This Week in the Senate February 8 - 11 , 2021 Senate Holds First Votes of the Georgia Senate Session We had yet another busy week here at the Capitol, con- Press Office Staff vening for four more legislative days and making signifi- cant progress on an a number of legislative priorities. This Andrew Allison week, the Senate passed a total of ten bills covering top- Director ics ranging from looking after our military veterans and their families, to protecting victims of human trafficking Kessarin Horvath across the state. We also fulfilled one-half of our consti- Communications Specialist tutional obligation and passed the Amended Budget for the 2021 Fiscal Year. Kami Briden Senior Communications Associate Thursday, Sen. Clint Dixon (R – Buford) took to the well to present the first bills of his tenure. Of particular note were Senate Bills 33 and 34, which Cameren Rogers would allow for a victim of human trafficking to claim a civil cause of action against their 2021 Communications Aide perpetrator and allow a victim to petition the court to change their name under seal, re- spectively. These bills were not only a priority of the General Assembly, but also of Gov. Maia Schulte Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp. While human trafficking remains a vile and hei- 2021 Communications Aide nous act, these bills ensure that the legal system is looking out for the victims and granting them the resources they need to seek justice and to return to a safe life. I am grateful to Sascha Stryker Sen. Dixon for prioritizing these measures as his first bills and I am sure we will see equally 2021 Communications Aide important legislation brought forward by him in the future. After weeks of debates and hearings, the Amended Budget for 2021 Fiscal Year (AFY21) officially received final passage and has been sent to the Governor’s desk. Completing this task was no small feat and required an unprecedented level of cooperation between Gen- Edited by: eral Assembly staff and Georgia’s state departments and agencies. While this time last year Steve Tippins, Chief of Staff we were forced to make some difficult financial decisions based on an expected decline Senate President Pro Tempore Office in revenue, we are happy to report that the resiliency of Georgia’s businesses buoyed our [email protected] state’s economy and we are in a much stronger financial position than originally expected. 321 State Capitol Building 404.656.6578 As passed, the AFY21 budget totals $25.56 billion and addresses many of the areas where finances were reduced during last year’s budget cycle. K-12 education made up the largest 201 Coverdell Legislative Office Building 18 Capitol Square S.W. single expenditure in the budget at $9.6 billion, including a $567 million restoration of Atlanta, GA 30303 funds originally cut from the original FY21 budget. We also included $40 million to pro- p: 404.656.0028 cure 520 new school buses, which function not only as transportation for students, but also serve the vital purposes of delivering lunches to children in rural areas and serving as Wi- Fi hotspots. To assist with the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, $27 million was allocated to the Department of Public Health to revamp and modernize their IT infrastructure and public health surveillance technology. This funding will not only help speed up research on COVID-19, but will help identify potential future outbreaks more quickly. While these are FOLLOW US only a few highlights, I encourage you to take a look at the full budget for more informa- tion on how your tax dollars are allocated. fb.com/GeorgiaStateSenate With the supplemental budget officially behind us, we are now prepared to take on our other priorities of the session including election reform, strengthening our healthcare sys- tem, and, of course, getting to work on the General Budget for the 2022 Fiscal Year. If @gasenatepress you have any question or concerns about the budget or about any of the legislation in this document, I encourage you to reach out to my office. @gasenatepress Senator Butch Miller President Pro Tempore, Georgia Senate GeorgiaStateSenate MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8 Establishing Regulations for Surgeries Administering Anesthesia Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (R – Marietta) sponsored Senate Bill 5, which would establish rules and regulations within the Georgia Composite Medical Board for administering sedation in an office-based setting, as well as require anyone -ad ministering anesthesia in a dental facility to be licensed. SB 5 passed with a vote of 45 to 0. – SB 5 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9 Passing the Fiscal Year 2021 Amended Budget House Bill 80, carried by Sen. Blake Tillery (R – Vidalia), is the Amended Fiscal Year 2021 Budget. The amended budget of $26.5 billion includes increased spending on public health, education, rural broadband and contributions