This Week in the Senate March 1 - 5 , 2021 Crossover Day in Sight After a week of alternating days between the cham- Georgia Senate ber voting on legislation and carefully vetting leg- islation in committees, the Senate has set the stage Press Office Staff for a busy, but productive Crossover Day. In the days Andrew Allison leading up to Crossover, we typically face aggressive Director agendas of legislation in an effort to ensure that not a single priority is missed. This year was no differ- Kessarin Horvath ent, as we passed more than 40 bills and resolution. Communications Specialist However, our calendars to this point will pale in comparison to the length of that of Crossover Day, Kami Briden which we will see on Monday. Senior Communications Associate This week, I had the opportunity to present a piece Cameren Rogers of legislation that addresses a long overdue loophole in our justice system. Current- 2021 Communications Aide ly, state law considers it a felony for an employee of a school to engage in improper sexual contact with a student enrolled at that school. However, we have heard hor- Maia Schulte rific stories involving misconduct occurring at schools other than those where the 2021 Communications Aide student is enrolled or by other individuals who had a responsibility to care for that child. Senate Bill 117 expands this original definition to include any volunteer or Sascha Stryker employee within the school district of the victim, as well as creates the additional 2021 Communications Aide offense of “improper sexual contact by a person in a position of trust” to cover other individuals entrusted with the care of a minor who engages in improper activity. This broadened scope will help protect innocent victims of abuse and ensure their perpetrators are punished. Another measure that we passed to assist Georgia’s students was Senate Bill 107. Edited by: Georgia has a large number of children who have either been adopted or who are in Steve Tippins, Chief of Staff foster care. These children, in many cases, have already been forced to face numer- Senate President Pro Tempore Office ous obstacles and challenges in their young lives. SB 107, however, will eliminate a [email protected] few of these barriers as they relate to achieving a college education. This bill would 321 State Capitol Building waive tuition and certain fees for qualified foster or adopted students who attend a 404.656.6578 school in the Technical College System of Georgia, and would allow the University 201 Coverdell Legislative Office Building System of Georgia to offer the same. There is no greater path to a successful future 18 Capitol Square S.W. than with a college education and this measure will help ensure more students are Atlanta, GA 30303 able to take advantage of the prestigious higher education institutions our state has p: 404.656.0028 to offer. This week, we also adopted our final adjournment resolution of the session. Cross- over Day will officially fall on Monday, March 8 and Sine Die (our final day of the session) will be March 31. If this week was any indication, we can expect to face long calendars of legislation to consider from here on out. While we have worked FOLLOW US urgently to pass several priorities to this point, there are still a number of important bills that remain. These include the budget for the 2022 Fiscal Year and addition- fb.com/GeorgiaStateSenate al elections reform measures. While we may only have 13 days remaining, this is when the session often becomes the busiest. If you have any questions or concerns about any legislation we have taken up to this point, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office. @gasenatepress @gasenatepress Senator Butch Miller President Pro Tempore, Georgia Senate GeorgiaStateSenate MONDAY, MARCH 1 Ensuring Transparency in Prior Authorization Act Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (R – Marietta) sponsored Senate Bill 80, which would provide a framework for private review agents re- garding prior authorization, or the requirement that a physician obtain approval from healthcare providers before providing cer- tain treatments. SB 80 would establish certain rules, regulation and standards that must be adhered to, including providing timelines. SB 80 passed with a vote of 50 to 0. – SB 80 Protecting Patients Seeking Emergency Medical Care Sen. Michelle Au (D – Johns Creek) sponsored Senate Bill 82, which would adjust the “prudent layperson” standard in state law to require insurance companies to cover patients’ emergency medical care regardless of the final diagnosis. SB 82 passed with a vote of 50 to 1. – SB 82 Sending Annual Life Insurance Policy Statements to Policyholders and Beneficiaries Sen. Marty Harbin (R – Tyrone) sponsored Senate Bill 112, which would require life insurance companies to provide an annual statement to policyholders and beneficiaries regarding the existence of the policy. The bill would also re- quire life insurers to obtain policy locator service reports from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ and submit reports to the Department of