Senate Session
Video Transcript
Duration: 144 minutes
Speakers: 31
The time for convening having arrived, the senate will come to order.
At this time, I'll ask all unauthorized
persons to exit the chamber.
I recognize the senator from the sixth.
Good morning, mister president.
You look a little different today.
I'm not sure what's different.
What is
you taller?
Your hair is not sticking up either.
Mister president, we got some great pages here today
from all over this state.
Out of my district,
six, we have Lily Bouchard.
She's from Bowden.
We have
m Emma
Essianumo
from Atlanta.
We have Shrestha
Ganti
from Sewanee.
We have Antonia
Gooden
from South Fulton,
Ethan Harvey from Columbus,
Logan Kelly
from Atlanta,
Savela Morrell
from Dicula,
Yamaya
Newell from Atlanta,
Dallas Parks from Jonesboro,
Gervais Porcher
from Atlanta,
Rhea
Raghavaraju
nope.
Raghavaraju.
I get it that time? I got it.
Out of Alpharetta,
Mason Sullivan
out of Atlanta, and Gabriel Wilson from Lawrenceville.
Y'all give our pages a big round of applause.
We appreciate your service to the great state of Georgia.
Mister president,
the journal has been read and found to be correct, so I move that we dispense with the reading of the journal. Forty four ten. Thank you. Good good job, mister chairman. Is there objection to dispensing with the reading of the journal?
The chair hears none and the reading of the journal is dispensed with.
Is there objection to the confirmation of the journal?
Chair hears none and the journal is confirmed.
All senators who have bills or resolutions to introduce, please bring them to the secretary's desk at this time.
First reading in reference of senate bills and resolutions.
Senate bill 422
by senators Bearden of the thirtieth and others. A bill to be entitled in act to amend chapter two of title 21 of the official code of Georgia annotated relating to elections and primaries generally so as to provide that the date of most municipal elections shall be in even numbered years to provide a one year extension of the terms of office of most municipal officers for the transition of both.
Senate bill 423
by senators Bearden of the thirtieth and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend chapter five of title 21 of the official code of Georgia annotated relating to Ethics.
Senate bill 424
by senators Harbon of the sixteenth and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend chapter five a of title 50 of the official code of Georgia annotated relating to the Banking and financial institutions.
Senate bill four two five by senators Harbourn of the sixteenth and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend part two of article six of chapter two of title 20 of the official code of Georgia annotated Education and youth.
Senate bill four twenty six by senators Harbord of the sixteenth and others. A bill to be entitled to an act to amend article one of chapter one of title 20 of the official code of Georgia annotated relating to general provisions with led relative to education so as to require Education and youth.
Senate bill four twenty seven by senators Watson the first and others. A bill to be entitled to an act to amend article two of chapter 34 of title 43 of the official code of Georgia annotated relating to medical practice relative to physicians so as to provide for limited provisional license. Health and human services.
Senate bill four twenty eight by senators Kirkpatrick of the thirty second and others. A bill to be entitled to an act to amend article seven of chapter four of title 49 of the official code of Georgia annotated relating to medical assistance generally so as to direct the Department of Community Health to submit and human services. Senate bill four two nine by senators Dickerson of the twenty first and others. A bill to be entitled in the act to amend article one of chapter seven of title 44 of the official code of Georgia annotated relating to landlord and tenant in general so as to Veterans, military, and homeland security.
Senate resolution six zero five by senators McLaurin of the fourteenth and others. Resolution condemning the killing of Alex Public safety.
Senate resolution six zero nine by senators Hufstedler of the fifty second and others. A resolution recognizing January 25 through the thirty first twenty twenty six as physician and its Health and human services.
Senate resolution six zero five by senators McLaurin. Six ten. Oh, six ten. Oh.
Oh. Oopsies.
Senate resolution six ten by senators Hatchard the fiftieth and others. A resolution creating the senate study committee on improving and increasing recycling and for other purposes. Natural resources and environment.
Mister president, that could please oh.
Senate resolution six twenty two by senators Kirkpatrick of the thirty second and others. A resolution creating the joint study committee on evaluating escalating cost of Georgia's foster care system. Families.
Senate resolution six two four by senators Sessler of the thirty seventh and others. A resolution honoring the life of officer Drew Haines Brown and dedicating Transportation.
Thank you, mister president. That completes the order.
The secretary will read reports of standing committees.
Mister president, the senate committee on children and families has had under the consideration the following legislation as it instructed me to report the same back to the senate with the following recommendation. Senate bill three eight three, due passed, respectfully submitted by senator Kirkpatrick of the thirty second.
Mister president, the Senate Committee on Children and Families has had under the consideration the following legislation as instructed me to report the same back to the senate with the following recommendation. Senate bill four zero two, due passed by substitute. Respectfully submitted by senator Kirkpatrick of the thirty second.
Mister president, the senate committee on education and youth has had under con the consideration the following legislation as instructed me to report the same back to the senate with the following recommendation, senate bill four twelve, due passed by senators Hickman of the fourth.
Mister president, the senate committee on regulated industry and utilities has had under the consideration of the following legislation has instructed me to report the same back to the senate with the following recommendation.
Senate bill one four six, due pass by substitute. Senate bill two three nine, due pass by substitute. House bill five seven one, due passed by substitute.
Respectfully submitted by senator Bill Kauser of the forty sixth.
Mister president, the senate committee on rules has had on the consideration the following legislation has instructed me to report the same back to the senate with the following recommendation.
House bill one seventeen, due passed by substitute. House bill four eight three, due passed by substitute. Respectfully submitted by senator Brass of the six. Mister president, that completes the order.
The secretary will read reports of standing committees.
Senate resolution five six three by senators Robertson the twenty ninth and others. Georgia secretary of state request of the United States Department of Justice to to securely produce Georgia's voter registration list.
Urge. Thank you, mister president. That completes the order.
It is now time for the morning roll call.
Are they are there any motions to excuse?
I recognize the senator from the thirty third.
Thank you, mister president, and good morning, y'all.
As for unanimous consent to excuse the following
senators, seven,
twenty six,
ten,
forty, and second
for business inside the capitol.
Senator, was was the last one the second? Two. Two. Okay.
Alright. The senators asked for unanimous consent to excuse the senators from the seventh, twenty sixth, tenth, fortieth, and second.
Without objection,
those senators are excused. Are there any other motions to excuse?
Recognize the senator from thirty first.
Thank you, mister president. I ask you to ask your consent to excuse the senator from the 27th for business inside the capital.
Without objection, the senator from the 27th
is excused. Are there any other motions? I recognize the senator from the 47th.
Thank you, mister president. I ask for unanimous consent to excuse the senator from the 48th for other business inside the capital. Without objection, the senator from the 48th is excused. Any other motions to excuse?
Alright. The secretary will call roll of senators. Please signify your presence by voting the yay switch.
Secretary will unlock the machine.
It is now time for our morning devotion. All senators, please take your seats and cease all auto audible conversation.
Doorkeepers, please secure the chamber at this time.
It's my honor to recognize the senator from the 11th District to lead us in the pledge of allegiance and then introduce the chaplain of the day.
Hello?
Yeah. Thank
you.
Thank you, mister president. Join me in the pledge of the flag.
Pledge allegiance
to the flag
of The United States Of America
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one nation under
God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.
The Georgia flag.
