With fewer fireworks than many expected, Governor Brian Kemp’s comprehensive tort reform legislation achieved passage by a comfortable margin in the Georgia State Senate on Friday. Garnering a 33-21 vote mostly along party lines, Senate Bill 68 cruised through the upper chamber. In doing so, the legislation fended off an unfriendly amendment from Senate Democrats but picked up a split-the-baby compromise to how a plaintiff’s medical expenses may be proven at trial. Proponents made it almost look easy, allowing lawmakers and lobbyists hunkered down for a fight in the trenches to head home by lunchtime. But it’s only halftime as the bill heads to the House to begin the committee process anew.
While most eyes were on the Senate, a few enterprising committee chairmen squeezed in one more meeting before calling it a week. Coverage of those convenings in this #GoldDomeReport.
In this Report:
- Floor Action
- Committee Notes
- New Legislation
- What’s Next
Floor Action
The House took up the following measures on Legislative Day 21:
- HB 58 - Aviation; adoption of local ordinances, resolution, regulations, or policies that restrict the flight of unmanned aircraft systems over mass public gatherings; authorize (Substitute)(T&II-Richardson-125th) - PASSED 153-4
- HB 167 - Game and fish; authorize fluorescent pink hunting outer garments (GF&P-Hagan-156th) - PASSED 159-0
- HB 181 - Vital records; issuance of a Certificate of Foreign Birth by the state registrar without a judicial order if certain criteria is satisfied; provide (Judy-Ehrhart-36th) - PASSED 154-0
- HB 192 - Top State for Talent Act; enact (Ed-Gambill-15th) - PASSED 155-1
- HB 196 - State employees' health insurance plan; drugs dispensed for self administration; provisions (Substitute) (Hth-Kelley-16th) - PASSED 168-0
- HB 205 - Board of Homeland Security; development of a list of approved unmanned aircraft systems; provide (Substitute) (PS&HS-Clark-100th) - PASSED 162-1
- HB 283 - Motor vehicles; issuance of a refusal to sign citation; provide (MotV-Neal-79th) - PASSED 155-6
- SB 16 - Public Officials; bail bond business; modify provisions (GAff-Huddleston-72nd) Brass-6th - PASSED 159-6
The Senate took up the following measures on Legislative Day 21:
- SB 10 - Superior Courts of the Alapaha Judicial Circuit; additional judge; provide. - PASSED 49-0
- SB 12 - Inspection of Public Records; documents and records in the possession of private persons or entities; revise provisions. PASSED 49-0
- SB 68 - Civil Practice; substantive and comprehensive revision of provisions regarding civil practice, evidentiary matters, damages, and liability in tort actions; provide. PASSED 33-21
Committee Notes
House Ways and Means - Ad Valorem Tax Subcommittee
The Ad Valorem Tax Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee, chaired by Representative Vance Smith (R-Pine Mountain) was still underway on Thursday at time of publication. They were presented with two bills for hearings only; no votes were taken.
- HB 463, by Representative Shaw Blackmon (R-Bonaire), creates an interesting way for seniors to receive additional help via homestead on their property taxes by volunteering for local government or schools to earn credit toward their property taxes at a rate of $10 per hour, up to $500 per year. Colorado, Texas, Maine, Massachusetts, and South Carolina have implemented similar programs. Representative Ron Stephens (R-Savannah) said this will be a great way to give seniors a little tax relief while keeping them active in the community.
House Ways and Means - Sales Tax Subcommittee
Chaired by Representative Chuck Martin (R-Alpharetta), the Sales Tax Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee met on Thursday after time of publication. The committee heard the following measures for first-hearings, and no votes were taken.
- HB 168, by Representative Mitchell Horner (R-Ringgold), relates to special local option sales taxes (SPLOSTs), adding an oversight step. SPLOSTs are intended to be a temporary tax, but they get continually renewed. The author, born in 1994, stated “I am as old as my [county’s] SPLOST.” Studies show increases of long term spending to shift transportation expenditures, and become a crutch for counties’ general funds. This bill would require the local delegation in the state legislature to approve a SPLOST.
Dante Handle, on behalf of ACCG, spoke in opposition, stating that this would remove the “local option” in the phrase “special local option sales tac.” If voters don’t like it, they don’t have to vote for it. Leonna Rittenhouse with GMA also expressed her organization’s opposition. The 9-10 month gap between passage of local legislation and the governor’s signature could create delays in funding for local projects.
- HB 429, by Representative David Wilkerson (D-Powder Springs), seeks to eliminate the “birthday tax” for those who have owned a vehicle since 2012 or before. In 2012 the State changed the way vehicles are taxed, eliminating the birthday tax, opting for a Title Ad Valorem Tax instead (TAVT), which works like a sales tax the time the vehicle is titled. People who had cars prior to March 1, 2013 still pay the birthday tax. This would eliminate that. Representative Wilkerson explained that people who drive older cars often do so because that’s all they afford. ACCG is opposed, noting that such owners had the option to pay the TAVT and get off the birthday tax at the time the law was changed.
