House Rules Committee, March 23, 2026 Video: https://vimeo.com/1175495503 (a timestamp t plays at https://vimeo.com/1175495503#t=s) Page: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-23/house-rules This is a machine transcript of the General Assembly's video, made by a speech-recognition model. It is not an official record and can mishear words, names, and numbers. Speakers are not identified. The video is the record: every timestamp links to the moment it plays. [0:17:00] Morning, everybody. [0:17:04] Morning. Morning, everybody. [0:17:29] Close that door. Thank you, Ms. Donna. [0:17:38] Morning, everybody. Happy Monday. Glad to be back. Call the meeting to order, and we'll recognize Chairman Stephens to open us up with a word of prayer, please. [0:17:49] Let us pray. Most kind and gracious Heavenly Father, lead us in these final days as we head towards the end of our s- legislative session. Lead us and guide us. All these things we ask in Thy precious name. Amen. [0:18:04] Amen. [0:18:04] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Okay, let's call the meeting to order, and we'll get started. Let me, uh, to our friends with us that are on the wall over there today, if you have already been here and already asked for a bill or a resolution or a study committee, you only have to ask one time. Don't have to come back. And, uh, if you've already asked for it, don't have to come back again, but if you haven't, we're, we're glad to have you. So let's go ahead, and we'll get started. [0:18:32] Senator, come on up. [0:18:40] Thank you, uh, Mr. Chairman, um, and committee. It's always a pleasure to be here. I'm bringing you Senate Bill 500. It is at the, it's three down from the top of page four, and it's basically, it is, um, legislation to help the Georgia Board of Healthcare Workforce. They have a database that they use to manage and gauge the number of healthcare providers that we have all across the state in every part of the state. [0:19:12] And basically, what this bill does is it increases the number of, um, medical licensees that participate in this database by 10 to give a broader view of s- of, um, different types of, uh, specialties all across the s- the state. The, um, information that's collected is not personal. It's primarily about the, um, the provider, the type of, um, of, uh, practice, the, um, the insurance that they accept, et cetera, et cetera. [0:19:43] So this information will be used by the legislature, by the governor, and, uh, by the agencies to help make sure we have healthcare providers, um, where we need them. [0:19:54] Okay. You got a question? [0:19:56] No. [0:19:56] Okay. Uh, Chairman Hawkins has a question for you. [0:19:59] Yes, sir. [0:20:00] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Senator, I'm surprised we don't do this already. This is more of a common sense bill that is going to really help us zero in on, see, uh, our, our residencies and where to, where to send them or where to entice them to go. We don't send them, but- [0:20:18] Yeah [0:20:18] ... maybe help them get there. [0:20:20] Absolutely. [0:20:20] That's a good bill. Thank you. [0:20:22] Thank you very much. We do, um, they do have an established database, but this, this increases it by about two times. [0:20:31] Okay. Don't see any more questions. [0:20:33] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Appreciate it. [0:20:35] Yes, sir. Chairman Martin, you had a, an, a recognition you wanted to make before we got started. I'm sorry I overlooked it. Mash your button there so I can rec- There we go. [0:20:44] That's fine. Thank you, Cha- uh, Chairman. I was g- waiting on your time to do that. But if the committee would join me in welcoming from the University of Georgia, Ms. Maddie Pillow is shadowing, uh, us today, and she's down from the University of Georgia. I'd just like to recognize Ms. Pillow. She's in the back if- [0:20:59] Raise your hand, ma- there we go. [0:21:06] Glad to have you with us. Go Dogs. Okay. Mr. Chairman, come on. [0:21:13] Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and go Dogs. [0:21:15] Yeah. [0:21:17] Mr. Chairman, I bring y'all SB406. This is the Property Owner's Bill of Rights. It, uh, essentially requires all our HOAs, POAs, and COAs in this state to register with the