The Senate set an ambitious agenda for Thursday, placing 27 measures on a Rules Calendar front loaded with some of the most contentious issues of the session. Among the first six bills up for consideration were propositions establishing a Prosecuting Attorneys Oversight Commission (SB 92, passed 32-4), authorizing sports betting in Georgia (SB 57, failed 19-37), allowing admission of evidence of failure to wear a seat belt in civil cases (SB 196, failed 24-30), and incorporating the City of Buckhead City (SB 114, still in debate at time of publication). Just a few “simple bills” for the day before Crossover.

Meanwhile, the House churned through most of its Rules and Supplemental Rules calendars, which appeared similar in length to the Senate’s but harbored far less controversy. Among the measures approved were this year’s omnibus mental health bill (HB 520, passed 163-3), legislation addressing surprise billing (HB 295, passed 174-0), and the Georgia Candor Act (HB 470, passed 163-1). Find all the details on what passed, failed, and remains pending as the House and Senate continue debate in this #GoldDomeReport.

In this Report:

• Floor Action

• Committee Reports

• New Legislation

• What’s Next

Floor Action

The House took up the following measures on the floor on Legislative Day 27:

• HB 31 - Conservation and natural resources; Hazardous Waste Trust Fund; dedicate proceeds of certain hazardous waste fees (W&M-137th). The bill passed by a vote of 172-0.

• HB 144 - George L. Burgess Act; enact (Substitute)(JuvJ-115th). The Committee Substitute passed by a vote of 167-0.

• HB 163 - Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce; student loan repayment for medical examiners employed by the Division of Forensic Sciences of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation; provide (Substitute)(HEd-26th). The Committee Substitute passed by a vote of 172-1.

• HB 187 - Crimes and offenses; authorize for-profit credit repair services (Substitute)(A&CA-123rd). The Committee Substitute was RECOMMITTED back to the Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee.

• HB 244 - Board of Natural Resources; effective date for certain rules and regulations; extend (Substitute)(GF&P-166th). The Committee Substitute passed with a vote of 170-0.

• HB 227 - Crimes and offenses; offense of criminal interference with critical infrastructure; provide (Substitute)(JudyNC-123rd). The Committee Substitute passed by a vote of 174-0.

• HB 230 - Revenue and taxation; qualified consolidated government special purpose local option sales tax; provide (W&M-127th). The bill passed by a vote of 165-7.

• HB 264 - Revenue and taxation; handling of appeals of property tax assessments; revise certain deadlines and procedures (Substitute)(W&M-138th). The Committee Substitute passed by a vote of 173-0.

• HB 273 - Board of Natural Resources; extend date by which rules and regulations must be in effect for purposes of establishing criminal violations (NR&E-167th). The bill passed by a vote of 171-0.

• HB 295 - Insurance; consumer protections against surprise billing; revise certain procedures (Ins-27th). The bill passed by a vote of 165-0.

• HB 302 - Crimes and offenses; issuance of a temporary or permanent protective order by the court; provide (JudyNC-160th). The bill passed by a vote of 172-0.

• HB 327 - Crimes and offenses; incest; include step-grandparent and step-grandchild relationship (JudyNC-1st). The bill passed by a vote of 166-0.

• HB 348 - Motor vehicles; standards for signs warning of use of automated traffic enforcement safety devices; provide (Substitute)(MotV-71st). The Committee Substitute passed by a vote of 168-0.

• HB 362 - Insurance; benefit provider to disclose certain payments to a treating healthcare provider; provide (Ins-74th). The bill passed by a vote of 164-0.

• HB 373 - State holidays; September 11 as First Responders Appreciation Day; designate (SRules-60th). The bill passed by a vote of 173-0.

• HB 375 - Guardian and ward; authority of conservator and cooperation with guardian or other interested parties; define gross settlement (Judy-123rd). The bill passed by a vote of 161-0.

• HB 384 - Insurance; annual notification by insurers to male insureds of coverage for prostate-specific antigen tests; provide (Ins-113th). The bill passed by a vote of 169-1.

