Georgia Senate Rules calendar committee advances three bills to the floor

The Georgia Senate Rules calendar committee on Feb. 4 advanced three measures to the Senate floor in a unanimous voice vote after brief presentations. The committee moved Senate Bill 239, Senate Bill 403 and House Bill 414 to the full Senate; the motion was made by the majority leader and seconded by Senator Anderson.

Senate Bill 403, presented by Senator Kirkpatrick, is a Department of Revenue bill aimed at addressing unclaimed property. "We currently have $3.3 billion of people's money held in unclaimed property in the general fund," Kirkpatrick said, adding the bill is designed to return funds to Georgians faster with "fewer forms, less cost, and fewer administrative barriers." The committee did not debate the measure at length during the calendar review.

Senate Bill 239, presented as part of Senator Williams's summary, would "split the license," allowing family practitioners — not only surgeons — to perform a procedure covered by the bill, according to Williams. Senator Hatchet also presented Senate Bill 384, which would give Georgians the option to buy a five-year motor vehicle tag instead of renewing annually; Hatchet described the proposal as "pretty cut and dry."

Representative Jones presented a substitute to House Bill 414, which he described as creating a long-arm provision within elections law to require out-of-state participants to follow the same rules and filings as in-state participants. "It does not expand the scope or the power of the ethics commission," Jones said, but he added the bill would allow investigators to pursue potential bad actors who operate from outside the state. Jones used a football analogy: "if you're going to play on our football field you're subject to our referees no matter where you live." The committee did not hold an extended debate on the measure during this session.

The committee also heard brief summaries of Senate Bill 146, which addresses protection of cemeteries and burial grounds, and Senate Bill 411, which clarifies dry needling as it relates to acupuncture and would allow physical and occupational therapists to perform dry needling following multi-stakeholder coordination and hearings.

After leaders confirmed the bills to be advanced, the majority leader moved to place the selected bills on the floor; Senator Anderson seconded the motion. The committee chair called for a voice vote and the motion "carried unanimous" to send the measures to the Senate floor. The committee then adjourned.

Next steps: the three advanced measures will appear on the Senate floor calendar for further consideration and any subsequent debate or votes.