Senate floor session, March 25, 2026 (legislative day 37)
Video: https://vimeo.com/1176312513 (a timestamp t plays at https://vimeo.com/1176312513#t=<seconds>s)
Page: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-25/senate-floor

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.
[0:25:36] Good morning. Good morning.

[0:25:40] Time for convening has arrived. Senate will come to order. Where's our senator from the 6th?

[0:25:53] Senator from the 1st, are you in control of the journal this morning? Are you in control of the journal this morning, Senator?

[0:26:04] And the list- Mr. President. Recognize you, sir. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, the journal has been read and found to be accurate.

[0:26:16] The list, uh- Yeah, you don't have it.

[0:26:33] Senator from the 27th, are you, have the pages names? Mr. President.

[0:26:43] Mr. President, we do have a great group of pages back here with us today. Good to see y'all. And we are going to first, Mr. President, you've got a couple pages here today. Emily Andrews from Locust Grove and Anishram Balaji from Cumming, Georgia. We've, we've got Davis Bigler from Roswell, Georgia, Hudson Booth from Cordele, Katherine Booth from Cordele, Zara Brown from Conyers. We've got Marit Dickerson from Marietta, Drake Germany from Jackson, Georgia.

[0:27:21] We've got Harper Harvick from Watsonville, Jeremiah Henderson from the great city of Atlanta, Ramiah Henderson from Atlanta, Ethan James from Cumming, uh, Sriram Kannandan from Cumming, Adrian Marriott from Powder Springs, Shida Mula from Cumming, Blake Reynolds from Suwanee, Adam Rodriguez from Marietta, Analili Riviera from Calhoun, Callie Sherba from Locust Grove, Jillian Taylor from Powder Springs, Manvitha Totha from Cumming, Georgia, Amelia Vigil from McDonough, Anne Campbell from, I'm sorry, Anne Campbell Vinson from Greensboro, and Grayden Vinson from Greensboro.

[0:28:13] Y'all give these pages a big round of applause. Thank y'all for being here today.

[0:28:47] Thank you, Senator from the 27th, and thank all of our pages for being here today. We greatly appreciate you coming down to the Capitol. Hope you have a great day. Recognize the senator from the 42nd. For what purpose do you rise? Parliamentary inquiry. State your inquiry. Isn't it true, Mr. President, I've been to a lot of places in Georgia. I've yet to go to Cordele, Georgia. Cordele. Some people call it The Dale.

[0:29:12] Yeah, well, you know, those, those metro, those metro county guys, they, uh, they have a hard time getting outside of 285, you know? So, we're working on them, though. All right.

[0:29:34] Is there objection to the dispensing of the reading of the journal? Chair hears none, and the reading of the journal is dispensed with. Are there any motions to reconsider?

[0:29:46] No, ma'am.

[0:29:53] It is now time for the morning roll call.

[0:30:09] Without any motions to reconsider, senator from the 26th, you- No motion. Okay. With no motions to reconsider, are there objections to confirm me the journal? Without objection, the journal is confirmed. It, it is now time for first reading of references of Senate bills and resolutions. Mr. Secretary? Senate Bill 631 by Senators Halpern of the 39th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend article- Health and Human Services.

[0:30:41] Mr. President, that completes the order. First reading of references to House bills. House Bill 1536 by Representative Rhodes of the 120- State and Local Government. House Bill 1544 by Representative DiErchia of the- State and Local Government. House Bill 1543 by Representative Lumsden of the 12- State and Local Government-General. House Bill 1544 by Representative Lumsden of the 12th and others, a bill to be entitled an act- State and Local Government-General. House Bill 1548 by Representative Anderson- State and Local Government. House Bill 1549 by Representative Anderson- State and Local Government. House Bill 1550 by Representative Dickey of- State and Local Government.

[0:31:11] House Bill 1551 by Representative Jasper of the 11th and others- State and Local Government. House Bill 1552 by Representative Smith of the 18- State and Local Government. House Bill 1553 by Representative Bruno of the 77th and others- State and Local Government. House Bill 1555 by Representative Ballard of the 147th and others-

[0:31:27] House Bill 1556 by Representative O'Steen of the 169th and, a bill to be entitled an act. State and local government. House Bill 1557 by Representative Mataiga. State and local government. Mr. President, I complete the order. Secretary Read reports the standing committee.

[0:31:45] Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Appropriations has had under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation. Senate Resolution 978, do pass. House Bill 1193, do pass by substitute. House Bill 974, do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Tillery of the 19th District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Banking and Financial Institutions 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 1272, do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Summers of the 13th District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Children and Families has had under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation.

[0:32:20] House Bill 256, do pass by substitute. House Bill 943, do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Kirkpatrick of the 32nd District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Economic Development and Tourism 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 466, do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Echols of the 45th District, Chairman. 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 310, do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Hickman of the 4th District, Chairman.

[0:32:51] 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 960, 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 960, which passed out of the Senate Committee on Ethics on March 24th, 2026. Sincerely, Senator Jones II of the 22nd District. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Finance has had under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation.

[0:33:26] House Bill 169, do pass by substitute. House Bill 229, do pass by substitute. House Bill 547, do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Hufstetler of the 52nd District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Government Oversight 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 158, do pass. House Bill 689, do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Bearden of the 30th District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services has had under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation.

[0:33:56] House Bill 382, do pass. House Bill 506, do pass by substitute. House Bill 659, do pass. House Bill 870, do pass. House Bill 1138, do pass by substitute. House Bill 1275, do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Watson of the 1st District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Higher Education 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 1413, do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Burns of the 23rd District, Chairman. 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.

[0:34:33] House Bill 1344, 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. House Bill 1187, do pass. House Bill 378, do pass. House Bill 903, do pass by substitute. House Bill 1061, do pass by substitute. House Bill 1075, do pass by substitute. House Bill 1076, do pass. House Bill 1121, do pass by substitute. House Bill 1142, do pass. House Bill 1215, do pass by substitute.

[0:35:04] House Bill 1432, do pass by substitute. House Bill 1303, do pass. House Bill 1470, respectfully s- House Bill 1470, do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Strickland of the 42nd District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Public Safety 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 957, do pass by sub. House Bill 1022, do pass by sub. House Bill 1023, do pass by sub. House Bill 990, do pass by sub. Respectfully submitted, Senator Albers of the 56th District, Chairman.

[0:35:35] 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 187, do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Cowsert of the 46th District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Retirement 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 372, do pass. House Bill 818, do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Williams of the 25th 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.

[0:36:08] House Bill 1077, do pass by substitute. House Bill 1129, do pass by substitute. 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 f- Senate with the following recommendation. House Bill 1367, do pass. House Bill 1485, do pass. House Bill 1487, do pass. House Bill 1488, do pass. House Bill 1489, do pass. House Bill 1514, do pass. House Bill 1528, do pass.

[0:36:38] House Bill 1529, do pass. House Bill 1531, do pass. House Bill 1534, do pass by substitute. House Bill 1535, do pass. House Bill 1539, do pass. House Bill 1540, do pass. House Bill 1541, do pass. House Bill 1545, do pass. House Bill 1547, do pass. Senate Bill 627, do pass. House Bill 1539, do pass. House Bill 1538, do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Dixon of the 45th District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on State and Local Government and Operations General has had under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation.

[0:37:14] House Bill 521, do pass by substitute. House Bill 1316, do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Dixon of the 45th 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 521, which passed out of the Senate Committee on State and Local Government Operations March 24th, 2026. Sincerely, Senator Mallow of the 2nd District. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security has had under consideration the following legislation and has instructed me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation.

[0:37:45] House Bill 108, do pass by substitute. House Bill 63- 632, do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Payne of the 54th District, Chairman. Mr. President, that completes the order.

[0:38:07] Secretary will read bills as resolutions for a second time.

[0:38:16] Senate Resolution 978 by Senator Burns of the 23rd and others. Senate Study Committee on Higher Education Funding, create. House Bill 158 by Representative Franklin of the 160th and others. Commerce and Trade, filing of registration statements with the Office of the Secretary of State, provide. House Bill 169 by Representative Cannon of the 172nd and others. Ad valorem tax, breach of a covenant for bona fide conservation use related to solar generation of energy, limited expectations. House Bill 229 by Representative Neal of the 79th and others. Sales and use tax, exempt materials used in construction of capital outlay projects for educational purposes, provisions.

[0:38:46] House Bill 256 by Representative Weidower of the 121st and others. Social services, fosters- foster parents' bill of rights, revised provisions. House Bill 310 by Representative Ole of the 1- 59th and others. Student Protection Promotion Act, enact. House Bill 372 by Representative Ballard of the 147th and others. Teachers Retirement System, certain beneficiaries hired to work in certain areas, provisions. House Bill 382 by Representative Stephens of the, the 164th and others. Controlled substances, Schedule I, psilocybin, revise a provision. House Bill 547 by Representative Cannon of the 172nd and others.

[0:39:20] Revenue and taxation, bona fide conservation use property, permit combination of multiple covenants into a single new 10-year covenant. House Bill 632 by Representative Bonner of the 73rd and others. Professions and businesses, clarify certain veterans' eligibility for exemption with regard to payment of occupation taxes, administrative fees, and regulatory fees. House Bill 659 by Representative Green of the 154th and others. Health, rural assistant, expand medical education funding and the Service Cancelable Loan Program to include optometrists. House Bill 689 by Representative Carpenter of the 4th and others. Housing, establish a homelessness prevention program.

[0:39:51] House Bill 818 by Representative Martin of the 49th and others. Georgia Judicial Retirement System, membership for each judge employed full-time at the Georgia Tax Court, provide. House Bill 903 by Representative Powell of the 33rd and others. Georgia Administrative Procedure Act shall apply to all executive branch agencies, provide. House Bill 943 by Representative Silcox of the 53rd and others. Social services, establish a pilot program for autism spectrum disorder to children in foster care, provide. House Bill 957 by Representative Clifton of the 131st and others. Motor vehicles, operation of miniature on-road vehicles on certain highways, provide.

[0:40:23] House Bill 960 by Representative Clark of the 108th and others. Gwinnett Judicial Circuit, Superior Courts, provide 12th judge. House Bill 970 by Representative Townsend of the 179th and others. Quality Basic Education Act, expand which healthcare professionals may conduct pr- pre-participation physical examinations. House Bill 974 by Representative Burns of the 159th and others. General appropriations, state fiscal year July 1st, 2026 to June 30th, 2027. House Bill 990 by Representative Sainz of the 180th and others. Public safety, Department of creation of a program to assist former handlers and adopters of retired law enforcement dogs with veterinary care costs, provide.

[0:40:57] House Bill 1022 by Representative McDonald III of the 26th and others. Motor vehicles, prohibit electric, electric tinting. House Bill 1023 by Representative Astrachan of the 104th and others. Education, utilize weapon de- detection systems in certain school buildings, require local boards of education and other school governing bodies. House Bill 1061 by Representative Camp of the 135th and others. Maddie Bollinger Act, enact. House Bill 1075 by Representative Chastain of the 7th and others. Sexual offenses, modify penalty for offenders previously convicted of the offense of trafficking of persons for labor or sexual servitude.

[0:41:29] House Bill 1076 by Representative Earhart of the 36th and others. Crimes and offenses, create felony offense of obstruction of a law enforcement officer with a motor vehicle. House Bill 1122 by Representative Williams of the 148th and others. Cordele Judicial Court, change certain terms of court. House Bill 1138 by Representative Campbell of the 135th and others. Increasing Access to Contraceptives Act, enact. House Bill 1142 by Representative Hagan of the 156th and others. Courts, require certain agreements for certain offenses to be eligible for a pretrial intervention and diversion program.

[0:42:00] House Bill 1187 by Representative Hong of the 103rd and others. Trade law, enact. House Bill 1193 by Representative Erwin of the 32nd and others. Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026, enact. House Bill 1215 by Representative Parrish of the 158th and others. Middle Judicial Court, Superior Courts, provide for a third judge. House Bill 1272 by Representative Jones of the 25th and others. Banking and finance, licensing of payment and stablecoin insur- issuers, provisions. House Bill 1275 by Representative Newton of the 127th and others. Medical practice, ensure that stem cell therapies are used to advance medical treatments and improve patient outcomes in an ethical manner that does not involve stem cells derived from aborted fetuses.

[0:42:36] House Bill 1303 by Representative Kelly of the 16th and others. Crimes and offenses, offense of possession of a controlled substance in the presence of a child, provide. House Bill 1316 by Representative Tarvin of the 2nd and others. Walker County School District ad valorem tax, remove five-year residency requirement for homestead exemption. House Bill 1344 by Representative Reeves of the 99th and others. Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act, enact. House Bill 1413 by Representative Martin of the 49th and others. Georgia Student Finance Authority, establish a need-based scholarship program for students at eligible public and private post-secondary institutions.

[0:43:08] House Bill 1432 by Representative Gullett of the 19th and others. Georgia Public Defender Council, provide for vacancies on the Legislative Oversight Committee. House Bill 1470 by Representative Kelly of the 16th and others. Torts, abusive litigation based on alleged website access violations under federal and state law, create a cause of action. Mr. President, that completes the order.

[0:45:35] It is now time for the morning roll call. Are there any motions to excuse? Recognize the senator from the 33rd

[0:45:48] Thank you, Mr. President, and good morning to you all. I ask for unanimous consent to excuse the senator from the 14th for business outside the Capitol. Without objection, senator from the 14th is excused. Any other motions to excuse?

[0:46:14] Senator from the 9th, will you, uh, excuse the senator from the 12th, please? Thank you, Mr. President. I ask for unanimous consent to excuse the senator from the 12th. Without objection, senator from the 12th is excused. Thank you, Senator. Any other motions to excuse? Secretary will call the roll. Senators, signify your presence by voting to yay, sway. Secretary will unlock the machine.

[0:47:56] It is now time for our morning devotion. All senators, please take your seats and cease all conversation. I would ask that the doorkeeper secure the chamber at this time. I recognize the senator from the 43rd to lead us in our pledge and introduce our pastor of the day. Senator?

[0:48:16] Thank you, Mr. President. Our, uh, Pledge to the Flag. 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. Now the Georgia Flag. I pledge allegiance to the Georgia flag, to the principles for which it stands, wisdom, justice, moderation and justice. And I say justice.

[0:48:47] Good morning. It is my honor and privilege to introduce the chaplain of the day, Pastor Tyrone E. Barnett. He is the founding and senior pastor of Peace Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia. In 1993, he stepped out in faith to plant the church with just 14 adults. Peace Baptist Church today has grown into a thriving congregation of over 2,500 members. A visionary leader and passionate communicator, Pastor Barnett is committed to transforming lives through the b- both preaching and community engagement.

[0:49:25] This year, he will earn his Doctorate of Ministry in Strategic Leadership from New Orleans Theological- Baptist Theological Seminary, further equipping him to lead with excellence and innovation. Under his leadership, Peace Baptist Church reaches beyond its walls each week, both in person and online, impacting the community and the world through dynamic outreach initiatives. The church has formed longstanding partnerships with corporate, civic, nonprofit, and governmental organizations to address critical needs such as domestic violence prevention, hunger relief, and community restoration.

[0:50:08] Annually, the church distributes over 500,000 pounds of food, provides support for the unhoused, assists individuals in recovery, advocates for seniors, and serve 125 public school students daily. Pastor Barnett is not only a dynamic leader, he is an author, having partnered with Tyndale House Publishers to write on multiplying ministry through outreach and community transformation, reflecting his deep commitment to equipping others for impactful service.

[0:50:45] He shares life and ministry with his wife of 37 years, Tabitha, who serves faithfully alongside him. Together, they are the proud parents of three adult children, Joseph, Talia, and Jonathan, and grandparents to Savannah, Korea, and Tyce. I introduce to you and present the dynamic Pastor Barnett. Thank you so much.

[0:51:16] Thank you so much, Senator Anderson from the 43rd, one of the great districts in Georgia. Um, Mr. President and honorable senators, thank you for the opportunity to stand before you today as you prepare to do the serious and sacred work of governing the people of this great state of Georgia. You've been entrusted with responsibility and you've been given influence. You've been elected by the voices of citizens across Georgia, whether they're north or south, rural, urban, or suburban.

[0:51:47] But before the debates begin today, before the bills are read, and before the votes are cast, I want to center us on a very simple and powerful declaration traditionally drawn from scripture in Matthew 6:13 from the Lord's Prayer. "For yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen." Each of you serves in an earthly kingdom, a system shaped by elections and terms and platforms and public opinion, and those things are always and they do matter.

[0:52:19] And there is a higher kingdom, however, a kingdom that does not rise and fall with election cycles. It's a kingdom that has no term limits and a kingdom that is not driven by polling data or shifting public sentiment. I'm talking about God's kingdom, and this is the truth. You have been elected by the people of Georgia, but you will govern more wisely if you remember ultimately you serve and responsible to the authority of a higher king. God's kingdom does not operate on partisan lines, whether Republican or Democrat, Libertarian or Independent, not personal gain or selective service.

[0:52:55] God's kingdom, which I serve as well, serves all people, not just for those who voted for you, but those who didn't. Not just for those who agree with you, but those who often challenge you as I sometimes get challenged too. Not just those who look like you, but those whose lives are very different from your own.

[0:53:14] In God's kingdom, justice is not selective and compassion is not conditional. Service is not strat- strategic, it is sincere. It does not ask, "Will this help my position?" It asks, "Will this help and aid the people?" There is a moment in scripture in Acts 20 where the Apostle Paul is doing like me, preaching late into the evening. A young man is sitting in the window, and he's leaning out of the window, and he falls asleep, falls from the third floor down to the street, and he hits the ground dead.

[0:53:48] Paul, in the middle of preaching, uh, does something quite interesting. And rather than continuing to speak, what Paul does, he doesn't stay in the room. He doesn't say, "Will somebody else handle it?" No, the Bible says that Paul leaves the pulpit, goes down to the street, embraces the young man with a hug, and brings him back to life. The young man was not Paul's family. He didn't share Paul's education. He didn't share Paul's experiences, and he didn't share Paul's calling.

[0:54:21] But Paul didn't ask for his credentials. He was, and he just knew that his calling was to bring this young man back to life. And this is the call before you and I and all of us in this chamber today. You and I are entrusted with, if you would, helping people in the street. You are entrusted with this chamber, this gold dome, this place where policy is shaped and laws are written. But there are people right now across Georgia in the streets, in struggling homes, in under-resourced communities, in forgotten corners of the state, and some doing fairly well.

[0:54:57] Whoever they are and wherever they live, just like this young man, many of them have fallen asleep, overlooked, and in need. And the question is not what happens in this chamber. The question is, will you be willing to leave this chamber and go where the people are in the street? That is my calling, and it is yours as well. Because real leadership is not confined to desks and debates. It's measured by our willingness to advocate for those without a voice, to lift burdens for those weighed down, to serve people who may never repay us, even those who disagree with us and those who will never vote for us or attend our churches.

[0:55:36] Because in God's kingdom, service is not selective. When you legislate with this in mind, North Georgia will be cared for, and South Georgia, and rural Georgia, and urban Georgia, not because of political value, but because of human dignity. And you and I have to do this work. So remember that we are giving what I call a third-class ticket. Back in the dage- days when we had stagecoaches, you had three classes of tickets. One was first class, second class, and third class. And ladies and gentlemen, I want you to know today that we have been voted in and we have been elected to carry a third-class ticket.

[0:56:14] First class, when the wheel would begin to come off or they got in mud, if you had a first-class ticket, you stayed in the coach. If you had a second-class ticket, you got out to lighten the load and watch somebody else work. But if you had a third-class ticket, guess what you did? You pushed. Your job between now and April 2nd, when you're here till midnight, is to push and to make sure that all the citizens of Georgia are taken care of and that you minister to those who are beyond this gold dome who are standing and living and like that young man, laying in the streets.

[0:56:53] Thank you so much. May we pray. Father God, we do thank you for your love and your grace. We thank you for these who have given up their time, their, many of their careers to be able to serve the people of Georgia. Thank you for their leadership. Thank you for their heart. But Lord God, we pray that you will, Lord God, give them the strength to push and to do like Paul, to give a hug to that thug in the street. And we give you thanks and praise for your love and grace that is upon us to do your work.

[0:57:24] We're brought to the kingdom of God for such a time as this. Thank you. In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen. Amen.

[0:57:32] Thank you. Thank you.

[0:57:33] Give a hug to the thug. Hey, come on now. You gotta start doing it.

[1:03:54] We have, uh, our doctor of the day. And to introduce our doctor of the day, I recognize the senator from the 44th.

[1:04:03] Thank you, Mr. President. Good morning, colleagues. It is my honor to, um, introduce Dr. Robert Newman. Uh, Dr. Newman is a cardiologist. He was a 2008 graduate of Emory University School of Medicine. Uh, he specializes in cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and complex cardiac, uh, cardiac, cardiac care.

[1:04:33] Um, he also did his residency and fellowship at Emory, so he is Emory born and bred. He was voted a top doctor in 2004 by Atlanta Magazine, and he is, uh, with the Southeast Permanente Medical Group. So please join me in welcoming Dr. Newman and thanking him for serving as our doctor of the day.

[1:05:04] Hi, everyone. Uh, Rob Newman, Cardiology. Uh, it's a pleasure to, pleasure to be here with you. Thank you so much for having me. Um, I don't have that much to add. Thank you again for all of your work on behalf of the state of, you know, the state of Georgia and all of our patients. Uh, we thank you. Uh, please come down and visit, uh, down at the aid station. Happy to chat with anybody who wants to talk about heart health, heart health for your constituents, uh, or, uh, allergies. Seen a lot of that already this morning. Thank you so much.

[1:05:33] Appreciate it. Yeah.

[1:07:37] We have some, uh, very special guests today behind me. And to introduce them, I would recognize the senator from the 23rd for the introduction. Senator? Thank you, Mr. President. Good morning, colleagues. You know, it's, it's a great day in Georgia when we have TCSG representatives with us. These are the outstanding students and instructors that, uh, support over 150,000 students in our state. So we have representatives here today from across Georgia, from, uh, Southeast Georgia in Vidalia, to Augusta, to Central Georgia, outside of, uh, Perry, to Northwest Georgia.

[1:08:15] So what I want to do is we have previously passed resolutions honoring these four individuals. So I want to quickly introduce them to you and then share with you how proud we are of them. So, uh, Jason Colbert's here today. Jason represents Toombs County. Actually, Southeastern Tech. I think you're re- risen for Peach? Southeastern Tech. No. No. Toombs County. Uh, a nurse, but more importantly, a small businessman who really does a great job as a non-traditional student. And then we have... He's one- He's our GOAL Star Award winner, and we appreciate him.

[1:08:47] That is, uh, a Georgia occupational award for leadership. And then then we have Dr. Ekaterina Merla-to-lova? That's right. Close enough. But I will suggest to you that she's an outstanding instructor at Central Georgia Tech, teaches chemistry. And then we have Noela Sargento. Noela? Noela is from Northwest Georgia, and we're honored to have her here as the EAGLE Award winner in excellence. And then finally, we have, uh, Stacy Mabry. Stacy is from Augusta, and, uh, she not only teaches at Augusta Tech, but she also participates in the, in Richmond County School System.

[1:09:21] So each year, we honor those faculty and students who do such a great job for Georgia, and I just want you to know how proud I am of the work that they do, the work that Technical College System of Georgia does for our state. And I want to recognize Mark Peavy. Mark is a longtime support chief of staff for Commissioner, uh, Greg Dozier. So Mark, why don't you come and add a, a comment or two? Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. President and, uh, members of the Senate. We certainly do appreciate the opportunity today, um, to, uh, uh, uh, showcase, uh, our, our four main winners of the year in terms of our, uh, GOAL as our, our Technical Student of the Year.

[1:10:03] Um, the Rick Perkins Award for our Technical Education Teacher of the Year. EAGLE is our award winner for our adult education program as a student. And finally, our Adult Education Teacher of the Year. We're very, uh, happy to recognize these four folks here. Certainly want to say thank you to this entire body for your support, for everything that goes on at TCSG. Commissioner Dozier, uh, wanted me to share how, uh, thankful we are for the partnership that we have with this body as a whole, uh, and for your continued support for, uh, more than just TCSG, uh, from a central office standpoint.

[1:10:33] Each one of you has, uh, one or more, in many cases, um, more than one respective home technical college, um, that serves your constituents, and we absolutely appreciate your partnership and your work with those folks there. Thank you again for the opportunity to be here today. Thank you. Please join me in congratulating these great instructors and students. Thank you, Mr. President. Jason, do you wanna, you want Jason to? Oh, yeah. Yeah, sure. Y- I'll be happy. Ja- Jason is the... Introduce yourself, Jason. Good morning. My name's Jason Colbert, and I'm a resident of Vidalia, Georgia, and a recent graduate of Southeastern Technical College.

[1:11:08] And I'm honored to stand before you today as our GOAL State winner and a registered nurse. Thank you for the oppor- opportunity to speak with you. Technical education is one of the most powerful drivers of Georgia's workforce. It prepares individuals not just to graduate, but to go to work. Across our state, students are gaining real wor- world h- skills in healthcare, trade skills, public safety, and industry, ready to step into critical roles from day one. And if we're being honest, when something breaks, when care is needed, when systems fail, we depend on people who know how to fix it, build it, or care for it.

[1:11:43] That's the workforce that technical education provides. I can personally attest to its impact. For nearly 20 years, I've served as a hospice CEO in rural Georgia, a career that I loved, but also had a lifelong dream of being a nurse. And at 46 years old, I made the decision to go back to school. I'll admit, sitting in a classroom with 18-year-olds was humbling. They had speed, I had reading glasses. But what mattered is I had a path. Through Georgia's Technical College System, I earned my nursing degree, passed the NCLEX, and returned to the bedside, not just as a leader, but as a clinician.

[1:12:15] And I can tell you, this story isn't just mine. There are people all across Georgia, working adults, parents, individuals in midlife, who still carry a dream. And for many of them, technical education is the vehicle that makes that dream possible. It tells them it's not too late. It gives them a real, obtainable path forward, and that impact reaches far beyond the individual. A strong technical education system strengthens our workforce, attracts business and industry, and diri- drives economic growth across our state.

[1:12:47] Simply put, technical education is not just supporting Georgia's workforce, it's powering it. Thank you for your continued support of technical education and your commitment to the people of Georgia. Thank you. All right. Good job. Put it down here and get a... All right.

