows what he speaks. Senator knows what...

538. 4:37:57

     On the pass of the bill, the yeas are 43, the nays are 0. The bill haven't, this bill, having received actually constitutional majority, is therefore passed. Secretary, read 1182.

539. 4:38:15

     House Bill 1182 by Representatives Rhodes of the 124th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 3 of Chapter 12 of Title 2 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to soil amendments so as to provide for additional prohibited acts to provide for related matters to repeal conflicting laws for other purposes. Mr. President, the, the Committee on the Senate of Natural Resources and the Environment recommends that this bill do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Anderson, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and the Environment offers the following substitute to House Bill 1182, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 3 of Chapter 12 of Title 2 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to soil amendments so as to pr- provide for additional prohibited acts to provide for an exception to provide for related matters to repeal conflicting laws for other purposes.

540. 4:38:51

     Mr. President, that completes the order.

541. 4:39:00

     Recognize Senator from the 24th.

542. 4:39:20

     Thank you, Mr. President. This evening, I bring you House Bill 1182. This is a House bill that was, uh, that the EPD and also our, uh, ag commissioner is in favor of, uh, Tyler Harper. This is a soil amendment bill where the trucks that bring in the, all the soil amendments will have to get off the road to unload.

543. 4:39:51

     They have to get on the farm and unload or get out of the highway or the dirt, public dirt road. I ask for your v- vote green so we can get the traffic keep flowing in our great communities.

544. 4:40:08

     All right, Senator. You have no questions.

545. 4:40:09

     Thank you.

546. 4:40:09

     Does any other senator wish to speak f- for or against the measure? Is there objection to the previous question being ordered? Chair hears none. Previous question is ordered. Question is on the adoption of the committee substitute. Is there objection of the adoption of the committee substitute? Hearing none, the committee substitute is adopted. Is there objection to the agreeing to the reporter committee, which is favorable to the passage of the bill? Is there objection to the main question being ordered? Chair hears none. The main question is ordered. All those in favor of the bill vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

547. 4:41:40

     On the passage of the bill, the yeas are 46 and nays are 0. This bill, having received re- constitutional majority, is therefore passed by substitute. Recognize the, or House Bill, excuse me. Secretary, read House Bill 1261.

548. 4:41:55

     House Bill 1261 by Representative Huddleston of the 72nd and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Part 1 of Article 2 of Chapter 5 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to tax exemptions so as to provide for Level I free port exemptions for certain goods in inventory for electric utilities to provide for application for such exemptions to provide for related matters to repeal conflicting laws for other purposes.

549. 4:42:15

     Mr. President, the Committee of the Senate on Finance recommends that this bill do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Hufstetler, the 52nd District Chairman. Mr. President, that completes the order.

550. 4:42:27

     Recognize our former whip, our former majority leader, and I said former whip, and transportation chair, a man that has worn many hats in this esteemed body, and he knows, he knows how to be brief in the well. The senator knows of which he speaks. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here on behalf of our rules chairman, who is not here to present this bill. House Bill 1261 is an important piece of legislation for all of us.

551. 4:42:59

     I don't have to tell you how important our utility companies are around our state. Our EMCs and our Georgia Power utility companies are often called up in the middle of the night to respond to power outages. I want to bring your attention to what happened two years ago when Hurricane Helene wiped out most of South Georgia. During that storm, we lost almost 10,000 utility poles, all the power lines, all the transformers, all the hardware and the equipment, and it took thousands of employees to be distributed from all over the southeast to southwest Georgia and southeast Georgia to help restore those lines.

552. 4:43:35

     Just this year, we had a major ice storm in North Georgia where thousands of utility linemen had to relocate from South Georgia up to North Georgia, and they had to bring hundreds and hundreds of poles and equipment to those areas to restore power there as well. What this bill does is allow for a free, free port exemption for those poles, those u- those utility lines and those transformers and all the equipment to restore those power systems to those homes and businesses. It allows for the property taxes on that equipment to be exempt, but here's the process and how that has to happen.

