[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6638853,"mediaKeyId","2567940-75ffe9c0e1f8afcddd43209e2917ff80","parentId",2567940,"title","Committee approves measure to raise insurance requirements for drivers convicted of DUI; industry raises affordability concerns","audioSeconds",1801,"startMs",768000,"endMs",2569000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2567940-75ffe9c0e1f8afcddd43209e2917ff80&start=768&end=2569","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2567940-75ffe9c0e1f8afcddd43209e2917ff80/thumbnail_768000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6638853/Georgia/Committee-approves-measure-to-raise-insurance-requirements-for-drivers-convicted-of-DUI-industry-raises-affordability-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6638853-8c37ae8269ffdbce6ae79f1312517e13/orig.mp4?Expires=1770743566&Signature=KTuFMAVaqYG6ip87TqonCdpDgDSDltLxE3p0KEF~Bw~DUW2QOINnx1jMyPIulHhdqaYhu-ZVRiGxIIFNvwb5LAkaJwWM7ip013TkL19De32nG8wkUni5iyN52oJp6xYowbtWwt~Z0YcDo2nGpt30uglkayD5fwctnNL~EGB7At4mVudk55Grl3CpFCgjinrWmjLfp2bWo6NdWEcolsW4OD2t3yCuzkCH2jTkhULEbEjUhB3m~jsfhVMexwfNAeBNvz22NtuRQW~TS8584tr~1VxJ1jnRDbkBl0MP9sfYRO17QQ-9LbR7srAgVV5qLTP4uIEApNZD3IqPwkjvNkm0jw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","17222","date","2025-03-12T13:11:44.83Z","article","The Full House Insurance Committee voted to report Senate Bill 121 favorably after a public hearing in which sponsor Senator Harbin said the bill would raise minimum automobile liability limits for drivers convicted of driving under the influence and impose a graduated requirement for repeat offenders.

Senator Harbin told the committee that current state minimums are \"$25,000\" for property damage and typically \"$25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident\" for bodily injury and that those levels have not been increased in about 14 years. He said the proposal would require higher limits after a DUI conviction and still higher limits after a second conviction; the bill would require proof of the higher limits for a multi‑year period. \"We are currently at a level...we need to look even at this just because of the DUI issue,\" the senator said, arguing the change would better protect other motorists.

During questioning lawmakers raised affordability and enforcement concerns. Representative Hawkins asked why the sponsor did not raise property‑damage limits further; Harbin said he accepted compromises while seeking to follow other states’ approaches. Representative Reeves asked whether the higher limits were permanent; Harbin said the bill contains a three‑year period for required proof of higher limits.

Industry testimony came from Bobby Pilar, who said he spoke on behalf of State Farm and volunteered to present some carriers’ concerns. \"We did not oppose this bill,\" Pilar said, but he urged the committee to consider that higher required limits could push some drivers into nonstandard or high‑cost markets or lead some to forgo coverage entirely.

Sponsor testimony included premium examples intended to illustrate potential consumer costs. Harbin presented a sample showing an estimated increase in premium in one example of roughly $600 per six‑month period to obtain higher limits, and he said insurers already use SR‑22 filings and other mechanisms to document compliance. The transcript records that the committee asked about enforcement; the sponsor and witnesses said the bill would require SR‑22 filings and proof of coverage in paper or electronic form and that judges retain licensing penalties.

Representative Williamson and others said they supported the policy goal but questioned practical impacts on young or low‑income drivers. After public testimony the committee moved, seconded and approved the bill by voice vote; the transcript contains no roll‑call tally.

The insurance file in committee was identified as LC461181SSCS. The transcript shows the sponsor and industry representatives discussed availability of nonstandard markets for drivers who have multiple convictions, and industry witnesses said carriers that write standard personal‑auto business may not serve all applicants who need higher limits.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Insurance 03.12.25","oneSentenceSummary","The Full House Insurance Committee voted to report Senate Bill 121 favorably after a public hearing in which sponsor Senator Harbin said the bill would raise minimum automobile liability limits for drivers convicted of driving under the influence and impose a graduated requirement for repeat offenders.","taxTitle","Insurance, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Georgia","taxId",17222,"location","Georgia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":44,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6638858,"Committee advances bill to bar group-life exclusions for active-duty deaths",313,455000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2567940-75ffe9c0e1f8afcddd43209e2917ff80&start=455&end=768","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2567940-75ffe9c0e1f8afcddd43209e2917ff80/thumbnail_455000.jpg","/articles/6638858/Georgia/Committee-advances-bill-to-bar-group-life-exclusions-for-active-duty-deaths","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6638858-d599ba9e71b80b746aa9af61151ecbc0/orig.mp4?Expires=1770743566&Signature=ZmL1GfroVxnSLcH6zr0UAXq8RBAfGFGYoJ77lL~cfTDB4vi-AFkh2uEN3dGW-gbkFeHEfXE1KTpUEfgB~9daRMStOhNFEKJ11k~YwlsgNCLE5vo0p-oZP3er3mGftoNZqF1Q3Ye083OJNl3dvWtGpSIQQn0XbDBJ3tyYQ94n3Flv6yFH0iknZ9u3Eaapi3cHwYAsBE3UedhMZCbXHHc3aPq4vkQ3sG~f3zbNBh0uqbK4KBKMz-CT1n9icDTjKl6zIkElEEYePuVvLZa0nTZFQ6x9iILeTDcqV0dhkvhRBQkKpRCeL8cXdEHS~Aa2tnyzCvBXqyNEW2WjPOZuWOXL2Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Full House Insurance Committee voted to approve Senate Bill 109, sponsored by Senator Harbison, a bill that would bar group life insurance policies from containing provisions that exclude or restrict liability for deaths occurring while an insured is an active-duty member of the United States Armed Forces except where the death results from war, declared or undeclared, or hazards of war.