[1:14:31] Secretary, read the resolution. Senate Resolution 919 by Senator Hodges III and others, a resolution congratulating and commending the Coastal Area District Development Authority Incorporated upon its 50th anniversary and for other purposes. Whereas CADDA is a nonprofit corporation established in 1976 with a mission to provide economic development lending programs to small businesses and industries expanding or locating in Georgia, North Florida, Florida, and the low country of South Carolina to improve the economic conditions of the region through the creation and retention of jobs.

[1:15:02] And whereas CADDA has funded more than 1,300 small business loans, helped to invest over $526 million into communities throughout coastal Georgia and beyond, and supported the creation and retention of more than 9,300 jobs. Now therefore, be it resolved by the Senate that the members of this body congratulate the Coastal Area District Development Authority Incorporated upon its 50th anniversary, commend it for its many outstanding contributions on behalf of the citizens of Georgia, and extend best wishes for its continued growth, development, and success. Mr. President, I complete the order.

[1:15:35] Is there objection to the adoption of resolution? Chair hears none. The resolution is adopted. Recognize the senator from the third to introduce our special guest. Senator?

[1:15:46] Thank you.

[1:15:49] Thank you, Mr. President. Um, colleagues, it is my pleasure today to have representatives here from the Coastal Area District Development Authority, which is a rather unique, um, organization that, um, that has some interesting history. Back in the, uh, '70s, in the mid-'70s, as you might imagine, in coastal Georgia, we have a number, we have a number of seafood processors, and, uh, one of them was a company called CPAC.

[1:16:23] CPAC at the time, uh, w- well, it was originally started by some individuals, and it was sold a couple of times, and it came under the ownership of the WR Grace Company, a conglomerate that was in a number of businesses. Well, WR Grace went through a, um, reorganization and decided that they were gonna sell, um, CPAC. And a gentleman with, a gentleman named Vernon Martin, dear friend of mine who has since passed, was with, at the time, what was called the Coastal Area Planning and Development Commission.

[1:17:01] I think they're now called Coastal Regional Centers. But Vernon had an idea. He went to the economic development asso- um, folks in Washington and said, "We sure would like to keep this, this, this business local. And if you will, I will help set up an employee stock ownership program, an ESOP, if we can get a loan from the federal government to fund the purchase of this company from, um, WR Grace." The EDA folks approved it, and, um, and the, the company was saved.

[1:17:39] It wasn't closed, and it wasn't sold. And then Vernon had another idea. He said that the, the ESOP, these employees are gonna make payments on this, I think it was a six or eight million dollar loan at the time. And, um, he went back to the EDA and said, "If you will allow these payments to go into a fund, we will make sure that we lend this money to local small businesses, and we'll get the banks to participate." And as a banker in Glynn County in, in, in coastal Georgia, I participated in this program for many, many, many years, and it was very, very successful.

[1:18:16] Um, that program has, uh, over the years, 50 years, has loaned over a half a billion dollars to, um, local, um, businesses, and it's, um, saved and created something like 9 to 10,000 jobs. So, um, I have, uh, Terry Lout today representing the Coastal Area District Development Authority, and I'm gonna let, ask Terry to step forward, say a few words, introduce the people with him, and then I hope we'll all give them a big happy birthday.

[1:18:46] All right.

[1:18:48] Thank you. Thank you, Senator. With me is Amy Anderson, Rose Marie Drake, Caleb Schaefer, and Mary Louk. I wanna thank you. 50 years, 1,300 businesses, 9,300 jobs is not possible without our partners and your support. The EDA, the SBA, the USDA, and countless banks have helped made this possible. CADA sincerely appreciates this recognition, and we look forward to the next 50 years.

[1:19:23] Thank you.

[1:19:24] All right. Good job. Good job.

[1:20:29] We have a very special guest. The President Pro Tem of the House is here today, and, uh, we're celebrating her 24 years of public service, and she's been a great leader in the House, and she's been a great, uh, f- friend to many of the people up here, including myself over, over the years. And Secretary, read the, read the resolution.

[1:20:53] Senate Resolution 1000 by Senators Albers of the 56th and others. A resolution recognizing and commending Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones for extraordinary service to the State of Georgia upon the occasion of her retirement and for other purposes. Whereas Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones, the longest serving Speaker Pro Tempore in United States history, is retiring after more than two decades of dedicated service in the Georgia House of Representatives. And whereas she was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2002 and has face- faithfully represented portions of North Fulton and East Cherokee. And whereas a trailblazer for women in Georgia politics, she was elected Speaker Pro Tempore in 2010, becoming the first woman to serve in that role and the highest ranking woman in Georgia legislative history.

[1:21:33] She was the first and only woman to date to serve as a conferee on the General Assembly's budget, and she further made history by serving as Georgia's first female Speaker of the House during a leadership transition in 2022

[1:21:43] And whereas officially named the Mother of Milton by the city's mayor and council, she was instrumental in the creation of the city of Milton and led the successful 2006 cityhood referendum. And whereas her leadership has focused on improving the lives of women in Georgia and has resulted in transformative investments and reforms in K through 12 and higher education. Now therefore, be it resolved by the Senate that the members of this body recognize and commend Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones for her outstanding career of public service and extend their deepest gratitude and best wishes upon the occasion of her retirement. Mr. President, I please you order.

[1:22:15] Is there objection to the adoption of resolution? Chair hears none, and the resolution is adopted. It is my pleasure to recognize the senator from the 56th to intro- to introduce a la- a l- a young lady we know very, very well. And, uh, she's done a wonderful job. Like I said, 24 years is a long time to represent a, um, group of constituents here in th- in this Capitol, but she's done it with, uh, with a lot of style, a lot of grace, and, uh, and she'll be missed.

[1:22:49] And we appreciate her leadership and her friendship and recognize the senator from the 56th to introduce.

[1:22:58] Thank you, Mr. President. Senators and those who are here in person and watching online, there are few people that have walked in and out of this building since it opened in 1889 that have shattered so many records, accomplished so much for so many people, and that person is the House Speaker Jan Jones. What she has done for this entire state, what she has done for the community that I get to live in, goes so far and wide that she will leave a legacy that most of us could only dream of having left.

[1:23:36] I have watched her. I have learned from her. She has been a mentor to me and so many other people. She's helped so many good people get elected on the local state level. My wife always sums it up best. She goes, "I can't wait to hear Jan Jones talk. And she's... I feel like she's speaking right to me personally every time. She's so articulate. She knows the issues so well." And I couldn't agree more. I don't think anybody deserves retirement more who served in the House of Representatives than the Speaker Pro Tem, and it is my honor and my privilege to allow her to address this Senate.

[1:24:14] Speaker Jones.

[1:24:22] Thank you. Thank you, Senator, and thank you, Governor, for having me here. I've, I've only been up here twice for, um, DOT elections, and so- ... I didn't, I didn't remember y'all had this much space up here. But, um, I just, I wanna thank you. I've served with quite a number of you, both Democrats and Republicans, in the House over the years. When you serve 24 years, you've served with a lot of people. And, um, I'm looking forward to, uh, my retirement from the legislature, but, uh, I have to say it took me 24 years to get to that point.

[1:24:58] So none of you need to be in a hurry, uh, to make that decision. It's been an honor to work with many of you on both sides of the aisles, both for and against issues. And, um, it really is a partnership between the House and the Senate, no matter how much we sort of squabble getting there. Somehow it seems like when we get to sine die, we get most of the issues worked out, and most of the time in the best interest of, of all Georgians. And, uh, and I, I know that's what I've aspired to do, and I know that's what every one of you aspire to do.

[1:25:31] But thank you for this honor, and, um, I feel comfortable leaving knowing that I'm, I'm leaving, uh, with the House and the Senate in good hands, full of good people who wanna do good things. And, uh, thank you again. Thank you.

[1:29:26] Secretary, read the resolution. Senate Resolution 725 by Senator Wicks of the 34th and others, a resolution celebrating the dedication of the Edward Crook Jr. Gymnasium and for other purposes, whereas officially known as Eddie, Edward Crook Jr. became Columbus, Georgia's Olympic gold medalist at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. And whereas following his Olympic triumph, Eddie retired from competitive boxing and continued his service with the United States Army. And whereas on February 27th, 2026, the Edward Crook Jr. Gymnasium located on Fort Benning will be dedicated in honor of the Edward Eddie Crook Jr.'s lifetime of athletic service, success, and leadership.

[1:30:02] Now therefore, be it resolved by the Senate that the members of this body celebrate the dedication of the Edward Crook Jr. Gymnasium and honor the life of Edward Eddie Crook Jr. Mr. President, I complete your order.

[1:30:15] Is there objection to the adoption of the resolution? Chair hears none, and the resolution is adopted. Recognize Senator from the 34th to introduce our special guest. All right. All right. Good morning, Mr. President and colleagues. Today I rise in honor of life, legacy of Edward Eddie Crook Jr., a true Georgia hero, and he was also inducted to the Georgia Military Hall of Fame for valor. Eddie Crook brought pride to Columbus and into the entire state as Olympic gold medalist in boxing in 1960, the Summer Games in Rome.

[1:30:54] He was a, also a dec- a decorated veteran who served for 30 years, including two tours in Vietnam. The retired command sergeant major earned a Silver Star, a Purple Heart, and a Bronze Star.

[1:31:10] Beyond his extraordinary achievements in the ring and in uniform, he poured into others as a mentor, coach, man of faith, and a pillar in the community. Even today, his legacy continues to spri- inspire others, including through Fort Benning recently dedicating the Command Sergeant Major Eddie Crook Jr. Soldier's Performance Readiness Center in his honor. We remember him not only for what he's, has accomplished, but for, for the example he set through service, excellence, and devotion to family and community.

[1:31:49] Please now help me welcome his daughter, Terri Crook.

[1:31:59] Thank you, Senator Wicks. Distinguished senators, honored guests, family, friends, it is truly an honor to stand before you today as we recognize and celebrate the life and legacy of my father, Edward "Eddie" Crook Jr. On behalf of our family, I extend our deepest gratitude for this proclamation. To have his life acknowledged here at the Georgia State Capitol is both humbling and deeply meaningful.

[1:32:34] Many of you know my father as an Olympic gold medalist, a proud soldier, and a decorated veteran, but to us, he was also a man of unwavering faith, discipline, and belief. He lived his life with purpose, and he poured that purpose into everyone he encountered. My father believed in something simple, yet powerful: "You must believe you can do it." That belief carried him to the 1960 Olympics, where at the age of 31, yes, at the age of 31, and his Olympic partner, teammate Muhammad Ali, who would call him Daddy, when many would have counted him out, he rose to become a gold medalist.

[1:33:32] That same belief carried him through his military service, where he led with courage and protected those under his command, and that belief is what he left with us all. Today, as we stand in this historic place, and I am reminded that legacy is not just what you accomplish, it's, it's what you inspire in others. My father's life reminds us that no matter your age, your circumstances, or your starting point, your dreams are still valid.

[1:34:11] You are never too late. You are never too far behind. You simply must believe. And yes, today you heard it from a Crook, and I am proud to say I'm not the only legal Crook in the room. Right, family? Right. Thank you again for this incredible honor. Our family will carry this moment with us always. Remain awesome, young people. Remain awesome, and keep believing.

[1:34:42] Yeah. Thank you.

[1:36:09] We've got a, um, couple of state champions here from North Paulding High School. We've got the girls basketball and the, uh, cheerleading competition c- cheerleading group here today. Secretary, read the resolution.

[1:36:24] Senate resolutions 957 and 997 by Senators Anavitarte of the 31st and others. A resolution recognizing and commending the North Paulding High School varsity competition cheerleading team and the North Paulding High School girls basketball team for their outstanding athletic achievements and for other purposes. Whereas the North Paulding High School varsity complete and competition cheerleading team achieved an extraordinary milestone during the 2025 season by capturing the Georgia High School Association Class 6A state championship on November 15th, 2025, marking the first state title in North Paulding High School athletics history.

[1:36:54] And whereas on March 14th, 2026, the North Paulding High School girls basketball team won the Georgia High School Association Class 6A state championship, and the championship marked the first basketball state championship in school history, whether boys or girls, for North Paulding High School. Now therefore be it resolved by the Senate that the members of this body recognize and commend the North Paulding High School varsity competition cheerleading team and the North Paulding High School girls basketball team for their outstanding athletic accomplishments, their commitment to academic excellence, and their dedication to serving their community as well as extend to these student athletes, their coaches, and supporters their best wishes for continued success in all future endeavors.

[1:37:30] Mr. President, I complete the order.

[1:37:33] Is there objection to adopt the resolution? Chair hears none. The resolution is adopted. Recognize the majority leader to speak to the proud members of these state championship ladies.

[1:37:46] Senator.

[1:37:51] Well, good morning. It's a pretty special moment when you get to bring folks from your community, um, that know how to win. And at our high school, at North Paulding High School, um, where these kids, these coaches, our teachers, and parents, and community get to exhibit every single day blue collar values to work hard with determination to basically set themselves up and the community up for a lifetime is pretty special.

[1:38:25] Um, I- As the pre- as the president mentioned, um, you know, to kinda have two special teams in terms of our competition cheerleading team and our Lady Wolfpack basketball team at the highest levels of high school sports in the state, winning state championship, um, and winning the first state championships that our high school has experienced in a very short time, um, is a pretty amazing tribute. The bigger lesson that, um, I know Coach Blue and Coach Willis, um, our athletic director Ryan Dyer, and Principal Gabe Carmona, we talk about every single day is leadership.

[1:39:09] And the ladies standing behind me and the ladies in the gallery that some of them we have seen grow up, play basketball and cheer since, I mean, they were in kindergarten, first grade, second grade. For me, as a parent, it's special, but these are the ladies that are gonna lead our state. These are the lead- leaders that are gonna lead our colleges and our universities, be our doctors and our lawyers. Um, but also too, they're gonna set the direction of this state and the future of America in the years to come.

[1:39:45] And I just wanna say thank you, um, to the coaches that spend hours and hours and hours of, uh, you know, not just running line drills and everyth- all the hard stuff, the fun stuff that, you know, not fun stuff at practice, but I think instilling those values, those individual values that you ladies have exhibited and poured out with sweat and tears on the competition floor and on the basketball floor against the highest competition in this state.

[1:40:17] Um, so on behalf of our community and Paulding County, on behalf of the Paulding County Board of Education, and on behalf of the Georgia Senate and the House of Representatives, I just wanna say thank you for all you do. Your names will always be in our community's history, in our state history. Um, and I'm gonna give them a second to share a few words. So

[1:40:42] come on.

[1:40:47] Hi, everyone. My name is Miley Dorsey. And first of all, we would just like to thank everyone for allowing us to be here. It's such an honor. Um, we would like to thank our parents and our community for supporting us 100% of the way. It was gonna be possible without them. And most importantly, we'd like to thank our Lord. You know, we wouldn't be here without Him today, and He's a big part of what we've done here at North Paulding, and we're so grateful for Him. Um, it's been an honor to win the first ever state championship and to do it alongside with our basketball girls. It's been so fun and, you know, just getting recognized and celebrated every day is truly amazing, and I'm so thankful for all the girls up there.

[1:41:22] And this wouldn't be possible without any of them, and we truly are so blessed to be here. We thank you so much.

[1:43:05] Good job. Good job. Are there any unanimous consents?

[1:43:12] Senator from the 35th, did you want to take a point of personal privilege or?

[1:43:35] We have a former senator here today. Senator Jason Esteves is here. Everybody welcome Senator Esteves.

[1:43:48] I hear he's running for something, so.

[1:45:52] I recognize the senator from the fourth for a point of personal privilege.

[1:46:14] Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to for to-- everyone to recognize that today is ex- Executive Function Day. Colleagues, I rise today to re- recognize and celebrate Ex- Executive Function Day at the Georgia State Capitol. I've got a resolution here, and I will not read the resolution, but let me just read a couple of sentences out of it. Literacy and numeracy are vital skills for academic success, and as research shows, executive function is likely associated with reading comprehension through its relation with decoding and oral language.

[1:46:47] Current research provides additional support for the role of executive function in reading comprehension as a potentially crucial, crucial recur to skilled reading. This mome- this momentous occasion marks the third year such recognition has been granted in both chambers of the General- Georgia General Assembly, underscoring the value and significance of teaching executive function, the cognitive and effective skills essential for students and learners of all ages to succeed in literacy, I think we've heard that word several times this session, science, heard that, math, we've heard that, and everyday life.

[1:47:32] Recognizing Executive Function Day highlights the connection of students' overall cognitive skills, mental health, and wellbeing. In a world where the demands of daily life continue to grow, we all know that, nurturing and explicit- and explicitly teaching executive function abilities is essential for helping students graduate college and career ready. navigate challenges, and pursue their lifelong goals effectively. I'd like to recognize in the gallery today and thank Su- Suchata Kamath, and excuse me if, are you in the gallery?

[1:48:10] Yes. Suchata Kamath over here.

[1:48:12] Oh, okay. Well, thank you. Thank you. Um, the, the la- the la- the nation's leading expert in the brain science of executive function. Not Georgia's expert, the nation's leading expert. And educators and students and advocates from around the state, please rise and recognize one of our state's champions for children. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the will. Thank you.

[1:48:41] Thank you, Senator. Recognize senator from the 17th.

[1:49:17] Thank you very much, Mr. President. Senators, I rise today because I am so honored to recognize and commend Ms. Demetris Latimore as the Department of Community Supervision's 2025 Employee of the Year. Mrs. Demetris Latimore has honorably served the State of Georgia for 25 years and has shown herself to be an outstanding embodiment of the department's core values of selfless service, uh, accountability, integrity, teamwork, and professional development.

[1:49:57] She routinely goes above and beyond to provide efficient, effective, selfless, and dedicated service to her coworkers and to the State of Georgia. Demetris is a consummate professional, and as a person upon whom many of her colleagues rely for her knowledge and expertise. And that's why it is a fit- abundantly fitting and proper that this outstanding accomplishments of this remarkable and distinguished Georgian be appropriately recognized.

[1:50:32] Now therefore be it resolved by the Senate that the members of this body recognize and commend Mrs. Demetris Latimore on being named the Department of Community Supervision's 2025 Employee of the Year. Please w- welcome stand, stand and wave, Ms. Demetris Latimore. And with her today is her husband, Mr. Andrew Latimore, raise your hand.

[1:51:03] Her father, Mr. Willis Ellis, and of course, the Executive Director of the Department of Community Supervision, Ms. Shante Porter. And the department, uh, a department that's founded on the tenets of public safety and progress, uh, commencing operations on July the 1st in 2015 through the passage of House Bill 310. So your, um, uh, uh, resolution is signed by the President of the Senate, the President Pro Tem, and the Secretary of the Senate, and your senator.

[1:51:40] Congratulations, and thank you for your service here for the State of Georgia. Please give her a wonderful applause.

[1:51:52] Thank you. Thank you.

[1:51:52] All right. Good job.

[1:51:55] Mr. President, thank you very much. I yield the will.

[1:51:57] Yes, ma'am. Absolutely. Good job. Good job. All right, we've got some, some more state champions that we wanna recognize here. Recognize the senator from the 35th to speak to some special guests he has in the gallery.

[1:52:31] Hello, everybody. Uh, thank you, Mr. President. I got a really special group here. Uh, just know that in the State of Georgia, we have some incredible folks. Uh, nobody more incredible than the Campbell High School, Smyrna's own Campbell High School 2025 6A Soccer State Champions. So y'all, let's give them a ha- a hand clap. And in the gallery, we have several of the team members. Please stand where you are in the gallery. Stand where you are in the gallery.

[1:53:02] Y'all g- give them some love. That's some good-looking guys there.

[1:53:08] I w- I was wondering why they were getting so many stares when they were walking through, uh, walking through this Capitol. They're the best-looking crew that's, uh, been here. So thank you so much. Uh, a beautiful, uh, resolution, wonderful whereas statements showing how wonderful they are. But Coach Seth, thank you so much for leading these group of young men, and you've done it from a really deep place of care and concern. I thank you for leading our men, our young men here in Smyrna. Mayor Norton, thank you for your leadership.

[1:53:38] Thank you for your leadership. We have, uh, John Floresta from the superintendent's office here of Cobb County. We have the AD assistant principal, uh, semi-cousin AD Howard, Philip Howard here as well. And, uh, we have Representative, uh, Sanchez here as well. So I just wanted to say thank you, uh, Smyrna, and thank you for Campbell High School 2025 State Champion Soccer 6A. Thank you, Lieutenant Governor.

[1:54:05] Guys, good job.

[1:54:09] Good looking bunch. State champions. Can't ever take that away, so good job, guys. Recognize the senator from the 55th.

[1:54:28] Senator from the 55th is... There he is. Come on down, Senator.

[1:54:51] Good morning, my colleagues. We gather here today in the spirit of Women's History Month to pay tribute to a remarkable and courageous group of American women, those who dared to seek the highest office in the land. These women did not simply knock at the door of history, they wa- they walked through it whether it was ready to open or not. I rise today to commend with full pride of this great state the women who placed their names, their hearts, their service before the American people as candidate for the presidency of the United States of America.

[1:55:33] It began in 1872 when Victoria Woodhull, decades before women even had the right to vote, stood before a skeptical nation and declared herself a candidate for president. She campaigned for women's suffrage, workers' rights, human dignity. She was not expected to win. She won something greater. She opened a door that could never again be shut. She even had the audacity to have Frederick Douglass, a Black man, as a running mate, 1872.

[1:56:10] In 1884, Belva Lockwood, the first woman to argue before the Supreme Court, carried the torch forward. Then in 1964, Margaret Chase Smith of Maine became the first woman to seek the nomination of a major political party, the Republican Party, for the presidency of the United States, made that declaration of conscious on the aftermath of McCarthyism, and there were those that said if she had only been a man, she would have become president.

[1:56:41] And then in 1972, the indomitable Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm became the first African American woman to seek to- the major party presidential nomination. She said it best, "I ran because someone had to do it first," and Georgia, we are forever grateful that she did. The decades that followed through brought us Elizabeth Dole, Carol Moseley Braun, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the first woman nominated for presidency of a major party, Carly Fiorina, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, and Nikki Haley, the first woman to win a Republican presidential primary.

[1:57:21] And then Kamala Harris from my alma mater, the great, the graduate of Howard University and the University of California, the first African American woman elected attorney general of California, the first Black woman elected the United States Senate from California, and in 1924, the first woman of, of color nominated for presidency by a major political, American political party. Her story is woven into the story of this nation and is not yet finished. These women of every background, every party, every era share a common thread: courage.

[1:57:57] The courage to lead, the courage to be told no and press forward anyway. The courage to show every daughter in Georgia and across this great nation that the highest heights are within reach. We commend these ladies, and we thank y- we are thankful for the greatness of America that would open its doors even to the daughters of America. Thank you, and I yield the well. Thank you.

[1:58:36] Recognize senator from the 28th.

[1:59:15] Good morning. Thank you, Mr. President. I rise to recognize today as both Black Farmers Day at the Capitol and the ninth annual National Women in Agriculture Association Day at the Capitol. These events honor and uplift minority farmers across Georgia whose dedication and labor sustains our communities and ensure that families across the state have food on their tables each and every day.

[1:59:55] Today, we also acknowledge the long standing challenges that have been faced by minority farmers.

[2:00:03] Who have too often lacked equitable access to the resources, support, and opportunities afforded to others. But Black Farmers Day is a day at the Capitol is an important platform to elevate their voices of independent farmers, connect them directly with state agencies, and address critical issues such as resilience, sustain- sustainability, and climate-smart agricultural practices.

[2:00:35] So for Women in Agriculture Day, we celebrate the International Year of the Woman Farmers and award some extraordinary women in agriculture who have cultivated not only crops, but also legacies of leadership, resilience, and su- sustainability progress for future generations. I ce- I invite all of you to stop by and say hello to these farmers, uh, du- after the 11:30.

[2:01:06] It's already 11:30, but after their group picture, they'll be in room 123 with good food. So come taste some. And to those farmers that are joining us in the gallery today, will you please stand and be recognized? And, and, uh, senators, let's give our farmers a warm welcome. Thank you very much. E- especially Chattahoochee Hills, that's in my district, where the little kids in their school have a big garden that they plant.

[2:01:39] They have animals, all kind of animals there, and of course, strong academic, uh, leadership right there, too. And I thank you, and we have a, I will, do later, I will, uh, present the, um, resolution to the Georgia Chapter of the National Women of Agriculture here in Georgia. Uh, it'll be down in room 123. So again, thank you so much for being here at your State Capitol today, and all of you.

[2:02:13] Mr. President, I yield the floor.

[2:02:47] Recognize the senator from the 10th.

[2:03:05] Thank you, Mr. President, and members of this great body. I am excited to introduce to some and present to others, uh, one of the most decorated and recognized African American families in the great state of Georgia. Uh, their founder, the Reverend Henry Veale I, was a businessperson, a mor- a mortgage agent, and of course, he was an ordained minister as well as a World War I veteran.

[2:03:37] Henry Veale II was recognized as having one of the first Coca-Cola signs in his business. And if you understand the importance of what it's like getting one of those signs, then you'll understand what that really meant to this particular family.

[2:03:56] This family has a very distinguished lineage that was established by their founder, Henry Veale, and their list of accomplishments

[2:04:11] are great. Please allow me just to share in the next two minutes that I have just some of the things that this family has done. Uh, there are 70 descendants that have been recognized in this particular family, and out of those descendants, 78 of them have college degrees from bachelor's to master's to PhDs, and I understand that one even has a double PhD.

[2:04:43] The influence of Henry Veale and this family really has reached to not just national, but international stages. They served as a leader in the national level of the NAACP and the international level for the AME Church and notably, notably hosted the 1949 Alpha Phi Alpha National Convention, which convened well over 2,200 members. Here is one fact that I find extremely fascinating about this family.

[2:05:18] You see, this family's academic trajectory reached a global zenith when Teslyn Douglas Adams, a nine-degree alumnus of Georgia College and State University and a double doctorate, DNP and a DPH, by the way, uh, is recognized as the number one most degreed African American woman in the world and whose unprecedented achievement is currently being submitted to this Guinness Book of World Records.

[2:05:50] I am joined today by members of the family, certainly the matriarch over there, Miss W- Wanita Madison, who refuses to tell me her age. I'm also joined by Miss Tracy Franklin, Kim Akins, Dara Madison, and Jeanette Brooks. On behalf of our great state, we congratulate you and your family. for the many, many accomplishments and leading the way for academic excellence in the great state of Georgia. Thank you and God bless each of you and your family.

[2:06:27] Recognize senator from 38th.

