Special Rules 02.05.26

Okay. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the committee on special rules. We have three, resolutions to hear today. This is the first meeting of the year for special rules, and, I'm gonna ask representative Campbell if he will lead us in word of prayer.

God. I really just thank you for the opportunity you give us to, serve the people and to serve the state, and, thank you for that. And we pray that we look to you in all that we do and pray you'll guide us and, bless our meeting today. In Jesus name. Amen.

Thank you, representative Campbell. Leader Hughley, will you come on up?

Come on.

I know you've got plenty of things to do today, so we'll try to get you out of here pretty quick.

Thank you, mister chairman. And later we do another committee Lucian ten forty nine. And I would like to say I'm the author, but I'm not. The author is Kayla Green. Kayla is a senior at Carver High School, and Fentanyl Awareness has been her project as she is trying to earn her gold badge for Girl Scouts.

That's right. So it's it's a simple proposition to make, fentanyl awareness a permanent observation each year, in October, and that's what she's asking. So if if you don't mind, I will yield to her and she can tell you why she thinks it's important. Absolutely. Come on in.

Good morning. Good morning.

Good morning, mister chairman, representative Scoggins, and special role committee members. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. I am Kayla Green, a senior class of 2,026 from George Washington Carver STEM High School in Columbus, Georgia. I am grateful for minority leader, Carolyn Hugley, for her support and encouragement for my senior project to designate one day in Georgia, to fentanyl awareness. Specifically, I requested that one day during Georgia's red ribbon week be designated as fentanyl awareness day.

This crisis is so huge that to fight, it will take a change in culture and mindset of people. And I believe the first step towards that is advocating to change policies and laws that govern education and awareness. Why is this issue important? It is fentanyl today and other more deadly manufactured versions already on the streets. I did I did I got sorry.

Identifying a community need for fentanyl awareness developed out my research at the beginning of my STEM magnet school year in ninth grade. That is year 2022 to 2023, which were also the peak years of this crisis. That year, I invited a rep that year, I invited a representative from the Department of Public Health and doctor Edwards, program manager from Morehouse School of Medicine, opioid awareness, overdose prevention initiative to my school where they did a presentation with the STEM magnet students about the dangers and many forms of street fentanyl. Initial research addressed the impact of the fentanyl and opioid crisis in Georgia. Supported by the Department of Public Health Statistics showing a one hundred percent increase in opioid overdose death from 2012 to 2021.

The Columbus Muskogee County chart shows key data from 1999 to 2023. Total opioid opioid related deaths were one hundred and eighty three in Columbus and seventeen thousand seven hundred and sixty four in Georgia. Columbus' highest year was 2023 2021, I'm sorry, which resulted in twenty three deaths. Georgia's highest year was 2022, which resulted in one thousand and nine hundred and seventy six deaths. Columbus' most affected age group is thirty to thirty nine which results in fifty three deaths.

Youth impacted age group is eighteen to twenty four account which accounts for nineteen deaths. The impacted age group statewide mirrors Columbus. This data comes from OASIS, an online mapping tool for that the Department of Public Health makes available to the public to research all public health statistics. I've been I have been committed to combining my work of bringing society awareness and prevention of health issues that affect children in the community with my passion for science and math, which has developed along the way on my journey in high school STEM education.

Okay. Just give me a second. Okay. So thank you. Thank you.

Thank you so much. That's great information, and and you should get a badge like you were trying to get. And, if I had one, I'd give you one too.

Thank you. Thank you all so much for listening. Alright.

Madam leader, do you have anything else on the bill?

We'll be happy to answer any questions. I mean, it's it's just a straightforward request for every October, that we, designate Fentanyl Awareness as part of Red Ribbon Week. And, of course, you know, Red Ribbon Week, we're talking about all kinds of things in that nature. And so, Kayla wants to make sure that it is specifically identified so that not only current students, but students coming along after her will be aware of how dangerous that this is in an effort to, prevent unnecessary deaths. Deaths.

So we we ask for your favorable consideration.

Thank you, ma'am. We have a couple of questions. Representative Ballard.

Okay. I just wanna say how proud I am of you for taking on this project and coming here. I know that it's not easy to come here and present in front of us, and I just wanna say I'm proud of you and mister chairman at the appropriate time.

Yes, ma'am. Okay. Representative Taylor? Thank

you, mister chairman. I wanted to do make the appropriate at the appropriate time, make the motion

Thank you.

And one more, representative Baker.

I don't have a question, but I just wanna say thank you for bringing this incredible presentation to our, to our committee. And thank you for raising, the fact that this is happening at such an early age. You mentioned middle schools. We're talking about 12 and 13 year old kids. So the sooner we can get out there and target these issues, the better chance we have of combating this.

So thank you for an awesome presentation.

Of course. And I do have a presentation left that y'all can go over with additional information. Thank you very much. You're welcome. Enjoy the rest of y'all's day.

Representative Griffin?

I I don't have Wait. What?

No. I don't have I don't have a question, but I just wanna let you know I, cosign this Floyd Griffin from Milledgeville, Georgia.

Oh, thank you.

Thank you. Any other discussion from, the committee? None? At this time, I'll entertain a

motion. I move, sir.

Got a motion due passed and second. Any further discussion? None. Okay. At this time, all in favor of the passing of, house resolution one zero four nine, say aye.

Aye. Any opposition, same sign? Okay.

Okay. Go and shake the chair.

It it

does pass, and you're on the roof. Yep. Okay. Representative Blaze, you wanna come on up?

You guys call me after that act.

That's that's a hard act to follow. Okay. Representative Blaze, we have house resolution 1177. Is that correct?

That is correct. And I'll give you the proper LC

number. Okay.

