Monday 36th March 22, Legislative 2021 DAILY REPORT Day House Budget & Research Office (404) 656-5050 The House will reconvene for its 37th Legislative Day on Tuesday, March 23 at 10:00 a.m. The Rules Committee will meet at 9:00 a.m. Eight bills / resolutions are expected to be debated on the floor. Today on the Floor Rules Calendar HB 745 Washington County; Board of Education; provide nonpartisan elections for members Bill Summary: House Bill 745 provides for non-partisan elections for the Washington County Board of Education. Authored By: Rep. Mack Jackson (128th) Rule Applied: Structured House Intragovernmental Coordination Committee 03-16-2021 Do Pass Committee: Action: Floor Vote: Yeas: 149 Nays: 9 Amendments: SB 9 Courts; the Columbia Judicial Circuit and to be composed of Columbia County; create a new judicial circuit for the State of Georgia Bill Summary: Senate Bill 9 creates the Columbia Judicial Circuit, a single-county circuit consisting of Columbia County, through a revision of the existing Augusta Judicial Circuit. The three judges of the Augusta Circuit currently residing in Columbia County shall be the three judges of the Columbia Circuit. The governor shall appoint a district attorney for a term beginning July 1, 2021. All proceedings and litigation currently pending in the Superior Court of Columbia County shall transfer to the Columbia Circuit. The judges of both the Columbia Circuit and Augusta Circuit shall continue to receive county salary supplements equal to the aggregate county salary supplements currently received by the judges of the Augusta Circuit. The Augusta Circuit will transfer to the Columbia Circuit 25 percent of the amount it held as of January 1, 2021, for costs collected relating to court connected alternative resolution programs. The district attorney of the Augusta Circuit shall transfer to the district attorney of the Columbia Circuit the amount held as of January 1, 2021, that was secured pursuant to condemnation of forfeiture actions. The bill specifies that the four remaining judges of the Augusta Judicial Circuit, as well as the current district attorney, shall remain as the judges and district attorney of the Augusta Circuit. The judgeship that is currently vacant shall also remain with the Augusta Circuit. The county salary supplements of the judges and district attorney of the Augusta Circuit, as well as the court-wide expenditures of the Augusta Circuit, shall be paid by Richmond County and Burke County in a ratio equal to their current proportional responsibility, less the contributions to the Augusta Circuit previously paid for by Columbia County. Senior or retired judges of the Augusta Circuit who currently receive a retirement supplement from the three counties of the current Augusta Circuit shall continue to receive such supplement from all House of Representatives Daily Report for March 22, 2021 Today on the Floor three counties. Senior or retired judges owed a retirement supplement after the effective date shall receive such supplement from the county or counties of the circuit from which they retire. Authored By: Sen. Lee Anderson (24th) Rule Applied: Modified-Structured House Judiciary Committee 03-15-2021 Do Pass by Committee Committee: Action: Substitute Floor Vote: Yeas: 96 Nays: 70 Amendments: SB 32 Public Disclosure; certain personal records of state and federal employees; exempt Bill Summary: Senate Bill 32 amends the 'Georgia Open Records Act' to provide that records of public employees that reveal the employee's personal mobile or wireless telephone number are exempt from public disclosure and to clarify that employees of the federal government are "public employees". The bill also provides that publicly available rosters of licensees maintained by division directors of professional licensing boards shall not include a licensee's home address. Home address information of any applicant is also included as confidential information. Authored By: Sen. Matt Brass (28th) Rule Applied: Modified-Structured House Judiciary Committee 03-15-2021 Do Pass by Committee Committee: Action: Substitute Floor Vote: Yeas: 165 Nays: 0 Amendments: SB 114 Professions and Businesses; grounds for refusing to grant or revoking a license; revise Bill Summary: This bill creates a further exception to when licensing boards cannot refuse to grant a license to an applicant by stating that licensing boards cannot deny an applicant solely, or in part, due to the applicant being under community supervision for a felony conviction, or any crime involving moral turpitude, so long as the offender was not convicted of a felony in violation of Chapter 5 ("Crimes against the Person") of Title 16 or an offense requiring registration on the state sexual offender registry. Authored By: Sen. Randy