House Rules Committee, April 2, 2026 Video: https://vimeo.com/1179042485 (a timestamp t plays at https://vimeo.com/1179042485#t=s) Page: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-04-02/house-rules This is a machine transcript of the General Assembly's video, made by a speech-recognition model. It is not an official record and can mishear words, names, and numbers. Speakers are not identified. The video is the record: every timestamp links to the moment it plays. [0:43:52] Morning, everybody. [0:44:00] Good morning and happy Sunday. [0:44:03] Yeah. [0:44:09] I'm gonna go ahead and, uh, call our meeting to order. And before we begin, I wanna, uh, recognize some members of the committee who will not be returning with us next year. Uh, Representative Mack Jackson, uh, Pro Tem Jan Jones, Representative Tanya Miller, and Chair Lady Lynn Smith. Uh, whether you're retiring or seeking other office, uh, each of you has made a meaningful, uh, contribution to the work of this Rules Committee and to the people that we serve, and we wanna show our debt of grate- of our appreciation to you for your service and everything. [0:44:46] So would y'all join me in let's applauding these folks in showing appreciation? [0:45:10] Thank you. And also, I wanna take a moment just to share a couple thoughts with you and ask you, members of the committee, to help me show our appreciation to the finest staff folks anywhere in this Capitol Building or on Capitol Hill up here. Ms. Lewis, and Leo, and Davis has been working with us as an intern this, uh, session. We appreciate them so much for what they do and how they t- help me try to keep the train on the track and keep things moving along. So thank you, guys, for that. [0:45:54] Hey. Hey. [0:45:55] Okay, we sorta got that out. I told someone this morning, I said, "Now, I'm gonna have a good day, and I don't want any of y'all out there to screw that up for me." So we- we're gonna have a good day. Uh, and to, to help us begin to have a good day, we'll recognize, uh, Representative Jackson to open us up with a word of prayer. [0:46:13] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Shall we pray? Dear Heavenly Father, as we come before you, we thank you, first of all, for this day, for this is the day that you have made, and we will rejoice and be glad in it. Thank you for the leadership. Thank you for all the members of this committee, Lord, and may we use wisdom and understanding as we do the business of this great state of Georgia. Thank you for all your many blessings. In Jesus' name, amen. [0:46:37] Amen. [0:46:38] Thank you, sir, very much. Appreciate that. Okay, let's hear from anybody that wants to make a request. Chairman Franklin. Oh, Representative Franklin. [0:46:50] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate you allowing me to present this resolution. But it's, um, House Resolution 1792. On the second page, it's the fourth from the bottom. And, uh, what this resolution does is it just urges the Department of Com, uh, Community Affairs to pause on their adoption of the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code. Um, just during this time, we just ask them to pause while we have this housing, uh, um, affordability, um, issue, and, uh, that's what the resolution's about. [0:47:21] Okay. Got a couple of questions. Butch Park. [0:47:25] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, uh, Representative Lehman, I, I appreciate the resolution from a, uh, immediate, um, cost saving mechanism. Uh, but is it not true that, uh, these, uh, this update, uh, would ensure for greater energy savings in the long term, especially for new houses that might be built? [0:47:46] That is a possibility. The, uh, the savings that we've calculated look to be about 140 to maybe $400 per year, but that savings is way offset from the cost it would be to be able to, uh, produce these homes at, at the time. So it would ... The, the, at this time, with this market, it's just not, uh, feasible. And there's only been, I think, uh, uh, let's see, a couple, a handful of states that even enacted this yet. Most of them are pausing at this moment. [0:48:14] Thank you. Uh, one final question, if I may. When's the last time, uh, the, the, when's the last time DCA's updated their standards or ... [0:48:21] I believe it was 2015. [0:48:23] Thank you. [0:48:24] Mm-hmm. [0:48:25] Okay. [0:48:29] Was there a question over here? [0:48:31] Yes. [0:48:31] Okay. Chairman