Georgia artists pose with Governor Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp on the North Stairs on Wednesday.

Look out biscuits — cornbread is making a comeback in the Georgia State Capitol. After failing to fully bake in the State Senate in 2024, legislation designating cornbread as the official state bread (HB 14) returned to the House floor on Wednesday. This time, it was accompanied by a bill naming Brunswick stew the official state stew (HB 233), which left lawmakers and lobbyists to wonder what other stew might even be in the running for the honor. While we were all thinking about that, both easily passed and headed across the hall. Of course, we’ll let you know if and when the Senate gets cooking on those measures in the #GoldDomeReport. 

While the House was making everyone hungry, the Senate took up their version of the Amended FY25 State Budget. The measure passed by a 55-1 vote and now goes back to the House to begin the reconciliation process.

In this Report:

• Floor Action
• Committee Notes
• New Legislation
• What’s Next

Floor Action

The House took up the following measures on Legislative Day 23:

• HB 14 - State symbols; cornbread as official state bread; designate (SRules-Carpenter-4th) - PASSED 157-4
• HB 233 - State symbols; Brunswick stew as the official state stew; designate (SRules-Townsend-179th) - PASSED 152-2
• HB 444 - Holidays; April of each year as Georgia Native Plant Month; designate (SRules-Silcox-53rd) - PASSED 158-3
• HR 121 - John W. Mixon Georgia Forestry Building; Dry Branch Community; dedicate (Substitute)(SProp-Camp-135th) - PASSED 163-0
• HB 108 - Safeguarding American Veteran Empowerment Act or SAVE Act; enact (D&VA-Bonner-73rd) - PASSED 158-10
• HB 115 - Natural Resources, Department of; certain notice upon registration of a vessel; provide (Substitute)(GF&P-Petrea-166th) - PASSED 164-0
• HB 131 - Self-service storage facilities; revise advertisement requirements before an owner can enforce an owner's lien (Judy-Reeves-99th) - PASSED 166-0
• HB 156 - Transportation, Department of; authority over vertiports; provide (Substitute)(T&II-Jones-25th) - PASSED 162-7
• HB 171 - Crimes and offenses; obscenity; repeal and replace Code Section 16-12-80 (Substitute)(JudyNC-Thomas-21st) - PASSED 160-0
• HB 172 - Veterinary education; limits on student loan forgiveness program; provide (HEd-Huddleston-72nd) - PASSED 164-4
• HB 176 - Appeal and error; judgments deemed directly appealable; change a provision (Substitute)(JudyNC-Smith-18th) - PASSED 168-0
• HB 208 - Special license plates; support state parks and historic sites; establish (Substitute)(MotV-Smith-70th) - PASSED 167-0
• HB 222 - Criminal procedure; inclusion of certain contact information on bonds and recognizances; require (JudyNC-Blackmon-146th) - PASSED 169-0
• HB 253 - Ethan's Law; enact (Substitute)(JudyJ-Clark-100th) - PASSED 160-0
• HB 308 - Motor vehicles; operation of miniature on-road vehicles on certain highways; provide (Substitute)(MotV-Clifton-131st) - PASSED 170-1
• HB 392 - Georgia Tax Court; certain events; revise dates (Judy-Martin-49th) - PASSED 164-0
• HB 410 - Insurance, Department of; efficiency in the practices; provide (Ins-DeLoach-167th) 164-0
• HB 414 - Elections; "person" to include certain nonresidents; revise definition (Substitute)(GAff-Jones-25th) - PASSED 153-9
• HB 134 - Sales and use tax; manufactured homes; revise and expand exemption (Substitute)(W&M-Camp-135th) - PASSED 160-0

The Senate took up the following measures on Legislative Day 23:

• SB 40 - Secondary Metals Recyclers; the definition of the term "used, detached catalytic converters" to said article; provide for applicability (Substitute) (JUDY-50th) - PASSED 51-3
• SB 130 - Health; medical education funding and the service cancelable loan program; expand (H&HS-3rd) - PASSED 52-4
• HB 67 - Supplemental appropriations; State Fiscal Year July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025 (Substitute) (APPROP-19th) Burns-159th - PASSED 55-1
• SB 79 - "Fentanyl Eradication and Removal Act"; enact (JUDY-8th) - PASSED 50-3
• SB 123 - Compulsory Attendance; provisions of the state's compulsory school attendance laws; update and revise (ED&Y-18th) - PASSED 54-0