Secretary of State's office. It creates an administrative hearing process. Um, it offers a bill of rights, and then it cleans up the foreclosure process. [0:21:42] Okay. Don't see any questions. [0:21:44] Uh-uh. [0:21:44] Sir. [0:21:45] Thank you. [0:21:47] Yes, ma'am. [0:21:51] Good morning, Mr. Chairman. Good morning, committee. I bring House Resolution 952, first page, five down. Uh, this is proposing a house study committee on the risks associated with hair straightening products and healthcare outcomes. [0:22:08] Okay. Thank you, ma'am. Don't see any questions. [0:22:11] Thank you, sir. [0:22:11] Thank you. Yes, sir, Mr. Chairman. [0:22:16] Good morning, Mr. Chairman. Um, on page four, I have, uh, SB542. It's a piece of legislation that creates an offense when a clergy member commits sexual offenses against members of their congregants. Um, appreciate all the help with the House side on this. Um, Representative Holcomb added some good language, along with other members of the, uh, judicial committee, and it's a, it's a strong piece of legislation. Um, also- [0:22:49] I don't see any questions on that. You got another one? [0:22:52] Yes, sir. Um, this one is on the general calendar, page 10, six from the top. I was working on this with, uh, uh, Chairman- [0:23:01] General calendar. [0:23:02] I apologize. Um- [0:23:04] The yellow sheet. [0:23:05] Yes, sir. [0:23:05] What number? [0:23:06] Um, it's page 10. Let's see, it's gonna be SB306. Myself and, uh, Chairman Cannon were working on this together related to CUVA. And what it does is change some of the options for taxpayer notification of the CUVA covenant, uh, allows request notification by certified mail or email in addition to standard notification in order to continue these CUVAs from going after 10 years. [0:23:32] Okay. So don't see any questions. Thank you. [0:23:34] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [0:23:35] Yes, sir. Yes, sir, Senator Alvarez. [0:23:40] Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. On page two, uh, you'll see Senate Bill 23, where the Senate bills start. Uh, the actual original language for that bill passed last year, and this has, uh, been, uh, used for very important house parties, uh, which Chairman Carson could probably update you on. I'm not exactly sure what it is right now, to be candid with you, but I'm sure it's important, and I'm glad to support it. Right below it is Senate Bill 27, which is, uh, the crime of doxing. I wanna thank the House Judiciary Committee for helping us perfect this legislation. It will keep people safe in this new and scary environment, uh, where technology is pointing out where people are and will bring harm to them. [0:24:17] Okay. Don't see any question on either one of those. [0:24:19] Thank you so much. [0:24:22] Thank you. Yes, sir. Mr- Senator Calaway. [0:24:25] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have several of them this morning. Beginning on page three, second from the top, Senate Bill 254. This no longer has anything to do with hemp. It's been perfected by my partners in the House of Regulated Industries. It now closes a loophole on the COAM machines that were manufacturers were sort of making a hybrid of the type A and type B, class A and type B machines to circumvent, uh, essentially paying their taxes to, uh, to the lottery board, and that closes that loophole. [0:24:57] I do fully support that bill. [0:24:59] Okay. I don't s- don't see any questions on that. [0:25:01] All right. [0:25:01] You got another one? [0:25:02] Moving on to page four, towards the bottom, Senate Bill 604. This is an ability to allow the Attorney General's office to give assistance upon request to local DA's offices in the prosecuting of certain violent crimes, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and gangs. [0:25:23] Okay. Don't see any questions. [0:25:25] Senate Bill 605 is a, a modification or adds additional grounds for, uh, prosecutor misconduct to include a requirement to comply with the Victim Rights Act, to notify victims when there's a bill, I mean, not a bill, a, a charge that from their perpetrators being, coming to court to give them a chance to know about it and come to court and be heard. Um, it also, um, adds that you have to comply with open records laws and the