I pledge allegiance to the Georgia flag, the principles of which it stands,
wisdom, justice, moderation, courage.
Good deal. Well, thank you all. Thank you, mister president. It's my honor today to, to introduce the reverend Chris Humphreys. He is the senior pastor at Bainbridge First Baptist Church in Decatur County. And he's been the pastor there since, 2019.
He's spent over twenty years in the ministry,
serving,
at Calvary Baptist Church in Austell, Georgia
Gillsville, Georgia from 2002 to 2006.
Pastor Humphreys accepted Christ on March 10 and answered the call to the ministry in 1999.
He is a graduate of Columbus State,
University,
where he received a bachelor of arts in history degree and a master of arts in religion from Liberty University.
His ministry objective has been to fulfill the great commission
and to make sure his church is engaged,
locally,
fulfilling,
God's mission,
locally, nationally, and around the world.
And,
I can honestly say I've listened to some of your sermons, pastor, and I can I can hear that in your voice? So I know you are you are holding true to that. So thank you. He's obviously an avid, Bulldog fan, loves golf, loves pickleball,
but he couldn't do anything without the support of his wife, Kimberly,
and their two children, Luke and Hope.
And of course, I met pastor Humphreys,
this past summer at one of the Georgia Baptist public affairs training events down in, in Bainbridge in Decatur County. And so,
it was great to be down there and and share with them. But what really put him on my heart is, so many of my constituents that he has to, minister to down there in Decatur County. And, I have a lot of good friends down there. He actually brought one of them up with him. Darren Deal is over here joining for the drive, the four hour drive up to keep him keep him company. So it's just, an honor to have him here. And,
Reverend Humphreys, I'll turn it over to you. Thank you.
Thank you, sir.
Well, good morning.
Thank you so much, for having me today, senator Walker, and
distinguished members of the senate here in Atlanta. We're so grateful for you and your work.
Senator Watson, thank you so much for the opportunity,
to stand before you. It's an honor today,
for me to be here, and I'm certainly grateful to stand before you today. It's very important that I let you know that I am from,
Bainbridge, Georgia. Even though I grew up in Atlanta, I live in Bainbridge. Bainbridge matters
in Atlanta. And so I just wanna make sure you guys know that for all of my friends in Bainbridge. They're very glad that I just said that.
And so thank you so much, for us, and for what you guys do up here. Now I know you have a lot of work to do today, and I just simply wanna offer a moment of grounding for you. Because in this chamber, the pace is fast,
the decisions are heavy, and the stakes are real for the people that you serve.
And I'm reminded of something uniquely Georgian. Growing up in Atlanta, when you're hiking up Stone Mountain with a particular group, you quickly learn that the goal isn't just reaching the top, but it's staying together on the way up. So if one person, for example, sprints ahead, they miss the conversation.
And if someone lags behind, they miss the encouragement.
So the real value is found in walking together
step by step.
This image echoes but powerful line from scripture.
In Micah chapter six verse eight, we're encouraged, what does the Lord require of you but to do justice,
to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
You see, justice
shapes our decisions.
Mercy
shapes our hearts.
But humility shapes our pace, how we walk with god
and how we walk with one another.
And if there's any place where pace matters, it's right here. You know, because of the work that you do, it isn't just about policy.
It is about people.
It's about neighbors. It's about families. It's about communities
and futures.
And walking humbly together
begin today, I invite you to take a breath. You know, to steady your pace, to remember the one who walks with you, and the people who walk behind each and every boat that you cast.
The bible emphasizes that those who live in fellowship with a holy God and his people
must live in a way which reflects
his holiness.
He mentioned in this passage, we love mercy.
Mercy is a rich word which includes the idea of faithful
love and action.
Since I'm from a farmer's town,
there was a farmer who once discovered that there was a group of neighborhood kids who trampled part of his garden while cutting through his property.
Rows of young plants were crushed.
He was frustrated
because he depended on that garden.
The next day, he saw the same kids walking by, but instead of scolding them, he walked out with a basket of fresh vegetables and simply said, looks like y'all took a shortcut yesterday. So I figured, if you're going to pass through my garden,
you might as well taste what's growing here. The kids were stunned.
There was no lecture,
no anger, just unexpected kindness.
Over the next weeks, the same kids began stopping by to help him weed, water, and plant.
Shortcut became a place of relationship.
The garden grew
and so did their hearts.
What does mercy tell us? It doesn't ignore wrong.
Mercy transforms wrong by responding with a goodness
the other people didn't earn.
In Micah chapter six verse eight, it says to love mercy, not to tolerate mercy,
not occasionally show mercy,
create space for God to work in ways justice alone never could.
And we remind people of the mercy we ourselves live on each and every day.
So walking with God stresses that man must remember that he is man
and that God is God.
The proud man will find God will resist him.
There was a pastor once who told his congregation that he had finally mastered humility.
He even announced, I've written a book about it. Humility and how I have achieved it.
The next day, one of the deacons pulled him aside and said, pastor, you might wanna rethink that title.
The pastor grinned and replied, well, I was going to call it walking humbly with God,
but the publisher said that it didn't sound nearly as impressive.
And the deacon responded and said, exactly.
That's the point.
Public service is a calling that makes much of
us, think with our heart.
Every decision you make affects the lives that you may never meet and the weight of the responsibility
can be heavy.
And Micah suggests
in these grounding words, God does not ask for perfection. He He asked for
orientation. That our work be rooted in justice, shaped by mercy,
and carried out with humility.
Justice keeps us committed to fairness even when it's costly.
Mercy softens our heart toward those who struggle or disagree with us.
Humility reminds us that leadership is not about elevating ourselves,
but elevating the common good. So when these three virtues guide our steps, our work more than policy,
it becomes service that honors God
and blesses people. Please know
that we pray for you.
And we hope the absolute
best
for you as you discern
and make decisions for our state. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. For father, we grant our legislators wisdom that is steady,
compassion that is deep, and humility that is sincere.
Strengthen them to lead with integrity and listen with patience
and to act with courage. May their work bring peace,
justice, and hope to the people they serve.
Amen.
God bless you
guys.
It's an excellent
message. Thank you.
Alright.
And it's time for the introduce the doctor of the day, and I will call on the senator from the fifty second to introduce our doctor of the day.
Chairman, how are you doing? Good. Good. Good morning, sir. Good morning, sir. Good morning, sir. Good morning, sir. Good morning, sir. Good morning, sir. Good morning. Good morning, sir. Good morning, sir. Good morning, sir. Good morning. Good morning, sir. Good morning. Good morning, sir. Good morning, sir. Good morning, sir. Good morning, sir. Good morning, sir. Good
morning.
And, I should add that my own family physician of the last thirty eight years retired December 31, so I may be calling on him here in the near future. But, doctor John Pittman
is originally from Commerce, Georgia.
Went to Presbyterian
College
in South Carolina, then to Mercer, and then did his residency
at Emory University.
And worked in South Carolina for a while, I believe Northside Hospital. But since 2007,
we've gotten him over to Rome, Georgia and have kept him over there,
and working hard in our community.
And he has been part of, the faculty
with,
the residency program there at
Redmond
Advent Hospital
as well as the Philadelphia
College of Medicine as well and and numerous other
appointments he's been on that are that have too many to number. But, anyway,
we're glad to have him here as a doctor today.