553. 4:44:10

     First, the local county commissioners have to pass an ordinance or a resolution to approve it, and then it has to go on a referendum in the local community, and the voters of that community must vote in favor of that free port exemption. This bill allows that to be set up and move forward, and I hope you'll support the utility companies in our state. Mr. President, I'm happy to yield for any questions or I'll yield the, the well. You have no questions, Senator. Thank you very much. Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Chair hears none.

554. 4:44:41

     Is there objection to the previous question being ordered? Chair hears none. The previous question is ordered. Is there objection to agreeing to the report of the committee which is favorable to the pass of the bill? Chair hears none. The report of the committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered? Chair hears none. The main question is ordered. All those in favor of the bill will vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

555. 4:46:17

     On the pass of the bill, the yays are 45, the nays are zero. This bill, having received the requisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed.

556. 4:46:28

     Secretary, read 1329.

557. 4:46:32

     House Bill 1329 by Representative Stevens of the 164th and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 13 of Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to controlled substances so as to provide for certain provisions relating to Schedule I controlled substances, to provide for certain provisions relating to the definition of dangerous drugs, to provide for related matters, to provide for an effective date, to repeal conflicting laws for other purposes. Mr. President, the Committee of the Senate on Health and Human Services recommends that this bill do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Watson of the 1st District. Chairman, Mr. President, that completes the order.

558. 4:47:15

     Recognize the man from Colquitt County.

559. 4:47:22

     Gentleman from Savannah.

560. 4:47:30

     You have the, uh...

561. 4:47:36

     The meter's running, Don.

562. 4:47:49

     Sometimes you're just a little too busy. Uh, thank you, Mr. President. Uh, I really appreciate you, uh, reminding me of that. So House Bill 1329 is the annual drug update. So basically, uh, new drugs that come on the market or drugs that are moved in different schedules. Uh, there's a whole list there. Please don't ask me what they are, but this is, uh, the new and, uh, regular drug update annual bill. Thank you s- uh, so much. I'll yield the well.

563. 4:48:24

     Is there any other senator who would speak for or against the measure? Chair hears none. Is there objection to the previous question being ordered? Chair hears none. The previous question is ordered. Is there objection to agreeing to the report of the committee which is favorable to the pass of the bill? Chair hears none. The report of the committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered? Chair hears none. The main question is ordered. All those in favor of the bill should vote yay. All those opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

564. 4:49:05

     Senator, senator for the second, for what purpose do you rise? Mr. President, parliamentary inquiry. State your inquiry. Mr. President, is it not true that the senators from the first, second, third, and fourth are daydreaming about I-16? No doubt about that. No doubt about that.

565. 4:49:29

     Those are all some pretty good men you just mentioned right there, too.

566. 4:49:41

     Senator from the fifth. What purpose do you rise?

567. 4:49:52

     All in the pass to the bill, the ayes are 41, the nays are zero. This bill having received the requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed. Secretary read House Bill 1374.

568. 4:50:07

     House Bill 1374 by Representative Hawkins of the 27th and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 24 of Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to insurance generally, so as to provide for certain requirements concerning methods of payment to healthcare providers. To provide for definitions, to provide for notification, to provide for the avoidance of additional fees, to prohibit contractual waivers of certain statutory requirements, to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes. Mr. President, the Committee of the Senate on Health and Human Services recommends that this bill do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Watson of the First District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on the Health and Human Services offers the following substitute to House Bill 1374.

569. 4:50:42

     A bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 24 of Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to insurance generally, so as to provide for certain requirements concerning methods of payment to healthcare providers. To provide for definitions, to provide for notification, to provide for the avoidance of additional fees, to prohibit contractual waivers of certain statutory requirements, to amend Part 1 of Article 3 of Chapter 5 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to general authority, duties, and procedures relative to state purchasing and for other purposes. Mr. President, that completes the order.

570. 4:51:16

     Recognize Senator from the 19th.

571. 4:51:26

     Thank you, Mr. President. House Bill 1394 has two parts that are kind of a little bit distinct. In the original House bill that came over, we had, uh, Chairman Lee Hawkins, former member of this body, work several years ago to fix an issue where health insurance companies were paying providers via credit card. When they were paid via credit card, the credit card company, they'd obviously lose the 3 to 5% that s- that comes in that credit card transaction. Chairman Hawkins, at the time, made sure that the, um, providers could not be paid or gave them an opt-out so they could opt out of the payment, the credit card payments.

