House Rules Committee, March 25, 2026 Video: https://vimeo.com/1176538037 (a timestamp t plays at https://vimeo.com/1176538037#t=s) Page: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-25/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. [0:31:58] Morning, everybody. [0:32:06] Morning. We'll call our meeting to order, and, uh, we'll begin our meeting this morning. We will recognize, uh, Representative, uh, Al Williams to open us up with a word of prayer, please. [0:32:18] Let us pray. We thank you, our Heavenly Father, as we enter the final days of this session. We thank you for the blessings that you have bestowed upon us, and we ask for your continued blessings. Bless those that are here, bless those that are not here. For it is in Jesus' name we pray, amen. [0:32:36] Amen. Thank you, Representative Williams. Um, [0:32:44] okay, we'll, just as a little bit of information to members on the wall or those that'll be asking, if you've already asked for a bill or a resolution or a study committee, you only have to ask one time. If you've already asked for the bill, you don't have to come back and be present to ask for it again. And yesterday was a committee day, and there were about 30 bills that were passed out of committee yesterday, but they've not been reported out of the committee as of right now. [0:33:19] Uh, but they will be reported today after the clerk makes his, uh, reports on the committees after the preacher of the day. If, if we have a supplemental calendar today, they would be eligible. But if it's not reported out, it will not be on the yellow sheet or the blue sheet. Okay? All right. Senator [0:33:45] Byrd. [0:33:45] Thank you, Mr. Chairman and committee members. I'll be brief since I'm the only one on the wall. Uh, page four, fourth one down, Senate Bill 594, all this bill does is create a new offense of digital identity fraud, make sure our prosecute, prosecutors have a way to go after those that steal identity online and try to go out and raise money off someone else's name. [0:34:08] Okay. 594. Don't see any questions. Thank you, Senator. [0:34:11] Thank y'all. Y'all have a good day. [0:34:12] Okay. Representative Vance Smith is recognized for an announcement. [0:34:20] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, I know I'm not a member of the Rules Committee, but I feel like I am. Uh, I want to recognize somebody from home, if Ms. Rachel Crumbley would stand up in the corner back here. Great friend of the family, great citizen from Harris County, and she's visiting us today, so. [0:34:35] Great. [0:34:41] Welcome. Glad to have you visiting with us today. Okay, any committee members wish to ask for a bill? Okay. All right, at this time ... Excuse me, I'm sorry. Representative Powell? [0:34:59] I'd like to ask for Senate Bill 89. This'll, this would allow the, uh, alcohol stores, uh, liquor stores to sell the cannabis drinks since those are age appropriate at 21, and they're being sold everywhere else. And I think the most proper place would be the liquor stores that check IDs. [0:35:21] Okay. Have a question. Pro Tem. [0:35:25] Thank you. Mr. Chairman, is it not true that if this bill does take into account that if th- if Congress bans them, then we would obviously, um, comport with whatever's federal law, but if they make exceptions, we would also comport with that? [0:35:44] Exactly right. When Congress, uh, they did the CR back in the fall, they basically put a shutoff date under the Farm Act. Uh, they're supposed to go out in, I believe, September or October or something this year. This would allow to sell these, but they essentially check IDs. If Congress rescinds that and puts them back into place, then they'll still be able to sell them. Whatever's a legal product is what it is. [0:36:09] Yeah. Thank you. [0:36:14] Okay. Chair Lady Cooper? [0:36:15] Um, yes, sir. Is it all right for us to ask for a bill if it's not ours? [0:36:19] No. [0:36:20] Oh, no. Okay. [0:36:24] Chairman Hawkins, do you ... Okay. Good. Thank you. Okay, now I'm gonna recognize, uh, Chairman, uh, um, Carson to speak to a proposition he has. [0:36:41] Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. Um, I have, uh, laid on your, on your, um, at your desk a substitute for Senate Bill 306. This is LC443555S. The only change here is on lines, uh, uh, 113 to 118. This is a r- a request from our friends in the low-income housing, uh, industry in regard to some, um, more clear language in regard to how these credits are awarded. This is an update that was made just actually this past Friday in the IRC Conformity Bill. [0:37:14] This is a update requested by industry in regard to being very clear about tax credits awarded rather than allowed. [0:37:23] Okay. You- you've