I've had some others that have been here that have had some exciting things happen.
Some of them right outside the senate floor, but maybe we'll keep it calm today, hopefully.
Anyway, thank you for being here, and say a couple of words to the senate. Sure will.
Thank you very much for that, introduction. It's very kind.
And thank you for letting me serve you today,
as doctor of the day. It's quite the honor. And thank you for your service,
the fine work that you'll do today and in the upcoming part of this legislation session. So thank you very much for that. And thank you very much,
for your attention to the health care of our fine Georgia citizens.
It has not gone unnoticed and is very much appreciated.
Have a great day.
We have with us today some special guests. The secretary will read a resolution.
Senate resolution five nine six, recognizing Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies across Georgia and commending their work in supporting students and families across the state of Georgia and for other purposes. Whereas Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies across Georgia are dedicated to helping young people realize their full potential through positive sustained mentor relationships that support academic success, strengthen families, and build safer, more connected communities. And
whereas, the Big Brothers
brothers big sisters agencies, school based, and community based programs have reduced measurable improvements in student attendance, academic performance, and sense of belonging. Now, therefore,
be it resolved by the senate that the members of this body recognize big brothers big sisters agencies across Georgia for their leadership in supporting youth, families, and schools across the state. Commend the level up program for its proven impact in reducing chronic absenteeism and strengthening student success in Georgia schools. Acknowledge the essential role of mentorship in promoting academic achievement, family stability, and long term community well-being, and support the continued expansion of this mentorship based program that increases attendance, improves engagement, and builds brighter futures for children across the state of Georgia. Mister president, that completes the order.
Is there objection to the adoption of the resolution?
Chair hears none, and the resolution is adopted.
I'd like to call upon the senator from the 36
to introduce our special guest.
Thank you, mister president. Colleagues,
I am so happy to bring to you today,
folks who are doing the great work with Big Brothers Big Sisters,
and to pass this resolution
that commends them.
We have with us today,
folks who are very dedicated
to this program, and you know, this is a mentorship
program,
and the mentors
benefit richly,
as do the mentees.
And
I I I heard the other day the head of the national,
Big Brothers Big Sisters, who was being interviewed,
on
a national program.
And he pointed out that sometimes
the mentors wanna meet even more often than the mentees are able to handle.
That it's that it's that kind of program. It's a life changing program,
for young people
and equally,
enriches the lives of those who mentor them.
And here in Georgia, we have a a,
Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies all across the state. And with us today
are Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro
Atlanta,
who've come to be recognized
and to,
share a minute with you about their work. And I know there are many of
us, here,
in the chamber, in the Senate, here in Georgia, as well as over in the House, that have had personal experience
with, Big Brothers Big Sisters. I'm happy to,
recognize and introduce and bring to
the, podium,
Kwame Johnson
senior,
who is the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta. And he is joined as well here on, on the roster by
Pierre Gaither,
who is the chief operating officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta, with deep roots in a community that I represent here in town.
Betsy Fitz Fitzgerald, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Heart of Macon,
is with us today. And Lindsay Foster, the Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Georgia Mountains.
So they, they they cover
the state like they do,
that falls.
I I am,
pleased and proud
to lift up the work,
of this,
great organization here across our state and,
invite
Kwame Johnson senior, the CEO,
to address us. Thank you.
Well, thank you, senator, and thank you all for your your service and your support.
As you all know, we have a team of folks here with Big Brothers and Big Sisters. We have our representatives here across the state who were just introduced,
but also our team who's up in the gallery here, and also our littles who are serving as pages today. So they'll be supporting you all all day long, and this is an amazing life changing experience
for them. We say that we are defenders of potential.
None of us got here without somebody defending
our potential.
Collectively, we serve close to 4,000 youth across 30 counties here in Georgia. We're making a huge impact. We know that 98%
of our young people graduate high school on time, 99%
avoid the criminal justice system, and 83%
feel much more connected
innovative in launching new programs, and one is level up where we actually have paid mentors
working in school buildings every day. We are embedding mentorship in public education. This is a middle school model. Our schools have the top attendance. Chronic absenteeism is a
Our schools have the top attendance.
Chronic absenteeism is a big issue in Georgia. We are combating that. We're keeping kids in school. Suspensions are down, and kids are thriving through mentorship
in our program. As the senator mentioned, both sides benefit from mentorship, the little and the big, and also brings people together
from different worlds, and we need that more and more in the day and age that we live in, bringing different people together to support and learn from each other. So we appreciate your support. We wanna expand our programs across the state. Our programs work in urban, suburban, and rural, and we have impacts. We'd love to partner with you all, and we appreciate your support in doing that.
I'd like to present the resolution to you on behalf of the Georgia senate,
Kwame, and again, applaud the work. All of us know somebody whose lives are touched by this.
We appreciate,
the invaluable
contribution
that this, nonprofit makes here across our state. Thank you. Thank
We'll get our picture down there, I guess.
Are there any unanimous consents?
Does any senator wish to rise on a point of personal privilege?
I recognize the senator from the thirty ninth.
Thank you, mister president.
Today, more than 1,400
Georgians are here at the Capitol for addiction recovery awareness day twenty twenty six.
They have come from just down the street less than a mile from the Gold
Dome and from more than five hours away just to be present.
These people are Georgia. They represent the more than 900,000
Georgians living in recovery,
mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, coworkers, neighbors, and friends.
And they also stand for the more than 1,400,000
Georgians
currently living with active addiction
in every community,
in every district,
throughout our entire state.
There is no family, no workplace,
no school,
college, university, or house of worship,
not a single community that has been spared the addiction epidemic.
As a cochair of the general assembly's
working group on addiction and recovery
along with the senator
from Columbus,
I have had the privilege of sitting with providers, peer counselors, and people living in recovery.
And what I can tell you is this,
in Georgia,
recovery is real.
It's real in the stories walking these halls today. It's real in the lives being rebuilt.
It's real in the families being restored.
And I wanna thank every member of this chamber, especially those who are part of the bipartisan
working group for continuing to pass legislation that saves lives and strengthens communities.
And when you see our friend, Jeff Breedlove today,
know that he is here with more than 1,000
of our constituents.
So if you can, please take a moment to say hello
because the person you meet today is not a headline or a statistic.
They are survivor of the disease that is killing more Georgians
between the ages of 18 and 45 than anything else.
And today, they are standing here
visible,
courageous, and hopeful,
reminding us that in Georgia,
recovery is indeed real. Thank you, mister president.
Chair recognizes the senator from the sixteenth
for a point of personal privilege.
Thank you, mister president. I appreciate it. And I wanted to speak to you on S B 424
that was, dropped yesterday.
The four is for Georgians. The 24 is for karat gold. And you say, what's gold about? What does that have to do with it? Interesting, if you will. Let me kinda give you just an overview to think about.
Our gold dome has 80 more than 80 ounces of gold on top of the roof. The most of that came from Dahlonega, Georgia. You may not know that.
Interesting.
The gold is a tier one asset for banks and currently gold selling is is at $5,200
an ounce or more right now.
But how can the average Georgian
buy gold or can they buy gold? Well they can and that's through transactional
goal. And I want to talk about that just a second and make you aware.
The transactional goal is the ability
to own goal on a fractional basis. That means you can take a coin
such as a gold coin
and you can take your debit card and go to your gold account and transfer value and buy things at Chick fil A wherever you want to buy your
food or wherever you would like to do simply by having a fraction.