Committee Notes

Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee

The Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee, chaired by Senator Bill Cowsert (R-Athens), met on Tuesday to consider the following measures:

• SB 34, authored by Senator Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome), amends Title 46 to mandate that electric utilities in Georgia recover costs incurred from servicing commercial data centers directly from those centers rather than spreading them across general rates. Costs to be recovered include costs related to increased fuel requirements, generation, and transmission that are directly linked to the electric demand of these centers. The legislation defines a "commercial data center" as a facility or group of facilities in Georgia with a peak demand of 100 megawatts or greater, used primarily for data processing, storage, retrieval, or transmission.

Senator Hufstetler presented the bill to the committee as the same substitute presented at the last hearing of the bill. Senator Hufstetler met with the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the chairman since the last hearing and expressed concern that the PSC rulemaking on the same topic from January leaves discretion with Georgia Power as to whether or not to assign costs to new data centers. He believes the bill is necessary to mandate that the costs be passed along to the data centers. Senator David Lucas (D-Macon) asked Senator Hufstetler whether he can directly show that the cost of servicing data centers is being borne in consumer electric rates, to which he responded that consumers have to be subsidizing the current data centers.

Robert Baker, a lawyer and former member of the PSC, spoke to the need for the bill, noting that the Georgia Power rules passed by the PSC in January are “full of loopholes” and are insufficient to protect consumers. He explained that the rules provide discretion for Georgia Power and the PSC to change the rules at any point, which does not guarantee that all costs to serve data centers will be covered by the data centers. Senator Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega) expressed concern that the bill may be treating data centers differently than other large load customers, where the utility sometimes absorbs the cost of establishing new service. Senator John Kennedy (R-Macon) asked how long it would take to recoup the costs of serving a data center project, to which Baker said it would take some time to figure that out. As such, Senator Kennedy said that we don’t know whether Georgia Power will actually seek to recoup the costs or whether they might try to pass them on to other ratepayers as Mr. Baker suggested could happen. Senator Frank Ginn (R-Danielsville) asked about Public Service Commissioners’ accountability to voters and why the legislature should “get out of their lane” with this bill.

Aaron Mitchell, Vice President of Pricing and Planning for Georgia Power, also spoke to the bill. He explained that Georgia Power is working to “put downward pressure on rates” as new generation is being built, and the PSC has ordered them to do so. Mitchell noted that utilities must ensure rates charged cover the cost of delivering service and “have no incentive” to push costs to other customers, particularly residential customers. He said that new large customers actually drive benefits for all customers, like downward pressure on rates. Senator John Albers (R-Alpharetta) expressed concern about the rising power rates over the last several years and asked when ratepayers would see a refund, to which Mitchell reiterated that Georgia Power’s profit is capped by the PSC and 80% of any profit in excess has to be returned to the ratepayer. In response to a question from Senator Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming), Mr. Mitchell explained that as the bill is drafted, it could have the unintended consequence of entitling data center customers who pay for broad improvements exclusive use of those broad improvements (that the public should otherwise have access to).

Tom Bond of the Public Service Commission noted that the PSC is supportive of the bill philosophically, but the bill codifies a rule that will limit the PSC’s ability to assess and respond to different situations. However, he noted that the PSC would do as directed by the legislature.

Tony West of Americans for Prosperity spoke in favor of the bill. A number of other citizens also appeared in support of the measure.

Kevin Curtain of Georgia EMC noted that they have no position on the underlying bill but oppose a proposed amendment that expands the coverage of the bill’s requirements to EMCs and other power providers. Curtain explained that the amendment takes away the authority of locally-accountable EMC boards, and EMCs only serve one data center in the state.

The committee considered an amendment offered by Senator Carden Summers (R-Cordele) to expand the cost recovery requirement to all electric suppliers in the state, including EMCs and MEAG utilities. The amendment failed for lack of a second. In discussion, Senator Matt Brass (R-Newnan) expressed concern that the legislature continues to delegate power to the PSC but then comes back to try to change PSC decisions it does not like. The committee recommended the bill DO PASS by committee substitute by a 8-5 vote.