Senator Harbison said the bill grew out of a constituent complaint and meetings with the state insurance commissioner. \"The commission was very, very outraged by it,\" Harbison said, describing the family's repeated tragedies and his view that the policy refusal was unjust.

The bill as explained by Harbison would change how group life policies may be delivered or issued in the state: current law already bars some life insurance exclusions but, according to the sponsor, did not apply to group life coverage. Harbison said the version before the committee is a department bill filed at the request of the insurance commissioner.

Committee members asked no substantive technical questions on the policy language during the hearing, and there were no public speakers. Representative Hughley moved that the committee report the bill favorably; a second was recorded but the second's name was not specified in the transcript. The motion passed by voice vote; no roll-call tally was given.

The committee record shows the sponsor, Harbison, worked with the insurance commissioner to prepare the bill and characterized the legislation as intended to prevent similar denials in future cases. The transcript contains no statutory citation for the existing law the sponsor referenced, and the bill’s formal language and cross‑references are in the legislative file labeled in committee as LC461164SSCS.

If the bill becomes law as described in committee, it would restrict insurers from issuing group life policies in the state that exclude coverage for active-duty service members’ deaths except for the limited war-related exception described by the sponsor.","The Full House Insurance Committee voted to approve Senate Bill 109, sponsored by Senator Harbison, a bill that would bar group life insurance policies from containing provisions that exclude or restrict liability for deaths occurring while an insured is an active-duty member of the United States Armed Forces except where the death results from war, declared or undeclared, or hazards of war.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6638848,"Committee approves bill to align state Medicaid rules with federal primary‑payer requirements",819,2547000,3366000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2567940-75ffe9c0e1f8afcddd43209e2917ff80&start=2547&end=3366","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2567940-75ffe9c0e1f8afcddd43209e2917ff80/thumbnail_2547000.jpg","/articles/6638848/Georgia/Committee-approves-bill-to-align-state-Medicaid-rules-with-federal-primarypayer-requirements","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6638848-7f584f2831ba1438d5da3f457bc8608e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770743566&Signature=JuEqNg~rYq8~d31rIfu6p1Xj3Kx8BR2T~U~dAaVFw-rdhiVFCo9QGPGRs4TeAHmLPEZ9t-qRssQGsd0ubr4y2AnGHOC-vhy~9sr4D8ieUVuOxPnjh7-IaJ7L4WZV1hX-iWJlrOxcayKMn2NA8Yhon-CxPiI59RJBK~OIxQ2dSOwa74mxAi2zcgbAOphAiLDEWt1wSj4t1QHc3n~9QPRxsPuDtCu-BU0YAaIVpFVIjDhN7wEENVLBJ7ZJgXRtzc3qiq2R78t7h7SMt~hzOFlcNn-WD4VwWATssZ3~-skfn5AHXsaDfTcWRJhbLbZRoVL-jPrKZVftvJJmlS7NOm-vyg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 276, an agency bill presented to the Full House Insurance Committee by Senator Echols with Department of Community Health staff in attendance, was approved by the committee to align state law with federal requirements intended to protect Medicaid as a payer of last resort.

Senator Echols told the committee the bill \"brings us into compliance with federal requirements, of The US, Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022,\" and said the intent is to ensure primary payers (for example, commercial insurance, workers’ compensation or settlement proceeds) cannot unreasonably refuse payment and thereby shift costs onto Medicaid.

Brandy Sylvan, director of government relations for the Department of Community Health, explained that the term \"medical assistance\" in the bill is used broadly to include Medicaid, PeachCare for Kids and waiver programs and that the measure is intended to preserve the integrity of the Medicaid program and support the department’s ability to reclaim funds when private sources or settlements should be primary payers.

Lawmakers asked about enforcement and penalties for noncompliance. Sylvan and the sponsor said the state must comply with federal rules to avoid federal funding risk; Sylvan said she would follow up with the department’s third‑party liability team for details about specific penalties or sanctions if third‑party payers do not comply.

There were no public witnesses supporting or opposing the bill recorded in the transcript. After questions the committee moved, seconded and approved the bill by voice vote; no roll‑call tally was recorded in the transcript.

The sponsor characterized the measure as a technical compliance bill requested by the Department of Community Health to ensure the state can reclaim primary payments and avoid federal reimbursement issues; the transcript identifies the sponsoring agency and cites the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) direction as the federal drivers for the change.","Senate Bill 276, presented by Senator Echols and Department of Community Health staff, would bring state law into alignment with federal requirements in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 to ensure primary payers cannot unreasonably deny payment and to protect Medicaid reimbursements; the committee passed the bill,","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee approves measure to raise insurance requirements for drivers convicted of DUI; industry raises affordability concerns

Committee advances bill to bar group-life exclusions for active-duty deaths

Committee approves bill to align state Medicaid rules with federal primary‑payer requirements