• HB 404 - Safe at Home Act; enact (Substitute)(Judy-4th). The Committee Substitute passed by a vote of 168-0.

• HB 408 - Sales and use tax; exemption for competitive projects of regional significance; change sunset provision (W&M-112th). The bill passed by a vote of 169-2.

• HB 453 - Health; ambulance services pay annual license fee; repeal requirement (PH-48th). The bill passed by a vote of 166-0.

• HB 470 - Georgia Candor Act; enact (Judy-45th). The bill passed by a vote of 163-1.

• HB 520 - Buildings and housing; tenant selection; revise provisions (Substitute)(PH-25th). The Committee Substitute passed by a vote of 163-3.

• HB 529 - Insurance; minimum amounts of uninsured and underinsured coverage to be maintained by transportation network and taxi service companies; provide (Substitute)(Ins-148th). The Committee Substitute passed by 153-9.

• HB 530 - Civil practice; protective orders for certain high-ranking officers; provide (Judy-176th). The bill passed by a vote of 156-8.

• HB 543 - Courts; six-person jury trials in civil actions; revise an exception (Judy-99th). The bill passed 161-2.

• HB 545 - Agricultural Commodity Commission for Citrus Fruits; provide (A&CA-172nd). The bill passed by a vote of 172-0.

• HR 96 - Ad valorem tax; rate reduction for sale or harvest of timber; provide - CA (W&M-148th). The resolution passed by a vote of 170-1.

The following measures were scheduled for debate in the House on Legislative Day 27 but were either tabled or postponed:

• HB 128 - Revenue and taxation; representation of minority business enterprises, women and veteran owned businesses in procurement of state contracts; provide (SP&CA-103rd)

• HB 212 - Niche-Beauty Services Opportunity Act; enact (Substitute)(RegI-136th). The bill was TABLED.

The Senate took up the following measures on the floor on Legislative Day 27:

• SB 57 - 'Georgia Sports Betting Integrity Act'; regulation/taxation of sports betting (Substitute)(ED&T-4th). The Committee Substitute FAILED by a vote of 19-37.

• SB 92 - Prosecuting Attorneys Oversight Commission; create (Substitute)(I&L-9th). The Committee Substitute as amended passed by a vote of 32-24.

• SB 106 - "Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Act"; enact (Substitute)(JUDY-29th). The Committee Substitute passed by a vote of 54-1.

• SB 109 - Dept. of Community Health; include continuous glucose monitors; require (H&HS-49th). The bill passed by a vote of 52-1.

• SB 196 - Safety Belts; failure to wear restraints for children as admissible evidence (Substitute)(Trans-1st). The Committee Substitute FAILED by a vote of 24-30.

The following measures were scheduled for debate in the Senate on Legislative Day 27 but had not been called up as of publication:

• SB 34 - Food Service Establish; third-party food delivery service committing unfair (Substitute) (AG&CA-42nd)

• SB 55 - Counties, Municipal Corp.; regulation of businesses of persons under 18 yrs old (Substitute) (ED&T-42nd)

• SB 62 - Counties/Municipal Corp; certain local ordinances or policies relating to public (Substitute)(SLGO(O)-13th)

• SB 76 - State Employees; state health benefit plans; cover insulin at reduced rate

• SB 97 - 'Georgia Cyber Command Act'; Georgia Cyber Command Division under the Georgia (VM&HS-31st)

• SB 113 - Municipal Corporations; the transition of services and facilities (Substitute)(SLGO(O)-29th)

• SB 114 - City of Buckhead City; incorporate (Substitute)(SLGO(O)-29th)

• SB 115 - Georgia National Guard; the adjutant general to be the official sponsor (Substitute)(VM&HS-14th)

• SB 132 - Ag.; acquisition of possessory interest in cert. land by nonresident aliens (VM&HS-21st)

• SB 136 - Impact Fees; required revenue source for a development project; modify (ED&T-30th)

• SB 137 - Tuition Equalization Grants at Private Colleges and Universities; definition (HEd-23rd)

• SB 148 - Nonprofit Corporations; comprehensively revise, simplify said chapter (Judy-18th)