• SB 142, authored by Senator Kim Jackson (D-Stone Mountain), amends Title 43 to establish a pathway for international medical graduates (IMGs) to obtain medical licensure in Georgia, involving provisional, limited, and full licenses, with specific criteria and conditions for each stage. The legislation mandates that all licenses are subject to the rules and regulations of the medical board, which retains the discretion to grant, deny, or revoke licenses. Additionally, the board is tasked with coordinating with relevant state health departments to ensure that IMGs with limited licenses serve in underserved areas.

Senator Jackson presented the bill to the committee, which did not have time to hear testimony or take action on the bill.

• SB 162, authored by Senator Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome), amends Title 43 to mandate the Georgia Composite Medical Board implement an automated credentialing system for healthcare providers by October 2025. This system is intended to streamline and automate the credentialing process for various healthcare professionals, including physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, licensed physician assistants, and anesthesiologist assistants.

Senator Hufstetler presented the bill to the committee, explaining that he had a few more changes to include and was not ready to have a vote on the bill. The Georgia Hospital Association appeared in support of the measure. The Executive Director of the Georgia Composite Medical Board expressed support for the measure and explained he is working with the author on some changes.

Due to concerns that time is running out until Crossover Day, the committee recommended the bill DO PASS by committee substitute with expectation that additional changes will be made in a Rules Committee Substitute.

House Insurance Committee

Chairman Eddie Lumsden (R-Armuchee) hosted a Tuesday afternoon meeting of the House Insurance Committee taking up the following measures:

• SB 5, authored by Senator Kay Kirkpatrick (R-Marietta), is known as the “Gold Card Bill.” It adds a new code section at O.C.G.A. 33-46.20.1 to require that “each insurer that utilizes prior authorization requirements shall implement and maintain a program that allows for the selective application of reductions in prior authorization requirements based on the stratification of healthcare providers' performance and adherence to evidence based medicine.” Senator Kirkpatrick reminded the committee that the legislation had been brought forward last year but had not received final passage. It takes effect on January 1, 2026 if passed and signed into law. The Medical Association of Georgia supported the legislation and the Georgia Association of Health Plans had worked with the sponsor on the proposal and stated that it would reduce administrative burdens. The legislation received a DO PASS recommendation without dissent, moving the initiative forward to the House Rules Committee. Representative Lee Hawkins (R-Gainesville) will carry the legislation in the House.
• HB 420, authored by Representative Darlene Taylor (R-Thomasville), already cleared the committee once but was sent back because of an error made with the passage of wrong “LC” number. It adds a new Code section at O.C.G.A. 33-24-59.34 to require certain health benefit policies to cover genetic testing for an inherited mutation and cancer imaging under certain conditions. The co-pays and deductibles would be like other covered benefits. There were no questions, and the bill received a DO PASS recommendation on LC 52 0769S.  It moves again to the House Rules Committee.
• HB 373, authored by Representative Lydia Glaize (D-), is the legislation addressing prostate cancer coverage.  The initiative was presented as LC 46 1095S. It requires major medical coverage for annual prostate cancer screenings for certain men (men with a family history ages 40-49 and men who are at high risk over the age of 50 or otherwise determined by a physician should be screened). This requirement also applies to men covered by the State Health Benefit Plan and Medicaid programs. Prostate cancer in men is the second most prevalent cancer per Representative Glaize. Representative Carolyn Hugley (D-Columbus) thanked the author for the legislation, nothing that men in her family have experienced prostate cancer. The legislation received a DO PASS recommendation, moving it forward to the House Rules Committee.
• HB 170, authored by Representative Karen Mathiak (R-Griffin), is a bill similar to one passed last year by the House but stalled in the Senate. It seeks to add a new Code section at O.C.G.A. 33-3-28.1 relating to the authorization and general requirements for transaction of insurance, to “provide for a benefit provider to disclose certain payments to a treating healthcare provider.” Representative Mathiak noted it was about “transparency” and requires a written accounting of payments in 30 days once a written request is made by a provider. The legislation received a DO PASS recommendation, moving it forward to the House Rules Committee.
• HB 422, authored by Representative Derrick McCollum (R-), addresses Chapter 18 of Title 45 to require the state employees' health insurance plan include high deductible health plans; to require that at least two such high deductible health plans be included in such state employees' health insurance plan, and it further requires that certain employees enrolled in such high deductible health plans have the ability to make pretax contributions to health savings accounts through deductions from the salary, wages,or other compensation payable to such employees.  Representative Hugley noted her concern was the inclusion of $300,000 for marketing of the program; she was concerned about “education" and how employees would be made aware of the program. The bill drew support from Representatives Noel Williams and Joseph Gullett. The legislation received a DO PASS recommendation, moving it forward to the House Rules Committee.