Jasperse. [0:48:33] Yes, sir. Mr. Chairman, I'd like to ask for two bills. House- [0:48:38] Wait, wait a minute. Wait a minute. You got a question for the- [0:48:40] Oh, no. I said that's- [0:48:40] ... our presenter? [0:48:41] No, we're good. [0:48:42] Okay. [0:48:42] I'm excited. [0:48:43] Good. That, that's all. Thank you. Any- anybody else, uh, on the wall? Okay. Thank you. [0:48:49] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [0:48:50] Okay. Now we're gonna have members. And, uh, Chairman Jasperse, why don't you go ahead and ask for your ... [0:48:56] Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, committee, I'd like to ask for two bills, House Resolution 1894. This is a study committee that Chairman McDonald and I wanna do on construction cost inflation, and also issues regarding right of way utilities and our highway contractors. The second one is, uh, Senate Resolution 624. That's the Senate road naming, um, bill. We're adding 47 road namings to their bill, and, uh, we'll be ready, we're ready to present that today, Mr. [0:49:30] Chairman. [0:49:31] Okay. What's that number again? [0:49:34] S- SR624. [0:49:36] Okay. Yeah, there it is. Good. Thank you. [0:49:40] Thank you. [0:49:41] Okay. Chairman Gunter, is that you over there? [0:49:46] Yes, sir. Um, members of the committee, I have two... Let's see. Let me find them again. Ha- uh, House Resolution 1703, which is a c- study committee on the post-conviction litigation, uh, in Georgia. Right now it's, uh, it's a mess, and, um, about a month or ago, uh, our chief justice had a, a case come before him, and he had a, a, a opinion in that that asked us to try and fix the situation. It takes a long time to get a, um, appeal done, and it shouldn't take as long as it does, and it's all because of the conflicts that the court has put in place that they need to now get fixed. [0:50:27] So they're asking for help on that. The other is H.R. 1707, and this is my, uh, Georgia Legislative Golf Caucus, uh, resolution, so I hope you would vote for that. Thank you. Okay. All right, when you get a request, tell us which page it's on. It'll make it move a little faster. Uh, Chair Lady Taylor, did you have a request? Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, House Resolution 1522, and, um, think it's on page two. [0:50:59] I think it is. Something clear. Front page. Front, page one. Oh, okay. On page one. Um, what the, the purpose of this measure is to create a house study committee to evaluate and review the Department of Community Health. As we know, healthcare is important, and that department has grown as our population has. They touch many parts of our healthcare, and I think it would be a good time for us to have a good review of it. We were successful in doing the same thing for public health. Okay. Don't see any questions. Is it Chairman Newton? Is that you? [0:51:30] Yes, sir. Do you have a request? Um, not yet. No, I thought you... Anybody else got a request for any of the- Leverett has a study committee. Okay. Chairman Leverett. Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, I have on page two, um, about just a little below the, um, middle of the page there, or, or just a little above the middle, House Resolution 1674, which would create a study committee on the state governance of emergency medical services. I would appreciate your favorable consideration of that. [0:52:02] Okay. 167- 1674. Yes, sir. Okay. Um, Chairman Hawkins, did you have something? Uh, yes, sir, Mr. Chairman, on page two toward the top, H.R. 1655, uh, Study Committee on Diabetes Related Amputations. Okay. Anybody else? There's some of the members. What, Representative Jackson, you got one? I would just want to thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to put my name beside H.R. [0:52:34] 1583 on page two, a House Study Committee on Small Business Technology. Okay. 1583. Okay. Anybody else? Okay. Some of the members weren't sure if they should come this morning or later, but we'll probably have an opportunity later on to have another round of this. So anybody that wants to come and ask for any of the resolutions, uh, and study committees and so forth, that'll be the time to, to do that. [0:53:07] Okay. [0:53:18] Okay. Um, let's do a little housekeeping here. We'll recognize, uh, Leader Efstration to speak to the substitute on Senate Bill 76. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On page 32 and 33 of this substitute, Representative O'Steen's HB1191 has been added, which includes for military medal awards on license plates, five additional, um, award recognitions, lines 827 to 831. [0:53:54] Okay. Don't see any questions. Okay. Is there a motion to adopt the substitute s- uh, Senate Bill 76 substitute LC39 5134S? So moved. It's approved. Okay. Next, on, uh, Senate Bill 411 substitute, we want to withdraw a previous substitute that we had and call on, uh, Chairman Hawkins to talk to us about this new substitute to Senate Bill 411. [0:54:28] That's LC 46 1567S. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, this is a combination of two bills. The first being HB 291, Chair Lady Taylor's bill, uh, related to community healthcare workers. Very important bill. It, uh, provides community workers that are known in the community to extend healthcare into, uh, homes and, and other areas. Uh, the second bill added to this is HB 662, Angie O'Steen's bill. [0:55:00] This is a, a hospital, rural, rural hospital organization. Uh, in this previous language, there is some tax language that does a three-year average for them to, to qualify for that tax credit. With the Healthcare Transformation Act coming down, the money coming in, it is gonna cause, uh, some problems with that, so that's being struck from that legislation to help protect our rural hospitals. You heard that explanation. Don't see any questions. [0:55:31] Is there a motion that we adopt the, the substitute Senate Bill 411, that's LC 46 1567S? So moved. I have a motion and a second. Any opposition? It's adopted. Okay. Next, we're gonna, uh, recognize Chairman Newton to talk to us about the substitute to Senate Bill 440. [0:55:57] Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. Uh, uh, SB 440, uh, LC60-0375S is a department... begins with a department bill. It, it, uh, actually eliminates, uh, several advisory boards, uh, and, uh, commissions and pilot programs that are, have been determined by the department to be outdated and not, not really required anymore. Those duties have been sometimes transferred to other areas. So that's the, the base of the start of the bill. If you look over on page seven, there's a section, uh, 1-4, which deals with ivermectin, which is a dangerous drug, uh, according to, uh, Georgia's code. [0:56:33] Uh, there is a current exception on line 163 on a topical, low-dose topical lotion. We do add, uh, a section there down on 169, where this would be also available as a behind-the-counter medication. It's not available for self-service, as it says on line 170. The State Board of Pharmacy would adopt rules. And this, uh, this is only if it's in a finished dosage, uh, formulation in its original container that's been approved and labeled in compliance with the FDA. So that's, that's one section that's been added to th- that bill. If you look over on page 27, um, there's an important bill that we have passed here or, or looked at here already in House Health. [0:57:10] Uh, I believe it was 1354. Uh, it, it, uh, it worked, uh, uh, with the Department of Community Health to, to coordinate with stakeholders for a standardized credentialing, uh, uh, policy. One of the things we're trying to do is we do more residencies and try to recruit and retain, uh, physicians and other, other, uh, healthcare providers in Georgia. Um, one of the key things that happens is they get delayed in their start times many times because of, uh, uh, 20 different insurers with 100 different programs between HMOs, PPOs, and others, oftentimes with slightly different, uh, language in their, uh, credentialing files. [0:57:46] But generally, everybody's looking for the same thing. This is a, uh, was a great bill that, uh, and is a great bill that I think, uh, depa- directs the Department of Community Health to work with those stakeholders, with the, with the insurers, and come up by July 1st, 2027, to have a standardized form, and then we want the, all those, uh, credentialing providers to use that. I think that will help, uh, get these providers we're trying to retain and attract. We'll get them into the ability to see patients, uh, even faster and streamline that process. I know we're working on that with licensing t- as well. Um, over on page, uh, 29 is a behavioral health coordinating council-related, uh, information. [0:58:23] This is a parity compliance review panel. An important part of, uh, 1013 that we did some years ago was to reassure or restate our emphasis that, that mental health deserves, uh, parity. And so