House of Representatives Daily Report for March 2, 2021 Next on the Floor Tuesday COMMITTEE March 2, 2021 DAY REPORT House Budget & Research Office (404) 656-5050 The House will reconvene for its 26th Legislative Day on Wednesday, March 3 at 10:00 a.m. The Rules Committee will meet at 8:30 a.m. 20 bills / resolutions are expected to be debated on the floor. COMMITTEE DAY Next on the Floor from the Committee on Rules The Committee on Rules has fixed the calendar for the 26th Legislative Day, Wednesday, March 3, and bills may be called at the pleasure of the Speaker. The Rules Committee will next meet on Wednesday, March 3, at 8:30 a.m., to set the Rules Calendar for the 27th Legislative Day. HB 44 State government; Georgia shall observe daylight savings time year round; provide Bill Summary: This bill provides that the state, including all political subdivisions, shall observe daylight savings time year-round as the standard time. The new Code section shall become effective only if the United States Congress authorizes states to keep daylight savings time year-round. Authored By: Rep. Wesley Cantrell (22nd) Rule Applied: Modified-Open House State Planning & Community Affairs Committee 01-28-2021 Do Pass Committee: Action: HB 248 Motor vehicles; local governing body to apply for a permit to operate a traffic enforcement safety device which enforces the speed limit in a school zone by recorded image; authorize Bill Summary: House Bill 248 revises the law that permits school zone speed enforcement cameras to allow the local governing body of the city or county whose law enforcement agency is authorized to enforce speed limits to apply for camera permits rather than have each school apply. Authored By: Rep. Alan Powell (32nd) Rule Applied: Modified-Structured House Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee 02-17-2021 Do Pass Committee: Action: HB 302 Revenue and taxation; proceeds of local government regulatory fees be used to pay for regulatory activity; require Bill Summary: House Bill 302 amends Chapter 13 of Title 48, relating to business and occupation taxes, by requiring that the proceeds from regulatory fees be used to fund such regulatory activity, eliminating regulatory fee calculation methods specific to the construction industry, and removing taxicab and limousine operators, boxing promoters, shooting galleries and firearm ranges, and firearm Page 1 of 17 House of Representatives Daily Report for March 2, 2021 Next on the Floor dealers from the list of examples of businesses or practitioners of professions or occupations which may be subject to regulatory fees of local governments. Shooting galleries and firearm ranges and firearm dealers are added to the list of examples of businesses or practitioners of professions or occupations that local governments are not authorized to subject to regulatory fees. Authored By: Rep. Martin Momtahan (17th) Rule Applied: Structured House Ways & Means Committee 02-25-2021 Do Pass by Committee Committee: Action: Substitute HB 303 Jaida Act; enact Bill Summary: House Bill 303 permits that for each private motor vehicle insurance issued, delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on or after July 1, 2022, the insurer may offer a reduction in the premium for motor vehicle liability, first-party medical, and collision coverage for each named driver listed on the policy application or otherwise provided in information for each covered motor vehicle. The premium reduction is only applicable for a driver that is an active-duty military service member and whose use of the automobile is considered by the insurer in determining the applicable classification. Authored By: Rep. Mike Glanton (75th) Rule Applied: Modified-Open House Insurance Committee 02-24-2021 Do Pass Committee: Action: HB 322 Juvenile Code; revise definition of sexual exploitation Bill Summary: House Bill 322 removes references to prostitution from the definition of "sexual exploitation" for Code sections relating to the juvenile code, child abuse reporting requirements, and child abuse records. Authored By: Rep. Marcus Wiedower (119th) Rule Applied: Modified-Structured House Juvenile Justice Committee 02-25-2021 Do Pass Committee: Action: HB 334 Superior courts; clerks; notaries public; provisions Bill Summary: House Bill 334 provides for the creation and allowance of remote online notaries public and remote online notarizations (RON). Electronic seals and digital signatures must be used when performing any electronic in-person notarization or RON. The bill establishes the process to become, and the performance requirements of, a remote online notary public. The maintenance and retention requirements of RON related documentation and digital recordings are provided. The Georgia Superior Courts Clerk's