House Ways and Means Committee – Income Tax Subcommittee

Chairman Bruce Williamson (R-Monroe) had several bills on his agenda Tuesday afternoon, and among those were these:

• HB 357, authored by Representative Lehman Franklin (R-Statesboro), provide for tax credits for certain contributions made by taxpayers to certain mortgage loan originators in O.C.G.A. 48-7-29.27. The cap on this credit is $20 million annually. Representative Spencer Frye (D-Athens) spoke to the proposal due to his business in this area.  Representative Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton) asked questions regarding overhead of Representative Frye’s nonprofit; he responded it was his organization’s worked to spend 85-90% on its “mission” and nationally it was seen that 75% was the lowest best management (on such expenditure on an organization’s mission per Guidestar).  He indicated that he worked towards achieving 90% spent on the mission. This was the first hearing on this proposal; no action was taken.
• HB 328, authored by Representative Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton), seeks to increase the annual aggregate limit for tax credits available for certain contributions to student scholarship organizations, moving the amount from $120 million to $140 million. Carpenter noted that the program was oversubscribed from day one (noting as much as $250 million). The initiative also changes the time to make the contributions from 60 days to 120 days and it eliminates the carry forward provision. It also adds that an insurance company can participate in this credit (in the new substitute proposed like the Fostering Success Act legislation (HB 136)). It permits a 30% participation by these entities. It also addresses when the credit may be used by someone else (allowing $5,000 to be used by someone else).  Representative Carpenter argued that this program saves state dollars (perhaps as much as $30 million).  He also noted that there was $4,400 scholarship versus the cost of $58,000 for public schools. The average wage of those participating in the program is $30,000 annually. Chairman Shaw Blackmon (R-Bonaire) also noted that the substitute was addressing uniformity with the Fostering Success Act legislation. Representative Carpenter argued too that the scholarships were “changing lives.” Representative Trey Kelley (R-Cedartown) inquired about the funding of the Department of Education; Representative Carpenter stated that the General Assembly had been fully funding QBE.

There was a great deal of public testimony. Ben Saylor with the Georgia Goal (which administers the credit) spoke in favor of the legislation and likes the proposed increase in the cap. Melanie Marborough, with Christo Rey, discussed her student population which comes from 13 counties and students “work” to pay their tuition. The Georgia Advocacy Office expressed concern with the bill and the issue of participating schools that have no guarantees to students with disabilities who are not afforded the same protections as in public schools (she also discussed accountability and transparency which are lacking as well as questioned the revenues being saved). The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute also opposed the bill as vouchers are not providing equity and there are no funds for students who live in poverty. PAGE also took issue with the proposal. The Georgia Public Policy Foundation, however, supported the initiative. The bill was hearing-only with no action being taken.

Senate Education and Youth Committee

Tuesday’s meeting was chaired by Senator Chuck Payne (R-Dalton). The committee took up these measures:

•  SB 152, authored by Senator Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming), adds a new Code section at O.C.G.A. 20-2B-22.1, "Georgia Promise Scholarship Act," to provide that the biological or adopted children of individuals who are foster parents and who meet certain conditions shall qualify for promise scholarship accounts.

The legislation defines “foster parent” as: [ a]n individual who provides care, lodging, supervision, and maintenance for one or more children in a foster care home used by an agency licensed as a child-placing agency pursuant to Chapter 5 of Title 49 or in a foster care home approved and directly supervised by the Department of Human Services.

There was much discussion amongst members on why not allow true foster care children but Senator Dolezal indicated he could not think how to include those children.  There is no fiscal note involved in the proposal. Senator Elena Parent (D-Atlanta) raised questions that this could be a “gaming” of the program and indicated that those children may be best included in the “Special Needs Scholarship.” The legislation received a DO PASS to the committee substitute (LC 49 2264S), but only after Chairman Payne broke the tie of the 5-5. The bill moves forward to the Senate Rules Committee.