LC650030.

Yes, ma'am. That's the one we have. Okay?

Good morning, chairman Scoggins and as well as our vice chair. We appreciate all the members of special rules. Thank you so much for, considering Georgia House Resolution eleven seventy seven. It is a bipartisan, resolution, and it's about saving lives. In Georgia, we have about eighty four percent pedestrian death rate at night.

Visibility then becomes a matter of life and death. That single fact of this resolution makes it worthwhile. Across Georgia, pedestrian fatalities are rising at an alarming and yet unacceptable rate. In 2024 alone, more than two hundred and ninety four pedestrians were killed, and the vast majority of those deaths occurred at night. So these are not isolated incidents.

They are a clear pattern demanding action. So lines nine and ten. House resolution eleven seventy seven responds to the crisis with common sense, a data driven approach focused on one critical factor, visibility. When drivers cannot see pedestrians in time, tragedy follows. But when pedestrians are visible, lives are saved.

Lines one through three. According to the US Federal Office of Transportation, the most effective way to increase pedestrian visibility at night is to use bright and reflective clothing that is visible both from the front and the back. This is not speculation. It is evidence. Reflective materials dramatically improve how quickly a driver can recognize a pedestrian and respond safely.

In this resolution, it builds on the important work that's already underway with GDOT. GDOT has a program called see and be seen campaign. It's across our state, and it continues to improve pedestrian safety through better medians, upgrade cross upgraded crosswalks, pedestrian signals, and additional lighting. These investments have been made from the state, and they've been critical and necessary, and they are saving lives. But infrastructure alone cannot solve the crisis.

Pedestrian safety is a shared responsibility, and HR eleven seventy seven does not punish pedestrians. It empowers them. It encourages simple, affordable, and effective steps that people can take to help protect themselves when walking at night. So wearing reflective and bright clothing is not just an inconvenience, but it is something that will help save lives. It helps drivers see sooner, faster, and avoid irreversible consequences.

This resolution recognizes safety as the strongest when public investment and awareness work together. So at its core, it's about prevention. It's about education, and most importantly, it's about saving lives among Georgia's road roads. This is the presentation for house resolution eleven seventy seven, and I will take questions. Thank you,

representative Graves. We have a we have a couple of questions. Representative McQueen?

Thank you, mister chair. Thank you, rep Blaze, for bringing this, resolution. I know in my district and you know as well in in parts of South Fulton County, and even in parts of Cobb where streets are not lit, even on my the road that I my subdivision is on, if you've been that corner and somebody is walking, especially on roads with no sidewalks, it's very hard to see people. So this is very important, like you said, for safety. It's not, I don't I did not read it and take it as a punishment for, pedestrians, but as you said, to keep them safe.

So thank you so much for bringing this, to us. And mister chairman, at the appropriate time, I move we do pass.

Thank you. Thank you, representative Taylor.

Thank you, mister chairman. And thank you.

The bill is a great bill. I do notice that the word that you use, is urging. So do you have a plan or strategy such as working with nonprofits to because I'm picturing those that would be walking at night are those that do not own vehicles

That's correct.

And who are maybe cash strapped and may not be able to afford a vest or that would be the last thing that they would put on their priority list. So do you have a strategy in order to

be able to make these available? I'm so glad you asked that question. So gdot, I don't you guys remember former representative Doug Stoner? He's in, on the g dot board. He is in District 6.

So we want to open the door for getting a grant and pilot it in District 6, and hopefully all of the other board members for g. Will also pilot this so that we can actually put these kinds of vests in warehouses. Because in, our community, the greatest number of people walking at night are walking from work, from the warehouses. And we believe that if we just have them there, they can actually leave them and pick them up so that no one has to be without one, when they're leaving. So we do have grant money with GEDOT, and we believe that this will be helpful.

Thank you. No further questions, mister chairman.

Thank you. Any other discussion or questions from the committee? If not, what's the pleasure of the committee?

Move to pass.

And move to pass?

I second.

I got a second. Any other discussion? If not, all those in favor of house resolution one one seven seven l c six five zero zero three zero, Say aye. Aye. All opposed?

Okay.

Thank you so much.

Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Representative Cox, I just got one question before you start. How did you beat representative Monahan with this bill?

Getting it dropped first.

Because I'm not

from personal.

Okay. Alright. Representative Cox, you have a house resolution 999LC1123681. That's the copy we have. Is that correct?

Yes,

sir. Okay. Alright. Tell us about your resolution.

Yeah. Well, this upcoming year is obviously, very important year to everyone in this room, which is our two hundred and fiftieth anniversary as a country. And I the reason that I did this is, one of the signers of the declaration is Lemon Hall, which I represent part of Hall County. And, of course, we know Button Gwinnet as well as George Walton, who risk everything they had to to sign something so sacred to us which is given us, you know, life liberty in the pursuit of happiness. And I just think it's really important that we urge everybody in the state of Georgia, our counties and municipalities and make sure that they put together some type of celebration.

We're all here because of it. And one of my favorite presidents of all time was john Adams and what he stood for. So I, am thankful to do this and also ask for y'all's favorable consideration, but God bless America. I'm glad that that we're here.

Okay. Thank you, representative Cox. Any discussion or questions from any member of the committee? If not, I'll end up excuse me. One.

Okay. Oh, okay. Representative Campbell. Okay. This would be the proper time.

Okay. I got a motion to pass. Got a second. Any other discussion on, house resolution nine nine nine? If none, we'll take a vote.

All those in favor of House Resolution nine nine nine, say aye. Aye. All opposed? Okay. Thank you, representative.

It moves on the rules, I guess. Thank you, sir. Thank you so much.

Thank you.