A fraction. You can own it. You can put a $100 in. You could put 5,000 in, but you don't have to buy the whole thing.
Well,
how does this idea come? If you look at it constitutionally, article one, section 10 of The US constitution says, state section
10 of The US constitution says, states cannot create
currency, but they can have gold and silver
depositories in which their citizens can place their gold or silver and
the state has oversight.
Already, Texas has its a depository
and five other states already have
gold and so transactional
goal in place. Florida this year signed over and they had now have transactional goal. That their people are going to be able to own gold as a hedge against inflation and what's going on with our debt. Currently, we have $37,000,000,000,000
in debt and we are seeing this. We are seeing inflation at a way we've never seen it before.
But making it practical
is having the ability to own it for Georgians, overseen
by the state of Georgia, but have transactional
capability to be able to use that goal in small amounts if I want to. Right now, if someone owns goal, where do they put it? Well in this way we would have it in a depository
supervised by the state of Georgia by the treasure
and then you would have access to your goal through a transactional
side with a card.
I believe this, that we
need to have opportunities. And I think if you look at this,
on the hat it says, another way to pay. You know what? You can go in and you can pay with your Mastercard, your Visa, or whatever you would like to.
But you could have a debit card to your gold account or silver account and transfer money that way as well. I believe this, it's economic freedom for Georgians and it is a way that you can pay and own something that you could not own normally but you could own it it in small denominations
using a technology called Glint which is already out and is running right now.
I just think this, I ask you to read if you will a little bit about what's going on and I believe this,
thank you very much, mister president.
Chair, I got a senator from the 43rd
for a point of personal privilege.
Thank you, mister president.
Good morning, colleagues. I rise today
to say happy a seventieth platinum wedding anniversary to my parents.
I know.
Yeah. Go ahead. That's a good place. That's a good place to go.
I helped.
They, got married on January 28 of,
1956,
after my dad, came home from a,
army tour.
He is a Korean war era veteran.
I know. Wow. Amazing.
And I just want to, acknowledge that,
we're celebrating them every day.
But today is so very special because they are
grandparents of 11, great grandparents of 16, and great great grandparents of four.
They are retired and enjoying,
immediate family,
church family,
friends and,
the community. And they are leaders.
They share their love
and their legacy lives in a soul.
Happy anniversary mom and dad. Seventy years strong. Thank you.
Chair recognizes the senator from the twenty eighth. Senator, would you like to speak from your desk or you wanna come to the well?
Okay.
Thank
you. Okay. Thank you.
Uh-oh. Thank you, mister chairman.
And excuse me for being so slow,
but I'm walking. It's just in slow motion, but not on purpose.
I rise to discuss
the weekend's events in Minnesota.
We all watched
as a 37 year old
veteran nurse VA nurse
was murdered
in cold blood.
And we all watched
as the majority
defended
him, that murdered
because Donald Trump
said they should.
This morning, I wanna discuss
how the majority
has defended gun rights
for thirties
plus years.
And suddenly,
they do not care when Trump says
that they shouldn't care.
Our rights are bigger
than a president.
Rights are bigger
than the majority's
agenda.
SR six zero five asked us to
commit
to,
protecting
those rights.
The majority
finds this so
controversial.
But
the idea
that we should commit
to protecting rights
that they sent it to a committee.
Please let me know
when we can protect our rights.
Pass s r six zero five now.
And you know I have always
stood for
saving lives and
for justice.
So I brought this to you this morning.
But this afternoon, we'll still be trying to save lives
because we will
have,
a forum
because people are here from all over the state
for saving lives and for talking about,
our autistic
young people.
And also about
chase,
chasing
the police chasing
in neighborhoods and people dying as a result. So thank you for listening.
Mister chairman,
I yield the will. Thank you.
Senators yield the will.
Lots of points personal privilege
today.
I now call on the senator from the fifteenth,
the dean of the senate,
for appoint a personal privilege.
Thank you, mister president.
Good morning, colleagues.
As dean of the senate, I've been had the honor of being called. I certainly appreciate that.
A member of the Veterans Hall of Fame.
I come to the podium this morning to
express some trouble observation that we witnessed
in our chamber, in our country.
I've stood in the chamber for years defending all rights.
I fought to defend them while serving in our armed forces.
And today,
I, along with a lot of others, mourn
the ease with which we set aside those rights when it suits our political convenience,
especially
when it benefits
our president Donald Trump.
Across our nation,
we've seen a moment of profound shock and controversy
in Minneapolis,
Minnesota
where Alex Priddy,
a 37
year
old ICU
nurse and US citizen
was shot and killed
by federal agents during an immigration enforcement operation.
This tragedy has ignited
widespread debate
with bystanders
footage and reporting
raising serious questions about how federal force was used.
Viral videos appears to contradict
official narratives
and show Prady attempting to help others
not engaging in violence
when the shooting occurred.
Whether
one agreed with his views or not,
Freddie
was not chaos incarnate.
He was a citizen
who voiced his opinion,
legally carried a firearm
under state law,
and whose death has sparked calls for investigation and accountability
from leaders across the political
spectrum.
We may disagree on the full reach of the second amendment,
but we do not disagree that every American
has a right to self defense, to protest,
and to feel secure
under our constitution.
Here in Georgia, let us not wait for the tragedy
like the one that happened.
Let's not see that happen in our streets before we choose to act.
I urge all of our colleagues
on both sides of the aisle,
friends with whom I worked with for years
to join me in protecting our rights,
not sidelining them when it's
inconvenient.
We should pass
state resolution
six zero five by unanimous consent.
Let us reaffirm our commitment to our civil liberties
and to the very freedoms
that make this nation
worth defending.
This is America.
I yield the well, mister president. Thank you.
Chair recognizes the senator from the twenty sixth.
Thank you, mister president.
Ladies and gentlemen of the half of the senate,
for I thought about thirty seven years ago.
You know,
when I grew up in Macon, Georgia, I was born in a town called
Tumorsville
in Byron, Georgia.
And on the weekend, I always want to go back to the country so I can hunt with my cousin.
I never will forget,
being 13 years old, he gave me a JC Higgins
double barrel four ten.
And I used to go shoot the squirrels out the pecan trees and get a dollar for the squirrel.
When I was teaching school every payday, I used to go to roses
and buy a gun. I
bought a SKS for $49
in the box with the bayonet and everything in it.
And when I had a fire at my house and when the fireman got there, I say you need to get to the basement because if you don't, it's gonna be like the fourth of July.
But as I
go home and watch television
And I see
people
getting killed.
You said he had a gun, but you took the gun.
And then you shot him and he was faced now.
Now, yes, I'm a democrat.
And the majority of you in here are republicans.
But at some point in time, when do we do
what we need to do?
Donald Trump gets in his pants the same way I do, one leg at a time.
He told you
when he got reelected,
he was gonna be like a dictator.
No wonder
he likes Putin,
because Putin kills
all of his opposition.
And it seems as though this president that we have
is doing a whole lot.
He's a president that's making plenty of money.
Crypto coin.
Prince of Saudi
puts $2,000,000,000
in it. He's making more money than you can shake
a
stick
at.
But we in here
and many of us, those of you who are old,
know back know what happened back in the day.