• SB 74, authored by Senator Max Burns (R-Sylvania), repeals the provisions in O.C.G.A. 16-12-104 relating to the exemption for libraries and librarians relating to the harmful material distribution to minors. This has been known in the law as the “exception clause” exempting librarians but not others like employees of libraries, teachers, ministers, etc. His legislation also adds an affirmative defense in prosecutions for librarians who provide harmful materials to minors.  The committee asked questions around “knowingly” protecting the minors. Senator Burns stated that 10 states have similar laws and another four states are considering such laws. Kerry Pritchard, with the Department of Education, testified that the Department of Education does not control the purchases made for libraries; rather that it is done at the local level.  An amendment was offered by Senator Ed Setzler (R-Acworth) to try to broaden the protections to other individuals working in libraries; his amendment passed and the committee substitute as amended received a DO PASS recommendation, moving the legislation to the Senate rules Committee.

Senate Insurance and Labor Committee

Chairman Larry Walker, III (R-Perry) took up the following measures in the Insurance and Labor Committee on Tuesday:

• SB 191, authored by Senator Shawn Still (R-Lawrenceville), adds a new code section at O.C.G.A. 34-8-53 and amends other parts of Chapter 8 of Title 34. The legislation is to allow the Department of Labor, when making a decision to permit an applicant to receive notices relating to notices of appeals of applications of unemployment benefits the ability to “opt in” for electronic notices.  Currently, all are sent via regular United States Mail. This legislation does not conflict with federal requirements per Jeffrey Babcock, counsel to the Department of Labor.  The legislation received a DO PASS recommendation without any discussion or changes. It moves to the Senate Rules Committee.
• SB 230, also authored by Senator Still, seeks to remove the limitation on the maximum amount of insurance deductibles payable by unit owners in O.C.G.A. 44-3-94. There was a lot of discussion around homeowners’ associations and their assessments and what coverage was needed for fire and extended coverage. Maryland and Oregon limit to $5,000 while other states have no caps. The bill received a DO PASS recommendation, moving it forward to the Senate Rules Committee.
• SB 205, authored by Senator Sam Watson (R-Moultrie), is legislation mirroring the bill in the House to address coverage of neuropsychiatric symptoms (PANS and PANDAS). It addresses both Titles 33 and 45. All testimony today was in favor of the legislation, which would apply to only the State Health Benefit Plan.  Senator Kay Kirkpatrick (R-Marietta) inquired if Medicaid covered this condition and treatment; the answer was no. There are fewer than 10 physicians in the state treating PANS and PANDAS and CHOA has started a clinic (December 2024) but that clinic only offers treatment to patients who receive referrals from a CHOA physician. The treatment for PANS and PANDAS, known as IVIG, is expensive and not approved by the FDA for the two disorders. The fiscal impact to the State Health Benefit Plan is supposedly $100,000 annually. The legislation was in a hearing only posture; no action was taken.

House Education Committee - Curriculum Subcommittee

The Curriculum Subcommittee of the Education Committee met on Wednesday morning, Chaired by Representative Bethany Ballard (R-Warner Robins), and considered the following:

• HB 133, by Representative David Clark (R-Buford), is the Student Character Development Act. The author described the measure as a simple bill, this measure would require all local schools to develop a policy to permit students to leave campus for 1 hour per week to attend a religious study. Parents would decide if they wanted their students to participate, and programming is privately funded. A number of schools in Georgia already do this. There was some friendly discussion from committee members, and the bill received a DO PASS recommendation; it will move on to the full committee. 
• HB 175, by Representative Todd Jones (R-South Forsyth), revises provisions for employee comprehensive background checks for early care and education programs and Head Start programs. Described as a cleanup bill that brings the Georgia Code in line with federal government and FBI language. DCAL does over 70,000 background checks per year. The bill received a DO PASS recommendation.
• HB 200, by Representative Debrah Bazemore (D-South Fulton), provides for the State Board of Education to establish a three-year pilot immersive writing program for eligible public elementary schools (subject to appropriation, of up to $2 million) to promote literacy. Connie Crawley, retired GA teacher, literacy advocate, children’s author, and developer of Share Your Story program, spoke in support. Strong writers become better communicators, problem solvers, and leaders. Unlike a traditional writing assignment which may ask a student to write a paragraph on a topic or an essay, an immersive writing experience develops step by step, day by day, and takes an idea through to fruition. The committee voted DO PASS.
• HR 145, by Representative Chris Erwin (R-Homer), is a resolution urging the Department of Education and Department of Public Health to collaborate to prioritize the expansion of vision and hearing screenings at various grade levels. Representative Erwin told a personal story of when his young son tagged along with him to an eye doctor appointment. While waiting for the doctor, his son sat on his lap and Erwin asked his son to read the smallest line he could see on the eye chart. He could not see the large letter E at the top of the chart; Representative Erwin’s son was legally blind, and they had no idea. Specifically, the short resolution says “The Department of Education and Department of Public Health are urged to collaborate in developing a comprehensive strategy and methods to expand vision and hearing screening for students in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first, third, fifth, and eight grades, as well as for transfer students in all grade levels; and such comprehensive strategy and methods, once developed, shall be presented to the chairpersons of th eHouse Committee on Education and the Senate Education and Youth Committee and the Georgia Council onLiteracy to ensure alignment with state literacy goals.” The subcommittee voted DO PASS, and the resolution will move on to the full committee.