• SB 157 - Professions and Businesses; preclearance process in the licensing of individuals (Substitute)(Judy-17th)

• SB 181 - Georgia Technology Authority; authority to conduct certain fingerprint criminal (S&T-54th)

• SB 191 - Motor Vehicles and Traffic; authorizing joinder of motor carriers; provisions (Trans-48th)

• SB 199 - State's Employee Benefit Plan Council; council to establish health savings (Ret-6th)

• SB 201 - Torts; revival of claims for damages available to victims of human trafficking (Substitute)(Judy-6th)

• SB 215 - Public Records; personal information of public employees; protect (Substitute)(GvtO-28th)

• SB 222 - Primaries/Elections; all costs/expenses relating to election admin; public funds (Substitute)(Ethics-23rd)

• SR 114 - Flemming, Charlie; recognize (Rules-44th)

• SR 176 - Taiwan; commend (Rules-28th)

Committee Reports

House Education Committee

The House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Chris Erwin (R-Homer), met on Thursday morning to consider the following measures:

• HB 340, authored by Representative John Corbett (R-Lake Park), amends Title 20 to provide for daily duty-free planning periods for teachers in grades six through 12.

Corbett presented the bill to the committee, explaining that providing for a duty-free planning period is important for teacher recruitment and retention. He offered a Substitute that allows for planning periods to be suspended for health and safety purposes. The committee recommended the bill DO PASS by committee substitute and be sent to the Rules Committee.

• HB 537, authored by Representative Becky Evans (D-Atlanta), amends Title 20 to require the Department of Early Care and Learning to provide for age-appropriate evidence-based literacy instruction training requirements for certain childcare providers. The bill also provides for the Professional Standards Commission to require that teacher education programs include mandatory coursework in age-appropriate evidence-based literacy instruction and revise standards for acquiring and maintaining teacher certification in all teaching fields to include requirements regarding age-appropriate evidence-based literacy instruction.

Evans presented the bill to the Committee, explaining that this legislation is targeted at teacher certification and ensuring teachers are being trained in how to teach reading. There was discussion about amendments that might be necessary for DECAL, but the committee ran out of time during the morning meeting. The committee TABLED consideration of the bill.

• HB 538, authored by Representative Bethany Ballard (R-Warner Robins), is the “Georgia Early Literacy Act”. The bill amends Title 20 to require the State Board of Education to approve high-quality instructional materials to be used for teaching students in kindergarten through third grade.

Ballard presented the bill to the committee, explaining the goal of the legislation is to get students reading on grade level by the third grade. She presented a substitute that removes the literacy coach requirement in the original bill and provides an appeal process for school districts who already have effective literacy curricula. An amendment was proposed to extend several deadlines in the bill by six months, pushing implementations from July 1, 2023 to January 1, 2024, and from January 1, 2024 to July 1, 2024. The committee adopted the amendment and recommended the bill DO PASS and be sent to the Rules Committee.

House Industry and Labor Committee

Chairman Bill Werkheiser (R-Glennville) and the Industry and Labor Committee met this morning, examining these measures:

• HB 282, authored by Representative Mesha Mainor (D-Atlanta), is a bill which was previously discussed in 2022. It seeks to add a new code section at O.C.G.A. 20-2-145.1 to provide for a minimum course of study in career readiness education for students in grades six through 12, to include instruction and training experiences focused on employability and career readiness skills, and it further provides direction to the Department of Education to develop, assemble, and make available instructional resources and materials concerning employability and career readiness skills, career exploration, and career oriented learning experiences. These “soft skills” are being provided now in 29 districts around the State. There were questions about making this training mandatory. There were some on the committee who felt the legislation was redundant. No one from the Department of Education was present to testify today due to conflicts, but it was noted that Superintendent Woods had supported the legislation in 2022. After an initial attempt to table failed, the legislation received a DO PASS recommendation, moving forward LC 49 1104. The legislation will be reviewed by the House Rules Committee.