ethical standards adopted by the commission and by the State Bar of Georgia. [0:26:01] A lot of input from the prosecutors in the formulation of that. I think it's, uh, non-controversial. And finally, uh, Senate Resolution 23, I think it may have been on your calendar before. That is an Article V convention for the purpose of limiting the terms of congress people. Doesn't set the length of the term. It's defined only that single issue if a, an amendment convention was held. And I would point out that Georgia has a Delegate Limitation Act that requires a delegate to comply strictly with the instructions given by the general assembly. [0:26:34] So there's no fear of a runaway convention or anything like that. It would be limited to just that one single subject matter. It does not specify the length of or number of terms that there would be limited. That would be determined by the convention. [0:26:48] Okay. Have a question, Chairman Hawkins. [0:26:52] Yeah. Uh, thank you, Chairman. I'm getting a lot of emails on this one, and they're claiming that they cannot limit the constitutional- [0:26:58] Yeah [0:26:58] ... uh, convention. And they're sending me Article V of the Constitution. Uh, can, can you help me with, with that? [0:27:06] I, I can help you. I've, I've helped- [0:27:08] Thank you [0:27:08] ... quite a few colleagues do that. And, uh, well, first of all, it takes three, four, two-thirds of the states to propose an amendment convention. [0:27:16] Right. [0:27:16] So that would take 34 states. If two-thirds of our states want to at least discuss the subject matter to try to reach an agreement to propose an amendment, it would then have to be ratified by three-fourths of the states, uh, so 38. But what I was just referencing, our Delegate Limitation Act in Georgia, we passed this many years ago now, it was like 2014, to assuage people of that concern. In Georgia, it is a crime if you do not follow the instructions of our legislature. [0:27:48] You may be recalled from a convention, and you can be prosecuted, uh, and you can be replaced if you were to vary from that single subject matter. So we- [0:27:57] Okay. How about the other states? [0:27:58] I, I- [0:27:58] Do they have similar legislation? [0:27:59] Many of them do. Uh, I don't think they all do, but, uh, quite a few have followed that to, to address that particular concern. [0:28:07] That's a good answer. [0:28:08] Yeah. [0:28:08] I'll use it for these emails. [0:28:09] Thank you. I can provide you that code section. [0:28:12] Okay. Uh, Representative Evans, did you have a question? I'm sorry. Chairman Williamson. [0:28:19] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [0:28:20] Thank you. [0:28:20] Uh, Senate Counselor, would it be a fair analogy to say that, uh, when we're, uh, addressing, uh, the concerns of a, quote, "runaway convention," that isn't our Electoral College the way we send our electors for presidents, US presidents, isn't it a very similar structure that electors are sent with express instructions to vote for a presidential candidate of that party's choice? [0:28:43] Yes. [0:28:43] But in the history of the Republic, we've never had a runaway Electoral College. [0:28:47] That is true. [0:28:48] I- i- is that a fair analogy? [0:28:49] It is an absolute analogy. Exactly the same. Our delegates would be bound to, to honor the instructions of our general assembly. [0:28:57] And, and f- um, further, uh, question, if I may, uh, i- Isn't it a fact that it would still, even if you had this mythical runaway convention, it would still require 38 states to pass any amendment? [0:29:13] That's right. It would get- [0:29:14] If 38 states agree, isn't it fair to say it probably needs passing? [0:29:17] Absolutely. [0:29:18] Thank you, Peter. I appreciate it. [0:29:19] Thank you. [0:29:24] Whitt Park, do you have a question? [0:29:25] Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, sir. Um, Senator Cowser, is it not true that the only historical precedent for an Article V convention is the 1787 Philadelphia Convention, which ended up pretty much being a runaway convention? [0:29:37] No. Well, first of all, yes, that was the first amendment of the Articles of Confederation. It was called with the recognition that it wasn't working. It was too decentralized, and