572. 4:52:03

     That's become cumbersome, confusing, probably at the behest of the, uh, insurance companies. So now what he is changing it to in Senate Bill 374 is an opt-in. If you want to be paid via credit card as a healthcare provider by the healthcare insurance company, then you have to opt in to the credit card payments instead. This will likely cause more paper checks to be issued, which will allow the providers to receive a little bit more in what they've actually earned, probably 3 to 5%. I have championed for years a, something that's bothered me tremendously as I've, I've chaired the budget, and that is folks coming into the, contracting in the state at a certain level below a DOAS threshold, then renewing their contract above that DOAS threshold.

573. 4:52:42

     It is infuriating to me that you could come in at $99,000 below a DOAS threshold and then renew the contract at a million dollars well above that threshold and avoid the, uh, procurement process. So Section 2 evaluates, uh, or fixes that problem. It also fixes a problem that you may have heard from some of your, uh, local builders back home, that they would never be able to build a school because they've never built a school. In other words, they had to qualify first by building a school for ever being able to possibly build a school. What we say is that the RFQ or the RFP process, that's important.

574. 4:53:17

     The qualifications are important, but they aren't necessarily outcome determinative in the bid process and therefore someone who has not built a school before does still stand the opportunity to build a school in the future. They're not prohibited completely. That's obviously important as you have more and more folks who used to build schools in the past retire, move on, do something different. That's the total complexity of the bill. I'd appreciate your favorable support. Happy to take any questions. You do have one question, Senator. Recognize Senator from the 42nd. Does the senator yield?

575. 4:53:47

     I yield. Does this have any impact on our local governments and contracts they might enter into? If it does, it was not intended to. It's meant to pr- to apply to state procurement in Title 50. I do.

576. 4:54:04

     So this would not impact any contracts our local government's doing with n- with any entities or individuals or the RFP or RFQ process at all? If an amendment did that, I would consider it friendly, but again, it's meant to apply to just our DOAS process where you could come into a contract under a bid amount and then renew it above a bid amount. Do you further yield? Are we stalling? 'Cause I can talk longer. I actually am. Okay. Tell us a little bit more of the history about how this issue came to you. Um, well, as you know, in the middle of COVID, I was appointed to be the chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

577. 4:54:38

     So as the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I've had to review state contracts, review, um, requests for budget items, and again, the thing that infuriated me most is that while we do have a very thorough DOAS process, Department of Administrative Affairs process, to review procurements, um, there is a provision that I, I feel is a loophole where one could come in underneath a dollar amount that's not covered by DOAS and then could possibly renew that contract above the DOAS amount which then would require, uh, would essentially obfuscate the DOAS process and, and that's just not good for anybody.

578. 4:55:20

     How much longer are we waiting? Do you further yield? I yield. Are you also daydreaming about how Interstate 16 yourself right now? Well, you know me and the senator from the second share the love of the coast of Georgia and all of Southeast Georgia. My son does have a T-ball game later on today, but I know we're gonna get done and we're all gonna make it there and you need to be cheering for the Braves today at, uh, 5:00. They're gonna be doing really, really well and, uh, those four-year-olds are incredibly awesome and as much as I love spending time with you, I know I'm gonna enjoy that time a whole lot better.

579. 4:55:49

     You yield for just hopefully one more? Okay. Yield. In order to get to I16, you have to get through Henry County, Interstate 75.

580. 4:56:00

     We do.

581. 4:56:00

     And as budget chair, do you agree that it's important that we make a very substantial investment in speeding up the process of adding new lanes through Henry County so our lieutenant governor, even though you may have a house just north of Atlanta soon, still needs to make sure he can get back to Jackson as well? And it's important moving forward that those that are gonna still be around this place continue to invest in great projects in the South Metro so we can get back and forth to Jackson-

582. 4:56:29

     Chair

583. 4:56:29

     ... McDonough, Vidalia.

584. 4:56:31

     Yes.