I don't plan
to fight the civil war
all over again.
History
tells us
where we've been.
But I'm saying to all of you,
we don't need
a failed detention center
in
Georgia.
People are being stopped
because they don't speak English
or they look different.
Skin color
is part of the problem.
Now I've seen
and watched
on television
and you telling me I didn't see what I saw.
The lady that got killed
were trying to run over
the officer.
When you look at it, she was turning the car to the right.
The officer ran up and shot in the head.
And you're trying to say it's alright.
A nurse
who had a pistol told and permit.
Gun
taken. He's scuffling
with ICE officers.
He's put on his stomach
And the next thing you know, you hear six shots.
And he's dead.
Something
is wrong.
You the majority,
but sometime you had to stand up for what's right.
As I said,
many of you who are of the age that I am
know
what we went through inside.
But it's time
that we stand up
for human rights
and stand up for what's right.
I yield the will.
Senator's yielded the will.
I recognize the senator from
the fifty fifth
for point of personal privilege.
Senate rules allow five minutes but you don't have to use all five minutes.
Ladies and gentlemen of this distinguished body,
I rise to
speak to recent events.
On January 24, heavily armed federal immigration agents deployed by
the current president
ruthlessly
murdered
an American citizen less than two miles
from his home.
Alex Pretti was a 37 year old nurse
caring for
American veterans at the VA hospital in minnesota mini Minneapolis.
He was a lawful gun owner peacefully attending
a public protest.
This is the man that the current administration
is calling a terrorist.
At the time of his murder,
Alex was shielding a woman.
The administration
said he was a danger to law enforcement.
At the time of his murder,
Alex was legally carrying his firearm.
The current administration
has said possessing a firearm
justifies
border patrol agents murdering
him.
At the time of his murder, Alex was voicing his displeasure
to violent overreach he believed his government was engaged in.
Like so many Americans before him have,
Even the National Rifle Association
spoke loudly this weekend
saying that current administration
officials
had to stop calling the victims
a terrorist
simply because he lawfully possessed a firearm.
For years, we heard
that the good guy with a gun stops the bad guy with a gun.
We can't have it both ways, my colleagues.
Simply
protesting
peacefully
cannot
evolve to a situation where violence
is the
reign of the day.
Why? Because democracy
is the resolution
of our differences in a nonviolent fashion.
The first amendment is so important
for this reason.
It is the alternative to the bullet.
It is alternative to countries where they are violently overthrowing the government because they are people that don't have a voice
that is being heard.
Democracy is so important because of the right to vote, the right to peacefully protest. Why? Because
violence is the language of the unheard.
If people cannot safely voice a different opinion
through peaceful protests
or the vote,
violence is the only alternative. And we cannot
give up this great country.
A country built on
the right the first amendment is the right to peacefully protest.
And the second amendment protects the first amendment.
But we have turned it upside down. We cannot have it both ways.
And I challenge my colleagues
because it makes no sense that we are not passing a
unanimous
senate resolution six zero five.
It makes no sense that we don't stand up,
and we must change that whole narrative.
We must learn to live together and and and or die and and perish as fools.
That is the real crux of this matter.
And I stand because we cannot allow injustice
anywhere to flourish,
unspoken,
and unchallenged.
And that is the right to peacefully protest.
First, they came for the socialist, and I did not speak up
because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade union unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak
for me.
I challenge you, my colleagues.
We must speak up for the least, the lost, and the left out.
This is America.
This is The United States Of America. It is not the divided states of America. Thank you very kindly.
Thank you very kindly. Thank you very kindly.
Chair recognizes the senator from the eleventh
for a point of personal privilege.
Hey, mister president. I just need the, record to show once again that I love my wife. I need to wish her happy twentieth
yes. Thank y'all.
And and I wanna, publicly promise to her no more transmissions for her car, no more, working cows on the weekends, and and no more holding that pen, for the excavator while I'm working on it either. So, the next 20 ought to be better than these past 20. So I love you. Thank you for what you do for our family and our farm, and, we'll see you this weekend.
Thank you.
Thank you, senator.
Clearly, Emily must be a saint, and we greatly appreciate her sharing you with us. So thank you very much.
Alright. Now I recognize the senator from the six, our illustrious rules chair.
It is become tradition here in the Georgia State Senate that when the senator from the eleventh comes and which is his wife happy anniversary,
that it's a good reminder for me to
thing. So,
Megan, love you. I'm not making any promises like the center from the eleventh did, although the cattle thing's probably safe.
But happy anniversary.
We're nineteenth.
So always right
behind you. God bless you, Megan.
Now recognize the senator from the ninth for a born of personal privilege.
Thank you, mister president. Now we're
back to the other programming today. So I rise today
on a personal point of privilege
to redirect us back to
the tragedies
of this weekend
and the tragedies
that have been happening in Minnesota.
On my way to the Capitol this morning, I saw some signs just before you hit I 20. I don't know if y'all saw these folks. They had signs up that were resist,
call your legislators.
And now people are active.
So let me be clear about this. All the Trump administration is accomplishing
right now is mobilizing voters.
People are waking up to the erosion of our democracy.
People are waking up to the fact that the Trump administration
and Republicans
have manufactured
a crisis by demonizing immigrants
to distract
from the real problems that the Republican party has failed to solve.
People can't afford housing.
Health care costs are rising.
Families are feeling the pinch every time they go and get groceries.
And instead of dress
ICE enforcement.
Republicans seem perfectly
fine with unchecked
ICE enforcement.
Republicans seem fine with Americans
feeling fear.
Republicans want chaos.
Republicans seem to be okay with terrorizing our citizens.
We're seeing this in the Minnesota and I want Georgians to understand, don't think this can't happen in Georgia.
ICE is right here in Georgia.
And yet, many republicans
remain silent
about
holding ICE accountable.
What's especially troubling is
some of my republican colleagues
are running for higher office.
Governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general.
Yet not one has spoken out
about
what is happening
with ICE.
ICE's unaccountability.
No one's speaking out about the outrage of what is happening in Minnesota
and what could possibly happen here in Georgia.
And let me remind this chamber of something simple.
Every single one of
us came from somewhere.
Whether by choice
or by four or by force.
If anyone needs a reminder
of where you came from,
go check your ancestry.
We all came here from somewhere
and we used to be a nation that welcomed all.
The Republican party has become the party that excuses violence against US citizens on US soil.
What happened in Minnesota was not caused by an immigrant.
It was violence
committed by
a US citizen
or US citizens
against
another
US citizen.
And that's the truth.
And we need to acknowledge
that is wrong.
Now Republicans refuse to commit to protecting our First Amendment rights.
Somehow defending the right to protest has become too controversial for them.
Trump himself
has suggested that lawfully possessing
a firearm
justified the death
of Alex Priddy.
Let that sink in.
Now, Republicans are refusing to commit,
commit to protecting our first amendments. Right? To make an excuse for Donald Trump and his administration.
We're in a state with permit, permitless carry.
And we're in a state where in the past,
republicans in this body
have always defended that
and the NRA.
You can't defend gun rights on one hand and justify the execution of a US citizen on the other. The hypocrisy is unacceptable.
Today we're asking our colleagues to stand up for democracy and for the people of this state by supporting common sense legislation
that protects the constitutional rights
of US citizens
and Georgians.