it was called for the purpose of reworking the Constitution. It wasn't to simply have an amendment. So that, that is not really an analogy of this process on Article V. In Article V, either two-thirds of Congress can present an amendment to the states, like the Equal Rights Amendment I think may have been one of the last ones, and then three-fourths have to ratify, or else the states can do it themselves if Congress won't. [0:30:14] And I mean, this is a classic situation where Congress is not gonna limit their own terms of office. I'm more focused on the balanced budget amendment, which I think we now have a $40 trillion deficit. It's very clear that Congress is not living within its means, and, and we need to impose some, um, you know, limitations there if we can. We'll be hopefully coming back with that sometime soon. [0:30:38] Senator, one more additional question- [0:30:40] Sure [0:30:40] ... if I may. Um, Senator Cowser, can you cite any, um, Supreme Court cases or, uh, just any additional, uh, legal precedent that states that any sort of, uh, state efforts to constrain an Article V convention, which is something Congress would call, not a state legislature, that, that, that whatever Georgia passed previously would withstand legal scrutiny? [0:31:04] There has not been a Supreme Court case. It's in the Constitution, the process, but we haven't had an amendment convention, so there, there's nothing to have been reviewed by the courts. [0:31:16] So, so you would say that this would be an unprecedented manner in which we amend the Constitution? [0:31:20] Uh, I would say it would be constitutionally permissible, and it was designed this way, that the states have the ability to amend the Constitution or to propose amendments and then if three-fourths ratify it. So I don't believe this is something radical. It's embedded in the Constitution, Article V. It's towards the top. [0:31:39] Thank you. [0:31:40] Thank you. [0:31:42] Okay, don't see any other questions, Senator. [0:31:44] Thank you. [0:31:44] Thank you, sir. [0:31:44] Pleasure to be with you, Mr. Chairman. [0:31:46] Yes, sir. Senator Dixon. [0:31:52] Good morning, Mr. Chairman. Uh, the first one I've got, uh, on the last page, page five, the second from the bottom, SB 446. Uh, this is a, uh, student, uh, scholarship tax credit. Uh, it's a federal tax credit. Uh, folks that decide to donate to it would get a dollar for dollar, uh, federal tax credit back. They can do that. Couples can do that up to $3,400 a year. Students that are granted these, uh, scholarships, they can use it for tuition, books, uh, transportation, et cetera. [0:32:24] Um, the governor opted us into this. This would codify it in law. Uh, I worked with Representative Hilton, uh, perfecting the bill in, in House committee, uh, loosening up the language because the federal government has not issued their language on the guidelines yet. And so the way, uh, we've got it set up now, when they issue it, we'll adopt exactly what the federal government issues. Be happy to answer any questions, Mr. Chairman. [0:32:47] Okay. Whitt Park, did you have a question? [0:32:49] Yes. [0:32:49] Okay. [0:32:50] Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, Senator Dixon, uh, is it not true that Fulton County, one county, uh, has essentially, uh, more private schools, uh, than 113 rural counties combined? [0:33:05] Well, I, I, I don't know the answer to that, so I, I would have to lean on you on that one. But what, what I would say to that is what we're hoping with the federal language, we're hoping that it is widely tailored, that public school, private school, charter schools, all students could, could use that and utilize it. [0:33:21] So, so my understanding of this bill is that the money follows private school infrastructure in which, uh, essentially, you know, along with 100, one metro Atlanta county having more than 113 rural counties and 60 of Georgia's 113 rural counties having zero private schools, is it not true that this is essentially rural counties subsidizing metro Atlanta counties with respect to education? [0:33:47] Uh, that would not be true. Uh, as far as the facilities, uh, that, I, I do have a bill, uh, dealing with charter school funding facilities creating a revolving line of credit for them, but