585. 4:56:32

     You know, Barry-

586. 4:56:32

     The one, the $1.7 billion investment that this body and the House of Representatives made into the reversible, now soon to be not reversible, uh, lanes, uh, on Highway, on I75 to move traffic, uh, better, traffic and freight throughout this state are incredible investments that I know each one of you took personally, that I know each one of you are proud to have supported, that I know everyone in the balcony is there simply because they were here to make sure that we talked about those toll lanes today, and that because of your investment, specifically the investment of the senator from the 42nd, we will soon be able to alleviate the traffic in Henry County that many of you face daily, and we look forward to working on alleviating the traffic in North Georgia, uh, with the other $2 billion of investment that we intend to make in the FY27 budget.

587. 4:57:21

     All right. You can now yield the will, I believe.

588. 4:57:23

     I yield the will.

589. 4:57:27

     Senator from the 14th.

590. 4:57:29

     Thank you, Mr. President. I would ask unanimous consent that the rules of the Senate be suspended to allow the senator from the 11th to wear jeans.

591. 4:57:39

     All right. Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Chair hears none. Is there objections to the previous question being ordered?

592. 4:57:50

     Oh, you really have an amendment on this? You're stalling. I just thought you was trying to get TV time.

593. 4:58:07

     What's my house rep doing in here today? Clint Crowe, everybody. My, my house rep from Jackson, Georgia.

594. 4:58:17

     They're not taking care of you over here?

595. 4:58:19

     Yes, sir.

596. 4:58:19

     They messing with you, you let me know.

597. 4:58:25

     I will let you know.

598. 4:58:26

     Senator from the 45th. For what purpose do you rise?

599. 4:58:29

     Thank you, Mr. President. Isn't it true that your, uh, rep has the best name in the house?

600. 4:58:37

     This is a possibility. It's a possibility. It's a strong name. Secretary, read the amendment.

601. 4:58:46

     Mr. President, Senator Hatchett of the 50th offers the following amendment 1 to amend House Bill 1374 by adding after line 174, part 3, code section 33-24-59.25, A, a health insurer shall not terminate, remove, or exclude a participating provider from its network during a plan year if such action c- would cause a covered person to lose access to covered services from such provider and renumbering accordingly. Mr. President, that completes the order.

602. 4:59:17

     Recognize the senator from the 50th.

603. 4:59:23

     Come on, big country. Come on, baby. Bring us something.

604. 4:59:26

     You all right? Okay. Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, after hearing concerns from providers in my district and patients, sometimes insurance companies will drop a provider from their network in the middle of a year, which could potentially leave patients without access to their doctor and could ha- cause them to have to go outside of their regional area or find new doctors because their health insurance no longer recognizes their doctor as an in-network provider.

605. 4:59:58

     What this would do is, is just change the rules to where a health insurer can't terminate, remove, or exclude a participating provider from its network during a plan year if such action would cause a covered person to lose access to covered services from such provider. Happy to answer any questions, but I think this is a good amendment.

606. 5:00:20

     You have one, you have, you have one question. You have one question. S- The pro tem. Recognize the pro tem.

607. 5:00:30

     Um, Mr. President, I would ask for a ruling on the germaneness of this amendment, please.

608. 5:00:36

     Well, that, I will yield the will.

609. 5:02:03

     After reviewing the amendment, um, the chair rules it non-germane.

610. 5:02:12

     Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Chair hears none. Is there objection to the previous question being ordered? Chair hears none. Previous question is ordered. Question is on the adoption of the committee substitute. Is there objection to the adoption of the committee substitute? Hearing none, the committee substitute is adopted. Is there objection to agreeing to a reporting committee which is favorable to, to the passage of the bill? Chair hears none. Reporting committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered? Chair hears none. The main question is ordered. Q- question is on the passage of the bill by substitute.

611. 5:02:44

     All those in favor of the bill vote yay, opposed nay. Secretary will unlock the machine.

612. 5:03:52

     On the passage of the bill, the yays are 46, the nays are 0. This bill having received a requisite constitutional majority therefore passed by substitute.

613. 5:04:10

     Secretary read 1192, House Bill 1192.