House Education Committee - Policy Subcommittee

Next up was the Policy Subcommittee of the Education Committee, Chaired by Representative Scott Hilton (R-Peachtree Corners). The committee heard the following bills:

• HB 127, by Brent Cox (R-Dawsonville), increases the number of accumulated sick leave days for teachers and other school personnel from 3 to 5. There was no discussion, and the subcommittee gave the bill a DO PASS recommendation.
• HB 235, by Rick Townsend (R-Brunswick), is the Georgia Supporting Living Donor Educators Act. The author explained that this is a cleanup bill. A few years ago, a bill was passed where state employees could donate an organ and receive paid time off, but teachers were left out. It allows 30 days of paid leave to donate an organ and seven days for a bone marrow transplant. Representative Townsend is a kidney donor himself. Robert Aycock, on behalf of PAGE, spoke in favor of the bill. He shared a letter from a teacher who had to make an emergency kidney donation to her daughter but did not have enough sick days to cover her leave, so her pay was docked by $5,000. The subcommittee voted DO PASS.
• HB 335, by Omari Crawford (D-Decatur) is a measure returning from last session to provide mental health information to student athletes and require coaches to undergo training on mental health to be better equipped to protect student athletes. The bill passed the house unanimously last year. There was bipartisan expression of support from a few committee members, and the bill received a DO PASS recommendation.
• HB 371, by John Corbett (R-Lake Park), related to the Quality Basic Education Act capital outlay funding, increases the states maximum capital outlay from $300 million to $375 million. An increase in funding is needed for two reasons: 1) pre-k was added to the formula, and 2) construction costs have increased. The limit has not been updated since 2007.The bill received a DO PASS recommendation.

House Public and Community Health Committee

Chairman Sharon Cooper (R-Marietta) and the Public and Community Health Committee met Wednesday afternoon on these measures:

• HB 584, authored by Representative Jesse Petrea (R-Savannah), is a Department bill from the Department of Community Health which has worked with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to align regulation of facilities which are mental health, developmental disabilities, or substance abuse with their funding streams. The Governor is supportive of this move and the shift in appropriations for these facilities’ purposes.  The shift, transitioning these facilities’ regulation, is to be completed by the end of calendar year 2025.  Joe Hood, the Chief Operating Officer with the Department of Community Health, spoke to the initiative.  The legislation received a DO PASS recommendation, moving it forward now to the House Rules Committee.
• HB 291, authored by Representative Darlene Taylor (R-Thomasville), is the Community Health Worker Certification effort. It was before the Committee as LC 52 0805S. It contains a certification process and structure for these works. The certification certifies competency and brings healthcare resources to rural areas. A pilot for these workers was done in Lowndes County and it found $28,608 in per patient savings.  Emory University also has a community health workers program. Georgia WATCH has spearheaded this effort.  The certification, done by the Department of Public Health, will be for two years. An amendment was offered by Representative Scott Hilton (R-Peachtree Corners), to require that rather than 30 days but 15 days that the Department of Public Health would have to acknowledge if the application was complete. The Hilton Amendment was adopted and the legislation passed as amended.
• HB 506, authored by Representative Scott Hilton (R-Peachtree Corners), is the initiative to require that the Department of Community Health’s Medicaid plans cover smoking cessation products. The American Heart Association and the American Lung Association are behind the effort.  Tobacco use is the number one reason people die and is an annual cost of $699 million. Representative Michelle Au (D-Sandy Springs) asked Representative Hilton if he would consider using the tobacco tax increase proposal (HB 83) as a way in which to pay for these cessation products. Hilton acknowledged that would be a good policy discussion, but he would not want to add her legislation’s language to this initiative. Representative Darlene Taylor (R-Thomasville) asked if the legislation required a fiscal note.  The Department of Community Health’s Brandy Sylvan indicated it would be a small cost which could be absorbed by the Department as the medications were low-cost drugs. The committee also fielded questions from Representative Park Cannon (D-Atlanta) about the reimbursement of providers providing these services to Medicaid patients. Again, they struggled with the lack of a fiscal note on the legislation. Another issue brought up was addressing second-hand smoke. Representative Hilton noted he would like to look at that later, but his bill is modeled on legislation from other states. The legislation received a DO PASS recommendation, moving it forward to the House Rules Committee.
• HB 471, authored by Representative Mike Cheokas (R-Americus), is the legislation to address water safety education for new moms and their babies. It will require a video to be prepared by the Department of Public Health with the assistance of Every Child a Swimmer (a nonprofit addressing educating individuals on swimming). The video is to be offered to these moms prior to discharge following the birth of their child.  Representative Cheokas shared that drowning is the leading cause of death in children ages 1-4 and the second leading cause of death of children ages 5-14 years of age. The legislation expands the earlier passed laws, directed to the Department of Education, on swimming. The parent does have the ability to opt out of watching the video. The Georgia Hospital Association’s Anna Adams spoke to the effort, noting their work with the author on the proposal. The legislation received a DO PASS to the Committee substitute, LC 570251S. It now moves to the House Rules Committee.