Cooperative Authority shall have the authority to adopt standards for RON. Notary publics located in the state of Georgia may perform an electronic in-person notarization for an individual in the notary's physical presence. Remote online public notaries physically located in Georgia may perform RON for individuals located within the United States and internationally if certain requirements are met. Notarial acts required for wills, codicils, or testamentary trusts may not be performed by or through RON. The bill establishes fees that may be charged by a remote online notary public. Upon the termination of a remote online notary public's commission, such notary public must disable certain technologies related to the performance of their duties. Electronic journals, which keep a record of notarial acts, must be created and maintained by remote online notaries public and such journals must be retained for 10 years after the date of the last notarial act. Audiovisual recordings notarial acts must be submitted to secure repositories and maintained for a minimum of 10 years. The 'Fair Businesses Practice Act' is amended to specifically include that presenting a residential real document for recording, that the presenter knew was created through actions constituting the unauthorized practice of law, is an unfair or deceptive practice. Clerks of the superior court are specifically relieved of any further duty to examine the circumstances Page 2 of 17 House of Representatives Daily Report for March 2, 2021 Next on the Floor of the witnessing of any instrument submitted to them if the apparent signatures of both witness and any required seals are present. Witnessing requirements for real estate documents are further specified. Authored By: Rep. Joseph Gullett (19th) Rule Applied: Modified-Structured House Judiciary Committee 02-25-2021 Do Pass by Committee Committee: Action: Substitute HB 355 Georgia Carbon Sequestration Registry; inclusion of building products in construction; provisions Bill Summary: HB 355 requires the director of the Georgia Forestry Commission to establish the Sustainable Building Material Technical Advisory Committee. The committee's members consist of the following: one member with expertise in engineering and architecture from the Georgia Institute of Technology; one member with expertise related to the Georgia State Minimum Standard Codes; one member that is a real estate developer or builder; one member with expertise related to carbon offset protocol development; one member with whole building life cycle assessment expertise; and up to three at-large members. The director of the Georgia Forestry Commission determines the chairperson of the committee. The committee advises the director on interoperability and compatibility of state credits derived from carbon sequestration of building materials with global carbon credit and offset markets as well as on guidelines related to the establishment of a carbon baseline, validation, verification, and co-benefits. The advisory committee shall be abolished no later than one year after the committee's first meeting, but can be reconvened at the discretion of the director. Developers must register with the Georgia Carbon Sequestration Registry to be eligible to receive credits for the use of carbon-capturing building materials. Participants must provide certified carbon sequestration results to provide a baseline. An approved third-party organization may provide testing of building materials that sequester carbon dioxide. Only projects completed after July 1, 2019, may be considered. To ensure integrity of the program, the Georgia Forestry Commission must conduct random evaluations of the results provided by participants and report the findings in the biennial report to the governor and General Assembly. Authored By: Rep. Marcus Wiedower (119th) Rule Applied: Modified-Structured House Natural Resources & Environment Committee 02-25-2021 Do Pass Committee: Action: HB 363 Crimes and offenses; protection of elder persons; revise definitions Bill Summary: House Bill 363 removes various subsections of the Code that escalate punishment for elder crimes due to rule of lenity concerns with existing law, in particular with statutory interpretation in favor of the defendant due to crimes with overlapping elements as codified in the subsections below and in O.C.G.A. 16-5-102. The bill adds a new definition under O.C.G.A. 16-5-100 for "abuse of access" and also references that definition in the definition of "exploit". A subsection of O.C.G.A. 16-5-20 is rescinded that escalates the punishment to an aggravated crime when simple assault is committed against an individual who is 65 years of age or older. A subsection of O.C.G.A. 16-5-23 is rescinded that escalates the punishment