[2:06:44] Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, this, uh, seeming to be championship Wednesday here, uh, because I am honored today to recognize the extraordinary group of student athletes from North Atlanta High School Saber Fencing Team for the remarkable achievement in securing not one, not two, but three consecutive On Guard High School Fencing League of Georgia Saber Team State Championships in 2022, I mean 2023, 2024, and 2025.

[2:07:16] And I'm gonna ask the team to s- please rise and be recognized up in the gallery. And we have some down here on the floor.

[2:07:30] And one thing that really stood out to me during our conversations with, uh, the president is that, uh, this is not a recognized, uh, Georgia High School sports, and so we need to change that. Uh, so I think that is something that we need to, uh, get with our folks about. Um, I also want to recognize, um, a very important nonprofit organization that is here today, and that is Every Color Matters, and they're right here, uh, to my right.

[2:08:01] Every Color Matters is focused on supporting indiw- individuals and families affected by cancer. They were founded on a simple but powerful principle that every life matters and that access to cancer education, resources, and support should be equitable and inclusive. Through this mission, the organization has become a beacon of hope for countless families navigating the challenges that come with a cancer diagnosis. Their work, it stands far beyond awareness.

[2:08:32] Through educational outreach, fundraising efforts, and public campaigns, they encourage early detection and proactive health screenings, helping to save lives through prevention and timely care. They also provide direct financial assistance and critical support services to families facing the critical, uh, the physical, emotional, and economic burdens of treatment. This kind of compassion and action makes a real difference in the lives of those who need it most. And so I just want to thank, uh, the founder, Barney Jackson, for being here, and thank you for all the work that you do across the state.

[2:09:09] Thank you, uh, Mr. President, I yield the floor.

[2:09:18] Thank you, Senator. I'm gonna take a point of personal privilege here today 'cause I've got a, I've got a special friend here of mine and, uh, his football team, Jarvis Jones. I don't know if y'all remember that or not, but Jarvis and I not only share the same last name, but we both played at the University of Georgia, and we wore the same number at the University of Georgia, number 29, and, uh, he obviously made it a lot more famous than I did. But, but, uh, but I am really proud of this young man because he went down to Carver Columbus, his alma mater, and in the first year as head coach, uh, Carver Columbus went 15 and 0 and won a state title.

[2:10:00] So let's give them a big round of applause. Coach, right here.

[2:10:09] Uh, first and foremost, I just wanna say it's an honor to be here today, uh, to, to get represented, uh, by y'all, man. It's, uh, it's, it's beautiful. My first time ever in this building, man, it's, it's really amazing. And, uh, just to show the hard work that all, all of my young guys put in, man, the adversity we went through over the season, uh, being my first year, uh, trying to teach them football and get to know them as people as well, man, it was a challenge. Uh, also I wanna thank my principal for being here and supporting us all the way through and, uh, and, uh, Mr.

[2:10:42] Bridgewater himself, uh, for inviting us up. And, uh, man, it's just a special day and we look forward to next year and three-peating. That's our goal. So go Tigers and go Dawgs.

[2:10:53] All right. Good job. Good job.

[2:11:24] Recognize senator from the

[2:11:49] 44th.

[2:11:49] Thank you, uh, Mr. President. You all have on, um, your desks this piece of investigative journalism done by the, um, AJC and some partner organizations. So I just wanted to point it out to you and make you aware of the, um, unfolding, still unfolding, uh... I would call it a scandal, but also serious public health issue that's been unfolding in Dalton, Rome, um, and downriver in Gadsden, Alabama and some other towns.

[2:12:26] Um, basically, this piece details for the, the first time how after finding out, um, from Scotchgard manufacturer 3M, that there were dangerous chemicals that Georgia's carpet, uh, industry was using, uh, that are in the category of PFAS. Instead of ceasing to use those chemicals, they utilized sort of a slightly changed chemical alternative that is still PFAS for the next, uh, 20 or so years, uh, leaving some serious health problems, including kidney failure, uh, thyroid cancer, fertility problems, and, uh, developmental delays in children through all of those communities.

[2:13:17] It's definitely worth a read. Um, what, what I think is a, a challenge to us as a body when we read it and as a state government is how Georgia's EPD and other regulatory bodies were unwilling or uncapa- incapable of taking any action to protect the health of, of Georgians and, and stop this poisoning that, that went on for, um, so long.

[2:13:47] Um, and, uh, you know, it's a, it's a important industry in the state, and we all recognize that we wanna support our businesses, but, but that can't be always at the, um, expense of allowing, for example, in this instance, so many individuals to become seriously poisoned in many communities. So I urge you to, to, to read it. I think it's a, a- unfortunately, because of the, the lack of he- regulatory action out of our health agencies or, or EPD, citizens ended up having to turn to, um, courts to change the company's behavior by filing lawsuits and also to raise public awareness.

[2:14:30] And this is a pattern we see repeated far too often. It would really serve Georgians and Americans a lot better if our regulatory agencies w- did, did more on the front end to protect, uh, the health of, of, of, uh, Georgians and Americans and also our environment. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.

[2:14:54] Recognize the senator from the 26th, the man from Bibb County, longest serving legislator in the history of the state.

[2:15:22] Thank you, Governor. I come to you today about honoring sausage makers.

[2:15:36] The people who help run this state. Atlanta, Georgia is the capital of Georgia.

[2:15:49] But those of you who serve in the Georgia General Assembly make sausage, and you put it in a wrapper. And whether it's local or statewide,

[2:16:05] you stay up at night. You come to Atlanta. If you got family, you leave family members at home. You got small children. They're growing up, and you're gone. So

[2:16:24] to the lieutenant governor, the gentleman from the 46th, the gentleman from the 19th, we've crossed political lines. We've argued for and against, but we became friends. Lieutenant Governor, I remember the days we used to go rabbit hunting with your daddy, who served with me in the House.

[2:16:57] Gentleman from the 46th, I really didn't know him, but he came up to me and said, "You talked to my class," who was taught by the same teacher who taught me when I was in high school. Gentleman from the 19th, all the way from Vidalia, Georgia, I come down there to go fishing when I find time. It's a long drive.

[2:17:27] But the brim go on bed, and I can take my fly rod and catch me a mess of brim and come back home and clean them. We've honored everybody from Tom, Dick, and Harry, and Martha, too. But what about those who have served this state, have done the work, have stayed up at night, and of course, you get those phone calls in the middle of the night from folks that you don't even know?

[2:18:06] So what I decided to do, I went and got me a copy of the voters list and put it beside my bed. And when they call me and, and, and, and tell me, "This is so-and-so," I ask them, "Where do you live?"

[2:18:24] And then in my district, I looked and see whether or not they are registered voters. And if they are not, I tell them, "I really can't help you." And they want to know why. I say, "You don't vote." "Well, what's that got to do with it?" I say, "You don't count."

[2:18:47] So today, as we recognize every Tom, Dick, and Harry, and Martha included, let's stand and give an applause to those who've served with us who are now leaving.

[2:19:11] Lieutenant Governor, Chairman of Appropriations,

[2:19:19] we've come to you and asked you for things even though we represent different political parties, but somehow we've been able to cross the line to help one another. Now, many of you are leaving us.

[2:19:43] You're tired of the legislature or you're going for a higher office, but we need to give an applause to those folks who have served this state, made the sausage, put it in the wrapper, and delivered it back home. Mr. Governor, I yield the will.

[2:20:21] Appreciate that, Senator. Oh, well, I sat, I sat beside that man for 10 years right, right there, and, uh, I tell folks all the time, there's a lot of knowledge, institutional l- knowledge, and there's a lot of good common sense knowledge in, in that gentleman's head. And, uh, he's been a good friend and, and, uh, always appreciate his, uh, his wisdom, his leadership, and his passion for the people he serves.

[2:20:51] So appreciate those k- those kind words there, Senator. Recognize the senator from the 50th.

[2:21:09] Thank you, Mr. President. Today we have some very special guests in the audience, the Rabun County High School Wildcats boys basketball team. They have demonstrated true grit and courage this year, and they brought home the first state championship for basketball in Rabun County history. And they are here tonight, and I want, just want to give them a special shout-out. You know, the team's success starts at the top with leadership, uh, including the coaches David Adcock and Cory Page.

[2:21:44] We've got members of the championship team here, RJ Williamson, Graham Anderson, Huey Blalock, Landon Benningfield, Brantley Cavender, Reed Burrell, Cord Burrell, Connie Thompson, Colton Crane, Hayes Free, Hazen Morgan, Hayden Cannon, and Trace Adcock. And then of course, the managers who are a huge part of the team's success, as you know, Evan Woodall, Reeves Page, and Cal Burrell.

[2:22:14] Also want to thank Justin Spillers, the principal and soon-to-be superint- uh, soon-to-be assistant superintendent; Kelsey Thompson, soon-to-be principal; Ansley, Ansley Fowler, director of nutrition; and Rick Story from Post 5 Rabun County Board of Education. Guys, we couldn't be more proud of this group of young men. They have done a fantastic job this year, not only on the court, but off the court and just being leaders in the community. So if y'all could, welcome the first ever state championship basketball team from Rabun County High School.

[2:22:57] Thank you, Mr. President. With that, I will yield the will.

[2:23:23] Recognize senator from 36.

[2:24:12] Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, colleagues, uh, as we know that here at our own airport as well as across the nation, uh, passengers are being, uh, inconvenienced. There are long lines waiting, and, uh, we've heard comments here from, uh, uh, the ma- majority party leader, uh, that, uh, somehow that rests o- on the backs of the Democrats in the Congress.

[2:24:43] Uh, we have a situation where the TSA agents have gone now for five weeks without pay. Put yourself in their shoes. They should be being paid immediately. We want airport security at the airport, of course, but, but not this barely trained immigration enforcement officers who have, in their wake, left a trail of national crises in other cities, and they are not trained to screen passengers.

[2:25:15] They are not trained to do the job of, uh, uh, TSA agents, without, without a doubt. They're actually, uh, used by ICE as his personal police service, if you haven't realized that by now. But let me, let me point out to you, last week on the, on the floor of the Senate, Senator Warnock brought Senator Rosen's Transportation Security Administration Pay Act to the floor, which would have addressed this, which would have stopped, uh, this, uh, uh, going into the sixth week of no pay that our TSA agents are asked to endure.

[2:25:56] That bill would pay TSA agents immediately and keep America flying. You wanna know what happened to that bill? Donald Trump and federal Senate Republicans blocked that bill and left TSA agents without pay. We need to pass Senator Rosen's bill. We need to get ICE out of our airport now, and the president should be focusing on paying our TSA agents, the presidents and the, and the, and, and, and the Congress, not outsourcing their jobs to immigration enforcement.

[2:26:28] Uh, there is, there is, uh, more that can be done about this. There's a solution, uh, and we say find solutions instead of pointing fingers. That's the task before us. I also wanna, uh, flag for you that today is Hapeville, City of Hapeville Day at the Capitol. Uh, they have been here, been recognized, and been in both of our, uh, galleries on the House and the Senate side. Uh, part of the transportation hub that Atlanta represents, once home to a huge auto plant, uh, that closed down, now home to, uh, Porsche America, uh, with all sorts of exciting, uh, developments happening there in Hapeville.

[2:27:10] So I want to salute them today on, uh, uh, Hapeville Day at the Capitol, and they're right there in the shadow of that airport. So we have a remedy for TSA agents going without pay, and it's called the Transportation Security Administration Pay Act. Bring it to the floor and vote for it this time in Congress. Thank you, and I yield the well.

[2:27:40] Recognize the senator from the 51st.

[2:27:49] Thank you, Mr. President. Senators, it's a joy to have some folks from around our state here today that are in the uniform of the US Army. If you'll look over to my right, you will see UNG's finest cadets from the University of North Georgia. All of these men and women are recipients of the Georgia Military Scholarship, which we will be talking about this afternoon. We'll be passing a bill that will enhance that military scholarship program. Each of these men and women have committed to spend time in the Georgia National Guard for the next eight years of their life serving our state.

[2:28:21] Y'all please give them a warm welcome to the State Senate.

[2:28:31] Thank you, Mr. President.

[2:28:47] Recognize the senator from the 27th.

[2:29:02] Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, today I rise to honor the late Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shaw. Lieutenant Shaw received two Bronze Stars after three tours of duty in both Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Atlantic Resolve. He was a senior Army aviator, received the Air Assault Badge in addition to the Combat Action Badge, and survived hundreds of hours of flight training.

[2:29:33] What Lieutenant Colonel Shaw was unable to survive, however, was a day in a classroom at Old Dominion University. A gentleman by the name of Mohammed Jalloh, a naturalized citizen of the United States, entered the classroom that day, 13 days ago, and asked if that was an ROTC class. The students responded that it was, and Jalloh opened fire, taking Lieutenant Colonel Shaw's life. Jalloh had previously been arrested, charged, and convicted with providing material support for ISIS.

[2:30:10] He had pledged allegiance to ISIS, and he had stated that he planned to carry out a shooting much like the shooting at Fort Hood. Federal prosecutors recommended a sentence of 20 years, but a judge s- chose to reduce that sentence to 11 years. Jalloh was then released two and a half years early, and during that time period is when he took Lieutenant Colonel Shaw's life.

[2:30:42] Mr. President, we cannot allow insane criminal justice policies that let terrorists out onto the streets to attack the men and women of this country. In fact, naturalized citizens who swear allegiances to radical jihadist organizations like ISIS should be denaturalized and deported or tried for treason.

[2:31:13] Lieutenant Colonel Shaw deserved better. He deserved better from our immigration system. He deserved better from our criminal justice system. Mr. President, I hope that our friends in the federal government will act swiftly to ensure that we ha- never have another instance like this again on the s- on the ground, uh, of the United States of America. And thank you, Mr. President. With that, I'll yield the will.

[2:31:44] Does any other senator wish to rise on a point of personal privilege?

[2:31:50] You have before you a consent calendar of privileged resolutions. Does any senator wish to remove a resolution from the consent calendar?

[2:32:00] Is there objections to options or resolutions on the consent calendar? Chair hears none. The resolution on consent calendar is adopted. Recognize the senator from the 23rd. Thank you, Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent that House Bill 419 be withdrawn from the Committee on Higher Education and be committed to the Committee on Education and Youth. Secretary, read the caption.

[2:32:26] House Bill 419 by Representative Hawkins of the 27th and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to education so as to require the possession of opioid antagonists by institutions within the university system of Georgia and units within the technical college system of Georgia to provide for definitions, to provide for possession of opioid antagonists by certain individuals, to require the maintenance of a stock supply of opioid antagonists, to provide for the use and location of opioid antagonist storage com- com- compartments, to authorize certain personnel or administer opioid antagonists and carry opioid antagonists, to provide for immunity, to provide that neither c- civil liability nor professional discipline shall accrue to personnel of the systems or institutions or units thereof, and for other purposes.

[2:33:05] Mr. President, that completes the order.

[2:33:10] Is there objection? Without objection, HB 419 will be moved from Higher Ed to Education and Youth.

[2:33:27] Recognize the senator from the 30th. Thank you, Mr. President. I ask for unanimous consent that House Bill 792 be withdrawn from the Committee on Judiciary and be committed to the Committee on Government Oversight.

[2:33:44] Secretary, read the caption. House Bill 792 by Representatives Montahan of the 17th and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 1 of Chapter 10 of Title 15 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to general provisions relative to magistrate courts so as to increase the amount of magistrate court claims from $15,000 to $25,000, to provide for related matters, to re- repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes. Mr. President, that completes the order.

[2:34:09] Is there objection? Without objection.

[2:34:21] Motion granted.

[2:34:34] Recognize the senator from the 31st. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that HB 1523 and HB 1526 be withdrawn from the Committee on State and Local Government Operations and be committed to the Committee on State Co- State and Local Government Operations General. Secretary, read the caption.

[2:34:56] House Bill 1523 by Representative Ciokas of the 151st and others. A bill to be entitled an act, an act to create the Sumter County Public Facilities Authority and to provide for the appointment of members of the authority, to confer powers upon the authority, to authorize and provide for the issuance of revenue bonds, to provide that credit is not pledged, to provide for security, validation, and protection of revenue bonds, to provide bondholder remedies, to fix and provide the venue and jurisdiction, to provide for proceeds as trust funds, to provide for tort immunity, to provide for the tax statutes of property and revenue bonds of the authority, to provide for reversion of assets, to provide for construction and severability, to provide a short title, to provide for definitions, to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes.

[2:35:34] Mr. President, that completes the order.

[2:35:42] House Bill 1526 by Representative Green of the 154th and other, 154th. A bill to be entitled an act to repeal a former local constitutional amendment, which former local constitutional amendment was continued in effect as statutory law pursuant to Article VII, Section 2, Paragraph 4 of the Constitution of Georgia and which provided a five-year exemption from local ad valorem property taxes to any person who built, equipped, established, completed, or enlarged a plant for manufacturing or processing in Early County to provide that exemptions granted prior to the effective date of this act shall continue for the remainder of their unexpired terms to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes.

[2:36:14] Mr. President, that completes the order.

[2:36:29] Senator, would you like to speak to the bills?

[2:36:41] Is there objection? Without objection, the motion is granted.

[2:36:57] Senator from the 14th, what purpose do you rise? Mr. President, parliamentary inquiry. State your inquiry. Mr. President, that was an unusually large number of motions to withdraw and commit. I didn't think the Committee on Assignments made mistakes, Mr. President. Isn't that true? It rarely does, but some days I'm not there, so it happens.

[2:37:19] We enjoyed that day you came to see us, though, last year. Yeah. My man.

[2:37:29] You have before you a consent calendar of local bills. Mr. Secretary, have there been any objections to be f- be filed for that? No objections have been filed, Mr. President. Is there objections to agreeing to the report of the Committee on State and Local Government of Operations, which is favorable to the passage of the bills on the local consent calendar? Chair hears none. The report of the committee is agreed to. Question is on the passage of the bills on the local consent calendar. All those in favor will vote yay. Opposed, nay. Secretary will unlock the machine.

[2:39:24] On the passage of the bill, the yays are 15, the nays are zero. This bill on local consent calendar, having received the requisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed.

[2:39:39] Recognize the majority leader. Mr. President, it's unanimous consent that the following bills and resolutions be engrossed. HB 328, HB 369, HB 519, HB 1112.

[2:40:28] Secretary, read the calen-

[2:40:31] House Bill 328 by Representative Carpenter of the fourth and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Article II, Chapter 7 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to income tax imposition, rate, computation, exemptions, and credits so as to increase the annual aggregate limit for tax credits available for certain contributions to student scholarship organizations to increase the time allowed after being pre-approved to make the contributions to provide for related matters, to provide for an effective date and applicability to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes. House Bill 369 by Representative Sharpe of the 177th and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Part 1 of Article 1 of Chapter 8 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to general provisions relative to equipment of motor vehicles so as to provide for vehicle equipment standards for motor vehicles used for the sale of food or beverages that primarily conduct such sales upon roadways to provide for related matters to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes.

[2:41:16] House Bill 519 by Representative Steffens of the 164th and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Article II of Chapter 7 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to imposition, rate, computation, exemption, and credit so as to provide that the amount of the federal work opportunity credit claimed by a taxpayer shall also be allowed as a tax credit against state income taxes to provide for conditions, eligibility, limitations, and recaptures, to provide for definitions, to provide for rules and regulations, to provide for automatic repeal, to provide for related matters, to provide for an effective date and applicability to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes. House Bill one- 1112 by Representative Barrett of the 24th and others.

[2:41:48] A bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 1 of Title 10 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to selling and other trade practices so as to provide for rounding of total price of the sales of goods or services when using legal tender to provide for tax exemptions, to provide for definitions, to provide for related matters to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes. Mr. President, that completes the order.

[2:42:14] Senator, would you like to speak to the motion? Yes, sir. I guess he waves. Is there objection? We have objection.

[2:42:28] I said we have objection. No. I, I said, I said y'all objected. I, I didn't, I didn't think, I didn't think we were gonna start, you know, sing- singing kumbaya quite yet.

[2:42:44] Uh, y'all realize it is 12, it is 12:30 and we ain't done a dang thing in this building or so far. You know that? So, but we have had a lot of pictures taken. All right, so we're gonna vote. This is, uh, to engross. Let me get everybody's attention real quick, please. Vote to engross. All those in favor of the motion will vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary will unlock the machine.

[2:44:10] On the motion to engross, the yeas are 32, the nays are 19, and these bills are now engrossed.

[2:44:24] Secretary, read House Bill 1020.

[2:44:32] House Bill 304 by Representative Zierta of the 152nd and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 32 of Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to municipal courts so as to create the Georgia Municipal Court Clerk's Council, to provide for definitions, to provide for the membership powers and duties of the council, to provide for funding of the council, to provide for the status of the council and its members, to provide for related matters to appropriate conflicting laws for other purposes. Mr. President, the Committee of the Senate on Judiciary recommends that this bill do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Strickland, the 42nd District Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Judiciary offers the following substitute to House Bill 304, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 32 of Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to municipal courts so as to provide for the office of senior municipal court judge, to provide for qualifications, application and approval procedures and amenities and privileges of such judges, to pre- preserve local actions establishing senior justices for particular municipal courts, to create the Georgia Municipal Court's Clerk's Council, to provide for definitions, to provide for the membership powers and duties of the council, to provide for funding of the council, to provide for the status of the council and its members, to provide for related matters to appropriate conflicting laws and for other purposes.

[2:45:33] Mr. President, that completes the order.

[2:45:39] Recognize the senator from the 50th.

[2:45:43] The...

[2:45:49] 42nd. I get all you trial lawyers confused, I'm sorry.

[2:45:57] We all do kinda look alike, I guess. Members of the Senate, I bring you House Bill 304. All this does is it codifies the creation of a Municipal Court Clerk's Council, and this is important because this brings all 380 of our municipal courts together into one council when it comes to training, when it comes to having consistency as to how they do things. It also provides for the creation of a senior judge for municipal courts as well, and this will hopefully, again, just create consistency and bring our folks together.

[2:46:28] This is the court that most Georgians interact with more than any other courts in our state. Happy to answer any questions.

[2:46:36] You have no questions, Senator. I yield the well. 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. 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 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. The question is on the passage of the bill by substitute.

[2:47:07] All those in favor of the bill, vote yay. Opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

[2:48:12] On the passage of the bill, the yeas are 51, the nays are 0. This bill, having received requisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed. Recognize the secretary for House Bill 369. Or 328, excuse me.

[2:48:32] House Bill 328 by Representatives Carpenter of the fourth and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 2 of Chapter 7 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to income tax imposition, rate, computation, exemptions, and credits so as to increase the annual aggregate limit for tax credits available for certain contributions to student scholarship organizations, to increase the time allowed after being pre-approved to make the contributions, to provide for related matters, to provide for an effective date and applicability to appropriate conflicting laws and for other purposes. Mr. President, the Committee of the Senate on Rules recommends that this bill do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Watts- Watson Watson.

[2:49:03] Vice Chairman. ... of the first, Vice Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Rules offers the following substitute to House Bill 328, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 2- 2A of Title 20 and Chapter 7 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to student scholarship organizations and income taxes respectively so as to revise provisions for student eligibility and maximum scholarship amounts, to provide for military students and students with indivi- individualized education programs, Section 504 plans, or other designated disabilities, to provide for such designation, to prohibit members of the General Assembly and their spouses from receiving income from student scholarship organizations that receive certain contributions, to provide for alternative method for the deposit of a scholarship award, to increase the in- annual aggregate limit of tax credits allowed for certain con- contributions to student scholarship organizations, to increase the annual aggregate amount of such tax credits allowed for business enterprises for state insurance premium tax liability, to increase the annual aggregate limit for tax credits available for qualified education donations and for other purposes.

[2:49:57] Mr. President, that completes the order.

[2:50:01] Recognize the senator from the 48th to speak to the measure.

[2:50:19] Thank you, Mr. President and colleagues. Good morning, or is it good afternoon yet? We are presenting HB 328, which is LC 59-0427S. This is a substitute from the original version that we had, and this is a, uh, Senate finance substitute because it combines three House bills, HB 1220 by Representative Be- Bethany Ballard, 328 by Chairman Casey Carpenter, and 565 by Representative Rick Townsend.

[2:50:50] This substitute, this combined bill reflects an all-of-the-above approach when it comes to our students' educational options, and I am proud that Lieutenant Governor Jones asked me to champion this issue, as I am grateful, so grateful, for his support for school choice. I'm gonna walk you through the bill

[2:51:11] So if you're looking in your binders, understand this is the sub, not the original. The green version.

[2:51:20] Sections one and two are from House Bill 1220. 1220 makes targeted improvements to Georgia's Student Scholarship Organization, or SSOs, to better serve students with documented disabilities and students from military families. The revisions on page two address eligibility barriers. The new language adds special needs students and military families to the existing waiver. This will allow those students to receive a scholarship without having to attend a public school first.

[2:51:54] The language on page four provides flexibility in how scholarship funds may be used for the students with the designated disabilities by removing the individual scholarship cap for those students. This language allows scholarship organizations to better account for the higher cost of specialized services like speech therapy, occupational therapy, and smaller classroom settings. House Bill 328 is in sections three through five, beginning at the bottom of page four.

[2:52:25] This is language proposed from our Senate Finance Committee amendment from a couple of years ago, and this language prohibits a legislator or their spouse from receiving any income from an SSO.

[2:52:38] On page five, lines 103, 104 is needed to-- as a technical change that's been discussed with the Department of Revenue. It allows for the electronic endorsement of scholarship awards.

[2:52:55] Very importantly, on page six, line 117, this raises the annual cap for the tax credit to two hundred and twenty-five million dollars, which more closely aligns with the demand for the program, and there are many reasons this is needed.

[2:53:12] First, it serves thousands of additional students. With an average scholarship value of about forty-eight hundred dollars, raising the annual cap by an additional hundred and five million would provide scholarships to approximately twenty thousand students.

[2:53:31] It also provides savings to the state and local communities. Based on an official twenty twenty-three Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts report, Georgia's SSO program generates an estimated annual net cost savings of fifty-six point five million dollars for state and local taxpayers.

[2:53:51] This also addresses the overwhelming demand for the program. Year after year, the annual cap is exceeded on the very first business day of the year, which leaves SSO participating schools unable to serve thousands of families who are seeking to different educational opportunities for their children. Just last year, donors applied for more than two hundred and twenty-five million dollars in credits on the first day, and in twenty twenty-six, more than two hundred and forty-six million dollars in credits were applied for.

[2:54:29] On page six, lines one twenty through one twenty-two, this allows for six percent of the total cap to come from insurance premium tax credits. This is especially important as the Senate explores eliminating the state income tax because tax credit programs like SSOs need to be offset by another type of tax. By shifting to a percentage-based model,

[2:54:57] this legislature ensures the stability of these scholarships regardless of future shifts in our state's tax structure.

[2:55:07] House Bill 565, the Public School Tax Credit, or PEACH, begins in section six. This increases the annual cap to twenty-five million dollars.

[2:55:22] In section seven, these cap increases don't go to-- into effect until next year.

[2:55:32] A couple of questions that were asked. Could this program be abused by over-diagnosing students to receive larger scholarships? This bill relies on documented diagnoses, not informal claims. Additionally, schools are not required to increase scholarships, and SSOs control the award decisions. There are multiple layers of oversight already built into the statute.

[2:56:03] Somebody asked, "Can you combine scholarships?" You cannot combine an SSO scholarship with a special needs or a Promise scholarship.

[2:56:14] If a child starts out at a high funding level kindergarten, does that amount carry through? And the answer is no. SSO scholarships are not based on state funding weights.

[2:56:28] Lastly, with, with the, uh, with the state already funding the Promise scholarship, the ESA, why do we need to increase the SSO tax credit too? These serve two different markets. The Promise scholarship is a state-appointed fund for specific low-performing zones. The SSO program is a private sector scholarship partnership that allows Georgia citizens and corporations to voluntarily direct their own tax liability toward education.

[2:57:04] So again, this is a combination of three House bills. It has been engrossed, so there are no amendments. I think we all already know how we're voting on this. I understand a minority report is present, but I do ask your favorable consideration on this because one thing we know is that school choice does work. This does help children who need it most. I ask your favorable consideration. Thank you. I yield.

[2:57:35] Thank you, Senator. Recognize Senator from the 14th.

[2:57:50] Thank you, Mr. President. There are some good parts of this rules committee substitute, but the increase of the SSO cap to two hundred and twenty-five million cannot be abided, and there will be many no votes because of this. Democracy sometimes hangs on by a thin thread. The thin thread that I'm working with today comes from a door that I knocked in 2018 when I was running for the State House of Representatives. I knocked on a door that was likely or leaning Republican. 'Cause I was ambitious, I thought, "I can persuade anybody that I'm a good candidate for this race." So I knocked on this door, and it turned out I was not disappointed.

[2:58:24] The lady that opened the door said to me, "I work in a school, and I'm gonna tell you the issue I care about the most." This is a Republican voter. She said, "I care about the student scholarship organizations 'cause there's very little oversight. Uh, there's fraud going on. I see it myself inside the school that I work in. There's parents who expect that their kids will get one-to-one matches of the scholarships that they donate to make possible. There's very little oversight." And she said, "I tell you what. If you do something about this when you go to the State House," she said this in 2018, "I'll vote for you." And like any good politician, I made her a promise.

[2:59:02] I said, "I'll do something about it." And I hope she voted for me. I think maybe she did. Well, I did do something about it. In 2019, I emailed the Department of Revenue. It was either 2019 or 2021. The years are starting to blur, Mr. President, but early in my career while I was in the State House, I emailed the Department of Revenue and I asked in my capacity as a state representative, "Have you ever done oversight into the student scholarship organizations? And if so, what did you find?" And the Department of Revenue wrote me back and they said, "Well, we can't talk about specifics," but there was only one investigation to date, only one into the SSO program, and the result of that investigation was that there was fraud.

[2:59:44] And friends, that's all I know, and as a state representative or state elected official, that was all I was able to glean once I did my due diligence to ask about whether the program has integrity. So that's anecdotal evidence. It's only one data point. The one data point is fraud. You could say, "Well, there's no more evidence of that," but I couldn't get you the ev- evidence if I wanted to. Uh, so I ask you with very little in the way of evidence that this program is staying within the guardrails, very little evidence that this program is being used for the purposes that it's supposed to, and the one finding of fraud that the DOR did in the history of the program to, you know, almost double the size of this program in a year where we're already trying to hand back so much money and claim the state government doesn't need to hang on to money.

[3:00:29] I don't know. It doesn't seem fiscally responsible to me. So I urge a no vote, and I yield for questions. You have no questions, Senator. Thank you, Mr. President.

[3:00:40] Recognize Senator from the 40th.

[3:00:54] Thank you, Mr. President. I rise in opposition to this bill. Um, this, this chamber has put a lot of effort to and is very concerned about chronic absenteeism. In fact, there was a study committee that dealt with this issue, and in their recommendations, it was stated that we need, uh, more positions in our schools, like nurses, social workers, counselors, and other wraparound services. This is an indication to me that we really haven't fully funded our public schools even if the QBE formula is technically fully funded.

[3:01:35] Um, so if we're, if we're, are, um, if we were capping the inc- or if we were increasing the, uh, amount of money available to these scholarship organizations, um, that's money that is going to private schools instead of our public schools. So I am committed to making sure we have the resources to deal with, uh, the problem of chronic absenteeism, uh, before we fund private schools.

[3:02:07] Thank you.

[3:02:13] Recognize the senator from the 38th.

[3:02:33] Thank you, uh, Mr. President. Uh, because this bill was engrossed, we can't try to make some amendments to improve the bill, so I'm going to address some of my concerns. Uh, my colleague from the 48th said that school choice works and this voucher works. The question is, who does it work for? The average amount that families get on this, uh, scholarship is $4,800, but the average cost of the school that these students attend, $9,000 to $12,000 per year.

[3:03:09] Thinking back to my childhood, my family would not be able to afford that gap. So the question is, who does this work for?

[3:03:17] The answer is it works for families who can already afford to send their child to these schools. What we're doing is diverting money that we should be investing in public education to ensure that our students can read away from public education and putting it in the pockets of families who can already afford this privilege of sending their child to schools of their choosing. I am someone that firmly believes that we should offer opportunities to go to schools that are better for your child, that better fit your child.

[3:03:56] But I do not believe that we should be investing public dollars in schools that have no accountability. We have no data on these schools as it relates to how their students can read, how their students can do math, or any of those things. And so an improvement on this would be to put some accountability measures on these dollars to say, "If you're going to accept students on these scholarships, we should know how you're doing with educating our children and if you are not successful in educating our child you should be treated just like any other school." In Georgia, charter schools get five years.

[3:04:45] Either you're successful or you're shut down. But what this body is doing is saying, "You know what? These schools where families can already afford to send their child to these schools, we're gonna let them have carte blanche. They can do whatever they want." I look forward to coming back here next year and working on some accountability measures when we decide to do things like this, and also making sure that these dollars are going to families who actually need them.

[3:05:22] Otherwise, all we're doing is giving a tax break to families who do not need a tax break in the first place. Mr. President, I yield the will.

[3:05:39] Senator from the 41st, for what purpose do you rise? Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, my name begins with Kim, and I am standing to ask for unanimous consent to excuse the senator from the 44th. All right. Without objection, senator from the 44th is excused.

[3:05:58] Bring it down to senator from the 35th.

[3:06:15] Thank you, Mr. President. I'll be brief, but I've noticed a trend. Um, when it comes to public education, this body is very quick to pass a bunch of laws and say, "You need to do more and you need to do more with less." And then we pass, uh, tax laws that are going to directly affect the revenue and the money that goes into paying for teachers to do their job. And at the same time, we work really swiftly and diligently to make sure that folks who are sending their kids to private schools have plenty of money to send their kids to private schools.

[3:06:45] Um, I just find it very odd. I find it odd. Uh, we, we say we care about affordability in one minute, but then it's like, oh, it's affordability for certain folks. Um, I understand we package certain laws and we call them certain things, and we use rhetoric to make it sound like it's for folks on the down and outs, but we all know, we all know that this bill is something to help your friends who are also your donors to make sure that they have a tax break to send their kids to private school.

[3:07:16] By a show of hands, how many kids, uh, have their kids in public school right now? Okay, so maybe one, two, three, four. So about four, maybe one hand. And many of us are not doing right by our public schools. Maybe in your own neighborhoods, but maybe for the neighborhood across the railroad tracks, starving for more resources. We have an opportunity to use our time, which is a precious resource, to use our time to make sure that our kids can read, but we're using our time to make sure that folks get tax credits for private school.

[3:07:53] Well done. I yield the will.

[3:08:04] Bring it down to senator from the 37th.

[3:08:21] Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, the Senate, I rise today in support of House Bill 328. I, uh, I celebrate that the state and the state's leadership in the last decade has fully funded our QBE funding formula. I celebrate that under this governor in the last eight years we have given more than a 20% pay raise to our public school teachers. In addition to our fully funding our QBE program, we've got a Hope Scholarship that's the, the really model for our nation at the higher education level.

[3:08:56] And just today, just this morning, our State Senate Appropriations Committee added $70 million of new money to fund literacy coaches to make sure there's a laser focus on literacy in our public schools so that every child, no matter what zip code they live in in Georgia, can read. I share this because Georgia has a great story

[3:09:21] One of the success stories in Georgia, however, has been our SSO scholarship program, which gives an additional opportunity for people for whom their local zoned school doesn't work exactly right. Friends, we have school choice in this state. The senator from the 35th asked, "How do, how many members of the state Senate send their kids and grandkids to public school?" And there's, there's a representative number. But there are members in this chamber who send their kids to private school because they think the private school is best for their kids. I applaud you for that decision. Every parent ought to be empowered to do what's best for their child or their grandchild.

[3:09:56] Unfortunately, without the financial resources that certain members of this chamber have, certain families can't do that without some assistance. I believe school choice should be an opportunity for everybody, for every student. That if people are willing to put some, some skin in the game, they have opportunities for their kids to pursue scr- private school opportunities that are best suited for them. This is not just about schools and failing schools. My wife's best friend, tragically, about 15 years ago, had a child, uh, that went to one of the best rated schools in our state, but it wasn't suited for her.

[3:10:30] She got into trouble and got in some problems, and it was really kind of a turning point to moving in a really bad direction in her life. That's not a comment on that school. That's not even a comment on public schools in general. That's just a comment on the fact that schools ought to be suited to a particular child, and parents know what's best for their kids. Members of this chamber avail themselves of that opportunity. Friends, we have school choice in this state. The problem is it's segregated based on income.

[3:11:02] It's segregated based on income.

[3:11:06] If you have the money to move to the school district that has the, the, the attendance zone that has the school you like, you got school choice. If you've got the dollars without the SSO program, without the student scholarship program that offers $225 million to families who need a little help to make it work, without this, without HB 28 and the expansion we have today, you only have school choice if you've got the ability to write a check, as, as the senator from the 38th said, for a school that costs nine to $12,000 a year, to write that entire check yourself in after-tax income.

[3:11:40] This program helps families who can't write a check that size. As he said, the average, the average scholarship under the SSO program is about $4,800. By his own words, the senator from the 38th told us that families on average have almost half the cost of private school paid by this SSO program. That gives meaningful school choice to working class families who value school choice but need just a little bit of help.

[3:12:13] That's what this SSO program is for. Friends, in my district, the schools in my district that come to the Capitol, that, that, that bring their diverse array of kids from diverse backgrounds, medium and low income kids who, who benefit from this SSO program, are the poster child for why HB 328 and the expansion of this program f- for, to, to, uh, to, to the amounts offered here today are so important. The sh- private schools in my district give a disproportionate amount to families with low incomes who ca- to help them close the gap.

[3:12:49] The people who speak against this are talking in generalities. The specifics of this program, however, they help specific kids from specific families who have specific needs, whose mom and dad are willing to contribute something. They have some skin in the game. But they need this SSO program to help them close the gap so that all families can have school choice, but not only families with means. Friends, this is a very, very simple question if you care about kids and giving kids and parents the, the opportunity to make decisions for themselves.

[3:13:22] This is a courageous vote for some, but it's an obvious vote for most. S- HB 328 is a program that helps disproportionately kids withou- and families without the means to write the check for private school by closing the gap and covering nearly half the cost of private school for most, and way more than half for some. Kids in my district who are going to private schools get way more than half their tuition paid by this program because I, the schools in my district disproportionately funded the kids from families who don't have the means to write the check themselves.

[3:13:57] Friends, every child deserves an opportunity. Every parent deserves the opportunity to choose what's best for their kids, and without this SSO program, that is a, that is a vain promise. It's a hope, but it's not a reality. SSOs have helped tens of thousands of kids in Georgia, and this program simply allows us, just as we have funded our public schools, we pay our teachers the highest pay in the Southeastern United States. We fully funded our QBE program. Just this morning, we put 70 million new dollars to be laser-focused on literacy.

[3:14:29] That's what Georgia's about. But to complete the picture, we also need to fund options for parents who are willing to put some skin in the game but need a little bit of assistance to close that gap. That's what this SSO program does. And friends, no matter what party you're from, no matter what your zip code is, this helps real families do what's best for their kids and do for their kids what you would do for yourselves and your own kids and grandkids. And with that, I urge every member here strong support for HB 328.

[3:15:02] Thank you, Senator. Is there any other senator who wishes to speak for or against the measure? Senator from the 48th, would you like to close?

[3:15:22] There were a lot of great things said for and against this bill. The most amusing one was the senator from the 35th when he asked for a show of hands on how many of us have kids in the public school system. How about another poll? How many of you have aged out of having kids in the public school system? That's a much higher number of hands raised. This, as my friend from the 37th said, is a bill about giving parents choice, giving them control on the best situation for their children, not trapping children in failing school districts, and to put that back in the hands of the parents so that they can choose what's best for their kid.

[3:16:10] That is why we are here. That is one of the most important things that we as legislators will ever do in our time here. A yes vote gives parents the ability and the freedom to choose where their dollars need to go and where their kid needs to go to be most successful in whatever they do in life. Thank you.

[3:16:34] All right. Question on, 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 report, 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. Questions on the passage of the bill by substitute. All those in favor will vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

[3:17:34] Order.

[3:17:34] Yeah.

[3:17:51] Order.

[3:18:04] On the passage of the bill, the ayes are 30 and the nays are 20. This bill, having received the requisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed by substitute. Thank you, Senator from the 48th. Greatly appreciated, and, uh, good job, and thank you for all the yes votes on that. I can tell you from personal experience, uh, the Gold, uh, Scholarship Program, uh, has, has helped change lives for not just individuals but also families. I know plenty of families personally, uh, that have, uh, taken advantage of, uh, that scholarship program and, uh, and it's, it's always been in the best interest and you've-- I've always seen children, uh, really, really, um, uh, co- go from being shy, kinda, kind of, uh, children that maybe aren't-- seem to be doing that well in school to in every situation that I know about, uh, ch- a child has, has thrived and, and, uh, really, uh, grown as an individual and, and that's really what, what we're here to do, uh, in this body.

[3:19:08] We're gonna take a quick little break for lunch.

[3:19:11] Oh.

[3:19:11] Um, I know that disappoints some of y'all.

[3:19:14] Yeah.

[3:19:15] But, uh, we will take a quick little break for lunch. Uh, so let's, uh, let's do about a 30-minute lunch, and we'll come back and try and knock out all this stuff. So the Senate will stand at ease.

[3:19:26] See you guys on the other side.

[3:19:27] Yeah, that's what

[3:19:45] I--

[3:28:26] The Senate will come

[4:39:49] back to order.

[4:40:10] Senator from Clinch County.

[4:40:15] Thank you, Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent that Senate Rule 4-2.1 be suspended to allow for the withdrawal and commit of a bill.

[4:40:24] Secretary, read the caption.

[4:40:28] House Bill 563 by Representatives Bennett of the 94th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 3 of Chapter 2 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to prestige license plates and special plates for certain persons and vehicles so as to authorize licensed physical therapists to certify an individual is disabled for purposes of attaining special vehicle decals for persons with disabilities to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes. Mr. President, that completes the order.

[4:40:52] Is there objection? Hearing none, suspend the rules.

[4:41:02] Thank you, Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent that House Bill 563 be withdrawn from the Committee on Public Safety and be committed to the Committee on Agriculture and Consumer Affairs.

[4:41:12] Is there objection? Hearing none, motion granted. All right, back onto the rules calendar. House Bill 369, Secretary read the caption.

[4:41:32] House Bill 369 by Representative Sharper of the 177th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Part 1 of Article 1 of Chapter 8 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to general provisions relative to equipment of motor vehicles so as to provide for vehicle equipment standards for motor vehicle, vehicles used for the sale of food or beverages that prim- primarily conduct such sales upon roadways to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes. Mr. President, the Committee of the Senate on Ethics recommends that this bill do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Watson of the 11th District, Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Ethics offers the following substitute to House Bill 369, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to primaries and elections generally so as to provide for the nonpartisan election of county officers and district attorneys in certain counties, to provide for the qualifying for such offices, to provide for definitions, to provide for related matters, to provide for an effective date, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes.

[4:42:22] Minority report has been attached.

[4:42:23] Mr. President, minority report has been attached. Mr. President, that completes the order.

[4:42:27] Recognize the senator from 56, Chairman of Public Safety.

[4:42:39] Thank you, Mr. President. We actually, uh, had a very similar bill to what you see in front of you. We spent an extensive amount of time debating it. Uh, it did not pass this floor because we did find one, uh, error in there specific to making sure elections would be held in November. That has been corrected. It's important that we look at our law enforcement intensive counties the right way. Things such as the World Cup coming, the world's busiest airport-

[4:43:07] Super Bowls, NCAA, et cetera. I have made my entire career in this general assembly about public safety, and this is a public safety issue. We, again, we've already debated this bill. Everybody knows how they're gonna vote. So I would encourage us to move on, and I yield the will.

[4:43:36] Recognize senator from the 14th. My pleasure.

[4:43:52] Thank you, Mr. President. Rules for thee, but not for me. That is the theme of this bill. Rules for thee, but not for me. What is that quote about the law binds and protects? There's an in-group and an out-group. The in-group wants the law to bind the out-group but protect the in-group, when in reality, the law should both bind and protect everybody. There is no principled reason to make some district attorney elections nonpartisan and others not.

[4:44:28] There is zero principled reason to make some district attorney elections nonpartisan, but others not. I remember when I was in the House, and the majority had this curious habit. I think the senator from the 37th remembers. We were there together when this happened. The chipping away at partisan elections for various types of judges, magistrate, and probate.

[4:44:53] Before the majority was willing to make every probate and magistrate judge nonpartisan,

[4:45:03] they did it county by county. They said, "Wait a minute, Cobb County just went blue. Sounds like it's time for a bill. We're gonna make Cobb County judges nonpartisan." Only once at a time, and why? Because once Cobb County is blue, the voters will overwhelmingly elect Democratic judges and other officials.

[4:45:37] And so I asked a three-part series of questions of the sponsor of that bill, and I admire his honesty when he answered them. I said, "Number one, isn't it important for judges to neutrally, fairly, impartially apply the law, and isn't that why they should be nonpartisan?" He said, "Yes." I said, "Question number two, isn't it true that the principle of nonpartisan, fair, principled adjudication of cases is not something that exists only in one county but not in other counties across the state?" He said, "True.

[4:46:08] It's a statewide principle." I said, "Well, then number three, is it not true that the only reason that this bill segregates Cobb County from the rest of the state is because of the partisan balance of Cobb County?" And I'm pretty sure he said, "Well, you might have me there," or, "No opinion," or, you know, "S- see you later," and he ran out of the well. There is no principled reason for district attorneys to be nonpartisan in some counties and not others. Now, what we likely will hear in the next few minutes, if the majority cares to have this debate again or if, you know, a senator moves the previous question first, is, "Well, these bigger counties have more people," or, "There's more responsibility," or, "These bigger counties have the seat of government," or, "These bigger counties are gonna host the World Cup," which was mentioned a minute ago.

[4:46:57] These are frenzied, unprincipled attempts at explaining why we would make some district attorneys nonpartisan but others not. Either the role should be nonpartisan or it should be partisan, and the s- state of Georgia can make a policy decision about it one way or the other. But to pretend that there's anything at work in this bill other than rank, raw partisanship as to the composition of district attorney elections in these large counties is a complete farce.

[4:47:42] The reason this bill may pass today is because the majority doesn't care about that lack of principled distinction between some counties and others, not because the majority has real reasons why they should be different. And I'll close with this. Hatfields and McCoys continue to feud for centuries for one reason, and that's because when the Hatfields do something and then the McCoys get the upper hand, the McCoys decide that the only way to redress the just- injustices that occurred under the Hatfields is to do the same thing themselves.

[4:48:24] That is called a cycle of violence. It is 2026. We may very well have a Democratic governor and other statewide offices in 2027. We very well may have a Democratic House as soon as 2027. This chamber will take a little longer 'cause y'all got more Play-Doh to work with when you draw those lines. But here is the key insight. If you put your heads down, check your phones, vote yes on this because it doesn't matter to you, you are guaranteeing that in our caucus meetings next year, a majority of those voices are going to say, "We are in charge now.

[4:49:02] We're gonna do the same thing they did to us." I'm gonna be an argu- an advocate against that way of thinking. I would like to put the pencils and the guns down.

[4:49:13] And do this the right way. But I'm inviting you to leave now while it's still 2026 and come to the conclusion that you don't want to do rank partisanship with no principle whatsoever just because you have 32 votes on the board. You can do it, but that doesn't mean you should do it. And Mr. President, with that pay in to principle and consistency, I will yield for questions.

[4:49:44] You do have one question, Senator. Recognize senator from the 41st. Thank you, Mr. President. Does senator yield? I do yield to my good friend, madam whip. Thank you, Senator. And is it not true that, uh, of the DAs, we have 51 DAs across the state of Georgia. Is that not true? We have a lot of DAs, Senator. Yes. And is it not also true that those DAs do not support this bill, but that they have in fact said quite clearly that if we're going to make nonpartisan DAs, we should do it for everyone and not just pull out and target the five Black women DAs who serve in Metro Atlanta.

[4:50:20] Is that not true? Yes, it's true, and what an un- unbelievable and amazing turn of events that district attorneys with bar licenses who have to go through three years of school and take what's called the multi- multi-state Professional Responsibility Exam, MPRE for short, where they answer a series of questions about ethics and judgment and decision-making. What an amazing surprise that those 51 DAs, no matter how they are elected, partisan DAs, that were elected in partisan primaries, what an amazing turn of events that those DAs should speak with one voice and say that there is no principle supporting this bill, that if we wanna act in a principled way, that we should be doing it all or nothing, just like the magistrate and probate judges, all or nothing.

[4:51:09] Does the senator further yield? I do further yield. Yeah. So can we just talk about, a little bit about the brass tacks of this bill? So it's my understanding, is it not true that these elections would take place in November, um, should this l- become law, that these elections would take place in November. Is that not true? That appears to be the case, Senator. That's right. And so is it not further true that if these elections begin in or take place in November, and in the event of a runoff, the runoff would not happen until December, which would therefore mean that the runway for a new DA to come online would be quite short before January.

[4:51:43] Is that not true? Well, Senator, that's just an aggravating detail. The point here, Senator, is to make sure that the largest metro counties do not elect solidly Democratic district attorneys. So I think you're getting a little bit too far into the weeds with the neutral and impartial justice application of law and justice by asking questions that are pragmatic or practical about how DAs are supposed to take office with only a short runway. That's too in the weeds, Senator, for the majority for this bill. They would much prefer that we just focus on the point, which is to take away the strong voices of the district attorneys who are elected in partisan elections in the five large counties that we're speaking about, Senator.

[4:52:24] Will the senator yield for a few more weedy questions? A- as long as the chamber does not use some procedural trick to get us to stop talking, you and I can continue to converse, Senator. Thank you, Senator. So just to continue with the more weeds, uh, just practical, uh, application, is it not true that if we're truly concerned with public safety, the rule of law, that we would be more interested in making sure that our DAs have ample run-up time before taking office as opposed to having to squeeze in all of the transition within essentially what would be three weeks, and if you take out Christmas, really two weeks.

[4:52:59] Is that not true? Would that not be better for public safety to give a longer runway for folks to get on board? Senator, yes, and I know you know this, but you're breaking my heart because what you're doing is you're asking me grounded, pragmatic policy questions about public safety and what this chamber would really do if it cared about public safety. And if it really cared about public safety, we would do all sorts of things differently. We wouldn't increase penalties on people that are already in a recidivism cycle, that don't know better, that can't get their lives together, further subjecting them to addiction and a life that they can't sustain, whether it's work or raising kids.

[4:53:35] Uh, we would fund mental health programs differently and more appropriately. We would, uh, decrease the amount of culture war in our schools and in our streets. We wouldn't encourage people to brandish firearms and use the Second Amendment as a thin cover for patriotism. There's plenty of things that we wouldn't do in this chamber if we really cared about public safety. But I agree with you that the run-up time that a district attorney has to take office is an incredibly important pragmatic policy consideration that we should be caring about if, in fact, we're worried about public safety, Senator.

[4:54:08] Do you further yield? I do. Yeah, so let's, um, take a pivot, if you will, with me, and then let's talk a little bit about fiscal responsibility if you are, um, willing to. Um, is it not true that should this bill become law that it will be challenged in courts? Is that not true that it would also therefore cost the state a lot of money- Senator, there's- ... in order to fight this? There's nothing that this chamber loves doing more than spending taxpayer money defending lawsuits, Senator. And, and, you know, when we just, when we know we're right about something, we know we're right that these five counties should be nonpartisan, but everybody else shouldn't, that conviction can be tested in the courts, as you say, where we will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on expensive attorneys in order to resolve the question in a way that we already know how to resolve, which is there's this finicky thing in the law, both state and federal constitutions, called, I don't know, equal protection of the laws.

[4:55:04] When you treat people differently under the law, when you discriminate, kind of a harsh word, but I think appropriate in this case, between counties, you've gotta answer for that. When you're the government and you say, "I'm treating person A one way and I'm treating person B differently,"

[4:55:18] You have to be able to answer in a lawsuit why you've got to do one or the other. And I doubt very seriously, having been a practicing attorney for over a decade and having worked with a lot of judges personally, I doubt very seriously that many judges would buy the argument that because a county is large as opposed to small, that that changes the philosophical underpinnings for how a district attorney performs their role. And, and I, I mean, I remember listening to the debate on this before, and the arguments being made were, "Well, there's such weighty responsibility.

[4:55:50] There's an enormous amount of gravity in these big counties for these issues. They must be handled in a nonpartisan way." How insulting is that to your local counties? The folks, the places where you are all from that are either smaller counties or lower population counties, how insulting is it to tell your own counties that their issues are not important enough to justify this elevated nonpartisan treatment? That is, to use a legal term of art, baloney. That is not an actionable difference. I think everybody in here knows that the issues in smaller or less populated counties are just as important as the issues in larger metropolitan counties.