Insurance. SB 112 passed with a vote of 45 to 2. – SB 112 Enabling Citizens Under Supervision to Acquire Professional Licenses Senate Bill 114, sponsored by Sen. Randy Robertson (R – Catau- la), would prohibit professional licensing boards from revoking or refusing to grant licenses to persons under supervision by a commu- nity supervision officer and convicted of a felony or crime involv- ing moral turpitude, as long as the individual was not convicted of crimes against the person or that require registration on the state sexual offender registry. SB 114 passed with a vote of 48 to 0. – SB 114 Erecting a Monument for the Honorable Zell Bryan Miller Senate Bill 140, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Mullis (R – Chickamauga), would authorize the placement of a monument recognizing the Hon- orable Zell Bryan Miller, a former state Senator, U.S. Senator, Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Georgia, on state Capitol grounds. The monument would be designed, approved and placed by the Capitol Arts Standards Commission. SB 140 passed with a vote of 50 to 0. – SB 140 Requiring Electronic Signatures/Corporate Seals Be Accepted On Contract Surety Bonds Sen. Larry Walker (R – Perry) sponsored Senate Bill 169, which would require public procurement officers to accept electronic signatures or electronic corporate marks on contract surety bonds for public contracting. SB 169 passed with a vote of 51 to 0. – SB 169 Eliminating Deference to DOR in Georgia Tax Appeals and Refunds Senate Bill 185, sponsored by Sen. Bo Hatchett (R – Cornelia), would provide that all questions of property tax appeals and refunds may be determined by a Georgia court or the Georgia Tax Tribunal without deferring to the Department of Revenue for its interpretation of Georgia tax laws. SB 185 passed with a vote of 50 to 0. – SB 185 Amending the Anti-Mask Statue Sen. Ben Watson (R – Savannah) sponsored Senate Bill 235, which would provide additional measures in Georgia’s anti-mask statute to clarify the wearer must intend to conceal his or her identity and that guilt requires reasonable foresight that injury would result. It would also provide an exception for individuals wearing masks in public when complying with mandated health guidelines. SB 235 passed with a vote of 49 to 0. – SB 235 Passing the 2021 Legislative Session Adjournment Resolution House Resolution 264, carried by Sen. Mike Dugan (R – Carroll- ton), sets forth the remaining legislative days for the 2021 Legisla- tive Session. HR 264 sets Crossover Day for Monday, March 8, and Sine Die for Wednesday, March 31. HR 264 passed with a vote of 51 to 0. – HR 264 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3 Excluding Discipline Data from School Climate Determinations Senate Bill 42, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Mullis (R – Chickamauga), would prohibit discipline data from factoring into school climate determinations. However, schools would still be required to electronically publish information regarding student disciplinary action. SB 42 passed with a vote of 39 to 12. – SB 42 Expanding the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Senate Bill 47, sponsored by Steve Gooch (R – Dahlonega) would ex- pand eligibility for the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship program. to children who qualify under Section 504 of the federal Rehabilita- tion Act of 1973. The bill would also create multiple provisions that would extend the exemption from attendance requirements, revise criteria for calculating scholarship amounts, and requires the State Board of Education to implement these new rules and regulations. SB 47 passed with a vote of 30 to 23. – SB 47 Updating Provisions for Charter Schools Sen. John Albers (R – Roswell) sponsored Senate Bill 59, which would update multiple provisions relating to charter schools. This bill would provide additional Quality Basic Education funding and fed- eral funding for charter schools, allow charter school employees to participate in a health insurance plan and require school boards to provide charter schools with facilities or stipends to fund facilities. SB 59 passed with a vote of 38 to 15. – SB 59 Creation of the Georgia Foundation for Public Education Nonprofit Senate Bill 66, sponsored by Sen. Jason Avavitarte (R – Dallas), would call for the creation of a nonprofit corpora- tion by the Georgia Foundation for Public Education in order to receive private donations to fund public schools. This bill would create the grant criteria and authorize an income tax credit for education donations. It would also end the Public Education Innovation Fund Foundation and its authority to receive private donations. SB 66 passed with a vote of 51 to 2. – SB 66 Establishing Teleconference Meeting Provisions Sen. Frank Ginn (R – Danielsville) sponsored Senate Bill 95, which would allow the use of teleconference meetings by agencies with non-statewide jurisdiction during “emergency conditions.” The bill would require that participants and members of the public on teleconference meetings participate as though they are fully present.