that's a separate bill. This is open to, these organizations could operate throughout the state. [0:34:03] Thank you. [0:34:04] Pro Tem has a question. [0:34:05] Yes, Mr. Chairman, I had a question. Uh, just to put the number of private schools in perspective, is it not true that over 400 private schools are participating in our new, newly implemented voucher program? [0:34:21] That is true. [0:34:22] Is it also not true that Fulton County's million population, which is 10% of the state's population, um, represents population exceeding half of the counties if added together in the state? [0:34:36] That is true, Madam Pro Tem. [0:34:38] Thank you. [0:34:39] Okay. Don't see any other questions. Do you have another one you said? [0:34:43] I, I have one that I've presented previously on page three. I don't know if you want me to go over that again or- [0:34:48] If, if you've already asked for it, that's fine. [0:34:50] Okay. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That's all I got. [0:34:52] Thanks, sir. Okay, any, uh, members of the committee have a request? Okay. [0:35:09] Chairman Williamson, do you want to ask about, uh, Senate Bill 566? Bruce Williamson. [0:35:20] Chairman, uh, I may ask, ask for Senate Bill 566. [0:35:25] Okay. [0:35:28] Thank you. Okay, we got that done. All right. Uh, let's go ahead and, uh, recognize, uh, Chairman Newton to speak to Senate Bill 395 Substitute. And by the way, congratulations on your match. [0:35:46] Thank you. It's good to get him done. Thank you, sir. Um, SB 395, you'll see it on, uh, page three, about five down on, uh, uh, on page three. Um, the, the original bill, uh, deals with tightening up the, the role of, uh, DPH and the Georgia Composite Medical Board working together, uh, on our ca- medical cannabis, uh, uh, rules. What we've added to it, and, and that, that's been presented before. What we've added to it is, in Section 2, is House Bill 154. That's a policy that's passed the House twice, nearly unanimously, and it deals with declaring that EMS is an essential service, not regard to an insurance payment or in-work network or out-of-network, but just simply to allow them to apply for grants that are available for essential services. [0:36:32] And once again, that's language that has passed, uh, House committee and the House twice. [0:36:42] Okay. [0:36:42] And I move that, that we, uh, adopt that substitute- [0:36:44] And I, I think- [0:36:44] ... that would be LC52-1100S. [0:36:48] Okay, and I think some of these come out of your Rural Development Council study committee that y'all worked on, correct? [0:36:54] Correct. [0:36:54] Yeah. [0:36:55] A lot of these rural EMS are eligible, would be eligible for grants if this bill passes and is signed into law. [0:37:01] Okay, you've heard the explanation. Uh, is there a motion to approve Senate Bill 395 by Substitute LC52-1100S? [0:37:11] So moved. [0:37:12] Have a move and a second. Is there any opposition? Okay, it's approved. Okay, now let's set a calendar for today, day 36. Under the modified structure, Senate Bill 23. Moved. Have a- [0:37:31] Second [0:37:31] ... move and a second. Any opposition? It's on. [0:37:37] Senate Bill 395 by Substitute LC52-1100S. [0:37:44] Moved. [0:37:45] Second. Move and a second. Any opposition? It's on. Senate Bill 428. Moved. [0:37:52] Second. [0:37:52] Moved and second. Any opposition? It's on. Senate Bill 441. [0:38:00] Moved. [0:38:01] Moved and second. Any opposition? It's on. Senate Bill 443. Moved. [0:38:09] Second. [0:38:09] Moved and second. Any opposition? [0:38:12] Objection. [0:38:12] Have an objection. All those in favor wanting to put Senate Bill 443 on, say aye. Aye. Any opposed, no. No. It's on. Senate Bill 485. Moved. [0:38:24] Second. [0:38:25] Moved and second. Any opposition? It's on. Senate Bill 500. Moved. [0:38:33] Second. [0:38:34] Move and second. Any opposition? It's on. Senate Bill 542. Moved. [0:38:43] Second. [0:38:43] Have a move and second. Any opposition? It's on. Okay, now under structured. Under structured, Senate Bill 566. Moved. [0:38:55] Second. [0:38:56] Moved and second. Any opposition? It's on. Okay, that will be our calendar for today as of this moment. Uh, rules meeting, our next rules meeting will be Wednesday morning at 9:00. Thank y'all. We're dismissed.