House Higher Education Committee

Representative Chuck Martin (R-Alpharetta) and his committee took up the following items on Wednesday afternoon:

• HB 56, by Representative Jesse Petrea (R-Savannah), provides grants to spouses of law enforcement officers, firefighters, and prison guards who are killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty. Public school teachers have been added to the bill. Robert Aycock, on behalf of the Professional Association of GA Educators (PAGE), spoke in support. The bill will move forward to the Rules Committee with a DO PASS recommendation.
• HB 286, by Representative Yasmin Neal (D-Jonesboro), related to the Seed-Capital Fund, creating a sub-fund to provide startup capital to certain small businesses. Applicants would need to complete a program at a TCSG school (the author described it as being like a mini MBA). Representative Imani Barnes (D-Tucker) asked if there was a requirement for a start-up business to stay in-state for a certain amount of time. Representative Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton) agreed that would be a good idea. $1.1 million has been allocated for this. There was friendly discussion from the committee, but no action was taken, as this was a hearing only.
• HB 385, by Representative Scott Holcomb (D-Atlanta), will allow our highest achieving students with unused HOPE credits to apply those dollars to graduate school. This was brought by a constituent who said that she could use her HOPE money to get two bachelor's degrees, but she would have preferred to get started on her graduate education. Under this measure, the student would pay the difference between the per-hour rate that HOPE covers. It’s estimated that this would only cost the state a few million dollars. This was passed last year (HB 1231), but got some additions in the Senate and was vetoed by the Governor. There was no discussion, and the bill received a DO PASS recommendation.
• HB 541, by Representative Katie Dempsey (R-Rome), relates to tuition equalization grants, to expand the definition of an approved school to include certain institutions which offer programs in nursing. Estimated that this will cost a maximum of $750,000. Last year it passed out of both chambers, but vetoed by the governor. This was a hearing-only on this bill; no vote was taken.

House Rural Development Committee

Chairman Leesa Hagan (R-Lyons) and her committee took up these efforts:

• HB 262, Representative Angie O’Steen (R-), establishes a grant program for rural hospitals so that they can obtain assistance in times of states of emergency (applies to hospitals with fewer than 100 beds in counties of 50,000 or fewer). LC 570232 S passed out of the Committee.

The Georgia Association of Realtors shared information with the committee on housing and real estate in rural Georgia. Betsy Bradfield made the presentation.  Currently, Georgians can’t afford to buy a home — last year those were up 3% over prior costs. Four-bedroom homes cost $449,000 (median price). 96.3% of the sales price is what buyers are generally purchasing homes — thus, they are paying almost the list price of a home.  There is only about 3.4 months of inventory of homes now in the State; therefore, it is seen as a seller’s market in the state. Augusta has seen 320% growth in home sales; 62.7% sales growth in Atlanta.  Most homes in demand in 2024 were priced between $150,000-$250,000. Georgia is the number one state to do business, but there is not enough housing for folks who want to work here. Departments of Economic Development and Community Affairs are now looking at areas to be developed and whether there will be sufficient housing. The committee expressed support of the realtors who assisted with disaster relief after Hurricane Helene. Ms. Bradfield noted the fraud which occurs with homes and court filings, and cautioned the committee about such and assured them she would provide information for them to share with constituents on how to avoid fraud in real estate transactions.