- HB 445, by Representative Chuck Martin (R-Alpharetta), is a measure that passed the House last year but not the Senate. It seeks to change the appeal process through boards of equalization for tangible personal property in aggregate excess value of $200,000 by giving owners the ability to appeal straight to a professional hearing officer. The goal is to keep these appeals out of superior court, which is where they’ll end up if they appeal a decision of the equalization board. Decision of a hearing officer can still be appealed to superior court, but in practice taxpayers are less likely to need to appeal the decision of a professional hearing officer versus that of an equalization board constituted of other citizens who may not be experts.
House Higher Education Committee
Chairman Chuck Martin (R-Alpharetta) opened the meeting by thanking everyone for braving the cold, as it was 18 degrees in Atlanta this morning. The committee heard just one bill.
- HB 217, authored by the governor’s floor leader Representative Soo Hong (R-Lawrenceville), is part of the governor's legislative agenda for this session. The original bill sought to expand the Dual Achievement program (currently a pilot program, created by SB 204 in 2021) to a permanent statewide program. After the first hearing and subsequent feedback, the measure now seeks only to extend the pilot program for ten years. Georgia’s Dual Achievement Program is an alternative pathway for students ages 16 and older who have completed at least 10th grade but choose to withdraw from high school to earn their diploma through a Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) institution. To graduate, students must complete at least nine high school-equivalent credits through college coursework and earn either a technical college diploma or two technical certificates in a specific career field. This program benefits students by providing hands-on career training, faster graduation, and workforce readiness, while still allowing future educational opportunities. Unlike Dual Enrollment, which lets students earn college credits while in high school, the Dual Achievement Program replaces high school entirely with technical college education. It’s ideal for students who prefer career-focused learning over a traditional high school experience. To date, 2,322 students have been served by this program. 344 earned a high school diploma, and 898 earned both a high school diploma and some college credit.
Representative Dickey (R-Musella) asked where the funding was coming from? It is funded through the TCSG budget. Representative Edna Jackson (D-Savannah) encouraged the author to look at including Savannah Tech and other schools in South Georgia, as she believes this program is needed across the state (there are currently five TCSG pilot sites: Albany Tech, Athens Tech, Atlanta Tech, Central GA Tech in Milledgeville, and Chattahoochee Tech in Marietta). Chairman Martin noted that there are 227 high schools participating in this program; schools do not need to be geographically adjacent. The high school classes are virtual, and the student attends the technical college in person. The committee recommended DO PASS, and the bill moves on to the Rules Committee.
House Education Committee
Chairman Chris Erwin (R-Homer) began the meeting by welcoming and acknowledging all of the teachers in the room, thanking them for their work and praising them as “daily heroes.”
HB 267, by Representative Josh Bonner (R-Fayetteville), is the “Riley Gaines Act,” one of Speaker Jon Burns’s (R-Newington) legislative priorities, which prohibits transgender girls from competing in women’s sports. This measure will sound familiar to regular readers of the Gold Dome Report, as it is the House’s version of SB 1, the “Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act,” by Senator Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming). Representative Bonner presented the substitute to his bill along with Chelsea Thompson, general counsel for Frontline Policy. The author described the bill as common sense legislation to protect female athletes to protect female athletes in Georgia and ensure fairness on the court, the pitch, and the field. He was followed by Speaker Burns, who explained the impetus behind this bill Speaker Burns stated, ”It’s simple, biological men have an undeniable and scientifically proven advantage against women when it comes to athletic competition. This bill levels the playing field and ensures that our daughters and granddaughters are not robbed of their opportunity for fair and safe competition. The committee then heard from the bill’s namesake, Riley Gaines, a former competitive swimmer for the University of Kentucky. She gained national attention for speaking out against transgender athletes competing in women's categories after the 2022 NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships, hosted at Georgia Tech, where Gaines lost a race to Lia Thomas (who is transgender).
Most of the Republican members of the committee spoke in favor of the bill, or asked friendly questions of the author. Some of the Democrats echoed talking points from their counterparts in the Senate, raising concerns about the safety of transgender girls and how they are likely to be treated.
Representative David Wilkerson (D-Powder Springs) prefaced a question about locker rooms by stating that he doesn’t consider this a right/left issue, rather something that they need to “really dig into” noting that both sides have put in a lot of thoughtful conversation and good amendments. He said he understands that men don’t belong in women’s changing rooms, but the way the legislation is written, a male coach of a girl’s team would be barred from ever entering that space, which would preclude normal half-time team meetings. He asked if language could be added to address this likely unintended consequence. The author agreed, and an amendment was added for authorized coaches and trainers.
This hearing drew far less attention than SB1, as there was no public comment. After about an hour of discussion, largely to hammer out the amendment mentioned above, the committee made a DO PASS recommendation.
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:
