[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-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",[32,76,88,100],{"_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",6125778,"mediaKeyId","2675734-cc7e84ac204ab4a39ae20a546df6600c","parentId",2675734,"title","Committee reviews broad funeral- and cemetery-related bill; members ask for more work on family-burial and composting language","audioSeconds",2275,"startMs",7248000,"endMs",9523000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2675734-cc7e84ac204ab4a39ae20a546df6600c&start=7248&end=9523","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2675734-cc7e84ac204ab4a39ae20a546df6600c/thumbnail_7248000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6125778/Georgia/Committee-reviews-broad-funeral-and-cemetery-related-bill-members-ask-for-more-work-on-family-burial-and-composting-language","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6125778-fe78b90879eb205bfd5635716b4d1173/orig.mp4?Expires=1775631280&Signature=CeNHDhHVAJ6JhzPOubBC3X-ytWunzLS0g1GEypCVzZRHHB7frRGBPRsPKl9gkjw5KpdQzLOsKfu8BIXs9FIvPe2l4fwBmKMcOx9zoghYaEuu4SWRomV4bLQIpvRvTV~XPu3V5z60Ufn7VXTyNArl2mk3mG6PGABpsPoT7X1Liri9dOOAlbyaXe1Rbz9G0Dp2IwHYCpGygBjQp7zhkdyAjIcAv4vad289OCjUa7zEmSwhy14kGpuMCBSYKP3UDBMVPTGrIPmGaH0b3q4~~eJ0Ks-pxwj-ELliZvLrujon--qzhtyLnJcGvX9GN5QuBs-exOJDvr~kET2W9jnteRai2Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Georgia State Legislature","date","2025-03-18T00:00:00Z","article","The committee received a lengthy presentation on a bill that would create new licensing, inspection and safety rules for alternative disposition methods (including human composting), tighten oversight of funeral homes and establish procedures and limited protections for family burial plots on private land.

The sponsor framed the bill as a set of guardrails prompted by past failures in funeral-industry oversight including the Tri-State Crematory scandal in Noble, Ga., and a recent case in which law enforcement discovered decomposing remains at an operating funeral facility in another county. \"What we have now is a thing called human composting,\" the sponsor said, noting that the practice is legal in several other states. The bill would require licensing, inspections and standards for any operation offering human composting and would permit oversight by the State Board of Funeral Service.

Other sections would clarify the process for disinterment and relocation of graves, establish minimum requirements for newly created family burial plots on private land, and create expedited inspection authority when board members receive credible reports of misconduct. Committee members queried legal consequences, liability for property owners who allow descendant visits, and whether the bill could make it easier to displace historic graves. Several members asked legislative counsel to clarify court remedies and protections for landowners.

Questions and process: Committee members expressed support for stronger inspection authority and clarified that existing laws already prohibit removal of items from graves and criminalize desecration; they raised concerns about potential new obligations for landowners when descendants request access. A number of members asked the sponsor and legislative counsel to work with them to refine the private-property visitation language and to address liability and scheduling concerns before returning the bill to the full committee.

Decision: The committee received a substitute version and several members moved to accept it, but after extended questioning the chair asked the sponsor to work with subcommittee chairs and others to resolve outstanding issues; the measure was held for further drafting and outreach rather than being advanced that day.

Ending: The sponsor agreed to meet with committee members to reconcile the family-burial provisions and inspection language; the committee scheduled follow-up work before a final action would be taken.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Georgia House of Representatives 03.18.25 Regulated Industries","oneSentenceSummary","A comprehensive measure addressing human composting, funeral-home inspections and family-burial-plot protections drew extensive discussion; the committee deferred action and asked the bill sponsor to work with members to refine private-property access and liability language.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature Georgia , Georgia","taxId",77688,"location","Georgia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6125783,"Committee clears cleanup bill on secondary metal recyclers, cash payments and catalytic-converter rules",303,1303000,1606000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2675734-cc7e84ac204ab4a39ae20a546df6600c&start=1303&end=1606","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2675734-cc7e84ac204ab4a39ae20a546df6600c/thumbnail_1303000.jpg","/articles/6125783/Georgia/Committee-clears-cleanup-bill-on-secondary-metal-recyclers-cash-payments-and-catalytic-converter-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6125783-e9161781c836043709a969fc540f8084/orig.mp4?Expires=1775631280&Signature=VXFPQs8AmYvMK7EGlJk4~gNsym4p2LYX8lHMHZkgD5te1ZxWVrjrkSqczqL02siEo3NTqX~moywJJv-9WLA00Z8luVDhGch71ImPCLXFLA4sdydEBQViIEI7sAqlj798oZt5TDEiNcbIglxIva9bF88wJieo3vQIycaKLETM5Ep71sxm8pIz9XXVHOpHjPee05XLHhjhmiXFZwRoVuYMiQbQM2UjZ4uJwlH9tUykM70qDFcX1fW49DW8JMqEqAXkgRa5S60Qrl3MNkCncFHhPahOopVIyQIO0E0h-9Hm4FUx~4FXcSm08ONCTyRLJ1YRbaenSxCv-Vm7iCbLYMd8jg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A committee advanced Senate Bill 40, described by the sponsor as a cleanup bill following prior anti-metal-theft legislation, after brief discussion and a voice vote.

The sponsor said the bill moves a definition for \"used attached catalytic converter\" to a different section, clarifies what secondary metal recyclers may pay in cash (limited to $100 per transaction up to two times per day), and restricts purchases of items such as copper wire, utility cable and batteries. It also codifies a $200 registration fee for secondary metal recyclers with $100 retained by the county sheriff's office and $100 forwarded to a state registry fund.

Committee members asked technical clarifying questions about the fee distribution and a change to felony-related permitting language. One member asked whether the change broadened a disqualification from theft felonies to any felony; the sponsor confirmed the change applied to felonies generally within a five-year look-back. The sponsor said the bill is intended as a narrow cleanup to correct drafting issues and to restore provisions that were removed in prior floor action for procedural reasons.

Outcome: A member moved the bill and a second was recorded; the committee approved the bill by voice vote, with the chair saying \"Ayes have it.\" The sponsor said House Leader McDonald would carry the bill in the House.

Ending: The committee moved quickly through the item and encouraged the sponsor as he proceeded to other meetings.","Senate Bill 40, a cleanup measure addressing definitions and payment rules for secondary metal recyclers and a sheriff-run registry fee, passed the committee by voice vote after brief discussion.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6125787,"Committee advances bill to create statewide health-care provider directory after adding age/location fields",1293,1850000,3143000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2675734-cc7e84ac204ab4a39ae20a546df6600c&start=1850&end=3143","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2675734-cc7e84ac204ab4a39ae20a546df6600c/thumbnail_1850000.jpg","/articles/6125787/Georgia/Committee-advances-bill-to-create-statewide-health-care-provider-directory-after-adding-agelocation-fields","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6125787-9e127f1beb80453d49707cdbe18dfa09/orig.mp4?Expires=1775631280&Signature=An0f8JrEp0HQ4hnTmcRicteLH3iBJYSVosuv5TJQaa0ned2mfJ14FIrvIVCP4bdj3JVNT9D8k4YjFalQsc1TPP4lS9I5L3pI2j7TKml2vj2EeXmwv1KJf3zAV0C5MxFC5i6TesAtt~gtq~~f-pyokydZ3cG-mcd1TXKVb8L9Jccr6yl4WqLe1YTnXeTIbH0QVzryiLgtVRycR1448i929myZyZjGOi8-BdKLX-w8fiE-wYvEnUt5RMcbqZbWPn23AiySdGzXAFKpdqHJ8XEezq~~PUXzKEXEU-~x0kZrpKqs~TtrT1TIqqU~8-Bm3Snc8sfF4xy520RfFdGlBmdK9w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 131, agency legislation for the Georgia Board of Healthcare Workforce, would create a statewide, searchable list of licensed health-care professionals organized by practice type, language proficiency, gender and location to help planners and consumers locate providers.

The sponsor told the committee the directory would support two primary uses: health-care planners assessing geographic gaps and consumers seeking a particular type of provider. \"Basically, this will be used by two types of people,\" the sponsor said, adding the board could also seek federal or other funding to establish and maintain the list. Chet Bassin, executive director of the Georgia Board of Healthcare Workforce, was introduced as a staff contact and answered technical questions about implementation.

Why it matters: Lawmakers said the directory could expose \"health-care deserts,\" improve workforce planning and help Georgians find local providers. Committee members raised data-collection challenges, duplication with existing boards' databases and privacy concerns about adding age and location details.

Amendment and vote: The secretary of state's office asked the committee to add month and year of birth plus city, county and ZIP code because its records lack an explicit age field and do capture partial birth-date and locality fields. The committee adopted an amendment to add (1) month and year of birth and (2) city, county and ZIP of residence. On the amendment the committee voted by a show of hands; the transcript records seven ayes and five opposed on the amendment, which then passed. The bill as amended was advanced by voice vote.

Details and limits: Committee members pressed witnesses on whether the directory would identify whether a provider is accepting new patients or maintain practice-level granularity; the board's executive director said the proposed data set would not provide that operational detail. Several members argued the public could use age and gender filters to find providers matching personal preferences, while others warned that age data could enable discriminatory selection. The sponsor and board representatives emphasized the board's role as a data source for planning rather than a consumer-rating or appointment system.

Next steps: The bill was passed by the committee as amended; staff were asked to coordinate technical drafting on the affidavit of data fields and to confirm how the secretary of state's datafeeds would be used to populate the directory.","Senate Bill 131 would direct the Georgia Board of Healthcare Workforce to build a statewide, searchable registry of licensed health-care providers; the committee agreed to an amendment requiring month-and-year of birth and city/county/ZIP fields to support age and geographic analysis and advanced the bill as amended.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6125792,"Panel hears expanded medical cannabis bill that would raise THC cap and allow inhalable delivery",1043,3457000,4500000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2675734-cc7e84ac204ab4a39ae20a546df6600c&start=3457&end=4500","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2675734-cc7e84ac204ab4a39ae20a546df6600c/thumbnail_3457000.jpg","/articles/6125792/Georgia/Panel-hears-expanded-medical-cannabis-bill-that-would-raise-THC-cap-and-allow-inhalable-delivery","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6125792-f52e84ef18f0fc120d80d5dbb9c23699/orig.mp4?Expires=1775631280&Signature=LOJ-TwYIlgOBDNlaewt3pfmFsJrgGH~Z4G3a2r-SFPMp5VawJo9IJnqL7WBSnotW70trEr5uoqfgCeuvpB5pEZX5j2ebqb60MUt4i5RY6ks2q9oPdZHt8Ph~P88gsEO8cVlq4Iwnhwouc1tR4F049D~yRrQqJWCJw72Cjnae19us6~l0u4~E~bGZ4NIH6b4EyUEfvMpCx3CQ0o3pTrcIte~xcoXo8tmBmknayTUHZXXy4g8GSOm6eQ2eR7h1dSQBZ9yvAfTs2O9Yl5Rau9fpRjwCUMID4Kodu62hJlcr2e0bHBAqWOTGvxFPcXDjR1gjWRPoL0Bdiyg93lTNFSDO3Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 220, a proposal to change Georgia's low-THC oil program into a broader \"medical cannabis\" framework and to raise the allowable THC potency from 5 percent to 50 percent, drew extended testimony and debate before the committee but received no final vote.

Proponents said the changes are intended to improve clinical options for patients and to bring Georgia more in line with other medical-only states. \"We're asking ... to allow the folks that qualify in this state to have the right amount that helps their disease,\" former state representative Micah Gravely told the committee, recounting patients who had benefited in other states. Attorney Edward Lindsey, representing an industry license holder, summarized technical changes, saying the bill \"changes the term in section 2 ... from low THC oil ... to medical cannabis\" and noted the proposal would raise the program's potency cap and alter possession limits.

Supporters said the measure also would permit an inhalable delivery method (commonly described as vaped or inhalable oil) so patients who need rapid relief'for example, some seizure disorders'can obtain medicine that acts faster than oral formulations. Senator Brass, the bill's sponsor, said the policy changes follow a multi-year review and a listening tour that included patients, physicians and state boards. \"That letter was in support of medical cannabis for MS patients,\" Brass said, explaining personal motivations for sponsoring the bill.

Why it matters: The bill would materially change Georgia's tightly constrained low-THC program by increasing potency and widening the delivery methods available to patients. Supporters argued those changes respond to patient needs documented in other states and by the commission that oversees the program. Opponents and some committee members raised concerns about public safety, youth exposure and the lack of federal research because cannabis remains a Schedule I drug.

Key provisions and debate: The draft committee substitute (LC 33 97 99 S) would:
- Redefine the program name and statutory definitions from \"low THC oil\" to \"medical cannabis.\"
- Raise the THC cap from 5 percent to 50 percent for licensed products.
- Change possession limits (the draft replaces a 20-fluid-ounce measure with a 2-ounce possession limit or an equivalent measure in non-liquid forms).
- Remove many \"severe or end-stage\" qualifiers from condition eligibility, replacing them with a broader statutory test that a patient's symptoms \"can reasonably be expected to be relieved by the use of medical cannabis and the potential benefits ... outweigh the potential health risks.\"
- Allow inhalable delivery systems (vaping) for medical use while keeping the program limited to registered patients and licensed manufacturers/distributors.

Committee members pressed authors on clinical safeguards, age limits and tracking. Several asked whether the 50 percent cap was evidence-based; Brass acknowledged the level was in part a political compromise and said clinical evidence is limited in the U.S. because of federal scheduling, relying instead on patient reports and experience from other states. Micah Gravely and other witnesses described cases where higher-potency products produced meaningful clinical benefit for individual patients.

Process and next steps: The committee heard proponent testimony from industry and patient advocates, then recessed and later reconvened. No committee vote was taken on final passage. The chair said the committee would continue work in a subsequent meeting to refine language and address members' concerns, including public-use restrictions, supply-chain tracking and age-related safeguards.

Ending note: Committee members repeatedly framed the bill as medical, not recreational, and requested additional technical briefings and documentation from the commission and other stakeholders before any final committee action.","A Georgia Senate committee heard extended testimony on Senate Bill 220, a proposal to rename the state's low-THC program, raise the THC cap to 50 percent, allow inhalable (vaped) delivery, and broaden qualifying conditions; committee deferred final action for further work.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee reviews broad funeral- and cemetery-related bill; members ask for more work on family-burial and composting language

Committee clears cleanup bill on secondary metal recyclers, cash payments and catalytic-converter rules

Committee advances bill to create statewide health-care provider directory after adding age/location fields

Panel hears expanded medical cannabis bill that would raise THC cap and allow inhalable delivery