House Justice Juvenile Committee

The committee, chaired by Representative Mandi Ballinger (R-Canton), heard a long presentation from Commissioner Candice Broce of the Department of Human Services about the child welfare activities of the department. She started by eloquently accenting the scope and difficulty of the DFCS case workers’ jobs before turning to a description of its software issues and success with reducing hoteling. Several members asked questions about the turnover rate in frontline case workers. Commissioner Broce indicated the rate had come down from a high 43% to the low 20s. She also described the development of a QRTP facility at Murphy Harpst Home in  Cedartown and the new facility in Gwinnett County for victims of sex trafficking that has been developed by the Devereux Foundation. These were described as examples of work by DHS on such issues.  She talked about missing foster children and how they are often found in sex trafficking locations, decrying the difficulties foster children often find themselves in and the frustration over not always being able to protect the children. Representatives Buddy Deloach (R-Townsend) and Rick Townsend (R-Brunswick) both asked about staffing hours at local DFCS offices. The presentation brought the committee up to speed on current issues.

They then took up the following measures:

• SB 8 was presented by its author, Senator Kay Kirkpatrick (R-Marietta). The bill permits a juvenile court to have arrest warrant power when it sits as a court of inquiry, similar to superior, state and magistrate courts.  After some discussion about whether this type of authority was necessary in a juvenile court, because of its problem solving nature, the bill passed with one dissenting vote.
• HB 434, by Chairman Mandi Ballinger (R-Canton), moves a section of the juvenile code into the criminal code relating to selling a child for private gain.The Chair explained her goal to call more attention to the provisions for the benefit of prosecutors, assuming they would take more notice if the provisions were in their territorial titles of the Code.

New Legislation

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

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

What’s Next

The General Assembly will reconvene for Legislative Day 24 on Thursday, February 27 at 10:00 AM. 

The House is expected to consider the following on Legislative Day 24:

• HB 113 - State government; prohibit the state or its agencies from purchasing goods from certain foreign countries or related entities (GAff-McDonald III-26th)
• HB 143 - Water resources; water-measuring devices for farm use of surface and ground water; revise provisions (Substitute)(NR&E-Dickey-134th)
• HB 163 - Food service establishments; certain food products be disclosed as containing cell cultured meat and plant based meat alternatives; require (A&CA-Ridley-22nd)
• HB 187 - Professions and businesses; contractors; change certain provisions (Substitute)(RegI-Washburn-144th)
• HB 227 - Putting Georgia's Patients First Act; enact (Substitute)(Hth-Dickey-134th)
• HB 241 - Contracts; convenience fees for payment by electronic means; revise provisions (Substitute)(B&B-Rhodes-124th)
• HB 254 - State government; provide placement of Revolutionary War Patriots marker on state capitol building grounds and state archives building grounds (SProp-Buckner-137th)
• HB 267 - Riley Gaines Act; enact (Substitute)(Ed-Bonner-73rd) (Rules Committee Substitute LC 49 2300S)
• HB 169 - Ad valorem tax; breach of a covenant for bona fide conservation use related to solar generation of energy; limit exceptions (Substitute) (W&M-Cannon-172nd)

The Senate is expected to consider the following on Legislative Day 24:

• SB 42 - Penalties for violating Code Sections 16-6-9 through 16-6-12; certain penalty provisions for the offense of prostitution, keeping a place of prostitution, pimping, and pandering; repeal (JUDY-50th)
• SB 101 - Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy; testing in the newborn screening system; require (H&HS-29th)
• SB 131 - Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce; Georgia Health Care Professionals Data System; establishment (Substitute) (RI&U-3rd)
• SB 141 - Revenue and Taxation; the appeal and protest period from 30 days to 45 days for tax assessments; extend (Substitute) (FIN-50th) SB 69 "Georgia Courts Access and Consumer Protection Act"; enact (JUDY18th)