this is a compliant, a parity compliance review panel, and an important part of it is that the commissioner of insurance will be involved because that's the enforcement piece. If a carrier, it, it gives a, a process for a panel to review, uh, complaints of lack of parity, and then, uh, when they, they can make rec- recommendations, and those would typically go by including the insurance commissioner. [0:58:55] Uh, it would get the appropriate, uh, recommendations, potentially punitive actions to, to make sure that any violations of our parity laws are, are dealt with and taken seriously by the insurers. So those are the, um, those are the parts of the bill. Um, glad to answer any questions, Mr. Speaker. Okay. Have a question for you. Whip Park has a question. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, uh, Chairman Newton, with respect to the ivermectin section, uh, would this be expanding access to ivermectin in Georgia? Well, this is, there's access right now with, with a prescription. [0:59:27] There's a acce- there's an ex- exemption for, uh, low-dose topical lotions. This, uh, this keeps the, the, uh, arrangement of, uh, ivermectin as a dangerous drug that it has to be dealt with through a, uh, a licensed and trained healthcare worker. In this case, it would be the pharmacist. Similar to how we do, do pseudoephedrine or Sudafed right now because there's been recognized challenges, this would all- this would allow, um, a, a, uh, a trained and, and, and certified pharmacist to be involved in helping a patient make that decision. [0:59:58] S- so we're expanding access to ivermectin in Georgia, but not health insurance? [1:00:04] I'm sorry. So, so we're expanding access to ivermectin, but not health insurance in the state of Georgia. Is that correct? I don't believe, uh, uh, this is covered under many health insurance plans now. Uh, this is an FDA, you know, only as it says in there, a formulation that's in a approved and compliant FDA-approved- Sure ... dosage form and container. Yeah. And once again, it's only with the, uh, with the involvement of a, uh, skilled pharmacist. Uh, one additional question, if I may. With respect to the department, uh, bill component of it, Sections 1.5 or 1-5 and 1-6, uh, it's striking out the requirement for the Department of Public Health, uh, to provide information with respect to HIV and sickle cell. [1:00:45] Um, is, is that information gonna be provided by another state agency or from another organization? [1:00:53] Um, I apologize. I do not know if... I, I know that a lot has changed in the, in the way we are, uh, uh, are, uh, testing, our treatment that we've expanded to pharmacists, uh, to be able to assist with pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis. Uh, I believe that is part of the reason they're updating their files. I would have to check with the Department of Public Health on how they're gonna continue to gather the, the required data. Thank you. Chairman Stephens. [1:01:23] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I, I just wanted to remind the committee that over the years, we've put several things behind the counter to protect the public, like codeine, that you can, the general public can sign for and eliminate the addiction problems that were really a real problem. Also, Sudafed, there were those that wanted to make it illegal. Let's, I said, let's track it. In fact, we did it on the House. We put it behind the counter, and it's tracked, and the methamphetamine scenario has, um, dramatically, um, gone down. [1:01:54] This would be the only human-grade [1:01:57] Ivermectin that the general public can get that's tracked, um, and of course eliminate any possibilities of, um, interactions with drug vendors and that kind of stuff. It is the proper way to do this thing so that human grade Ivermectin can be used for public. Okay. Don't see any other questions. Okay, you've heard the explanation to Senate Bill 440 by substitute LC60-0375S. [1:02:27] Is there a motion to approve? So moved. Have a motion and a second to approve. Is there any opposition? Objection. There is an objection. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Those opposed, no. It's approved. Okay, recognize, uh, Chairman Urban to speak to s- sub to Senate Bill 475. [1:02:48] Great. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, uh, uh, let's look on s- the substitute to Senate Bill 475. It'll be line 69 through 75, and simply what this, uh, added language here does is, uh, it will allow the, uh, or require the local charter school, if it ceases to operate, to reimburse the, the system the amount of money equal to the money they have invested in that school, and that is simply what we've done here. [1:03:28] Okay. Don't see any questions there. Okay, you've heard the explanation to Senate Bill 475, substitute LC61-0516S. Is there a motion to approve? So moved. [1:03:43] Second. [1:03:43] Have a motion and a second to approve. Is any opposition? It's approved. Okay, recognize Chairman Martin to speak to the substitute to Senate Bill 556. [1:03:54] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, th- the Senate Bill 556 LC61-0519S. Uh, as explanation, Mr. Chairman, this, um, combines several measures that this body has seen before, but to be clear, this passed this exact language with, um, passed higher ed yesterday as a House bill. So we went through the complete committee process and vetting of this bill. The only thing new in this bill, um, that this committee has not seen before and heard from is the original language in 556, which is in part two, and that is to add advanced fine arts c- uh, courses to the core, uh, HOPE, um, GPA as far as people getting into college. [1:04:35] Part one of the bill was, is the Dream Scholarship. That was, uh, we've seen in section one, uh, of four- 1413. Uh, part three is 419 that has passed this body and this house. Part two is the me- graduate medical college that we saw and passed as a House. Part, uh, five is, uh, House Bill 962, uh, with updates to the 529 plan. Part six, um, w- we've seen in this committee, it's not passed the House, but it is a fix for TCSG that has passed committee. [1:05:08] And, uh, part seven is res- reserve language, uh, that we have worked on with OPB, uh, that has been agreed on, uh, a bipartisan basis. Part eight is just the implementation language. Uh, that's what the bill does, and we're trying to get, uh, all this done together because on day 40 it's hard to get all those done, uh, as single bills. [1:05:26] Okay. We got a question for you. Chair Lady Taylor. [1:05:30] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. To the author, uh, is this bill, when it talks to the graduate medical education, that's for public university medical school only, not the private? [1:05:39] That, that is the, that is the way we have seen it before. That is the uni- uh, university- [1:05:44] It hasn't changed. [1:05:44] Y- yes, ma'am. Y- yes, ma'am. This is language that has not changed. This is, uh, in the university system. [1:05:48] Thank you. [1:05:49] That is, Lady, is correct. [1:05:50] Thank you. [1:05:51] Okay. Don't see any other questions. You've heard the explanation. Is there a motion to approve the substitute to Senate Bill 556? That's LC61-0519S. So moved. [1:06:05] Second. [1:06:05] Have a move and a second. Is there any opposition? Okay, it's approved. Okay, now let's set us a calendar for today. [1:06:19] Under the modified structure rule, Senate Bill 76 substitute, that's LC39-5134S. So moved. [1:06:30] Second. [1:06:30] Have a move and a second. Is there any opposition? It's on. Senate Bill 91. Moved. [1:06:38] Second. [1:06:39] Moved and second. Any opposition? It's on. Substitute to Senate Bill 411, that's LC46-1567S. Moved. [1:06:51] Second. [1:06:51] Have a move and second. Any opposition? It's on. Substitute Senate Bill 440, LC60-0375S. Moved. [1:07:04] Second. [1:07:04] Moved and a second. Any opposition? Objection. Have an objection. All those in favor of putting it on, say aye. Aye. Those opposed, no. [1:07:13] No. [1:07:13] It carries. Substitute to Senate Bill 475, that's LC61-0516S. So moved. [1:07:24] Second. [1:07:24] Moved and second. Any opposition? It's on. Senate Bill 513. Moved. [1:07:32] Second. [1:07:32] Moved and second. Any opposition? Objection. Have an objection. All those who want to put 513 on, say aye. Aye. Those opposed, no. [1:07:42] No. [1:07:42] It carries. Senate Bill 556 by substitute LC61-0519S. Moved. [1:07:52] Second. [1:07:52] Moved and second. Any opposition? It's on. Under structured, Senate Bill 52. Moved. [1:08:01] Second. [1:08:01] Have the move and a second. Any opposition? It's on. Okay, that'll give us something to get started on today. Uh, we'll probably be gathering up again. Just watch your emails and your announcements, and we'll hear from any of those who want to come and ask about a study committee or a resolution. Thank you all very much.