The General Assembly convenes for Legislative Day 40 on Wednesday, but we still have news to share from Legislative Day 39 as the Senate wound up its day’s work around 9:15 p.m. This special edition of the Report recaps floor action from after yesterday’s publication and provides a look ahead at measures expected to be considered on the House and Senate floors tomorrow. We’ll be back bright and early in the morning for the final sprint toward adjournment sine die — look for our regular Report in the early evening, and follow all the action on Twitter using #GoldDomeReport until the gavels finally fall.

In today’s Report:

• Floor Action from Legislative Day 39
• Expected Floor Action for Legislative Day 40
• New Legislation

Floor Action from Legislative Day 39

The House took up the following measures after publication on Monday:

• SB 60 — Georgia State Indemnification Fund; shall be paid in instances of a heart attack, stroke; public safety officer; revise — PASSED 167-0
• SB 78 — Invasion of Privacy; prohibition on electronically transmitting or posting nude or sexually explicit photographs or videos for purposes of harassing the depicted person; revise — PASSED 169-0
• SB 81 — Office of College and Career Transitions; change name to the Office of College and Career Academies — PASSED 164-0
• SB 95 — State Government; conditions for meetings and public hearings to be held by teleconference in emergency conditions; provide — FAILED 76-89; RECONSIDERED; PASSED 100-67 [Note, this legislation, in the version reviewed on the House Floor, addressed coin operated amusement machines and their regulation.]
• SB 100 — State Government; this state shall observe standard time year round; provide — PASSED 111-48 [In the latest version of this bill, it now states that Georgia will observe daylight savings time year round only if Congress authorizes states to observe such time.]
• SB 235 — Offenses Against Public Order; offense of wearing a mask, hood, or device which conceals the identity of the wearer; revise — PASSED 166-1
• SB 255 — "OneGeorgia Authority Act"; grant program to support border region retail and tourism projects; provide — PASSED 157-6

The Senate took up the following measures after publication on Monday:

• HB 32 — Income tax; credit for teacher recruitment and retention program; provide — PASSED 50-0
• HB 43 — Motor vehicles; require registration application forms to include optional information regarding certain conditions which may interfere with a registrant's ability to communicate — PASSED 49-4
• HB 94 — Crimes and offenses; provide for the crime of theft by possession of stolen mail — PASSED 38-14
• HB 231 — Crimes and offenses; victims of stalking; expand applicability of protective orders — PASSED 53-0
• HB 282 — Ad valorem tax; qualified timberland property; add a definition — PASSED 50-0
• HB 287 — Education; tobacco and vapor products in course of instruction regarding alcohol and drugs; include — PASSED 50-0
• HB 328 — Public utilities; one-time right of way permit fee and reduce annual right of way use fees; establish — PASSED 34-15
• HB 449 — Georgia Utility Facility Protection Act; revise — PASSED 50-3
• HB 466 — Motor vehicles; issuance of identification cards to persons completing a term of incarceration; provide — PASSED 53-0
• HB 479 — Criminal procedure; revise certain arrest powers; provisions — PASSED 52-1
• HB 676 — Georgia Farmers' Market and Produce Terminal Development Authority Act; enact — PASSED 49-3
• SR 281 — Sheriffs' Retirement Fund of Georgia; increase in dues; provide — ADOPTED 49-0

Expected Floor Action for Legislative Day 40

The following legislation has either been placed on a Rules Calendar for Legislative Day 40 or was previously postponed by the House:

• SB 27 — Professional Licenses; extend the time a member of the military has to qualify for the issuance of a license; electrical contractor, plumber;
• SB 46 — Health; certain medical personnel to administer vaccines during public health emergencies under certain conditions; authorize [This new Rules Committee Substitute now includes HB 450 and HB 275.]
• SB 115 — Drivers' Licenses; instructional course; educating drivers and the public on best practices to implement when interacting with law enforcement officers; provide
• SB 164 — HIV Tests; modernization of HIV related laws to align with science; provide     
• SB 201 — Revenue and Taxation; financial institutions to provide certain information related to delinquent taxpayers to the Department of Revenue under certain conditions; require
• SB 204 — Education; State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia to award high school diplomas; provide [A Rules Committee Substitute will be on the Floor to correct some typographical formatting issues.]
• SB 219 — Alcoholic Beverages; regulation of the manufacture, distribution, and sale of malt beverages; provide [A new Rules Committee Substitute contains additional alcohol clean up language which permits home delivery but which is decided by the local jurisdiction.]
• SB 222 — State Symbols; pecan as the official state nut; designate
• SB 237 — License Plates; specialty license plate supporting members of the United States Army Rangers; establish
• SB 256 — County Boards of Health; comprehensive reorganization; provide

Please note that the House Rules Committee is presently scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

The following legislation has been placed on the table by the Senate and may be removed from the table on Legislative Day 40:

• HB 44  — State government; Georgia shall observe daylight savings time year round; provide
• HB 97 — Courts; oath for certain clerks of the probate court; require and provide
• HB 117 — Low THC Oil Patient Registry; ulcerative colitis as a condition for which low THC oil may be used for treatment; add
• HB 160 — Revenue and taxation; water and sewer projects and costs tax (MOST); provide for audits of tax by state auditor under certain conditions
• HB 194 — Criminal procedure; term of probation shall follow mandatory term of imprisonment for persons convicted of a sexual offense; clarify
• HB 236 — Domestic relations; additional monitoring of victim after granting of a temporary protective order; provide
• HB 241 — Insurance; revise meaning of property insurance; change parameters under which certain contracts or agreements may be canceled
• HB 244 — Insurance; flood risk reduction in the enumerated list of county purposes for ad valorem taxes; include
• HB 246 — Motor vehicles; issuance of replacement licenses and permits; increase fee
• HB 258 — Crimes and offenses; response to State v. Williams, 2020 Ga. LEXIS 85; provisions
• HB 289 — Motor vehicles; issuance of Class C drivers' licenses; provide for requirements
• HB 291 — Education; tuition equalization grants at private colleges and universities; expand definition of approved school
• HB 306 — Corporations, partnership, and associations; corporations may hold shareholders' meetings by means of remote communication; provide
• HB 317 — Excise tax; revise definition of innkeeper to include marketplace facilitators; provisions
• HB 327 — Organized Retail Crime Prevention Act; enact [A Rules Committee Committee Substitute will be considered on the Floor.]
• HB 333 — Ethics in Government Act of 2021; enact [A Rules Committee Substitute as amended will be considered on the Floor.]
• HB 334 — Superior courts; clerks; notaries public; provisions
• HB 369 — Physicians; job description submission to Georgia Composite Medical Board; provisions
• HB 371 — Evidence; certain proceedings may be conducted by video conference; provide
• HB 383 — State government; certain contracts; Israel; provisions
• HB 392 — Alcoholic beverages; licenses for retail sale packages of alcoholic beverages for consumption off premises shall be subject to regulation as to distance from schools as determined by the local governing authority; provide [A Rules Committee Substitute will be considered on the Floor.]
• HB 411 —Prosecuting Attorneys Oversight Commission; create
• HB 443 — Torts; transfer of structured settlement payment rights; provide new requirements
• HB 454 — Insurance; certain coverage requirements concerning providers that become out-of-network during a plan year; provide
• HB 470 — Property; no plans are required when units are not designated by physical structures; provide
• HB 477 — Income tax; applications for credit for qualified donations of real property; extend sunset date
• HB 480 — Property; creation, declaration and priority of liens for labor, services, or materials performed or furnished by registered interior designers; provide
• HB 498 — Ad valorem tax; property; expand an exemption for agricultural equipment and certain farm products [A Rules Committee Substitute will be considered on the Floor.]
• HB 517 — Education; calculation of minimum revenue obligations for scholarships and tuition grants; provide for the inclusion of earned interest
• HB 548 — Social services; reasonable access to records concerning reports of child abuse to the Administrative Office of the Courts; provide
• HB 562 — Criminal procedure; add DFCS case managers to people for whom arrest warrants may be issued only by certain judicial officers
• HB 574 — Animals; Companion Local Government Animal Trust Fund for reimbursement of impoundment expenses incurred by local governments; provide
• HB 575 — Ad valorem tax; authorize on premises processing and marketing of agricultural products as a qualifying conservation use
• HB 577 — Highways, bridges, and ferries; proposal guaranty for bids upon certain projects; provide [ A Rules Committee Substitute will be considered on the Floor.]
• HB 579 — Public Safety and Judicial Facilities Act; enact
• HB 587 — Georgia Economic Renewal Act of 2021; enact
• HB 588 — Transportation; eligible expenditures; Georgia Freight Railroad Program; provisions [A Rules Committee Substitute will be considered on the Floor.]
• HB 591 — Mental health; marriage and family therapists to perform certain acts which physicians and others are authorized to perform; authorize [A Rules Committee Substitute will be considered on the Floor to address DBHDD reporting requirements.]
• HB 605 — Health; provide for authorized electronic monitoring in long-term care facilities
• HB 606 — HOPE scholarships; add Georgia Independent School Association to the list of accrediting agencies
• HB 617 — Postsecondary education; student athletes may receive compensation for use of name, image, or likeness; provide
• HB 653 — Georgia Pharmacy Practice Act; pharmacy care; revise definition
• HB 681 — Education; course of study in financial literacy for students in tenth or eleventh grade; provide

New Legislation

The following legislation of interest was recently introduced in the House:

• HB 829, authored by Representative James Burchett (R-Waycross), amends Title 15 to raise the threshold at which a civil litigant can request a jury of 12 from $25,000 to $1 million.
• HB 832, authored by Representative James Burchett (R-Waycross), amends Title 31 to address the requirements related to retaining and providing medical records to authorized persons.
• HB 834, authored by Representative Mark Newton (R-Augusta), amends Title 31 to provide for hospital reporting requirements for extraordinary collection actions.

The following legislation of interest was recently introduced in the Senate:

• SB 316, authored by Senator Jason Anavitarte (R-Dallas), amends Titles 16 and 20 to provide that a person 18 years old or older who commits the offense of stalking against a minor shall be guilty of a high and aggravated misdemeanor. The bill also requires local boards of education to provide notice to students and parents of students that some acts of bullying and cyberbullying can constitute criminal violations.
• SB 317, authored by Senator Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome), amends Title 43 to authorize physicians to delegate to advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants the authority to dispense prepackaged medications other than controlled substances as an agent or employee of a clinic.