[4:56:29] So that argument falls flat as well, Senator.

[4:56:32] Uh, Senator, is it not also true that just the last time we were in session, this body went through an extended debate about, uh, bringing parity to DA pay because DA is a DA is a DA is a DA, and therefore they should all make the same salary. Is it not true that that argument was just made and that very well just a few hours ago?

[4:56:54] The senator is at severe risk of applying the chamber's logic in a consistent fashion. And I think to elucidate the senator's point a little more clearly, we were just told that DA pay needed to be absolutely uniform throughout the state, no locality adjustments from state funding because a DA is a DA is a DA, meaning that the role of DA is so identical in every single county in this state in every possible way that there should be no deviation in the way that those roles are compensated.

[4:57:28] So to now have this debate on a day like Wednesday, which isn't Monday or any of the other days, apparently, a very different day, and to hear that DAs are so different in these five counties that the underpinning philosophy of their role is dramatically different, I don't know, uh, Senator, maybe we should, uh, entertain a friendly amendment to double the salary of those DAs in those five counties if in fact they have such a weighty, unbelievable responsibility that requires them to act in a purely nonpartisan fashion, Senator.

[4:57:58] Well, Senator, I'm glad that you mentioned salaries because is it not true that this body took those same five Black female DAs and in our previous bill in an effort to create parity essentially froze their salaries until such time as we do not know while increasing the salaries of all the other ones around them, and so on Monday we freeze their salaries and on Wednesday we force them into nonpartisan elections which we know is contrary to the Constitution.

[4:58:31] Is it not true that we are spending yet another day attacking the same five women in metro Atlanta when they have actually done nothing to harm this body?

[4:58:40] Senator, I agree and I think, you know, the English language provides a great diversity of vocabulary depending on the intensity of a feeling about a topic. You know, at the lower level you might say it's a consideration. At the middle level you might call it a preoccupation. And then when you get to this chamber's level of attention to DAs, the word obsession applies. And I think what we are seeing is the attempt to micromanage the salary, duties, partisanship of the district attorney of DeKalb County and other counties, so much so that when we had a local bill that came up for a simple cleanup, a procedural agree, the emergency brake was pulled on that local legislation not two days ago because of the obsession of this chamber with this bill.

[4:59:27] So the point remains that rules are either for everybody or they're only for some of us, and this bill is about rules for thee and not for me. If there are no further questions, Mr. President, I'll yield the well.

[4:59:41] Oh, you can stay.

[4:59:43] You do have a couple questions, Senator. Recognize the senator from the 28th.

[4:59:48] Thank you. Will the senator yield, please?

[4:59:51] I do yield-

[4:59:52] The senator can yield

[4:59:52] ... to the distinguished gentlelady from the 28th.

[4:59:54] Thank you. Uh, I was just, maybe you can answer this. I was just looking at this bill and I know that, uh, Dexter Sharper, uh, of the 177th, the author of the original bill, has resigned and, and he's no longer a legislator. So it, how did they get, and they didn't put this substitute on until after he's completely gone. How, how did they do that if a person is, uh, removed completely and has pending legislation?

[5:00:32] Do they keep it moving just because, you know, even though that person is gone? And this, and the original bill was nothing like this bill at all. So they took it and put what they want in, it looks like. I don't know.

[5:00:48] Senator, I have seen my fair share of committee substitutes over the years.

[5:00:52] Yes.

[5:00:53] As far as the author having resigned, I would imagine that would need some procedural cleanup, but I will quote the words of the former Secretary of the Senate, David Cook, that the rules are whatever 29 senators say they are. And I think that principle may be in effect in passing this legislation, Senator.

[5:01:11] Oh, thank you. I, I just didn't, I think it's not fair that they could get a bill of a person who is no longer here- And move it and by changing it completely, not putting a little amendment on it. So, I, that's why I'm asking. I, I wanna know the real rule on this.

[5:01:34] This is certainly a Frankenstein's monster of legislative day 37, Senator. I agree.

[5:01:39] Thank you.

[5:01:40] Thank you.

[5:01:40] Thank you.

[5:01:43] Recognize the senator from the 35th.

[5:01:46] Thank you so much. Does the senator yield?

[5:01:48] I do yield to my good friend from the 35th District.

[5:01:51] Oh, right. Um, bef- when we start our sessions, um, do we do a pledge to the Georgia flag?

[5:01:58] We do, and in fact, it confuses people in the gallery sometimes because everyone's familiar with the Pledge of Allegiance, but when we turn and say, "Now the Georgia flag," you hear some anxious muttering from folks who have not recited that pledge before.

[5:02:09] Oh, okay. Does the senator further yield?

[5:02:11] I do.

[5:02:12] Uh, the principles which it stands, what, uh, what principles are they for the g- Georgia flag that we pledge allegiance to in this body?

[5:02:21] It's a great question, and it reflects the three pillars of the arch as reflected in the Great Seal of Georgia, wisdom, justice, and moderation. Um, I think by statute a couple years ago, the senators in this body deemed it fit to add the word courage, although I know there are some senators in the body who dispute the appropriateness of that addition. Courage is a value, but I think wisdom, justice, and moderation are the core tenets of the Georgia, uh, set of principles.

[5:02:45] Thank you, Senator. Do you further yield?

[5:02:47] I do.

[5:02:48] Um, would it be considered just to have targeted legislation that treats DAs in the metropolitan Atlanta area very different from all the other DAs in the state of Georgia?

[5:02:59] It's not just, and I think that this moment is an apt moment for reflection on some of the basic symbols that American democracy has been using for hundreds of years to describe the neutral and equal application of the laws. When we look at a depiction of Lady Justice, there are a couple things we notice. One, that she is blindfolded because she is not looking at any specific person when she's deciding how to apply the principles. She's not looking at the district of a, the district attorney from a major metro county as opposed to a rural county.

[5:03:29] The other thing we notice about her is that w- we usually see her depicted with scales or weighing things, that there's a balance idea, right, to justice, that what is over here is on the same footing with what is over here. We don't treat two equal things differently, Senator.

[5:03:45] Okay. Does the senator further yield?

[5:03:46] I do.

[5:03:47] Um, because of the power of, uh, group think, uh, would it take a, the tremendous amount of courage to vote no i- if you're in the majority party for this bill?

[5:03:57] Let me describe in painstaking detail the cascade of consequences that is surely to result if a single Republican senator votes yes on this legislation. There are several members of leadership that might be concerned about that yes vote. In fact, somebody will immediately go to the secretary's office to pull a written recording of the votes. You can see after the screen has faded which people voted yes and which people voted no. If one or two brave Republican senators were to take this vote in isolation, the crushing consequences of disloyalty would soon visit upon them.

[5:04:29] There might be a consequence with regard to their committee assignments. There might be a consequence with regard to the late stage legislation they would or would not be able to move in the chamber. There might be a caucus discussion that either names names or doesn't about how important it is to stick together, especially that the margin is now decreased from 33 to 32 votes. Any range of social and practical consequences could befall a Republican senator who votes yes for this, and yet, Senator, the correct principled vote is no, and that is something every senator must grapple with for his- himself or herself.

[5:05:06] Uh, does the senator yield for one final question?

[5:05:07] I do.

[5:05:08] Um, isn't it true that there is time to take an extended restroom break when it's time, before it's time to vote?

[5:05:15] There are multiple avenues by which senators may dodge accountability for a vote in this chamber. One of those ways is to be absent from the chamber and to leave the machine open. That would report NV, not voting, on the final recordation of the vote. Another way is any senator can go up to the secretary's desk, fill out a small piece of paper that requests an excused absence for business inside or outside the Capitol. Doing so would put an E for excused up by your name on the board. Either of those mechanisms have been tried and true ways to avoid voting yes or no on a bill. Some would say that that escapes accountability, but I think when doing the right thing is the issue, it is better to do that than to vote for the bill.

[5:05:51] Thank you, Senator.

[5:05:53] Thank you.

[5:05:53] Any other questions?

[5:05:55] I think you covered it, so no questions, Senator.

[5:05:59] And I'm glad. Thank you to the visitors in the gallery for joining us today. It's important to us, uh, to be transparent, to explain a little bit of Senate procedure for those of us who are here for the first time. Appreciate your time. Thank you, Mr. President.

[5:06:11] All right. Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Um, we've got a minority report. Hold on one second, Senator, from the 56. We have a minority report and the senator from the 22nd. Senator fr- Yes, sir. Come on.

[5:06:34] Senator from the 22nd, the way is yours.

[5:06:42] Thank you, Mr. President. I'll be brief. I will, um, piggyback on some of the comments that the senator from the 14th that talked about, uh, equal protection because I think that's gonna be one of the major issues when this case goes to, um, court because it will actually go to court. And, uh, and understanding that it's important to actually make a, make a record of this particular situation. So, I wanna kind of just look at the law itself, the laws that this actually implicates because I think that'll be, actually becomes important. So first and foremost, we know that district attorneys are constitutional officers, and they have historically been elected through partisan elections similar to other constitutional officers which they are named in with the inside of the Constitution So with inside of the Constitution, the district attorneys are there with governor, lieutenant governor, commissioner, et cetera.

[5:07:31] They're there with other constitutional officers who also are elected from partisan elections. And this, of course, has been historically how that has been done. Now, also within those particular elections, the Constitution says that they have to be elected within the general election. What the legislature did some years ago was then codified that in OCGA 21-2-9 and basically said a general election means November election. That's what it means. So those constitutional officers have to be elected within a general election.

[5:08:04] General election is, is defined by saying it has to be within a November election. That is within the statutes. So the district attorneys have to be within a November election. We know that as a fact because this particular statute, this particular bill says that these new nonpartisan offices have to be now elected within the general election. So what you have is a recognition, you have a recognition that these DAs have to be elected within November, also within a general election, because the bill itself puts them there.

[5:08:35] So it's recognizing that there's actually a problem by making them nonpartisan. Because when you make them nonpartisan within the state of Georgia, it actually states within the statute that nonpartisan elections are going to be when? Within a general primary. That's what it says. So you have two different things actually crashing against each other. On one level, you're trying to say that you're gonna make it nonpartisan, which you're taking a constitutional officer out of his normal purview within the Constitution, which is always going to be a- a partisan.

[5:09:06] And then at the same time, you're saying you're gonna make it nonpartisan, but you're gonna actually do it within the general election cycle. That's not what the statute says. The general, the, the primary cycle statute says that it has to be done during the general primary. You can't make a primary election on the general election or the November election. The statute clearly says that a primary election goes on a primary election, not in a general election. It also clearly says that the only way you can change these to make them nonpartisan is really through a local act.

[5:09:37] This is not a local bill. It is not a local act. So you have various things going on here. Number one, you have, you're taking a constitutional officer, which is not a local officer, making them nonpartisan, which clearly is, is calculated they are going to be partisan based on this c- uh, this constitutional paragraph they're in. Number two, you're saying you're gonna make them nonpartisan, but you don't actually put them within the partis- nonpartisan election cycle. You put them within a partisan election cycle because you realize that the law is clear that you have to put them within the November election.

[5:10:09] And based upon that, here's the, the dichotomy that would take place. And the only reason that you're doing it is you created these ne- these metrics out of whole cloth that make no sense and said that these five African American women, they're so different because of size and because they got a medical examiner, and so therefore, we can now create them b- be nonpartisan. We don't have to follow the nonpartisan statute, and we can put them within a general election. Okay. The courts then are gonna say, "Well, can't you make up any metrics for anybody?

[5:10:43] Can't you find other DAs and just make up metrics for them?" That's what the court is gonna ask. And the answer's gonna be, "Well, yeah, we could." And at that point in time, you have an equal protection problem 'cause the fact of the matter is you could go collect five DAs from all over the state and create metrics for them and say, "Based on these metrics, we're going to change your b- y- your particular election cycle." And so we understand that we have a equal protection problem here because you're treating similarly situated people differently based on absolutely nothing.

[5:11:14] Similarly situated people, all of them follow the same law. Let's deal with the main issues with these DAs. All of them follow Georgia law. All of them graduated from law school. All of them prosecuting felonies. Also, some have the ability to prosecute misdemeanors. They all are subject to the same law, and the only difference that you're creating is saying, "Well, they have a medical examiner." You could do that from five DAs anywhere else within this state, but you're not doing that. And because you're not doing that, you have a equal protection problem 'cause the court would easily say, "Why don't you do that?

[5:11:45] Why don't you go collect five DAs from rural Georgia? Why don't you go c- collect five DAs from more northern Georgia and create metrics for them and put them on different election cycles?" There's no rational reason why you're not doing that other than the fact that you're targeting these five DAs. And so the bill itself recognizes the problem inherent within itself. Because if it truly believed that it was on the right footing, it would actually say that these elections should be in a true nonpartisan election, which is during the primary season. Once it starts saying that it's gonna be within the general election season, it is recognizing that we have a problem for, within the law, that these DAs are supposed to be in the general election.

[5:12:25] They're supposed to be within the November election, so we know that's the fact, so we're gonna do that, but at the same time try to make it nonpartisan, but you don't actually follow the law to make them nonpartisan. You actually do not follow the law because the law says a nonpartisan person actually is in a primary. But you skip that and you say, "No, we're gonna put them in a general election." So the law, this bill is totally confused. It's confused because you're targeting people, and the court is gonna say, "Why are you actually trying to do this? It makes no sense." Because anyone could go cluster five DAs, two DAs, three DAs, make any metric up they want, and start changing their election dates also, and that's not gonna s- stand, um, judicial scrutiny.

[5:13:04] It can't because that's actually the facts. The fact of the matter is next year we could go grab five other DAs, make up any metrics that we want, and say, "Now we're gonna change your election sy- cycle." Then we could go grab 10 if we want to. We can go grab two if we want to, make any little metric that we want and say, "We're now gonna go change your election cycle." Obviously, that's not constitutional. Obviously, that's not legal.

[5:13:27] And the court's basically gonna laugh this General Assembly out of the courtroom for even trying it. And we ought to be ashamed of ourselves for actually spending all this money that we're gonna spend defending this foolishness, which obviously is not going to be considered to be legal. There's no reason to actually do this. The bill itself is at war with itself. You make something nonpartisan, but you don't follow the nonpartisan law because you recognize the Constitution mandates that these folks are in a general election and they go against each other, and therefore the bill has no opportunity to actually be withstanding constitutional muster.

[5:13:59] And with that, Mr. President, I will yield the will.

[5:14:07] The senator's yielded. Senator, you'd like to close?

[5:14:23] Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, so much politics, so little time. My friend, the senator from the 14th and others, uh, said we should have principled votes. I was thinking like the principled votes that he and others made to have taxpayers fund sex changes for our convicted felons in the prison system by the taxpaying citizens of Georgia. Those kind of principled votes? I think not. Well, much has been made and talked about our DAs today, but you forgot all the other county elected officials that are in there, too.

[5:14:58] So when you talked about just DAs, you forgot about the county commissioners, the tax commissioner, and everybody else. And the reason we're doing this is because of that strong consolidated government in order to make it safer. Much was made about salaries. Of course, none of this has to do with salaries. That was just another talking point. And then one comment was made about district attorneys being elected in November, and there's no way they could set up their office. Quick update, DAs are always elected in November.

[5:15:28] That didn't change. So let's get back to what this is. This is a bill that makes perfect sense.

[5:15:37] If you're playing politics, you'll be against this. If you want to keep Georgians safe, you'll be for it. It's the right thing to do. From the day I got here to the day I leave here, it'll be about public safety and protecting each and every Georgian. Thank you. I urge your green vote, and I yield the will.

[5:15:57] The 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 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. The question is on the passage of the bill by substitute. All those in favor of the bill vote yay. Opposed, nay. Secretary, enlighten the machine.

[5:16:22] Order. Thank you.

[5:16:37] Make sure we got it. Before I get done, make sure I get the seats.

[5:16:51] What's up? What's up, man? How are you? How are you? Good. Me and Matt. Did you tick? We should. You get about three, four of your members to tick.

[5:17:26] On the passage of this House Bill 369, the yays are 32 and the nays are 21. And this bill has received requisite constitutional majority and therefore passed by substitute.

[5:17:47] That's why I hang on. That's why I don't follow you out. Secretary Reed, House Bill 438.

[5:18:03] That's why I hang on.

[5:18:12] House Bill 438 by Representative Crow of the 118th and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 2 of Title 47 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia so as to allow all sworn law enforcement officers serving in and the commissioner and deputy commissioner of the Department of Public Safety to be eligible for regular retirement benefits at the age of 55 years, certain disability benefits and certain provisions for purchasing cred- credible service to provide conditions for an effective date and automatic repeal to appeal conflicting laws for other purposes. Mr. President, the Committee of the Senate on Retirement recommends that this bill do pass.

[5:18:43] Respectfully submitted, Senator Williams, chairman. Mr. President, an auditor certification has been attached. An actuarial investigation. Mr. President, an actuarial investigation has also been attached. Mr. President, that completes the, the order. Recognize the senator from the 25th.

[5:19:13] Thank you, Mr. President. Ladies and gentlemen, bring to you a bill about law enforcement officers. We, uh, we're lucky in the state of Georgia that we have some dedicated men and women that really work and commit their lives to protecting the public

[5:19:34] Just right outside of our chamber, we have two mighty fine officers. One has on a blue uniform, one has on a black uniform. Say perhaps some emergency took place, both officers responded, both officers were injured. One officer wouldn't get the benefits that the other, other officer did, and this is about making the equalization of those people who place their lives on the line for us every day.

[5:20:13] And this is, uh, gives them the same retirement benefits, the same benefits of protection that they're afforded under the law. They have the same mandate training. They wear the same guns, the same tasers, the same vest. They take the same oath. And ladies and gentlemen, I'll stand for any questions. If there are none, I ask for your favorable consideration to let's support our law enforcement officers.

[5:20:45] Thank you, Mr. President.

[5:20:46] You have no questions, Senator.

[5:20:47] Thank you. I ask for your favorable consideration. Thank you.

[5:20:50] 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 reported committee, which is favorable to the passage of the bill? Chair hears none. The reported 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 will vote yay. All opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

[5:21:55] A card from Martha.

[5:21:57] Oh, yeah. Thank you.

[5:22:16] On the passage of the bill, the yeas are 52, the nays are 0. This bill having received the requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed.

[5:22:30] Good job, Senator. Uh, Secretary Reed, House Bill 519.

[5:22:42] House Bill 519 by Representative Stephens of the 164th and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Article II, Chapter 7 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to imposition, rate, computation, exemption, and credits so as to provide that the amount of the federal Work Opportunity Credit claimed by a taxpayer shall also be allowed as a tax credit against same income taxes to provide for conditions, eligibility, limitations, and recaptures, to provide for definitions, to provide for rules and regulations, to provide for automatic repeal, to provide for related matters, to provide for an effective date and applicability due to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes.

[5:23:13] Mr. President, the Committee of the Senate on Finance recommends that this bill do pass respectfully submitted Senator Hufstetler of the 52nd District. Chairman. Mr. President, a fiscal note has been attached. Mr. President, that completes the order.

[5:23:26] And Representative, thank you for the, the last bill. You and my representative and my senator got that done. All right. I, I had them talk in my ear right now, so I, I still, I didn't get to hear everything.

[5:23:38] No worries.

[5:23:39] Yeah, so thank y'all again for that effort on the last bill. So thank y'all very much.

[5:23:49] Recognize the senator from the fourth.

[5:24:02] Thank you, Mr. President. This bill is gonna be like the last bill, not like the one before the last bill. Very easy bill. House, House Bill 519, Georgia Work Opportunity Tax Credit. This credit creates a Georgia statewide work opportunity tax credit mirroring the l- longstanding federal program. Um, the main thing about this tax credit, and I hope we got some veterans, we're supposed to have some veterans in the audience. If y'all would please stand up. One of the big benefits of this tax credit is it allows people to hi- Thank y'all. Can we, can we recognize the veterans in the, in the balcony, please?

[5:24:47] Thank you, senators. One of the big, big things with this tax, with this tax credit, it allows employers to hire veterans for jobs. It's a $500 tax credit. Uh, it also, uh, allows, uh, for tax credit qual- people to qualify for SNAP benefits and TANF benefits, long-term unemployed individuals, so like six months or more, SS- SSI recipients. And another big thing that's close to my heart, it also allows this tax credit for people with dis- disabilities, whether it be physical or mental disabilities.

[5:25:23] And, and also ex-felons, individuals who experience homelessness. I want you to know that, uh, we've worked so hard with literacy on this thing, and this is another thing, another statistic that just blows my mind, that over 20% of the hirees, um- lack a high school diploma under this program. Um, um, employers only receive this credit when a job is actually filled. Re- research shows that for every one dollar invested, there's two dollars in return. There's a $10 million tax credit.

[5:25:54] Um, the tax credit cannot be, cannot exceed the tax liability, so it's not a refundable credit. And the t- and the tax credit cannot be carried forward or backward. And again, I thank you so much for the veterans for being here today. And, um, y'all please vote green on this bill. And Mr. President, I yield the will. Thank you.

[5:26:16] Thank you, Senator. Senator's yielded. 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. The previous question is ordered. Is there objection to agreeing to the order of committee, which is favorable to the passage of the bill? Chair hears none. The order of committee is agr- agreed to. Questions on the passage of the bill? All those in favor of the bill vote yay. Opposed, nay. Secretary will unlock the machine.

[5:26:43] Order.

[5:27:45] On the passage of the bill, the yays are 47, the nays are 1. This bill having received requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed.

[5:28:04] Secretary read House Bill 530.

[5:28:09] House Bill 530 by Representative Leverett of the 123rd and others. A bill to be entitled in act to amend Article 4 of Chapter 9 of Title 15 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to time, place, and procedure so as to provide for authorization for the electronic filings of pleadings in probate court, to provide for the promulgation of rules, to provide for fees, to provide for access to pleadings for certain staff and litigants, to provide for limitations, to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes. Mr. President, the Committee of the Senate on Judiciary recommends that this bill do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Strickland, the 42nd District chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Judiciary offers the following substitute to House Bill 530, a bill to be entitled in act to amend Article 4 of Chapter 9 of Title 15 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to time, place, and procedure so as to provide for electronic filing of pleadings and other documents in probate court, to provide for the promulgation of rules, to provide for fees, to provide for access to pleadings for certain staff and litigants, to provide for limitations and exceptions, to provide for applicability, to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes.

[5:29:05] Mr. President, I complete the order.

[5:29:12] Bring it down to senator from the 42nd.

[5:29:22] Thank you, Mr. President, members of the Senate. House Bill 530 just provides for electronic filing in our probate courts. This will make our probate courts get into the 21st century like we did with our superior state and magistrate courts. Creates a lot more efficiency and makes things a lot easier for these courts to operate. And also for those interact with these courts, makes it much easier where you can file now online once this passes. We did provide for those exceptions to deal with circumstances where paper filing is necessary and also make certain that resources are available for those who have to walk in and still wanna file inside the courts themselves.

[5:29:57] Happy to take any questions.

[5:30:02] No questions, Senator.

[5:30:02] I yield the will.

[5:30:04] Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Chair hears none. Is the previous question being ... Is there objection to the previous question be in order? Chair hears none. The 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 port- 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. The main question is ordered. The question is on the passage of the bill by substitute.

[5:30:35] All those in favor of the bill vote yay. Opposed, nay. Secretary, unlock the machine.

[5:30:46] Order.

[5:30:46] Mike, this is the card from Martha. If you wanna sign it-

[5:30:48] Oh, okay

[5:30:48] ... pass it down.

[5:30:49] All right.

[5:30:49] Thank you.

[5:31:42] Everything else is easy. Nick, from here on out, we're, uh, uh, you pass it down the, the line. Thanks, Mike.

[5:31:54] Hey, and I talked, I talked to Rob, and I talked to Brad, and this will be... Thanks.

[5:32:08] On the passage of the bill, the yeas are forty-eight and the nays are zero. This bill, having received a requisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed by substitute. Recognize the senator from the twenty-seventh. For what purpose do you rise? Mr. President, I ask you to amend this consent that Rule four point... Sorry, 4-2.1 be suspended to allow for the reading of a committee report and the second reading of the legislation on the report. Is there objection? Secretary, read the report.

[5:32:38] Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Transportation has had under consideration the following legislation, and instructs me to report the same back to the Senate with the following recommendation: House Bill 1300, do pass by substitute. House Bill 1277, do pass by substitute. House Bill 297, do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Dolezal of the twenty-seventh District. Chairman.

[5:33:01] House Bill 1277 by Representative Bartow of the fifth and others. Conservation of Natural Resources. Increase project cost threshold for public roads, roads, or airports requiring environmental evaluations. House Resolution 1300 by Representative Ford of the 170th and others. Representative Penny Houston Roundabout, Cook County, dedicate. Mr. President, that completes the order.

[5:33:23] Thank you, Senator. Moving on. Secretary, read House Bill 1112.

[5:33:35] House Bill 1112 by Representative Barrett of the twenty-fourth and others. A bill to be entitled An Act to amend Chapter One of Title 10 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to selling and other trade practices so as to provide for rounding of total price of the sale of goods or services when using legal tender to provide for tax exemptions, 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 Finance recommends that this bill do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Hufstetler of the fifty-second District. Chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Finance offers the following substitute to House Bill 1112, a bill to be entitled An Act to amend Chapter One of Title 10 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to selling and other trade practices so as to provide for rounding of total price of the sale of goods or services when using legal tender, to provide for payment in exact change when using legal tender, to provide for tax exemptions, to provide for certain immunities, to provide for definitions, to provide for related matters to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes.

[5:34:24] Mr. President, that completes the order.

[5:34:28] Recognize the senator from the fifty-second.

[5:34:41] Thank you, Mr. President. As you know, our former colleague is now US Treasurer Brandon Beach. Some know as BLB. And one of his things up there he did in his duties was to eliminate the penny. No longer in production. And so therefore, the, uh, National Conference of State Legislatures, and I'm on their finance board, made recommendations on how we round the penny, and we followed Brandon Beach, our US Treasurer's instructions, and did it in the same manner and put out that policy.

[5:35:14] And the good House member over there who did the bill followed the US Treasurer's instructions and did it the same way. And then it got to the House Rules, and somehow they changed the bill into something completely different, causing widespread panic among the retailers in Georgia. But I want you to know that we have restored it to the exact same way recommended by the US Treasurer in the Senate version.

[5:35:45] Uh, but we, we know of his hard work and what he did, and, and why they would wanna change his method of rounding the penny, I have no idea. It's pretty simple. If it's one or two or six or seven, you round down. If it's three or four or eight or nine, you round up. If it's two cents, that's less than a nickel, well, you're gonna pay a nickel, but if you're gonna do that, I'd probably buy two of them and get four cents for the same price, or m- maybe even better, buy three of them and get six cents, round it down to five. Um, it seems pretty simple to me.

[5:36:17] I'm not sure what happened in House Rules. I appreciate the, uh, House member over there who had the original bill, and we've restored it to that. If there's no questions, I'll yield the well. You do have a couple questions. Recognize the senator from the forty-eighth. Thank you, Mr. President. Senator yield? I will certainly yield. Senator, when you described the math just a moment ago, three and four and eight and nine round up, and one and two round down, but maybe round up, could you walk us through that math again?

[5:36:56] Because I think everybody was more confused after your explanation than we were before you started. So I gave too much information. Way too much information. If it's one and two, if your total comes out to one or two, you round down to zero. If it's three or four, you round up to five. If it's six or seven, you round down to five, and if it's eight or nine, you round up to 10. S- Senator, further yield? Pretty, pretty simple. I'll, I'll further yield. Yes, sir. Could you do that again, but in the voice of Charlie Brown's teacher? Because that's how it sounded to everybody in here. Um, I-

[5:37:26] I think once is probably enough on this long day. Would you, would you also not agree, Senator, that if not but for the, I don't know if you call it good work or dereliction of duty by our former colleague, that you would not be standing here right now having to answer these questions? We wouldn't be doing this except for him looking and saying, "Why are we paying five or six cents to mint a penny that's only worth a penny?" Fair enough. Thank you.

[5:37:57] Recognize the senator from the 55th.

[5:38:02] Thank you, Mr. President. Will the gentleman yield? I'll yield. I know, uh, I'm not on the committee that saw this, and I really am trying to understand how you come to the, what logic is there to go from one to two to six to seven at the end, and that you then round it down. What, what is the logic? I mean, I- You, you round up, you round up or down to the nearest zero, five or, or 10, and it all comes out pretty even that way.

[5:38:39] It's the recommendation of the National Board of Conference of Legislatures. To the nearest, to the nearest five cents. Mm-hmm. And it all evens out. Not the nearest 10. I love you. Thank you. All right, Senator. No more questions.

[5:38:58] Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Is there objection the previous question be in order?

[5:39:06] Chair hears none. Previous question is ordered. Questions on the adoption of the committee substitute. Is there adoption of the committee substitute? 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 passes of the bill? Chair hears none. The reporter committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question be in order? Chair hears none. The main question is ordered. Questions on the passes of the bill by substitute. All those in favor of the bill will vote yay. Opposed, nay. Secretary will unlock the machine.

[5:39:40] Senator from the 27th, for what purpose do you rise? Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. President. State your inquiry. Is it not true that we have the Treasury of the United States on the phone and he just informed me that, uh, when he looks in the mirror a- and asks himself what does he see, that the answer is a good-looking stud named BLB. Is that not true, Mr. President? That's, that sounds like something he would say. Recognize the senator from the 14th. What pur- what purpose do you rise? Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, parliamentary inquiry. State your inquiry. Uh, Mr.

[5:40:11] President, is it not true that when the federal government came to its determination on this issue, it turned to Georgia and said, "You follow me"? Recognize the senator from the 13th. For what purpose do you rise? Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. President. State your inquiry. Mr. President, is a penny earned a penny saved still valid? I don't believe they're making the pennies anymore. Recognize the senator from the 23rd. Is it not true, uh, parliamentary inquiry? Yes, sir. Is it not true that this legislation is not worth a dime? That's, that's, that's the answer to most pieces of legislation lately.

[5:40:44] I can't even believe we're passing most of this stuff right now, so.

[5:40:50] All right.

[5:40:54] On the passages of the bill, the yays are 50 and the nays are zero. This bill having received requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed by substitute.

[5:41:05] No offense to whoever authored that last bill. I don't even, I, I'm sure it's great. So. All right, moving on. Secretary Reed, House Bill 1128.

[5:41:23] House Bill 1128 by Representative Sebaugh of the 34th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Code Section 34-9-26 of the OCGA relating to re- required notice regarding injured peace officers so as to provide that the State Board of Workers' Compensation shall provide for notice of eligibility for compensation to an injured employee to his or her legal guardian to amend Code Section 35-1-24 of the OCGA relating to peace officers eligible for indemnification or disability compensation and notifications so as to provide that law enforcement agencies shall provide notice of eligibility for compensation to an injured employee to his or her legal guardian to amend Part 1 of Article 5 of Chapter 9 of Title 45 of the OCGA relating to the Georgia State Identification Fund so as to provide for an application window for eligib- eligible individuals incapacitated by organic brain damage as sustained in line of duty on or before July 1st, 2024 to provide for automatic repeal, to provide for related matters, to provide for an effective date to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes.

[5:42:16] Mr. President, the Committee of the Senate on Judiciary recommends that this bill do pass respectfully submitted Senator Strickland of the 42nd District. Chairman, Mr. President, that completes the order. Recognize the senator from the 32nd.

[5:42:42] Thank you, Mr. President. This bill honors our commitment to Georgia's law enforcement officers who have been seriously injured in the line of duty. In limited circumstances, offers who su- officers who sustained brain damage while protecting the public were unable to meet the original application deadline for state indemnification benefits due to their injuries. This legislation creates a one-time narrowly tailored opportunity for affected officers or their legal guardians to reapply for indemnification benefits.

[5:43:16] This would reopen the window for a period from July 1st to August 1st, allowing eligible individuals to submit applications. This is not likely to come up again because there was a House Bill 105 that was signed into law last year that requires the State Board of Workers' Comp to notify the legal guardian of the injured person.

[5:43:40] This is a governor's bill and it helps, uh, a few people, and I would ask for your favorable consideration. Happy to take any questions. No questions, Senator. Thank you. I yield. Is there any other senator who wishes to speak for or against the measure? Chair hears none. Is there objection to the previous question being ordered? Chair hears none and the previous question is ordered. Is there objection to agreeing 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.

[5:44:10] Is there objection to the main question being ordered? The chair hears none and the main question is ordered. Question is on the pass of the bill. All those in favor of the bill will vote yay. Opposed, nay. The secretary will unlock the machine.

[5:45:20] Senator f-

[5:45:23] uh, on the pass of the bill, the yays are forty-nine and the nays are zero. This bill, having received the requisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed.

[5:45:36] Secretary will read the caption to House Bill 1185.

[5:45:45] House Bill 1185 by Representative Strachan of the 104th and others, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Titles 14 and 15 to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to cor- corporations, partnerships, and associations and courts respectively, so as to provide for certain shareholder claims to be brought before the Georgia Statewide Business Court, to prevent a corporation's bylaws or articles of incorporation to require certain claims to be heard by the Georgia Statewide Business Court, to provide for removal of certain claims to the Georgia Statewide Business Court, to provide for attorney's fees and costs, to exempt payment of attorney's fees and costs in certain s- situations, to provide for definitions, to provide for an effective date and applicability, and to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes.

[5:46:21] Mr. President, the committee of the Senate on Judiciary recommends that this bill do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Strickland of the 42nd District. Chairman. Mr. President, Senators Tillery of the 19th and others offers the following amendment to amend House Bill 1185. Amendment one, by striking the language on line twenty-o-one after the semicolon and striking lines twenty-two through twenty-six and turning the semicolon into a period. Striking the language after the semicolon on line 248 and striking lines 249 through 251 and turning the semicolon into a period. Striking the language after the period on line 273 and striking lines 274 to 277.

[5:46:55] Restoring the stricken language on lines thirty- 358, 369, and 370. Mr. President, that completes the order. Senator from the 27th. Senator from the 27th.

[5:47:12] Senator from the 27th, your light is on. What purpose do you rise?

[5:47:21] It's not on now. Okay, it was on. I recognize the senator from the 50th to speak to House Bill 1185.

[5:47:54] Thank you, Mr. President. Rise today for House Bill 1185, which is a governor's bill. It was passed in the House. Um, I'll briefly go over what it does. It's focused on the Statewide Business Court. Uh, first, the bill introduces a standardized way to handle disputes that are internal to a business's operations. Second, the bill places stricter requirements on shareholders who wish to sue on behalf of the corporation.

[5:48:25] In this bill, the rules for when and why a shareholder can look at company books are being tightened to prevent litigation-related fishing expeditions. The bill extends certain liability protections that were previously focused on directors to include officers as well. And there, this bill creates new rules to clarify how cases move into the Statewide Business Court. I'm being made aware that there are several amendments being passed around. Um, because I have not had a chance to look at all these, what I'd like to do is allow the amendments to be presented, and then I can come back and close and answer any questions at that time.

[5:49:04] But I would ask right now to support the bill as is, and then we'll be happy to address amendments as I get the chance to see them. And with that, Mr. President, I will yield the floor.

[5:49:19] I recognize the senator f- Uh, we have a second amendment that's arrived. Secretary, read the Amendment 2.

[5:49:28] Mr. President, Senators McNeill of the 18th and others offers the following amendment, Amendment 2. Amend House Bill 1185 by replacing lines one and two with the following to amend titles nine, nine, 14, 15, and 51 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to civil practice, corporations, partnerships, and associations, courts and torts respectively, so as to provide for by inserting after situations on line seven the following to revise a provision for consolidation of civil actions, to repeal certain provisions for the joining of multiple claims in a single action for venue and forum and for consolidation of claims by inserting after line 400 the following Section 21, Title IX of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to civil practice is amended in Code Section 9-11-42 relating to consolidation and evidence by revising subsection A as follows.

[5:50:10] Mr. President, that completes the order.

[5:50:15] Senator from the 6th, what purpose do you rise?

[5:50:20] Mr. President, I'd like for a, uh, ruling on germaneness. Of course you would.

[5:50:32] Let me look at it. Get out my rule book here.

[5:50:45] While I contemplate the germaneness of, I guess you're saying amendment one or both of them, I don't know. But while I look at that- Mr. President, I challenge the ruling of the chair.

[5:51:01] Things fall apart, sir. I withdraw. I'm undefeated so far, but this could be the day. All right. He withdraws. I recognize the senator from the 19th to speak to amendment one.

[5:51:21] Thank you, Mr. President. Members of the Senate. Business courts. About four or five years ago, those were brought to our chamber as a new court system and the Senate killed it for two years in a row. We did not think we needed a new court system. We thought our superior courts were doing just fine, and creating new bureaucracy and new courts at the expense of taxpayers is just not something that the Senate agreed with. Because the House sent it across several different times, and at the urging of the second floor, we eventually passed a constitutional amendment to allow business courts to be set up.

[5:51:59] But the senator from the 46th, myself, the senator from the now 42nd, um, and others insisted that the only way claims should ever get to this business court is if two parties agreed. Well, why does that matter? Because the way the Constitution's set up right now, if you are sued, you are sued in your home county in almost every single instance. I think there's one little exception. But in every single instance, you're sued in your home county with a jury of your peers.

[5:52:31] The business court would upend that. You would be tried in a business court. There would be proceedings that happened in Atlanta. We did give an option for Macon at the time, but it ended up locating in Atlanta. And so if you lived in other parts of the state, you'd be drug to Atlanta to litigate your claims, and we just did not think that was fair, and we argued before the constitutional amendment, correctly argued, that it was unconstitutional. Folks should be tried by the jury of their peers in their home county. Again, the House pulled a little bit of a move over there and decided they'd send us a bill that made that a, a little am- big ambiguity existed as to whether or not people would still be sued in their home county or could be sued in business court.

[5:53:12] The Senate multiple times has flatly rejected that notion. We have said, "If you're gonna sue Georgia citizens or Georgia businesses, you sue them where they are, not where you can drag them." House Bill 1185 takes and eats away at that rule slightly, and in a partial way, I can support that. We want businesses to locate in our state. We'd like for Fortune 500 companies to relocate from where they're currently in- uh, incorporated in Delaware to Georgia. And if that means we need to allow them to have their cases in business courts, then that's perfectly fine.

[5:53:48] But the definition used in lines 20, it starts at line 16 through 26, for what an internal entity claim means is simply too broad. It starts out talking about claims against current or former directors, officers, shareholders, members, partners, and that's great. But when you get to the however, it gets a whole lot bigger. Senator from the thir- did any of y'all have a, a newspaper that was laid on your desk earlier today? You had the newspaper, maybe the senator from the, the 14th.

[5:54:20] You got that there? Can I hold it?

[5:54:26] After the however, we get to a portion that says, "However, any claim, action, or proceeding that challenges the sufficiency of an entity's disclosures or otherwise alleging a breach of duty of disclosure against an entity organized under this title," means any corporation, "shall be brought also in this business court." I'm not sure it would include these claims, but that definition is so broad, I'm not sure it doesn't include coal ash claims made against Georgia Power, a duty to disclose that to EPD.

[5:54:57] I'm not sure it doesn't include the claims we had laid on our desk this morning about forever chemicals and PFAS. Would PFAS claims now, failure to disclose a duty to the EPD or the EPA, would those claims now be able to be brought in business courts? I'm not sure. So that's why I've offered this amendment. It strikes lines 21 after the semicolon through the rest of the act and leaves it just with these things we're talking about, claims against directors, former directors, officers, shareholders, and members.

[5:55:36] On line two forty-nine through, uh, two fifty-one, you'll see this bill also has an inclusion of an attorney's clai- attorney's fees claim, uh, provision. What it says is that in a derivative action, if a plaintiff brings a derivative action against a company and wins, but all they brought was that action, that they can't receive their attorney's fees for it. Now, I would generally be okay with that. I understand attorney's fees are paid by different, by each side.

[5:56:06] But if you turn over a few pages to lines two seventy-five, you see that if someone brings a claim for inspection of the books and the defendants win, then not is it to be decided by the judge if it's reasonable that a plaintiff be awarded or the defendant be awarded their attorney fees, it literally says on line two seventy-five that the court shall order the member demanding inspection to pay the limited liability company's cost and reasonable attorney's fees. My argument here isn't that one side should pay or the other side should pay, it's simply that the common law should stand and what's good for the goose should be good for the gander.

[5:56:43] If we're gonna award at- attorney's fees in one instance, we should allow it to be awarded in the other. And if we're not gonna award it in one instance, then why would we, uh, require another party to pay it in a separate action? So what the m- second and third parts of that amendment do is strike those attorney fees provisions altogether. It doesn't award it to the plaintiffs, it doesn't award it to the defendants, it just stays neutral on the topic unless the judge make the decision as they can already under Title Nine. The last portion of this amendment, lines ten and eleven of my amendment, look at lines three fifty-eight, three sixty-nine, and three seventy.

[5:57:20] When we agreed originally to the business court, we said that it required two-party consent. We saw that eroded away by the constitutional amendment. When the enabling legislation came over, we again insisted on two-party consent, and we saw that eroded away by the enabling legislation. This erodes away at it again at a final straw, and it strikes the presumption that civil actions will remain in the county where you live, not drug to Atlanta to the business court. In lines three fifty-eight, they strike the presumption on the underlying bill, strikes the presumption that this court should be, uh, that you should be tried in your home county.

[5:57:57] In lines three sixty-nine and three seventy, this bill strikes the presumptions that you should be tried in your home county. What this amendment does is restores that stricken language, restores the presumption that you should be tried in your home county instead of drug to Atlanta to litigate your claims. Members, my amendment just reiterates the Senate's position. It makes sure that PFAS claims aren't drug into business courts, that those folks get to try those in the county where they live right now.

[5:58:28] It makes sure that attorney's fees provisions aren't tried one way and then another. We strike it out completely, let the common law and the courts decide, and we restore the stricken language that restores the presumption that you are tried in your home county, not in the county that a plaintiff can drag you to, especially if that county ends up being Fulton and you're drug to Atlanta. Happy to take any questions, or Mr. President, if there are no questions, I'll yield the floor.

[5:58:57] There are questions. I recognize the senator from the thirteenth.

[5:59:03] Sir, do you yield?

[5:59:04] Yes, sir.

[5:59:05] Sir, in, in layman's terms, if you don't mind, could you kind of just explain the difference between business court, superior court, et cetera, et cetera, if you don't mind?

[5:59:14] Yeah. We have various different court systems. That's why, again, we wondered why we were going to create a business court. Uh, state court claims usually involve misdemeanors. They also can involve civil claims. There is no dollar requirement of, of what can or can't go to state court. In superior court, you have felonies. You also have, uh, no dollar restrictions. There's some claims in equity and titles to land of cases that have to be tried in superior courts. Business courts are supposed to be, at least those we are creating them, about shareholder cases, the creations of business. Maybe it's the merger, uh, acquisition, or dissolution of a business.

[5:59:46] That's what we think is supposed to be tried in business court. But the definition, again, that I pointed you to in line sixteen through twenty-six says that it's any claim at all involving a breach of duty of disclosure. I would argue that the cases on PFAS right now include a breach of duty of disclosing that they were releasing PFAS into the environment. Tell me then how that case doesn't get drugged to, to business court. So let's strike those provisions and make sure that we keep those cases where they're supposed to be, in superior court and not drugged to Atlanta.

[6:00:16] One more question, Senator.

[6:00:17] Yes, sir.

[6:00:17] I certainly agree with your amendment. I just want to make sure, are business courts in every jurisdiction or county or however they set up in regards to like, say, rural Georgia, et cetera?

[6:00:26] They're, they're not. There's a statewide business court, and that's what this bill applies to. There are certain counties that have their own business court, Fulton having one. This doesn't apply to that at all. It's only the statewide business court and whether or not venues should be expanded to allow other entities to be drug to Atlanta for cases that they think they were otherwise trying in their home counties.

[6:00:45] Thank you, Senator.

[6:00:46] Thank you.

[6:00:48] Senator from the forty-sixth, you're recognized for a question or two.

[6:00:53] Thank you, Mr. President. Will the senator yield for-

[6:00:55] Yes, sir

[6:00:55] ... two or three questions real quick? Am I right that most of these national corporations either have their headquarters or their registered agent in Fulton County anyway?

[6:01:07] They probably do.

[6:01:09] So the-

[6:01:09] Or Gwinnett

[6:01:09] ... so not such an imposition for them to be sued in the business court because it's still gonna be in Fulton County.

[6:01:16] That's right.

[6:01:17] But all the small businesses around the state that are located in our communities or have their registered agents might prefer to have their case tried in their local superior court, but could be forced to go to the business court if we pass this bill unamended.

[6:01:35] You're, you're absolutely correct, and you've worked for many years on this. I know that, uh, I appreciate your help, uh, your tutelage, and also just the experience you bring to this issue.

[6:01:44] And a final question. Even with your amendments, on page sixteen down there under subparagraph four- It specifies that those sort of, uh, presumptions will not apply to these type of disputes that this bill is addressing. So-

[6:02:04] Correct

[6:02:04] ... companies can still be forced to go to business court for these type of shareholder disputes even with your amendments.

[6:02:14] They can.

[6:02:15] Okay.

[6:02:15] They can write it in their bylaws, and the presumption that we have that's, was stricken on those three lines that I mentioned to you does not even apply in that business setting that you mentioned, which raises the question, why would we want that presumption stricken? It can't be to help businesses-

[6:02:32] Yeah

[6:02:32] ... relocate to the state.

[6:02:34] So you would agree that's kind of superfluous what you're striking as far as the subject matter of this bill?

[6:02:40] I, as to the subject matter of this bill, yeah, I don't think it has a relevance.

[6:02:43] Thank you for your short pause, Senator.

[6:02:45] Thank you.

[6:02:48] That's all the questions, Senator.

[6:02:50] Thank you, Senator. I urge your favorable consideration of amendment one.

[6:03:00] We've got more amendments that have arrived. Secretary, read the additional amendments.

[6:03:07] Mr. President, Senator Hatchett of the 50th offers the following amendment. Amend amendment three. Amend House Bill 1185, inserting after court on lines 343 and 379 and after document on line 400 the following, "And provided further that such requirement shall be implied in the articles of incorporation and bylaws for entities organized under Chapter 2 of Title 14 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated on or after July 1st, 2026, and entities converted to a corporation under code Section 14-2-1109.2 on or after July 1st, 2026, unless otherwise provided therein." Inserting after court on line 389 the following, "Provided that such requirement shall be implied in the articles of incorporation and bylaws for entities organized under Chapter 2 of Title 14 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated on or after July 1st, 2026, and entities c- converted to a corporation under code Section 14-2-1109.2 on or after July 1st, 2026, unless otherwise proved therein." And

[6:04:07] Mr. President, Senator Hatchett of the 50th offers the following amendment to amend House Bill

[6:04:15] 1185, amendment 1A, by striking lines one through 11 and replacing with by adding brought by a shareholder or a member after the word proc- proceeding on line 22, by striking the language after the period on line 273 and striking lines 274 through 277. Mr. President, Senator McNeel of the 18th offers the following amendment to amend House Bill 1185, amendment 2A, by-

[6:04:49] Amendment 2A, amend as follows, strike line 10 through 18, line 33, strike A and insert B, line 38, strike five and insert, strike, uh, strike B and insert C. Line 33, insert a new subsection A to read as follows, A, notwithstanding any code section to the contrary for claims brought under this code section when actions involving a code s- actions involving a common question of law or fact are pending before the court, the court may order a joint hearing or trial of a, of any or all the matters on, in issue in the actions.

[6:05:25] It may order all the actions consolidated, and it may make such orders concerning proceedings therein as may tend to avoid unnecessary costs or delays. Mr. President, Senator McLaurin of the 14th offers amendment 3A, amend amendment three to House Bill 1185 by striking the second comma in the second block of text to be inserted. Mr. President, that completes the order.

[6:05:53] Chair recognizes senator from the 6th. What purpose do you rise?

[6:05:57] Mr. President, I'd like to make a motion to resolve debate.

[6:06:03] Senator from the 6th has made a motion to resolve debate. Is there objection?

[6:06:08] Objection.

[6:06:09] There is objection. All senators in-

[6:06:22] All senators in favor of the motion to resolve debate will vote yay. Those opposed will vote nay. The secretary will unlock the machine.

[6:06:35] Senator from the 50th, what purpose do you rise?

[6:06:37] Parliamentary inquiry.

[6:06:39] State your inquiry.

[6:06:40] Is it not true that I want this to move as fast as possible, but if we resolve debate, then we cannot add any more amendments or make any changes to any amendments that are on the floor right now? It would completely shut off any and all m- amendments. Which I understand, but isn't that true?

[6:06:55] Uh, it will cut off any further amendments. We've probably only got eight now.

[6:07:26] Mr. President?

[6:07:26] I don't feel comfortable even hearing.

[6:07:28] If we were to table this bill right now after this, after this amendment-

[6:07:35] Senate loves to debate. Clearly, senator from the 6th, this is a contentious and, uh, group that likes to debate. Um, on the motion to resolve debate, the yays are 14 and the nays are 35. The motion fails.

[6:07:59] All right. Chair recognizes the senator from the 18th to speak to his amendment.

[6:08:06] I,

[6:08:12] I guess not.

[6:08:28] Thank you, Mr. President. I would like to propose to my colleagues amendment number two here. I am for the second amendment, um, on the record here. But this is, what it was attempting to do is consolidate a class of cases that are languishing in our state and civil or superior courts where the plaintiff has to file suit in the county in which they live, and some of these counties in our rural areas have very long civil trial terms, uh, that aren't coming frequently enough because these are t- the types of cases that could take five weeks and clog up our, our judicial pipeline for a, a undue amount of time, and we don't want to have our courts held up by these highly specialized cases.

[6:09:16] And what I'm attempting to do with amendment two as well as 2A, which you'll have on your desk here shortly, is to simply provi- give the trial courts the ability to consolidate. These trials are in vast, all around the rural parts of our states and are being held up just 'cause of they don't have enough civil trial terms to try these multi-week cases, and it would just add, add to these plaintiffs' abilities to hel- um, consolidate these trials. It would allow for better judicial efficiency and save on our resources and when it comes to, you know, forming juries and, and getting these experts in line and, and having these cases tried in an, in a, at a timely manner.

[6:09:59] Um, but amendment 2A that you should have on your desk will simply, um, add on amendment two in section 25 just saying notwithstanding any code section, um, to the... I can't read my handwriting here. Um, just simply allowing these trial judges to consolidate these actions if they see us in the best interest for judicial economy. Thank you, and, uh, I'll answer any questions if there are any.

[6:10:31] If there are none, I will yield the will. You do have a question- Okay ... Senator, I believe. Recognize the senator from the 29th. Thank you, Mr. President. Senator yield? He does. Senator, is your intent with amendment two and amendment 2A, is the sole purpose of these amendments to give the judge the opportunity to consolidate cases? Yes. That's your sole intent on amendment two and amendment 2A?

[6:11:02] That and, and judicial economy to allow th- these trials to be- I'm, I'm sorry, Senator. Give me a second. Hey, guys. I can't hear. Thank you. Go ahead. Yes. What, what... Go ahead. You were s- I was asking you if that was your sole intent, and then you were expounding upon- Yes. Yeah. And, and to hopefully have better judicial economy and pull in some of these trial, pending trials, or cases I should say, 'cause they're, they're not being tried yet, pulling them together to allow for better judicial economy and save on our taxpayers', uh, resources when they're, when they're having to panel juries, each party's having to retain their experts, pay their experts, and it would allow for consolidated trials if, if the judge so, uh, granted motions to this, to that effect.

[6:11:48] Thank you, Senator. I appreciate that.

[6:11:52] Thank you. Senator from the 46, you're recognized. Thank you, Mr. President. Senator yield? Yes. Senator, what, what in the world does this have to do with business courts, the underlying bill that you're trying to amend? Well, some of these cases involve businesses and, and these, these, these partic- particular cases are outside the business courts, yes. But these, these cases are germane to litigation and, and venue and therein.

[6:12:25] Uh, Senator further yield? Yes. This body has made it a point in the business courts that both parties would consent to go to business court. How many, how many do we have here now? Your amendment f- potentially forces a defendant to agree to try multiple cases in one trial absent their consent, right? Somebody took my- Upon the judge's discretion, yes. Okay. And can't, doesn't this necessarily greatly expand the litigation by having multiple plaintiffs, each having different distinct injuries potentially that need to be investigated and researched in order to prepare for the trial?

[6:13:03] I disagree with that- Okay ... that statement. Well, Senator yield? These are, these are, these are existing cases that can be around our state in various state superior courts around the state that can be consolidated, um, for efficiency's sake. Will Senator yield for one more question? Yes. Isn't there already a procedure in place for a group of similarly situated plaintiffs to petition for class action and be allowed to bring all their cases in one group?

[6:13:34] There is very high hurdle, or hurdle to, to reach, but there is, assuming all of the damages are, you know, equally enough among the plaintiffs, but that doesn't necessarily happen in, in many cases. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. And with that, I'll yield the will.

[6:13:56] I recognize the senator from the f- 50th. What purpose do you rise? Mr. President, I move to table.

[6:14:04] Senator from the 50th has moved to table the bill. That takes precedent. Is there objection?

[6:14:14] Objection.

[6:14:14] There is objection. Those in favor of the motion to table will vote yay, those opposed will vote n-no. S-secretary will unlock the machine.

[6:14:45] Senators,

[6:14:49] tabling the, the bill does not kill the bill, it just buys time to understand all of what's going on.

[6:15:18] Senator from the 13th, what's your, what's your inquiry?

[6:15:22] Won't this make about a two or three good, uh, hour bill on day 40 and we'll play with it two or three, four hours?

[6:15:28] Uh, each and every senator can make that determination. On the motion to table, the yays are 27 and the nays are 23. The motion to table has prevailed and House Bill 1185 is placed on the table.

[6:15:50] Secretary will read the caption to House Bill 1247.

[6:16:04] House Bill 1247 by Representative Reeves, the 99th and others, a bill to be entitled in act to amend Chapter One of Title 15 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to general provisions so as to prohibit courts and administrative officers from deferring to agency interpretations of laws and regulations. To provide for a short title, to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes. Mr. President, the Committee of the Senate on Judiciary recommends that this bill do pass by substitute. Respectfully submitted, Senator Strickland, the 42nd District chairman. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Judiciary offers the following substitute to House Bill 1247, a bill to be entitled an act to amend titles 15, 31, 48, and 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to courts, health, revenue and taxation, and state government respectively, so as to prohibit courts and administrative officers from deferring to agency, and for other purposes.

[6:16:48] Mr. President, Senator Cowsert of the 46th District and others offers the following amendment to amend House Bill 1247. Amendment one, by striking but by less than two-thirds of the vote on line 123, by striking lines 125 through 129 following the first veto. Mr. President, that completes the order.

[6:17:10] I recognize the senator from the 50th District to speak to House Bill 1247.

[6:17:26] Thank you, Mr. President. I rise to bring House Bill 1247. Uh, this is dealing with deference that a court gives to agency rules. Um, a couple years ago we passed a bill that stated that a tax tribunal could no longer give deference to the agency, um, agency rules and they would have to give deference to the legislature and the rules that we made. Uh, this does the same thing for all agencies. Um, it adds a new code section, 15-1-24, stating that when any court or administrative hearing officer interprets the Georgia Constitution statutes or published rules, they cannot defer to a state agency's interpretation, whether written or unwritten.

[6:18:11] In 2021, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 185, as I said earlier, which eliminated all judicial deference to subregulatory interpretations from the Department of Revenue in matters involving litigation between taxpayers and DOR. This is simply our attempt to do that for all agencies. There's a friendly amendment from my friend from Athens. He's got a pretty good story as to how this amendment came about. Uh, I will be supporting that as friendly and would ask you as well, but, um, Mr. President, I'm happy to answer any questions, or with that ask for your favorable consideration, we yield the bill.

[6:18:45] Senator from the 46th.

[6:18:48] I'll waive.

[6:18:48] All right, he waives. No questions, senator.

[6:18:51] Thank you, Mr. President, I yield the bill.

[6:18:54] Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Chair-

[6:19:06] Senator from the 46th, do you wanna present your amendment?

[6:19:12] I'll waive.

[6:19:12] Okay, thank you. Just wanted to be sure. Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? The chair hears none. Is there objection to the previous question being ordered? The chair hears none and the previous question is ordered. The question is on the adoption of amendment one by the senator from the 46th. Is there objection to the adoption of the amendment?

[6:19:31] Objection.

[6:19:33] There is objection. Senator, do you want to speak to your objection?

[6:19:45] You're recognized.

[6:19:55] She, she waives.

[6:20:02] Questions on adoption.

[6:20:03] The question is on the adoption of amen- amendment one. Is there, there, we already went through that. There was an objection, but we're gonna vote on it. Um, all those in favor of amendment one will vote yay. Those opposed, nay. The secretary will unlock the machine.

[6:20:38] On the

[6:21:24] adoption of amendment one, the yays are thirty-three, the nays are eighteen, and the amendment is adopted.

[6:21:33] Now we'll take up the amended bill. The question is on the adoption of the committee substitute as amended. Is there objection to the adoption of the committee substitute as amended? Hearing none, the committee substitute as amended is adopted. Is there objection to agreeing the report of the committee which favor the passage of the bill? The chair hears none. The report of the committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered? The chair hears none. The main question is ordered. The question is on the passage of the bill by substitute. All those in favor of the bill will vote yay.

[6:22:04] Opposed, nay. Secretary will unlock the machine.

[6:23:08] Senator Echols, you may wanna vote.

[6:23:13] On the passage of the bill, the yays are forty-eight, the nays are two. This bill, having received the requisite constitutional majority, is therefore, therefore passed by substitute.

[6:23:25] Secretary, read the caption of House Bill 1266.

[6:23:32] House Bill 1266 by Representative Ridley of the sixth and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 1 of Chapter 7 of Title 52 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to general provisions regarding registration, operation, and sale of watercraft so as to repeal a provision relative to the use of certain motors on vessels being operated on the Ogeechee River to provide for related matters to repeal conflicting laws for other purposes. Mr. President, the Committee of the Senate on Natural Resources and the Environment recommends that this bill do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Anderson, Chairman. Mr. President, that completes the order. I recognize the senator from the eighth to speak to House Bill 1266.

[6:24:09] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. All this bill does is currently in law, there is, uh, if you read it, it strikes out where it says motor in excess of nine point nine horsepower. So there is a stretch of river that's about ten miles long on the Ogeechee River that you can't run anything more than a nine point nine horsepower motor, and it's been that way for about thirty-five years. It is the only stretch of river in the state of Georgia that is that way. Well, apparently about thirty-five years ago, the chairman of the committee that had this bill had a house on the river.

[6:24:44] And so back then, people ran two-stroke motors. Now they run four-stroke motors. They're a lot more quiet. But it's kinda nuts the way it is right now, and I've had friends from that area call me because you can literally be going down the river, and if you've got a twenty-five horsepower motor and you're gonna lift your motor up and run a trolling motor to fish, you're breaking the law if you use the trolling motor to go in there and fish. All this does is strikes that language from thirty-five years ago. It's a bill about freedom. I urge your favorable consideration, and Mr. President, I yield the well.

[6:25:18] Uh, senator has yielded the well. Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Chair hears none. Is there objection to the previous question being ordered? The chair hears none and the previous question is ordered. Is there objection to agreeing the report of the committee which favor the passage of the bill? The chair hears none. The report of the c- committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered? The chair hears none. The main question is ordered. The question is on the passage of the bill. All those in favor of the bill will vote yay. Opposed, nay. Secretary will unlock the machine.

[6:25:55] Senator from the twenty-third, what purpose do you rise? Parliamentary inquiry. State your inquiry. Is it not true that the Ogeechee River, through this stretch, is the most beautiful river in Georgia and has the finest redbreast fishing in the state? Uh, beauty's in the, uh, the beholder, but I, I would love to fish there if there are fish there.

[6:26:22] Senator from the twenty-ninth. Parliamentary inquiry. State your inquiry. Is it not true that my sister's husbands are my brother-in-laws? Uh, in, in the state of Georgia, I think so. Yes, sir.

[6:26:46] Has all senators voted? No. On the pass of the bill, the yeas are forty-seven, the nays are one. This bill, having received the requisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed.

[6:27:00] Secretary read House Bill 1328.

[6:27:09] House Bill 1328 by Representative Wade of the ninth and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Subpart 5A of Part 3 of Article 7 of Chapter 3 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to University of North Georgia Military Scholarships so as to authorize the selection committee to select additional scholarship recipients, to authorize additional nominations for candidates to receive a scholarship, to provide a limit on the number of scholarships that could be awarded, to provide criteria for selecting scholarship recipients, to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes. Mr. President, the Committee of the Senate on Higher Education recommends that this bill do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Burns of the twenty-third District.

[6:27:41] Chairman. Mr. President, that completes the order. I recognize the senator from the fifty-first to speak to the bill.

[6:27:53] Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, I have a great piece of legislation we're all gonna support today. Earlier this, this morning, you saw the cadets that were over by the wall. There were eight UNG cadets here from Dahlonega. Those are the future leaders of our armed forces. They're all about to be commissioned into the US Army, and they're all recipients of the Georgia Military Scholarship that's been in statute for many, many years. This bill simply modernizes the, the Georgia Military Service Scholarship to support UNG's Corps of the Future strategy.

[6:28:26] I wanna remind you that University of North Georgia is, by statute, the Military College of Georgia. It's the military, senior military college of, of, uh, the United States under Title 10. It's the America's Corps, which is the only all-Army ROTC senior military college in the nation today. It's the largest commissioning source for the Georgia's Army National Guard unit. In fact, sixty percent of the current officers are North Georgia graduates. It's the only senior military college with a fully embedded National Guard unit, which is the University of North Georgia's National Guard Detachment.

[6:29:02] Let me talk a little bit about some of the Corps cadets that have come through North Georgia College in Dahlonega. The class of two thousand twenty-five and '26 delivered three of the top Army ROTC cadets in the United States. They have the number one Army active duty cadet. Out of five thousand five hundred and thirty-eight cadets in the country, he's the number one cadet in the country. We have the number one Army National Guard cadet in the United States out of a hundred and forty-nine. And we have the one, the number one Army nursing cadet among the senior military colleges across the country.

[6:29:35] All of that in one calendar year. UNG delivered twenty-one distinguished military students and thirty-seven distinguished military graduates, top producers in the United States. UNG received an invitation to Sandhurst Competition in two thousand and twenty-six, which is a very supreme and superior invitation. Current senior ground force commander in the Middle East today is Major General Kevin Lambert, a UNG grad of 1993. He's commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve.

[6:30:08] Another person you probably re- recognize is the current adjutant general of the Georgia National Guard, who's also a UNG graduate, Major General Richard D. "Duane" Wilson. The current assistant adjutant general of the Georgia National Guard is a UNG graduate, Brigadier General Jason Freiman. There's over sixty generals that have graduated from the University of North Georgia. Many of them used the Georgia Military Scholarship to s- find their success. Other names that you might recognize, General four-star, uh, uh, Stephen Townsend, class of 1982, who commanded US Africa Command in Operation Inherent Resolve.

[6:30:47] Lieutenant General James Terry, class of '78, retired three-star general who served as commanding general of the US Army Central and V Corps. Here's a name you also would recognize, Lieutenant General Jamie Gerrard, class of 1988, whose nephew is the chief of staff to the majority leader's office here in the State Senate. Lieutenant General Paul Calvert, class of '88, retired three-star general, former commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve. Lieutenant General Benjamin Mixon, class of '73, retired three-star general who commanded US Army Pacific.

[6:31:25] And last but not least, Major General Joe Gerrard, former TAG of the Georgia National Guard, current commanding, deputy commanding general for Army National Guard US Army Pacific. His son is our very own Benjamin Gerrard. These are just a few of the names that I could call out, but it shows you the class and the caliber of the g- graduates that's coming out of this university in our state. And with this military scholarship, we will expand these slots and give you all opportunities to send more of your constituents to the best number one senior military college in the United States right here in North Georgia, in my district in Dahlonega, Georgia.

[6:32:03] Senators, I'd encourage you to support this measure. It's for the good of our future. It's for the good of our leadership. It's an investment in the future of our nation and our armed forces. With that, I'm happy to yield for questions, or I'll yield the floor. Senator, you covered it thoroughly, and there are no questions. 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, and the previous question is ordered. Is there objection to agreeing the report of the committee which favor the passage of the bill? The chair hears none. The report of the committee is agreed to.

[6:32:35] Is there objection to the main question being ordered? The 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. The secretary will unlock the machine.

[6:33:45] On the pass of the bill, the yeas are 48 and the nays are zero. This bill, having received the requisite constitutional majority, is therefore passed.

[6:33:56] Secretary will read the caption of Senate Resolution 834.

[6:34:04] Senate Resolution 834 by Senator Rahman of the fifth and others. A resolution recognizing and commending the outstanding contributions and sacrifices of Bangladeshi peacekeepers in United Nations peacekeeping operations and for other purposes. Mr. President, the Senate Committee on Rules recommends that this resolute, resolution do pass. Respectfully submitted, Senator Brass of the sixth district, chairman. Mr. President, that completes the order. I recognize the senator from the fifth to present Senate Resolution 834.

[6:34:36] Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President and colleagues. Glad to bring this bipartisan resolution, SR 834, which recognizes Bangladeshi peacekeeping, peacekeeper, United Nations peacekeeping operations. And some of the people, some of the military armed forces that serve in the nations at the UN, uh, missions reside in the State of Georgia.

[6:35:09] Bangladeshi peacekeepers play a vital role in peacekeeping and maintaining security and have participated in 63 United Nations peacekeeping mission across 43 countries. Approximately 6,000 Bangladeshi peacekeeper are currently serving in eight different ongoing mission around the world. Bangladesh has been a leading contributor to the United Nations peacekeeping operation since 1998, 1988, beginning with the deployment of military s- observer during the Iran-Iraq War.

[6:35:51] So far, over 200,000 armed forces served in these operations.

[6:36:00] Dear colleagues, I'm asking for your favorable consideration on SR 834. Thousands of Bangladeshi who lives in Georgia and millions around the world will appreciate your vote, and I hope someday we'll have more peace than what we have today. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the world if there's no questions. There are no questions, Senator.

[6:36:31] Thank you. Appreciate. Again, I'm asking you for favorable cons- consideration. Thank you very much. Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the measure? Is there objection to the report of the committee which is favorable to the adoption of the resolution? Chair hears none. The report of the committee is agreed to. Is there objection to the main question being ordered? The chair hears none and the main question is ordered. Questions on the adoption of the resolution. All those in favor of the resolution will vote yay, oppose nay. Secretary will unlock the machine.

[6:38:01] On the adoption of the resolution, the yeas are 48 and the nays are zero. The resolution, having received the requisite constitutional majority, is therefore adopted.

[6:38:13] Senator from the 29th, you're recognized. Thank you, Mr. President. I move the Senate agree to the House Amendment to the Senate substitute to House Bill 651 as amended by Amendment 1. Secretary will read the caption to House Bill 651 as amended. House Bill 651 by Representative Powell of the 33rd and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 2 of Chapter 14 of Title 40 of the OCGA relating to speed detection devices so as to revise provisions relative to the use of automated traffic enforcement safety devices in school zones.

[6:38:50] To amend Title 15 of the OCGA relating to courts so as to authorize district attorneys, solicitors generals, and pros- prosecuting attorneys to enforce civil monetary penalties relative to the enforcement of laws regarding speeding in a school zone using recorded images to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes.

[6:39:06] Through school zones. Mr. President.

[6:39:13] The Senate offers the following substitute to House Bill 651. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Article 2 of Chapter 14 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to speed detection devices so as to revise provisions relative to the use of automated traffic enforcement safety devices in school zones and for other purposes. Mr. President, the House offers the following amendment. Amend the Senate substitute to House Bill 651 as amended- By replacing lines twelve through twenty-two with the following, appeal to provide for timeframes for issuing citations for the violation of speed limit by ten miles per hour or more in a school zone through the use of automated traffic en- enforcement safety devices and for other purposes.

[6:39:48] Through school zones, okay. Mr. President, Senator Robertson of the twenty-ninth offers the following amendment. Amend, Amendment One. Amend the House Amendment to House Bill six fifty-one by replacing line one through the end with the following: Amend the Senate, Senate Substitute to House Bill six fifty-one by replacing lines one through three sixty-five with the following, to amend Article two of Chapter fourteen of Title forty of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to speed detection devices so as to revise provisions relative to the use of automated traffic enforcement safety devices in school zones and for other purposes. Mr. President, that completes the order.

[6:40:19] I recognize the senator from the twenty-ninth to speak to his motion.

[6:40:32] Colleagues, I'm gonna go through this as fast as possible, but not over- I bet 80 is the way to explain it.

[6:40:50] Can't, can't make this up. It's, uh, it's amazing. Um, House Bill six fifty-one. Everybody knows that I get, uh, challenged occasionally over the times I set subcommittee hearings when a piece of legislation comes across that needs to be vetted because there's a habit inside this building of running things through too fast, getting ahead of ourself.

[6:41:26] And when that happens, um, no matter what our emotional feelings are about the things, they impact the individuals we serve back home. And the subject matter we're talking about today absolutely does that.

[6:41:43] So last year, there were two speed camera bills in the House. They started in the House. One was carried by Representative Washburn, the other was carried by Representative Powell. One wanted to do away with them entirely, take any local control out completely. The other one wanted to offer layers and layers and layers and layers and layers of rules and regulations to them and open them up for certain uses that I feel may have been overuse.

[6:42:23] So I held one of those early morning meetings so we could have time, and we spent three hours looking at both of those pieces of legislation, and we found good in some of them and bad in both of them. And so what we did is we made amendments. And of course, um, neither representative over there was happy, which when you come into this building, you know that if your opinion, if you think it being perfect, then you're gonna have a long day.

[6:43:05] And so we've had a long day. We've had a long year because here we are back. And finally, I believe through work done by attorneys that I trust, we've come to something that I believe is a fair compromise. And so I'm gonna walk through this section by section, and if you have any questions when I get to the end, I'll be happy for you and I to, to read the amended version together, and I'm gonna reference lines so we can come to some kind of understanding.

[6:43:39] Section one, if you look on lines thirty-seven through thirty-nine, it clarifies that the Department of Transportation, not the Department of Public Safety, is the primary regulatory agency for these devices. And I emphasize regulatory agency because these devices have to be certified, and where they go on the side of the road, which is on right of ways, is the responsibility of transportation.

[6:44:13] It is not the responsibility of any school or any law enforcement agency. Section two, lines fifty-eight to sixty-one requires flashing lights when school zone speeds are enforced at the reduced speed.

[6:44:33] Section three, lines seventy-two through eighty-one prohibits the ability to enforce speed with automatic traffic enforcement devices outside of one hour before school, during instructional classes, and one hour after school. Local governments will no longer be able to use these devices for programs for care and supervision of students before school, after school, or on vacation periods.

[6:45:05] Section four adds an additional layer of oversight and accountability. The Department of Public Safety is granted investigative powers of these, of this entire program and power to levy tenured, uh, excuse me, tiered fines for violations leading to suspension and/or revocation of permits. That's line one hundred and eight through one nineteen. So Department of Public Safety, as they do with radars now

[6:45:38] Can come in and strip the permit away from any municipality that are misusing these. I have a city in my jurisdiction that were running radar outside of their city limits by one mile. A complaint was made, I followed through with the Department of Public Safety, and that city lost the ability to run radar for one year. So we have that authority here too, or we're giving that authority to the Department of Public Safety.

[6:46:11] Continuing in section four, civil monetary penalties for schools on-camera speed violations will be applied to the thirty-five percent cap of a municipal or county law enforcement agency's budget. Currently in Georgia law, and we all know what speed traps are, we all know where they-- we all know they exist, and we all know where they are in South Georgia 'cause all of our friends coming back from Florida have run into them and have called us about them.

[6:46:46] If you look in Georgia code now, if any municipality generates thirty-five percent or more, excuse me, more than thirty-five percent of their annual budget through fines related to traffic violations, they can lose all their opportunity to use any type of electronic device. Georgia law prohibits cities and municipa- municipalities and counties from practicing revenue-based policing, and that is where the thirty-five percent factors in.

[6:47:28] Section five adds due process rights for the permit holder to appeal to GDOT for suspension or revocation for a hearing within ten days. So we're putting these jurisdictional controls over them, but at the same time, we're handing out due process. Section six also adds due process rights for the permit holder to appeal a Department of Public Safety decision to revoke their license within thirty days.

[6:47:58] So if they don't like when we tell them they can't put something somewhere, they have an opportunity to appeal it. If we find they are misusing this equipment and we suspend their right to use it, they have an opportunity to appeal it. Section seven preserves continuity of Georgia Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Safety regulatory oversight and evidence admissibility. That's line seventy-two, excuse me, one seventy-two to one seventy-three.

[6:48:34] Section eight, lines one ninety, one ninety-three allows for local governments to impose further restrictions upon the enforcement hours by resolution or ordinance. Local governments control when these devices can be on. Local control. On lines ninety-- one ninety-three to one ninety-seven, still in section eight, violations can only be assessed on drivers going over ten miles an hour in the reduced posted speed.

[6:49:15] So if somebody's driving through a school zone and the speed limit is twenty-five, they have to be doing thirty-six or more.

[6:49:31] Line one ninety-nine creates sole applicant. Current law requires local government authority and the school district to be co-applicants. This right here says it's up to the local government where they want them to go. The streets belong to the local government or they belong to the state. The sides of the road belong to the local government. They do not belong to the schools. If apparatus is to go on that space, the government, the local government should be the one making that decision.

[6:50:10] Decreases, still in section eight, line two twenty-one, decreases electronic processing fees from twenty-five dollars to ten dollars. Lines two two eight, two two nine, transparency provision. It requires violation envelope to display the name and seal or logo of the governing body. So if one of our constituents gets a citation in Hamilton, which is in my district, and it is a incorporated city that has a school in it, if they get something, it will be-- have the seal of the Hamilton, Georgia government on the envelope so that they know who they appeal to.

[6:51:00] Still in section eight, line two eighty-eight to two ninety-one prohibits the addition of any additional taxes, penalties, fees, or surcharges from being placed on the civil monetary penalty. So what this does is they can't do court costs and all these other things and layer other fees on top.

[6:51:26] On line six thirty, excuse me, three sixty and three sixty-two, the money collected and remitted to the governing authority shall only be used to fund law enforcement or public safety initiatives. If y'all remember last year when we started talking about this, everybody came in and wanted to get a piece of the pie, therefore giving me flashbacks of revenue-based policing.

[6:51:56] Also, on line three sixty-two and three sixty-three prohibits, and this is one of my favorite parts, prohibits the use of these funds to be used for law enforcement or personnel salaries. These are fluctuating revenues. The last thing we need to do is use these revenues for pay and benefits, because what we're doing is putting the taxpayer on the hook when revenues disappear.

[6:52:31] Section nine requires municipal or county local referendums. Listen to this please. Section nine requires municipal or county local referendums to approve any new contract or contract renewals pursuant to provisions of this code section every six years. The citizens will determine if they want these in their community, not the government, not the sheriff, not the police chief, the citizens in that community.

[6:53:09] Sections ten through thirteen, these are changes, um, three ninety-five to four twenty-two recommended by multiple county prosecutor offices in twenty twenty-three. Those were ones that had been made in the past and had been debated.

[6:53:27] This act, if passed, would become effective July one, twenty twenty-six if you read lines four two four and four two five. Section two will become effective July one, twenty twenty-seven to allow time for the equipment that they, the vendors of the equipment there to procure the equipment and work with GDOT to survey, permit, install, and inspect the equipment. So I'm giving you the lines, you read through it, and with that, Mr.

[6:54:01] President, um, um, ask that everyone support this

[6:54:10] piece of legislation because s- these, this equipment's already being used in Georgia. It's there, and we've all gotten the complaints about it being there.

[6:54:24] The bill to get rid of it

[6:54:28] is gone. The bill to add all of this, let me think of the right term, garbage to it, to where when you're driving down the road and you see one of those and there's forty-seven signs, there's big flashing arrows from the sky and everything else, that's gone. What we have here is what I wanted to do the entire time. During this past summer, I spoke to a group with ACCG, I spoke to a group at GMA.

[6:55:07] And the most applause I got at anything I said was when I said local control. This right here puts a referendum. If the senator from the twenty-sixth

[6:55:22] wants to get rid of these in Macon-Bibb, which I don't think they have them in Macon-Bibb, if he wanted not to have them there, he can go out and vote not to have them there. If somebody wants to have them there, if they want to add a level of technical safety and equipment to their communities, then they can start their campaign, call it Keep Our Children Safe or whatever they want. But I'll tell you, as of yesterday, I received an article where a crossing guard here in our state was run over and killed.

[6:55:59] Personally, they're aggravating as all get out, but I understand their purpose. And with that, Mr. President, I'll offer this up for a vote, and I will yield to questions. You have a few questions. I recognize the senator from the thirty-seventh. Does senator yield? I do. Um, I have had profound concerns over the years about the implementation of these cameras as they've been employed. Um, I applaud your efforts.

[6:56:32] I do have a specific question. Um, so is it fair to... I- I- is my understanding correct that because of section nine, that in the future when the existing contracts that are in place, uh, terminate or expire- Yes, sir ... and prior to the, um, uh, or prior to the initiation of any co- future contract, the only way traffic enforcement, these cameras, can be in place in a county is by a vote of the people, and they, that would only, that would only be able to allow them for a maximum of six years for each vote.

[6:57:08] Is that correct? That is correct. And every six years, they would have to have a, an additional referendum to keep them there or to get rid of them. Uh, one more, o- one further question of the gentleman here. Yes, sir. So, uh, within a municipality, would, would there, uh, be a vote within a municipality or would it be countywide that would apply to the county, unincorporated parts of the county and all municipalities within the county? See, I'm in a unique situation where I have a consolidated government, so I ask that question. And in the consolidated government, everybody knows that the county commission is the city council- Yeah ...

[6:57:42] and the city is the county. And we have them in private school, in front of private schools that the sheriff has entered into a contract. We have them in front of public schools that the- County has entered, the city has entered into a contract. Reading through this, talking to the attorneys, my understanding is it would take every citizen there in Harris County, where we are not consolidated. In the City of Hamilton, it would take a vote of the citizens of Hamilton, a referendum for that s- municipality.

[6:58:15] If it were in the unincorporated area, it would be every citizen in the county, including the citizens that live in Hamilton.

[6:58:23] I thank you that, uh, to, to the gentleman of the Well. I just, I've had profound concerns about these. I think they're- I just have issues with them as a public safety device. But this does put protections around them. It puts the citizens at the forefront of these being i- legal, not individual, not, not, not entities that, uh, create revenue from these. So thank you very much for that.

[6:58:40] Thank you. I appreciate the questions.

[6:58:44] I recognize the senator from the 47th.

[6:58:48] Thank you, Mr. President. Would the senator yield?

[6:58:51] I've been, I've been watching you stand for, for five minutes, absolutely.

[6:58:55] Well, I, I just wanna ask one question, Senator.

[6:58:58] Yes, sir.

[6:58:59] Would it be okay if everybody in this body stood up and clapped for you and, and s- pushed the green button? Because this is great. I wanna thank you for protecting the children in our school zones, protecting the drivers that are out there that are getting abused by the, the, uh, companies that are abusing the, these, oh, camera systems, and I think it's a great, uh, opportunity to, to, everybody in here to vote green.

[6:59:20] Thank you. I appreciate that, Senator. And I notice my good friend from Macon is standing in the back. And so I feel what we have given him is an opportunity, if they choose, for every citizen in Georgia to vote these out. And I've given others the opportunity for every citizen in the Georgia to vote these in. But I think what I've, I feel best about, and something that we talk about, and my good friend from the 27th talks about, is we're giving every citizen an opportunity to vote.

[6:59:50] And if it's in my community, I should have something to say about it, not a bunch of men and women sitting under the Gold Dome making decisions for me when it comes to how safe my community is.

[7:00:00] Hear, hear.

[7:00:01] Thank you.

[7:00:03] Senator from the 26th, you're recognized.

[7:00:11] Senator, yield?

[7:00:12] I do yield to my good friend from Macon and Bibb where I don't believe these things exist.

[7:00:16] Let me, uh, question.

[7:00:20] Yes, sir.

[7:00:21] First of all, in, in my community, we've been dealing with cameras within the school zones. And where the private school is, on a public road, the principal said no school zone speeding cameras. But where the public schools are, on the public roads, there are speed cameras. And the tickets are $150 plus a $5 fee that they have collected.

[7:00:58] Now, am I to understand what you've just done under this bill is that if you want these cameras on the roads, that somebody has to put it up for a referendum for the folks to vote on in the county to put these cameras out there on the streets?

[7:01:22] Yes, sir.

[7:01:24] Good damn bill.

[7:01:33] I, I would, I would like to announce that I will be grabbing that video clip and using it during my campaign.

[7:01:41] If there are no more questions, Mr. President, I'll yield the Well.

[7:01:44] Um, there's another question, Senator. Senator from the 38th, you're recognized.

[7:01:50] All right. Thank you, Mr. President. Does the senator yield?

[7:01:52] I do yield to my friend who knows what it's like to run a school.

[7:01:56] Yeah. I, I, I don't wanna give you too many commercial clips, uh, but I am very appreciative of this bill. Um, I do have one question. Line 30, 377, why was the choice to be six years that they have for these to be in place or decide with the contracts?

[7:02:13] Right now the contracts are staggered out, and we felt to give everybody the time for the infrastructure and all that, that six years would be a reasonable amount of time to get all of these things grandfathered out. Um, uh, you know, I, I think what we're gonna see because of this is I say we're gonna re- see, see a revenue drop, and I think because of that, these things are gonna kind of eliminate themselves. But six years was felt to be a fair amount of time.

[7:02:40] Got it. Well, I echo, echo the sentiments from my colleague from the 26th. Thank you so much.

[7:02:46] And that's my video clip. Thank you.

[7:02:48] All right.

[7:02:49] And with that, Mr. President, I'll yield the Well.

[7:02:55] The senator from the 29th. Is there any, anyone else who wants to speak for or against the motion?

[7:03:01] We have a

[7:03:05] late arriving amendment.

[7:03:10] A late arriving amendment. Secretary will read the amendment.

[7:03:14] Mr. President, Senator Bearden of the 30th District offers the following amendment: amendment 1A to amend House Bill 651 by, on line 219, striking one, $125 and replacing with $75. Mr. President, that completes the order.

[7:03:41] I recognize the senator from the 30th to speak to amendment 1A.

[7:03:53] To the senator of the 29th, I think you've done a great job on this. Only thing I would change is, uh, what you see on your desk. This is taking the second offense on line 219 from 125 back to 75. Hope you support it. If you don't, we'll keep it like it is. I'm very supportive of this bill. I yield the Well.

[7:04:20] Does the senator from the 29th wish to speak to the amendment?

[7:04:30] And close debate, Senator.

[7:04:33] Yes, I stand up here to close debate and speak to the amendment. First of all, I appreciate my friend from the 30th. If y'all wanna talk about this next year-

[7:04:43] Yeah. No

[7:04:43] ... then support the amendment. If you wanna get this behind us and move forward, if you notice, we lower one fee. And listen, I can tell you, my household has paid a few of these fines. I tell my wife, it's always her. She believes it's me driving her car, um, because, um, we've gone through some areas where I didn't realize these things existed, but they were there, and we paid the citation. But let's vote down the amendment, vote for the underlying bill, get this behind us, and start having referendums, and let the citizens decide what to do with these.

[7:05:19] And with that, Mr. President, I yield the well.

[7:05:23] Questions on the adoption of Amendment 1A by the senator from the 30th.

[7:05:32] Is there objection?

[7:05:35] Object.

[7:05:36] There is objection. All those in favor of the adoption of Amendment 1A will vote yay. Those opposed will vote nay. Secretary will unlock the machine.

[7:05:49] I recognize the senator from the 14th. What purpose do you rise? Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. President. State your inquiry. Mr. President, isn't it true this amendment vote is the largest wedge in the history of the law enforcement caucus in the Senate?

[7:06:04] I think the senator knows of which he speaks. Thank you, Mr. President. Yes, sir.

[7:06:51] On the adoption of Amendment 1A by the senator from the 30th, the yays are 23 and the nays are 27, and the amendment is lost.

[7:07:05] Senator from the 15th, what purpose do you rise?

[7:07:10] Quiet please.

[7:07:11] Yes, the senator from the 15th.

[7:07:11] Yes, thank you, uh, Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent to excuse the senator from the 10th for business outside the Capitol.

[7:07:18] Without objection, the senator from the 10th is excused.

[7:07:24] The question now is on the motion by the senator from the 29th to agree to the House Amendment to the Senate Substitute to House Bill 651 as amended by Amendment One. All those in favor of the motion will vote yay. Those opposed will vote no. The secretary will unlock the machine.

[7:08:33] Senator from the 26th, you're recognized.

[7:08:40] Mr. President.

[7:08:41] Yes.

[7:08:41] Parliamentary inquiry.

[7:08:43] State your inquiry.

[7:08:44] After you announce-

[7:08:49] After you announce this vote, can we immediately transmit this bill to the governor's office? Second.

[7:08:59] Uh, it's been amended, I think, in the Senate, so I th- think it has to go back to the House, Senator. But that, we can immediately transmit it to the House. If they're still there, they probably not all farly. All right, on the motion from the senator from the 29th to agree to the House Amendment to the Senate Substitute as amended to House Bill 651, the yays are 49 and the nays are one. The Senate has agreed to the motion.

[7:09:38] Senator from the 32nd, what purpose do you rise?

[7:09:42] Mr. President, I move that the Senate agree to the House Substitute to Senate Bill 160.

[7:09:48] The secretary will read the caption to Senate Bill 160.

[7:10:00] Stand by. Stand by, Mr. Secretary. Is it too late to take a motion to immediately transmit?

[7:10:14] Senator from the 37th will make that motion, uh, after we do Senate Bill 160, please. I'll recognize you then.

[7:10:26] I apologize.

[7:10:30] All right, just to be clear, the, the senator from the thirty-second has moved that the Senate agree to the House substitute to Senate Bill one sixty. Secretary will read the caption.

[7:10:41] Senate Bill one sixty by Senators Kirkpatrick of the thirty-second and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Code Section forty dash six dash three ninety of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to reckless stunt driving so as to replace the forfeiture penalty of a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckless stunt driving with authority to order the installation of a device which limits the speed of such vehicle, to provide for a definition, to provide for procedures and conditions upon the issuance of such orders, to provide for notification to the Department of Revenue, to pro-provide for a penalty, to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes. Mr. President, the House offers the following substitute to Senate Bill one sixty.

[7:11:14] A bill to be entitled an act to amend Titles forty, forty-two, and forty-three of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to motor vehicles and traffic, penal institutions, and professions and businesses respectively so as to provide for intelligent speed assistance device, limited driving permits for certain suspensions of driver's license upon conviction for reckless stunt driving, to pr- and for other purposes. Mr. President, that completes the order.

[7:11:35] I recognize the senator from the thirty-second to speak to her motion.

[7:11:50] Thank you, Mr. President. Senate Bill one sixty may look familiar to some of you. We passed this last year, and it has to do with reckless stunt driving. A few years ago, we passed Senate Bill ten from the senator from the tenth, and that bill had to do with making a crime of reckless stunt driving, which is laying drag, donuts, that type of thing. These, um, events are advertised on social media. They've continued to be a problem all over the state, and, um, unfortunately, it's created a risk to the public, and people are getting hurt and even killed.

[7:12:30] Recent incidents have been in Atlanta, Brookhaven, DeKalb County, Lithia Springs, other locations including my own county, and law enforcement's frequently dealing with multi-jurisdictional iss-issues on these. Last year, this bill passed the Senate, and it was in the House Motor Vehicles Committee. Something was added to it. It didn't get out of committee, and then we put it on a House bill, and then the governor vetoed it. Since that time, I've been working with the governor's office because they had concerns about the structure of the bill and the implementation, and all that's been corrected now.

[7:13:07] So this has to do with intelligent speed assisting devices, and what these are is like a governor on a golf cart. They don't let the vehicle exceed the speed limit, and they use GPS to do all the tracking. And, uh, what the structure is now, it was originally tied to the vehicle, but now it's tied to the driver's license so that people who are convicted and lose their license, if their license is suspended, they can get an ISA put on their vehicle, it's their choice, as a way to get a limited driving permit so that they can drive to work, to school, or whatever.

[7:13:46] Uh, these are intelligent devices because you can tell if they've been tampered with or if someone tries to move it to another vehicle or something like that. And this is all handled by the Division of Driver Services in the substitute, and what happens is it matches the ignition interlock law that we already have in place. So there are provider centers that are provided for in the law, and they're, essentially function the same way that the ignition interlock provider centers do.

[7:14:16] Um, the, uh, NHTSA standards, the federal standards are gonna be used, and this is happening in other states as well. And, uh, originally, we put some variability of the, in the speed limit, but these machines have gotten even more, um, easy to deal with, and they can track the speed limit wherever you are. Um, I worked with DDS and accommodated their request to match the fees to ignition interlock and also to move the effective date back so that they'd have time to write the rules and regulations.

[7:14:50] So just briefly on the sections, section one is the definitions. Section two outlines the option of a limited driving permit, and, uh, that's for someone whose license has been su-suspended for reckless stunt driving. Section three addresses who's eligible for an ISA, the fees, and the conditions for revocation. Section four adds ISAs to the definition of electronic monitoring. Section five is all about probation and adds a framework for certification of the devices.

[7:15:23] Section six adds ISAs to the ignition interlock section of the code, and section seven sets the effective date as July 1st of 2028. I'd be happy to answer any questions.

[7:15:39] You do have questions. Uh, chair recognizes the senator from the thirteenth.

[7:15:47] Senator, do you yield?

[7:15:49] I yield.

[7:15:50] Senator, uh, make me understand line thirty-four. It says the cost of relating to the installation of this intelligent device. Do we have an estimate of what that would cost someone that-

[7:16:03] Are, are you looking at the House substitute, senator?

[7:16:07] Uh-oh, excuse me. I'm on the white page. It's, it's gotta be in there somewhere.

[7:16:13] All right, give me a minute.

[7:16:18] My bad.

[7:16:19] But to answer your question-

[7:16:20] Yield

[7:16:21] ... without the line number-

[7:16:23] Yeah

[7:16:23] ... is the cost is, uh, it's usually about $400 installation, and then there's a lease that goes from there. But again, remember, this is optional, and, and if someone can't afford it, then they m- would not

[7:16:38] Choose that option. Senator continued yield. Would- Sure. Would that $400 go back to them if their time-- if they complete their whatever it is in their time on this but- I don't believe the installation fee would. Obviously, the lease fee would stop.

[7:17:01] Okay, thank you. I recognize the senator from the fourteenth. Thank you, Mr. President. Senator yield. I'm happy to yield to my friend from the fourteenth. Thank you, Senator. Senator, we often speak in here of punitive responses to problems versus administrative responses that put blocks in place to prevent further harm from happening. And isn't it true that this bill represents that sensible latter category of harm prevention, which rather than just jacking up a bunch of penalties, we're doing something smart that reduces the likelihood of these reckless stunt driving episodes happening in the future?

[7:17:37] Is that not true? I believe that's the case. Thank you, Senator. Happy to support your bill. No further questions, Senator. Thank you. I yield. The senator from the thirty-second has moved that the Senate agree to the House substitute to Senate Bill one sixty. All those in favor of the motion will vote yay, oppose nay. Secretary will unlock the machine.

[7:19:02] On the motion agreed the House substitute to Senate Bill one sixty, the yays are forty-nine and the nays are zero. The House has agreed. Chair recognizes the senator from the thirty-seventh for a motion. Thank you, Mr. President. In, uh, deference to the suggestion of the senator from the twenty-sixth about, uh, uh, HB six fifty-one, I'd like to make a motion to immediately transmit the Senate substitute to HB six fifty-one to the House. Read the caption. House Bill six fifty-one by Representative Powell, the thirty-third and others, a bill to be entitled in act to amend Article two of Chapter fourteen of Title forty of the OCGA relating to speed detection devices and for other purposes.

[7:19:42] Mr. President, that completes the order. Senator from the thirty-seventh has made a motion to immediately transmit House Bill six fifty-one. Is there objection? Without objection, it's immediately transmitted.

[7:19:57] Chair recognizes the senator from the fifty-second for a motion. Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Senate agree to the House substitute to Senate Bill one ninety-five. Secretary will read the caption of Senate Bill one ninety-five. Senate Bill one ninety-five by Senators Huffstetler of the fifty-second and others, a bill to be entitled in act to amend Article six of Chapter four of Title twenty-six of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to pharmacies so as to provide that pharmacists are authorized to dispense pre-expro- pre-exposure prophylaxis and post-exposure prophylaxis under certain cir- conditions, to amend Article two of Chapter thirty-four of Title forty-three of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to medical practice so as to provide for the approval or development of a training program for pharmacists by the Georgia State Board of Pharmacy to require ph- pharmacists to complete such training program before dispensing pre-exposure prophylaxis or pro- post-exposure prophylaxis, to provide for definitions, to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws for other purposes.

[7:20:52] Mr. President, the House offers the following substitute to Senate Bill one ninety-five, to amend Article six of Chapter four of Title twenty-six of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to pharmacies so as to provide that pharmacists are authorized to dispense pre-exposure prophylaxis and post-exposure prophylaxis under certain conditions and for other purposes. Mr. President, that completes the order. I recognize the senator from the fifty-second to speak to his motion.

[7:21:22] Thank you, Mr. President. I will be brief. This bill passed out of the Senate last year unanimously. Uh, the House had taxed some stuff on it last year, and it's back to the underlying bill now with a slight change to it to, uh, limit the, uh, pharmacist to have a protocol agreement or a physician to have a protocol agreement with a pharmacist with only ten. They didn't want out-of-state done. But this bill will save the state money, millions of dollars, and it will keep people healthier. There is, uh, the-- we have one of the highest HIV rates in the country in the Atlanta area.

[7:21:56] Our state is double the national average. The preventative medicine is ninety-nine percent effective. The post-exposure medicine, not quite as effective. The preventative medicine is about twenty-six dollars generically a month. The cost to treat somebody with HIV is four hundred thousand to a million dollars. And so the s- the potential, if you, say, take the low end of only half a million and you stop a hundred people in Georgia from getting this, then you're talking about fifty million dollars in savings you could have in a year.

[7:22:29] And we all know that the, uh, person is gonna be healthier without this. It has a lot of comorbidities, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, renal dysfunction, cancers.

[7:22:40] Neurocognitive disorders for the senator from the 13th, that's the brain in case you want to know, and, and the neu- nervous system. But, um, anyway, it also have, the medicine that treats it gives you many diseases such as diabetes. So, uh, this is a good bill for the people of Georgia to save us money, keep people healthy, and if there's no questions, I'll yield the well. Uh, you have no questions.

[7:23:13] Recognize the senator from the second. Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. President. State your inquiry. Mr. President, as a physician, did everything the senator just say happen to be true as a licensed medical doctor? Was all that right? Senator to president now. The, the senator knows as he speaks.

[7:23:33] Seeing no more questions, we move that the Senate agree to the House substitute to Senate Bill 195. Those that are favorable will vote yay. Those, uh, opposed will vote nay.

[7:23:47] Mr. Secretary, please unlock the machine.

[7:25:02] Senate Bill 195, uh, uh, having received the requisite constitutional majority, uh, the yays are 45 and nays are zero. The Senate has agreed to the House substitute for Senate Bill 195.

[7:25:35] Chair recognizes the senator from the eighth for a motion. Mr. President, I move that the Senate agree to the House substitute to Senate Bill 523.

[7:25:48] Secretary, read the caption. Senate Bill 523 by Senators Goodman of the eighth and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to education so as to authorize public schools and post-secondary educational institutions to consider anti-Semitism in the same manner as discrimination based on religion. To re- require the Department of Education to establish a statewide K through 12 Title VI coordinator to authorize withholding funds of, funds for non-compliance, to provide for notice and appeal procedures, to provide for definitions, to provide for an effective date, to provide for annual reporting, to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes.

[7:26:21] Mr. President, the House offers the following substitute to Senate Bill 523, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to education so as to prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin or religion in public schools and post-secondary educational institutions, to require the Department of Education to establish a statewide K through 12 Title VI coordinator, to require the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia to establish policies and procedures regarding discrimination complaints and for other purposes. Mr. President, that completes the order.

[7:26:52] I recognize the senator from the eighth to speak to his motion.

[7:26:58] Thank you, Mr. President. I'm gonna make this as fast as possible. I'm hoping we're still gonna have an ag committee meeting today. You'll recall that SB 523, the Title VI coordinator bill, would establish clear discrimination complaint policy and es- and establish dedicated statewide K through 12 and higher education Title VI coordinators who will be responsible for receiving complaints, ensuring investigations and enforcing protections for Georgia students. Uh, this bill passed the Senate on March the 4th by a vote of 50 to two and passed the House on March the 18th by a vote of 165 to zero.

[7:27:32] The bill was amended in the House to remove all specific references to anti-Semitism, making it clear that the coordinator protects discrimination against students of any religion and added a new section on line 64 that instructs the coordinator in consultation with the Department of Education to develop policies and procedures to implement this code section, including ensuring that complaints and appeals are handled in a timely manner, kept confidential and investigated thoroughly and that retaliation is prohibited. I would certainly appreciate your consideration and respectfully ask that you, uh, vote to agree, uh, to SB 523 as amended.

[7:28:04] Mr. President, I yield the well. Senator has yielded the well. Senator from the eighth has moved that the Senate agree to the House substitute to Senate Bill 523. Does anyone else want to speak for or against the measure? All right, we are gonna put it on the board. All those in favor of the senator's motion will vote yay, opposed nay. Secretary will unlock the machine.

[7:29:30] On the motion to agree to the House substitute to Senate Bill 523, the yays are 46 and the nays are zero. This motion receiving the requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed. Chair recognizes the senator from the 32nd. Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Senate agree to the House substitute for Senate Bill 444. Secretary will read the caption.

[7:30:02] Senate Bill 444 by Senators Kirkpatrick of the 32nd and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 46 of Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to certification of private review agents so as to provide that certain decisions with regard to the provision of insurance coverage for healthcare services shall not be based solely on artificial intelligence systems, artificial intelligence, or other software tools to provide for definitions, to provide for related matters, to provide for an effective date to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes. Mr. President, the House offers the following substitute to Senate Bill 444, a bill to be entitled an act to amend Chapter 46 of Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to certification of private review agents so as to provide that certain deci- decisions with regard to the provision of insurance coverage for healthcare services shall not be based solely on artificial intelligence systems, artificial intelligence, or other software tools, and for other purposes.

[7:30:48] Mr. President, that completes the order.

[7:30:51] Senator from the 32nd is recognized to speak to her motion.

[7:31:09] Thank you, Mr. President. You guys should recognize this bill. This is a bill about the use of artificial intelligence in prior authorization, which is, of course, the procedure that insurance companies use to approve or not approve your care, your medical care. This bill passed unanimously over here, went over to the House, and it went not to the Insurance Committee, but to the Technology Committee, which was a very interesting, um, experience, and they were very concerned about the definitions in the bill.

[7:31:42] And I showed them this little diagram, which is an MRI. It's a, it's a diagram of the wrist bones. And, uh, I'm on a Listserv with all the hand surgeons in the country. One of the patients sent his MRI report to ChatGPT and, um, asked for an accurate drawing of the wrist bones, and this is what came back with every single bone named wrong. So we, there's still a role for humans in this process, and that's what the bill is all about.

[7:32:14] So all we did is, um, make sure that there's a human in the loop if there's a denial that's gonna take place. AI is very useful for some things, for things that are coverage verification and things like that, and it's fine to use for approvals, but before there's a denial, there needs to be a human in the process. So the only changes in the bill are the definition of artificial intelligence system, the committee tweaked that, and also they wanted to be clear that they agreed that a human was in the loop and that the judgment of AI would not supersede the judgment of a clinical peer that we have developed in previous years.

[7:32:55] So with that, I'd be happy to answer any questions.

[7:32:58] No questions, Senator.

[7:33:00] That's it?

[7:33:00] No questions.

[7:33:02] Okay. Thank you.

[7:33:05] Senator from the 32nd has moved that the Senate agree the House substitute to Senate Bill 444. All those in favor of the motion will vote yay. Opposed, nay. The secretary will unlock the machine.

[7:34:17] On the motion to agree the House substitute to Senate Bill 444, the yays are 47 and the nays are 0. This motion receiving the requisite constitutional majority is therefore passed.

[7:34:35] Chair recognizes the senator from the 41st.

[7:34:39] Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Senate agree to the House substitute to SB 350.

[7:34:46] Secretary, read the caption.

[7:34:49] 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 county 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, the House offers the following substitute to Senate Bill 350, a bill to be entitled an act to amend an act providing for the compensation of certain county 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 repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes.

[7:35:34] Mr. President, that completes the order.

[7:35:36] Recognize the senator from the 41st. Speak to her motion.

[7:35:51] Thank you, Mr. President. I presented this bill on Monday, and we ran into a little bit of a hurdle, um, and we've worked out that detail. So what I'm gonna ask you to do is to vote favorably for this local bill, that is DeKalb specific, and then, um, in order to ensure that the DA bill that we also voted on Monday can take precedence, um, we are going to, I'm asking that you all would agree to unanimously transmit this directly to the governor so he would sign the local bill first, and then if a DA bill re- related to compensation were to pass, that will essentially undo anything that we've done with the local bill.

[7:36:30] So, um, that's kind of the, the, the move of order. I'm asking for your favorable consent on this bill and then for, uh, immediate transmittal to the governor. Um, at that point, I will stand for questions.

[7:36:44] We do have a question. I recognize the senator from the 42nd.

[7:36:50] Does Senator yield? I'd be glad to yield to you. Uh, Senator, isn't it true that as a fellow statewide candidate like you out there, I know we have a lot of things pulling us different directions right now, but I appreciate the work you did on this. There was some confusion a couple of days ago. We wanted to make sure we weren't passing something that was gonna create a contradiction with another bill that we have. But you went and did that work in all your free time while you're not running statewide and got us to a place we should all support this today. Well, I thank you. You know, I am really honored to be able to run a race without having to spend a single penny, um, in order to get my name out there into the mailboxes of so many people.

[7:37:25] So I'm grateful to be at Jackson and, uh, grateful to offer a great policy for folks to consider. If there are no other questions, I will yield the well. Aaron Media. Senator has yielded the well.

[7:37:44] The senator from the 41st has moved that the Senate agree to the House substitute to Senate Bill 350. Does anyone else want- wish to speak to the motion? All those in favor of the motion will vote yay. Those opposed, nay. Secretary will unlock the machine.

[7:39:04] On the motion to agree the House substitute to Senate Bill 350, the yays are 46 and the nays are zero. This motion receiving the constitutional majority required is therefore passed.

[7:39:22] I recognize the senator from the 41st for what one of her minority caucus colleagues might describe, he did describe earlier in the day, as some parliamentary trickery. I think we just used the, the rules that we have. I don't know that it's trickery, senator from the 14th. Chair recognizes the senator from the 41st. Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, I move that Senate Bill 350 be immediately transmitted to the governor.

[7:39:53] Senator from the 41st has asked for immediate transmittal of Senate Bill 350. Is there objection? We are gonna have to vote on this. It requires a, a vote. Uh, it requires a two-thirds majority for it to be immediately transmitted. So those in favor of the motion to immediately transmit to the governor will vote yay. Those opposed, vote nay. The secretary will unlock the machine.

[7:40:48] Senator from the 50th, what pur- purpose do you rise? Parliamentary inquiry, please. State your inquiry. Is it not true that this bill and this, this motion needing two-thirds, we should not let partisan politics get in the way and we should help our friends from the other side of the aisle get this passed?

[7:41:06] Love is in the air, Senator.

[7:41:12] Everyone vote, please. All senators are required to vote. If you're on the Senate floor, check your machine.

[7:41:28] On the motion from the senator from the 41st to immediately transmit Senate Bill 350, the yays are 47 and the nays are zero. The bill is immediately transmitted.

[7:41:48] Chair recognizes the majority leader, senator from the 31st.

[7:41:55] On that wonderful positive note, until Friday. Friday. Yeah. I move the Senate stand adjourned pursuant to HR998 until 10:00 AM Friday, March 27th. The secretary will read the announcements. The Rules Committee will meet upon adjournment in room 450 of the Capitol. The Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee will meet in room 307 of the CLOB at 6:00 PM. The Finance Committee will meet in room mezzanine one at 6:00 PM. The Health and Human Services Committee will meet in room 450 of the Capitol at 7:00 PM.

[7:42:29] The Public Safety Committee has been canceled. Mr. President, that completes the order.

[7:42:38] Any other announcements? The majority leader has moved that the Senate stand adjourned pursuant to HR998 until 10:00 AM on Friday, March 27th, 2026. All those in favor will signify by, signify by saying aye. Those opposed... Aye. All those op- golly. Aye. The ayes clearly have it and we stand adjourned.