heard the explanation. Any questions on that? [0:37:26] I'll take a question. [0:37:28] Got a question. Go ahead. [0:37:30] Can you just explain exactly what the practical implication will be there? [0:37:34] Chairman Carson? [0:37:35] Sure. So this was, uh, language, th- the, the language that we're changing that is currently in code after the governor's signature of House Bill 1199, uh, that was, uh, language, uh, initially suggested by our friends at Department of Community Affairs. You see the word allowed. What we're doing is we're changing that- [0:37:53] On which line? [0:37:54] I'm sorry, uh, 116 [0:37:59] You see the word allowed? [0:38:02] Okay. [0:38:02] So what we're doing is we're changing that to initially awarded in regard to the LIHTC, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit awards coming out of DCA, which are awarded for a first year for a 10-year period. These streams of credits go for 10 years. It's not just a one and done like a Georgia historic credit or adoption credit or what have you. So we're being very clear that what DCA is awarding for each year of that 10-year period. Uh, and again, on line, uh, 117, they wanted some additional clarifying language for each of the taxable years. [0:38:33] This doesn't change the caps. It just makes it more clear for industry. [0:38:37] Is this language we've seen in Ways and Means before? [0:38:40] It is, is my knowledge, uh, it's been made aware to the chairman of the committee and several others, yes. [0:38:50] Okay, you got a question, Chairman Martin? [0:38:54] Uh, yes, sir. To, to the gentleman, um, you, you're, uh, you addressed allowed versus initially awarded. Um, you addressed the, each taxable year. So I- am I to understand that this would allow $100 million per year, so over a 10-year period, that would be up to a billion dollars in credit? [0:39:12] That would be what is, uh, awarded, but rarely does that, uh, amount ever take effect because what happens in the industry is these initial awards will go out, and then sometimes the projects are not built, sometimes the projects are not leased up properly in regard to the, uh, the federal law that governs these, uh, developments and so forth. [0:39:34] And if I could just follow up then, then the further question I got is the big change in the, the language seems to be the s- the second word that's stricken, aggregate annual amount. Is, uh, you're, you're ta- This seems to change that, that the aggregate total c- is going from 100 million to 100 million per year, which is a substantial change. Is that not true? [0:39:55] Well, that was the original intent, is my understanding, um, both with, uh, DCA and the chairman and, um, uh, industry. What this does is makes it very clear in regard to the awards coming out from DCA, yes, sir. [0:40:11] Okay. Don't, don't see any other questions. Is there a motion to approve the rule substitute to Senate Bill 306, LC 443555S? Have a motion and a second. Any opposition? [0:40:30] Have opposition. All those in favor say, "Aye." Aye. Those opposed, "No." No. It's approved. Okay. Now, let's set a calendar for today under modified structure. [0:40:49] Oh, I need to do my motion. [0:40:50] Um, excuse me. I'm getting ahead of myself. Okay, recognize, uh, Trey Kelley, Representative Kelley. [0:40:55] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, I move that Senate Bill 382 be recommitted to the Ways and Means Committee. [0:41:02] Second. [0:41:03] Okay. Have a motion that 382 go back to Ways and Means. Any opposition? It's back in Ways and Means. Okay. [0:41:21] Okay, now we'll set the calendar for today. Under modified structure, Senate Bill 433. [0:41:30] Move. [0:41:30] Have a move and a second. Any opposition? It's on. Senate Bill 503. [0:41:38] Move. [0:41:39] Second. [0:41:39] Move and second. Any opposition? It's on. Senate Bill 547. [0:41:46] Move. [0:41:47] Second. [0:41:48] Moved and second. Any opposition? It's on. Senate Bill 587. [0:41:54] Move. [0:41:55] Second. [0:41:56] Moved and second. Any opposition? It's on. Senate Resolution, Senate Resolution 622. [0:42:05] Move. [0:42:05] Second. [0:42:06] Moved and second. Any opposition? It's on. Okay, now under structured, Senate Bill 306 by Substitute LC 443555S. [0:42:20] Move. [0:42:21] Move. [0:42:21] Have a move and second. Any opposition? It's on. Senate Bill 430. [0:42:29] Move. [0:42:29] Second. [0:42:29] Moved and second. Any opposition? It's on. Senate Bill 446. [0:42:37] Move. [0:42:37] Moved and second. [0:42:38] Second. [0:42:39] It's on. Okay, that, uh, takes care of our calendar to begin with today. Uh, we will probably be meeting with you a little bit later in the day, so, uh, sort of hang around, okay? Thank y'all. We're adjourned.