Robertson (29th) Rule Applied: Modified-Structured House Regulated Industries Committee 03-16-2021 Do Pass Committee: Action: Floor Vote: Yeas: 152 Nays: 14 Amendments: SB 145 Distilled Spirits; initiating a referendum election for the authorization of the issuance of licenses for the package sale of distilled spirits; modify the petition requirements Bill Summary: Senate Bill 145 allows local jurisdictions to enact an ordinance that triggers a special election on the question of whether the local jurisdiction should allow for applications for package stores selling distilled spirits. The bill also reduces the percentage of registered voters in the county required to sign a petition to trigger a special election on the question from 35 percent to 20 percent. Authored By: Sen. Matt Brass (28th) Rule Applied: Modified-Structured House Regulated Industries Committee 03-16-2021 Do Pass Committee: Action: Floor Vote: Yeas: 133 Nays: 33 Amendments: SB 159 Elementary and Secondary Education; provision relating to student transportation; revise Bill Summary: Senate Bill 159 amends O.C.G.A. 20-2-188 to allow local boards of education to use small motor vehicles, eight-passenger or less, to transport students. The State Board of Education shall set minimum standards and requirements related to the transport of students in small motor vehicles. Local boards of education may create additional requirements as needed. Authored By: Sen. Steve Gooch (51st) Rule Applied: Modified-Structured House Education Committee 03-16-2021 Do Pass by Committee Committee: Action: Substitute Floor Vote: Yeas: 165 Nays: 0 Amendments: Page 2 of 19 House of Representatives Daily Report for March 22, 2021 Today on the Floor SB 185 Revenue and Taxation; all questions of law decided by a court; matters from state board of equalization and refunds and appeals be decided without deference; require Bill Summary: Senate Bill 185 establishes that all questions of law related to taxation decided by a court or the Georgia Tax Tribunal shall be made without deference to determinations or interpretations of the Department of Revenue. This requirement shall have no effect on the judicial standard of deference accorded to rules promulgated pursuant to the 'Georgia Administrative Procedure Act'. Authored By: Sen. Bo Hatchett (50th) Rule Applied: Modified-Structured House Judiciary Committee 03-15-2021 Do Pass Committee: Action: Floor Vote: Yeas: 162 Nays: 4 Amendments: SB 247 Agricultural Commodity Commissions; public hearings with online public comment opportunities; replace Bill Summary: Senate Bill 247 allows for agricultural commodity commissions to hold public hearings with public comments on marketing orders either wholly or partially online. Notices related to marketing orders must also be published on the Department of Agriculture's website and in the Farmers Consumers Market Bulletin, or other similar publications. When proposing a new marketing order or a major amendment to an existing marketing order, a quorum necessary for approval shall be at least 25 percent of notified eligible producers. The vote is approved with two-thirds of the quorum in agreement. Authored By: Sen. Lee Anderson (24th) Rule Applied: Modified-Structured House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee 03-17-2021 Do Pass Committee: Action: Floor Vote: Yeas: 165 Nays: 0 Amendments: Postponed Until Next Legislative Day SB 219 Alcoholic Beverages; regulation of the manufacture, distribution, and sale of malt beverages; provide Bill Summary: Senate Bill 219 allows for breweries with multiple licensed facilities to transfer beer between those licensed properties so long as the facilities have the same 100-percent common ownership and the brand and brand label are solely owned by the brewer. Further, the bill increases the maximum amount of beer a brewery can sell on-site, either for on-premises or off-premises consumption, via this exception to the three-tier system to 6,000 barrels annually among all licensed facilities. Any transfers of beer under these provisions will be required to be reported on a quarterly report, as provided by the Department of Revenue. Authored By: Sen. Frank Ginn (47th) Rule Applied: Modified-Structured Local Calendar HB 755 Pierce County; board of elections and registration; provide for abolition of board on a date certain Bill Summary: House Bill 755 abolishes the Pierce County Board of Elections and Registration on June 30, 2021. Authored By: Rep. Steven Meeks (178th) Rule Applied: House Intragovernmental Coordination - Committee 03-17-2021 Do Pass Committee: Local Action: Floor Vote: Yeas: Nays: Amendments: Floor Action: Recommit to Committee Page 3 of 19 House of Representatives Daily Report for March 22, 2021 Today on the Floor HB 756 Pierce