• HB 556, authored by Representative Tyler Paul Smith (R-Bremen), is the proposal to enact the “Pregnancy Protection Act” in Chapter 5B of Title 34. Smith presented the original form of the bill, LC 36 5494, as “clear expectations for employers.” The legislation will help Georgia address worker protections which Smith described as second to last in the country for such. Federal law, unfortunately, does not afford needed protections for pregnant women on the job. Smith indicated that the initiative would be helpful in addressing Georgia’s maternal mortality rates. Further, the legislation is personal for Smith who indicated his own mother lost her job when she had him. Smith reminded his legislative colleagues that the initiative will help with the declining birth rates and that the legislature needs to take action because if not, the tax burden on all will go up as fewer are born. A number of the minority party members on the committee showed support for the legislation. Sarah Hunt-Blackwell with the ACLU also rose in support of the legislation as it is a step forward to ensure healthy pregnancies and will help promote economic stability for women. Representative Josh Bonner (R-Fayetteville) raised concerns about how the legislation would actually impact mortality rates when employers were not making accommodations for employees and stressed that he felt like it was making more regulations on businesses. An employment lawyer stated that 2022 studies indicated that 1 in 5 pregnant, working women experienced pregnancy discrimination. In the last month, her office had received 50 calls but most are not protected by federal law. Representative Devan Seabaugh (R-Marietta) and Representative Jesse Petrea (R-Savannah), both business owners, also expressed reservations about the legislation. There were also questions raised about whether any of the Chambers of Commerce had weighed in on the legislation. A motion to table was made but that motion failed with a vote of 5-8; the legislation then received a DO PASS recommendation with a vote of 7-5. The measure moves forward to the House Rules Committee.

House Higher Education Committee

Chairman Chuck Martin (R-Marietta) called the Higher Education Committee to order early Thursday morning to quickly discuss the following measures.

• HB 228, authored by Representative Katie Dempsey (R-Rome), amends code section 20-3-411 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated to expand the definition of approved school under the tuition equalization grant for private colleges and universities. This measure seeks to include schools with nursing programs or degrees. The measure received a DO PASS recommendation.

• HB 392, authored by Representative Rick Jasperse (R-Jasper), seeks to create in Title 50 the Georgia Endowment for Teaching Professionals. This endowment would provide funds within the Technical College System of Georgia to support teachers in high demand disciplines. The measure received a DO PASS recommendation.

• HB 605, authored by Representative Robert Dickey (R-Musella), amends Title 20 of the O.C.G.A. to expand the Realizing Educational Achievement Can Happen (“REACH”) Scholarship. This measure seeks to include anyone who is a victim of human trafficking. The measure received a DO PASS recommendation.

• HB 607, authored by Representative Clay Pirkle (R-Ashburn), seeks to amend Title 20 of the O.C.G.A. under eligibility of the HOPE Scholarship. This measure removes the ACT score requirement from code and leaves the it up to the Georgia Student Finance Commission to report by January 1 of each year. The measure received a DO PASS recommendation.

New Legislation

The following legislation of interest has been introduced in the House:

The following legislation of interest has been introduced in the Senate:

What’s Next

The General Assembly will reconvene for Crossover Day, Legislative Day 28, on Monday, March 6 at 10:00 a.m.

The House is expected to consider the following measures on Legislative Day 28:

• HB 166 - Courts; provide for qualification of constables (JudyNC-74th)

• HB 249 - Education; needs based financial aid program; provide definition (Substitute)(HEd-49th)

• HB 267 - Income tax; failure of employers to comply with revenue provisions regarding employees; authorize private causes of action for equitable relief (Judy-18th)

• HB 458 - Agriculture; hemp farming; provide for intent (Substitute)(A&CA-169th)

• HB 462 - Raise the Age Act; enact (Substitute)(JuvJ-23rd)

• HB 498 - Funeral directors and embalmers; reinstatement of lapsed license; change certain provisions (SBD-149th)

• HB 532 - Pike County; Magistrate Court; chief judge; provide nonpartisan elections (Substitute)(IGC-135th)

The Senate has not yet set a calendar for Legislative Day 28, but it appears the Upper Chamber will have plenty left over from Legislative Day 27 to get them started.