614. 5:04:13

     House Bill 1192 by Representative Taylor of the 173rd and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Title 49 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to public assistance so as to provide for certain accounting practices by the Department of Human Services and the Department of Community Health to provide for funds for specific purposes, to provide for annual review, to provide for annual reports, to provide for related matters, to provide for an effective date, to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes. Mr. President, the Committee of the Senate on Government Oversight recommends that this bill do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Bearden of the 30th District. Chairman, Mr. President, that completes the order.

615. 5:04:50

     Recognize...

616. 5:04:54

     You have this? It's not clear on my thing. Senator from the 29th.

617. 5:05:06

     Thank you, Mr. President. And to start out with this, I have to recognize the, uh, the senator from the 19th. Um, working as close on the budget as I had the opportunity to do this year, I would have assumed this was already a common practice. So to say that I was somewhat surprised that it wasn't, uh, would be an understatement. But this legislation is very simple. This legislation requires that any funds, whether appropriated by the General Assembly or received from federal sources and designated for a specific pur- purpose must be maintained in separate accounts and not commingled or expended for other purposes by the Department of Human Services and the Department of Community Health.

618. 5:05:56

     It establishes annual requirements for departmental reviews of practices and procedures to identify cost savings and operational efficiencies with finding to be, with findings to be reported to relevant legislative committees. I just saw many times that we allocated funds for a particular area and sometimes during the year, I don't think there was any criminal intent or anything like that, but department heads and CFOs and certain others would move that money in order to fill a gap that they found and spend it on legitimate needs, but it would be in an area that the funds were not initially designated for.

619. 5:06:45

     So all this legislation does is require this one particular department do this. If I had my druthers, all would be required to do this. Uh, we had to correct a few things from the, um, amended budget to this budget so that some departments were in compliant with what this legislation's trying to do. But this is good legislation. It's fiscally responsible legislation and I would ask that you, e- each of you support this good legislation.

620. 5:07:18

     And with that, Mr. President, I will yield the well if there are no questions.

621. 5:07:22

     We have no questions.

622. 5:07:22

     Thank you, sir.

623. 5:07:24

     Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Chair hears none. Is there objection to the previous question being ordered? Chair hears none. The previous question is ordered. Is there objection to agreeing to the reporter committee, which is favorable to the passage of the bill? Chair hears none. The reporter committee is agreed to. Is there objections to the main question being ordered? Chair hears none. The main question is ordered. Question on the passage of the bill. All those in favor of vote yay. All opposed nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

624. 5:09:03

     On the pass of the bill, the yays are 47, the nays are zero and this bill having received a requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed.

625. 5:09:13

     Recognize senator from the 41st.

626. 5:09:17

     Thank you, Mr. President. Out of courtesy, pursuant to Senate Rule 4, I mean 7-1.10B, I give notice that on the next legislative day I intend to move that the Senate consider House action on SB 350, a nice little local bill that we don't need to take a lot of time on.

627. 5:09:37

     Secretary, read the caption.

628. 5:09:39

     Senate Bill 350 by Senators Jackson of the 41st and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend an act providing for the compensation of certain officers and officials of DeKalb County. Approved March 31st, 1976 as amended so as to revise the compensation of certain judges, judicial officers, and county officers to make conforming changes related to court names changed by general law to provide for related matters, to provide for effective dates, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes. Mr. President, that completes the order.

629. 5:10:10

     Thank you for the note, Senator.

630. 5:10:13

     Recognize the char- majority leader.

631. 5:10:18

     Mr. President, I hope you and everyone has a great weekend. I move that the Senate stand adjourned pursuant to HR998 till 10:00 AM, Monday, March 23rd.

632. 5:10:27

     Secretary, read the announcements.

633. 5:10:29

     The Rules Committee will meet upon adjournment in room 450 of the Capitol. Mr. President, that completes the order.

634. 5:10:56

     Majority leader has moved that the Senate stand adjour- adjourned until Monday, 10:00 AM. All those in favor of the motion, signify by saying aye.

635. 5:11:05

     Aye.

636. 5:11:05

     All those opposed, no.

637. 5:11:08

     No.

638. 5:11:08

     The ayes clearly have it. Y'all have a good weekend. Take care.