to Georgia’s emergency fund. HB 80 passed with a vote of 52 to 0. – HB 80 Providing Added Protections for Patients of Drug Abuse and Education Programs Senate Bill 4, sponsored by Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (R – Marietta), would outline greater protective measures for those enrolled in drug abuse treatment and education programs through two components. The first section of the bill would ban facilities from receiving referral fees or reimbursement related to patient referrals. The second section would outline excessive, fraudulent acts related to high-tech drug testing and enumerate penalties. SB 4 passed with a vote of 52 to 0. – SB 4 Providing Added Protections for Patients of Drug Abuse and Education Programs Senate Bill 4, sponsored by Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (R – Marietta), would outline greater protective measures for those enrolled in drug abuse treatment and education programs through two components. The first section of the bill would ban facilities from receiving referral fees or reimbursement related to patient referrals. The second section would outline excessive, fraudulent acts related to high-tech drug testing and enumerate penalties. SB 4 passed with a vote of 52 to 0. – SB 4 Senate Adopts Adjournment Resolution Senate Resolution 82, sponsored by Sen. Mike Dugan (R – Carrollton), outlines legislative days 14 through 25 for the 2021 Legislative Session. The schedule is as follows: February 9th, legislative day 14; February 10th, legislative day 15; February 11th, legislative day 16; February 16th, legislative day 17; February 17th, legislative day 18; February 18th, legislative day 19; February 22nd, legislative day 20; February 23rd, legislative day 21; February 24th, legislative day 22; February 25th, legislative day 23; February 26th, legislative day 24; March 1st, legislative day 25. – SR 82 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10 Creating a License Plate Supporting United States Troops Sen. Bruce Thompson (R – White) sponsored Senate Bill 44, which would allow for a special license plate that would support members of the United States military by disbursing funds from the sale of the license plate to Sup- port Our Troops, Inc. SB 44 passed with a vote of 51 to 0. – SB 44 Indemnification For Public Safety Officers Senate Bill 60, sponsored by Sen. Bruce Thompson (R – White), would expand the Georgia State Indemnification Fund to allow compensation to be paid to public safety officers who suffer from a heart attack, stroke or vascular rupture resulting in death or disability, that was sustained as a result of serving on duty. SB 60 would align Georgia law with federal statutes. SB 60 passed with a vote of 51 to 0. – SB 60 THURSDAY FEBRUARY 11 Revising Public Disclosure Exemptions Senate Bill 32, sponsored by Sen. Matt Brass (R – Newnan), would allow certain personal records of federal em- ployees, including addresses, phone numbers, birthdays and other sensitive information, to be exempt from public record. disclosures. SB 32 passed with a vote of 48 to 0. – SB 32 Allowing Human Trafficking Victims to Sue For Civil Damages Senate Bill 33, sponsored by Sen. Clint Dixon (R – Buford), would allow victims of human trafficking to file a claim for a civil cause of action against their perpetrators for damages and attorney’s fees. Victims would be allowed to pursue legal action up to ten years after the cause of activon or after the victim turns 18 years old. SB 33 passed with a vote of 50 to 0. – SB 33 Name Change Procedures for Human Trafficking Victims Senate Bill 34, sponsored by Sen. Clint Dixon (R – Buford), would allow victims of human trafficking to petition the court for a name change and keep the change under seal, as well as waive certain publication requirements. The court may later unseal the change or file a redacted version for public record. SB 34 passed with a vote of 50 to 0. – SB 34 Allowing Independent Inspections for Regulatory Services Senate Bill 49, sponsored by Sen. Clint Dixon (R – Buford), would allow individuals applying for regulatory ser- vices to hire an identified private professional provider to carry out the requested plan review or inspection, regard- less of whether or not the local county or city is able to provide the services in the established time frames. SB 49 passed with a vote of 39 to 13. – SB 49 Requiring Notice of Solicitations Senate Bill 86, sponsored by Sen. Larry Walker (R – Perry), would require solicitation for services concerning corporate filings to contain a notice at the top stating that it is a solicitation and not a bill, official government document nor has been sent by the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office. SB 86 passed with a vote of 47 to 3. – SB 86 SPECIAL ORDERS Senate Agreements The Senate agreed to the House Amendment to the Senate Substitute on the following: HB 80 (50-0) The Georgia Senate will reconvene at 10:00 a.m.