SB three eighty nine requiring visible identification
and no mask.
SB three ninety seven allowing legal action when constitutional rights rights are violated.
SB three ninety one, prohibiting entry into schools without a warrant.
And SR six zero five, affirming the right to protest and the right to legally carry firearms.
These are not partisan bills.
These are bills to protect Georgians
and protect our values and our rights. Senator
Yes. With with all due with all due respect, your time has lapsed. Okay. So I would ask you to please yield the well. I will yield the well. Just understand that the pin pendulum is swinging and the Democrats are coming. Thank you, mister president. I yield the well.
Chair recognizes senator from the 56 for appointed personal privilege.
Thank you, mister president.
I've served in this august chamber for some time.
Less than a few of you, but more than most of you.
And I have to remind everybody every couple of years,
this is the Georgia
State Senate.
It's not the United States Senate. It's not any one of the other 49 state legislatures.
It is the Georgia
State Senate.
Now whether you're trying to get on the news or you're trying to run for other office,
everyone has a right to come to this well, and we respect that.
But what I haven't heard in the last year,
which just baffles me,
is the illegal
criminal
aliens
who did the following
in Georgia,
brought enough fentanyl into this state to kill half
the state's
population.
I didn't hear anyone come up to the well and talk about that.
The hundreds of drug traffickers that we took off the streets
that are not poisoning your communities,
your families, and your children.
How about
the homicide,
manslaughter,
the dozens of cases of child aggravated molestation,
the child rape and imprisonment,
the battery of a child,
the felony murder convictions,
the incest and child molestations.
Don't come to this well and say acknowledge something that happened in another state
when you're not acknowledging the very things happening in your state that are impacting your community.
If you want to hold the press conference or you want to waste all our time up here talking about whatever you want to talk about, God bless you.
But you're a Georgia state senator.
Keep your eye on the ball
and let's protect our communities. Thank you. I yield the will.
Chair recognizes senator from the forty fourth for a point of personal privilege.
Thank you, mister president. Perhaps I'll be our last speaker colleagues. Who knows?
I do think it's important to point out that
the pattern of behavior that we have been witnessing
in Minnesota and Minneapolis
actually is simply an escalation of what's been going on
for a year now.
The federal government under the Trump administration
has repeatedly
violated fundamental rights protected by the US constitution.
They've attacked free expression.
They've crushed
peaceful assembly.
They've choked the
free press.
They've ignored
judicial
orders and due process.
They've inflicted cruelty on detained individuals.
Now
it's also
that they've murdered
two Americans,
Alex Preddy and Renee Goode.
And the thing is, Alex Preddy was
peacefully attending
a public protest.
He legally possessed a concealed firearm.
It wasn't visible.
He didn't approach ICE agents
brandishing a gun despite
secretary Noem's outrageous
comments to the contrary.
He was simply holding his phone,
filming the agents.
So Alex Prady was doing exactly what every law abiding American
gets to do. He was exercising
his constitutional
rights. He was following gun laws
written by Republican legislators.
He was carrying legally and protesting peacefully.
And for that, he was murdered in cold blood.
And now Republicans,
starting with President Trump, are blaming Alex for his own death.
They are using his possession of a gun to justify ICE agents killing him in the streets of Minneapolis.
And for good measure, they've trashed his reputation,
smeared his name, and inflicted even more pain on his grieving family.
So let's be clear that this is not about public safety. This is about power
and following the orders
of the president.
So Trump, his administration,
and this Republican party have been willing to turn their backs on the first, fourth, fifth, and eighth amendments.
The first,
now trampling peaceful protest.
But what's truly unbelievable
is watching
Republicans turn on their favorite amendment, the second amendment.
Defending the killing of a citizen for legally carrying a gun.
Because Alex was legally armed.
So the same politicians
that made Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17 year old who went to a protest illegally carrying
an AR 15 and murdered two people, the same people that made that guy a folk hero
are now silent.
The same politicians and Republican party that have told us for decades that more people carrying more guns in more places makes all of us safer
are now silent
as Freddy is brutally murdered by his own government
because he had a gun.
That is hypocrisy. But far more than that, that's authoritarianism.
So again, the administration is making free speech, peaceful assembly, and lawfully carrying a firearm offenses
punishable by death in America.
And we just don't we we I know you think, oh, they keep going on about it. Well, that's because we don't hear Republicans defending our rights,
denouncing the killings,
and most importantly, standing up to the Trump administration.
We also heard that we Democrats
refuse to name Lake
in in 2024,
which is not true because our former leader and myself
both expressed our disgust over her murder.
And for you, senator from the '56, yeah, we wanna get criminals off the streets.
Illegal
alien criminals and other criminals.
We support that.
But we do not support
the running amok
of a federal government at the orders of one man who's installed
only lieutenant minions to carry out his orders within his administration,
trampling, destroying the rights of Americans,
and killing them for exercising those rights. And that's why everyone's angry. And that's why everyone's scared.
This is not what they wanted and not what they voted for. The constitution
is not a page of suggestions.
It is a foundation for our society.
Even though Donald Trump
thinks only his own morality
is the only thing that can
that can stop him from doing what he wants. That's what he said. That's what he told the New York Times.
Well, I'm here to say,
actually, it's the constitution.
And we do expect
Republican legislators to make that clear for Georgians.
I urge a a hearing on s r six zero five
immediately. That is why, the sender from the fourteenth and senate democrats have filed it. It reaffirms our constitutional rights in the face of these attacks.
And I think it will be pretty telling
if we don't have a hearing on s r six zero five. Thank you, mister president. I yield the well.
Senators yielded the well.
Chair recognizes senator from the seventeenth
for a point of personal privilege.
Thank you, mister president.
Our constituents,
colleagues,
our constituents
send us to the capital for one reason,
above all others, to protect them and to ensure their rights are respected and defended.
What we are saying today should concern every one of us.
SR six zero five simply asked this body
to affirm its commitment to civil rights,
including the second amendment,
rights
that the majority
so often claim to champion.
Yet, we refuse to do so.
Not because those rights like value, but because protecting them is politically inconvenient for Donald Trump.
We do not have a king in this country.
We have a democracy.
And if we intend to remain one, then we must commit to defending
the rights of people, not bending them to serve any single president.
I commend my United States senator, reverend Raphael Warnock, for representing
all of us well by traveling to Minneapolis
to meet with faith leaders and show his commitment
of protecting civil rights for his constituency
and,
the constituency across this nation.
Colleagues,
I implore you
today to be champions of justice.
Stand with persons who are engaged
in nonviolent
resistance
and protest.
Say no to ICE, no to murder by federal agents,
no to this administration
lying about mister Alex Preevitz being an assassin and domestic
terrorist.
Yes. I am a Georgia state senate senator, and I stand here today
to say that injustice
is wrong.
Doctor Martin Luther King Junior said, and I quote, injustice
anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
We are caught in an inescapable
network of mortality,
tied in a single garment of destiny.
Whatever affects one
indirectly
affects all indirectly.
Emphasizing that we all have a responsibility
to act against oppression.
So today,
I ask you to think about justice.
Mister president, thank you and I yield the well.
Senators yield to the will. Chair recognizes the senator from the thirtieth for appointed personal privilege.
Thank you, mister president.
I'll be brief. I just wanna
something that concerns me here a little bit when we talk about law enforcement.
Whether the law enforcement, whether that be ICE,
whether it be our state troopers that we see in the building, our county local police.
When we use terms like thugs,
murderers,
and terrorists describe
a law enforcement agency,
we are rising the temperature and the risk level for our state troopers, our county deputies, and our local police.
I think we all support our local law enforcement and our state law enforcement.
I think what we are doing with some of the language we're using
is put them in a level that they
a heightened risk anyway on this job.
I think we're putting them in a more danger area than what they should be put in by using this language.
When I hear the word terrorist, that's
concerning
along with the other ones.
We always talk about lowering the temperature.
We need to lower this temperature to make sure our law enforcement officers are safe in this state.
I'm gonna do everything I can in my power as a person in this body
to protect our law enforcement officers and get them what they need to do their job and do it professionally and do it well,
which I think every single one of them in this state does a dang good job.
So to all our state law enforcement officers,
DNR, GBI, county, city, thank you so much
for everything that you do and put your lives on the line every day for us.
So thank you so much. I'll yield the well.
Thank you, senator.
Chair recognizes
that he's the senator from the thirty fifth, but he's not in his seat.
I'm not sure he can be recognized if he's not in his seat.
Oh, there he is. Chair recognizes the senator from the thirty fifth. I want a personal privilege.
He did a very good job on lawmakers last night
along with our other freshman senator from the 21st.
They represented the senate proud.
Alright. Thank you for mister president.
I have a
a a few
burning questions
from everyone in this body.
Question number one.
Have our politics
become
our idol?
What have
we sacrificed
at its altar?
Back to question number one. Have our politics become our idol?
Follow-up question.
What have we sacrificed
at its altar?
It seems that many of us have
potentially sacrificed our principles
at its altar.
Some of us may have on
occasion sacrificed courage,
sacrificed
morals.
But I want all of us to really ask ourselves that question.
Have our politics become
our idol?
After that question, it's probably good to ask if,
that idol
created this world. Did that idol hold this world together?
Millions of things have to go just right just for every person in this room to take a breath.
Are we gonna give our idols
credit for that?
I ask that we acknowledge where we're going to put our trust, where we put our
faith, and dare I say, where we put our security.
I don't claim to have all the answers, but if we can start from that
point of agreement,
then we can get some things done
and show the rest of the country
how to move forward
in this space. I yield to Will.
Chair, recognize the minority leader, senator from the twenty second for a point of personal privilege.
Thank you, mister president. I'll be brief. I just wanna read one quite one thing.
I actually had not planned to come up today, but when I heard about the fact that we're in the Georgia senate, maybe we should not deal with this.
Over the summer, there was an opinion written that I think every lawyer ought to put in their
lapel or in their inside pocket. It was written by judge Wilkerson who was
a Reagan appointee, still on the bench, eighty years old, Reagan appointee. And they were dealing with the Garcia case,
and they ruled against the administration.
This one paragraph, I think, actually still fits even what we're talking about today
and the seriousness of it and why
no matter where you are, you should take it seriously.
And what he says is this.
He says, it is as we have noted,
all too possible to see in this case, we could say in this particular case we're dealing with right now,
an incipient crisis.
But it may be present, but it may present an opportunity as well.
We,
the judiciary
and America,
yet cling to the hope that it's not naive to believe
our good brethren in the executive branch perceive the rule of law as vital to the American ethos.
This case presents, dear, a unique opportunity
to vindicate that value and to summon the best that is within us
while there is still time.
That is an amazing
powerful statement
from a federal court of appeals judge,
Reagan appointee,
to say while there is still time,
he is telling us
that bench was telling us,
there is a crisis going on in America.
Please wake up.
It's not about where you are. It affects all of us.
And what he said in that opinion
fits exactly what we're talking about today. When he talks about the case, he was talking about the Garcia case there, but he could be talking about this case right here.
While there is still time,
an amazing powerful statement from a federal court judge,
Reagan appointee.
While there is still time, forget about the whataboutism,
what you didn't say over here, what you didn't say over here, while there is still time to save this democracy.
That is what he said.
And I think that anybody, and especially attorneys in this day and age, ought to keep that close to them and understand what this fight is about
while there's still time. Thank you, and I yield the will.
Are there any other senators who wish to rise for a point of personal privilege?
Any other senators?
Chair recognizes the senator from the twenty ninth.
Thank you.
Thank you, mister president.
I I guess listening to all of this chatter
and be clear,
That's what it was.
As everybody came up and spoke,
I saw one individual
that went to the same police academy I went to.
I saw one individual
that went to the firefighters academy and worked alongside public safety.
And then what I saw scattered about amongst those groups
were politicians.
People looking for the opportunity.
But I'll tell you something
that I learned well before I went to the police academy.
Something that I learned in my Georgia class that I had to pass when I was in junior high school, which is middle school to some of you in the room.
And what I learned in my social studies class
is something called due process.
And what I heard today
is that every American
who does not wear a badge
has the right to due process.
But if you do wear a badge,
you have a right to the jury
of a bunch of Georgia
state
senators
who watch and I quote
viral
videos,
who listen to rhetoric
throughout
the news cycle
on the Internet and their favorite targeted silo channel,
on their favorite website,
or their favorite print publication that may still be in existence.
But I'm gonna hit you with a news flash.
The men and women of law enforcement,
they don't get to sit behind their desk, press their button,
write their speech, grab a laptop or a cell phone,
and read from it while they're in a critical incident.
They don't get to do that.
And you know what that means?
That means that 99.999%
of the time, their training is gonna kick in and they're gonna make the right decision.
And that means that fraction that is left over,
a mistake
can be made.
I said a mistake,
not an intentional thing.
The lawyers,
the attorneys, those with law degrees that stood up here and spoke.
I was amazed at how you avoided due process.
Where if we were talking about somebody charged with a rape. If we were charged with somebody charged with murder. If we were talking about somebody charged with anything else under title 16 or even title 40.
You'd be holding a press conference and screaming about due process.
The right to a jury trial. The right to discovery.
I had a I heard a one of our colleagues come up here and talk about being struck by a car.
Apparently, he wasn't on the scene when we see law enforcement officers who were ran over by automobiles
and killed.
He's never seen law enforcement officers be intentionally ran over
when the vehicle is used as a weapon against law enforcement officers. And I will tell you,
most law enforcement officers I know are pretty tough men and women,
and they can handle some pretty tough adversaries.
But you're never gonna beat an automobile. I can promise you that.
I'm not asking you not to have your opinion.
I'm not asking you to like law enforcement.
And please, for the hypocrites in the room, which there are many,
I have seen year after year after year after year, you frothing at the opportunity
to demonize
the men and women who wear the badge.
Unless one of them dies.
Unless a member of their family dies.
And then everybody wants to don a black veil and pretend that they are law enforcement's best friend.
And that is not the case. And sadly, it is not the case in this chamber. It is not the case in this building and it is not the case around this city and other cities like it.
But I've told you before what I am and that's what I will always be.
I'm a part of that fraternity and I will always be. And until I see you sitting in a use of force class with me, until I see you rolling around on the ground training with me, until I see you try to handcuff me and realize that three of you can't
without it becoming extremely violent,
and I'm gonna get my licks in,
then please do not judge my brothers and sisters while they're out doing their job. Ask all the questions you wanna ask, but do not judge.
That's for a jury to do, not you.
And to the senator from the thirty fifth, you're absolutely right.
Sometimes politics becomes people's gods.
That's why people who claim to be ministers can stand in the pulpit
and support the murder of unborn children.
And with that, mister chair, mister president, I yield the well.
Chair recognizes the senator from the thirty third for appointed personal privilege.
Thank you, mister president,
my fellow senators,
colleagues, friends, and y'all.
This is not my wedding anniversary as the other senators who came forth, but it is the fifth anniversary of me and my girlfriend, Linda. And I wanna say, Linda, I hadn't forgotten you.
But while I'm up here, I wanna encourage us
to think about ways we can
move together
forward
in order to resolve this situation that's going on because it's not a good reflection on any of us. I don't care what your persuasion is. But I think now moving forward that we should start dialoguing on how we can come together
and prevent situations like this from happening
in the future.
Thank you, mister president. I yield well.
Thank you, senator.
You have before you a consent calendar of privileged resolutions.
Does any senator wish to remove a resolution from the consent calendar?
Is there objection to the adoption of the resolutions on the consent calendar?
Chair hears none, and the resolutions on the consent calendar are adopted.
I recognize the senator from the six
for a motion.
Thank you, mister president. I ask unanimous consent that h b three seventy seven be withdrawn from the committee on rules and be committed to the committee on government oversight.
Senator from the 6th District move has moved that HB three seventy seven be withdrawn from the committee
on rules and committed to the committee on government
oversight.
Is there objection?
Secretary, read the caption.
House code three seven seven by representatives Lawrence of the hundred twenty third and others.
A bill to be entitled an act to amend subpart one of part four of article two of chapter two of title eight of the official code of Georgia annotated relating to general provisions for manufactured or mobile homes so as to provide for limited exceptions to circumstances
under which a manufactured home shall become real property and for other purposes. Thank you, please. You are mister president.
Does any senator object
to the esteemed
rules chairman motion?
Hearing none, HB three seventy seven is referred to the committee on government oversight.
Alright. We've got a number of special
actions today, and I recognize the senator from the fifty sixth.
Thank you, mister president. I'd ask unanimous consent that the senate disagree
to the house substitute to senate bill
nine. Senator from the 56 has asked for unanimous consent to for the senate to disagree on house substitute senate bill 59.
Any objections?
Read the caption.
Sorry.
Senate bill nine by senators Albers of the fifty sixth and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend part one of article three of chapter 12 of title 16 of the official code of Georgia annotated relating to general provisions relative to obscenity and related offenses so as to repeal and replace code section 16 dash 12 dash 80 relating to obscene material distribution and penalty to amend article one of chapter 10 of title 17 of the official code of Georgia annotated relating to procedure for sentencing and imposition of punishment so as to provide for sentencing of defendants who utilize artificial intelligence and the commission of certain crimes to provide for related matters to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes.
Mister president, the house offers the following substitute
to amend title one of the official code of Georgia annotated relating to elections elections so as to establish the criminal offense offenses of fraudulent election interference and solicitation of such to provide for definitions, to provide for exceptions, to provide for the attorney general, to have concurrent jurisdiction over such crimes, to provide for punishment, to provide for injunctive relief, to provide for the state election board, to publish results of investigations into such offenses, to provide for certain disclaimers on campaign advertisements that use AI generated media, to provide for the form of such disclaimers, to provide for definitions, to provide for legislative findings and intent and other purposes. Mister President Eichel, please the order.
Senator from the 56 has asked for unanimous consent that the senate disagree to the house substitute to senate bill nine. Is there objection?
Hearing none.
Alright. So no objection. Hearing no objection. The senate disagrees to the house substitute of senate bill nine.
Chair recognizes
the senator from the fiftieth for a motion.
Thank you, mister president. I move that the senate agree
to the house substitute to senate bill one forty eight.
Agreeable.
Senator from the fiftieth
moves that we agree to the house substitute senate bill one forty eight. Would the secretary read the caption?
Senate bill one four eight by senators Hatchett of the fiftieth and others. A bill to be entitled an act to amend article 11 of chapter two of title 20 of the official code of Georgia annotated relating to public school property and facilities. So as to provide for an outdoor learning spaces pilot program. To provide for a pilot program evaluation and report. To provide for related matters to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes. Mister president, the house offers the following substitute
to senate bill one four eight. A bill to be entitled in act to amend chapter two of title 20 of the official code of Georgia annotated relating to elementary and
provide that local boards of education shall be authorized to provide instruction in hunting safety in grade six through 12, to provide for the adoption of content standards by the State Board of Education, to provide that the local boards of education may establish a curriculum in hunting safety, to provide for instructor requirements, to provide for an outdoor learning spaces pilot program, to provide for a pilot program evaluation and report, to remove the requirement of having a licensed physician and automated external defibrillator programs, to increase from three to five the number of accumulated six leave days teachers and other schools personnel may take each school year for personal and professional reasons, provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes. Mister president, that completes the order.
Chair recognizes senator from the fiftieth to speak to his motion.
This one's good job.
Thank you, mister president. I rise today to ask that we agree to the house substitute to senate bill
one forty eight.
This senate bill started out as a project that myself and the senator from the fifth were working on for several years dealing with outdoor education.
This bill passed unanimously
last year, went over to the house.
On a personal note, I was able to
benefit greatly from an outdoor classroom at North Habersham Middle School.
Shout out to my seventh grade middle school teacher, miss Hunt. And I think, today's students should also
benefit from that same opportunity.
Additionally, as this bill progressed,
some other very good
items were placed on the bill.
One deals with AED requirements making it easier
for schools to have those automated defibrillator devices external defibrillators.
Excuse me.
It also when it was in the house,
provision was added dealing with hunter safety instruction.
Senator, please suspend for a minute.
Alright, senators. This is a important piece of legislation.
If we agree to it as final passage,
I want you all to understand what it does, and I would appreciate you giving
the senator from the fiftieth the respect of,
being quiet and listening to him. Thank you.
Thank you, mister president. And lastly,
I wanna thank
senator from the 31st, senator from the
4th, and the senator from I can't remember his number.
48. Excuse me.
This bill also
will be a huge step to supporting our teachers,
which this will allow them to go from three days of personal leave to five days of personal leave per school year.
With that, mister president, I'm happy to yield for any questions.
You have a question from the senator of the fifth.
Recognize the senator of the fifth.
I
think he wants to come.
Sorry.
Senator, I don't see any questions. Thank you, mister president. I yield the ball.
Alright. Chair recognizes the senator from the fifth to speak to the bill.
Thank you, mister president.
Thank you, senator from 58 and
all of my colleagues. You know, this bill, one of the bill that say outdoors
learning facilities. I've been working
with most of you all in this chamber,
and some of us not in this chamber that left the chamber a number of years ago. This is one of the great, I guess,
since I've been here, one of the most important bill for me
is a bipartisan bill. I've been working on it. And thank you for
each of you all to supporting
this particular bill, and I want to congratulate thanks to house
for passing this bill. It took me a little bit while to get it done,
but, I just want to thank all of you for supporting bill. And, this is a great day
for the children of Georgia.
This is a great day
for the young
folks, in the state of Georgia. And I think you're gonna see the benefit of this bill
long before long after we are gone from this chamber.
And thank you for supporting this bill. I should appreciate it.
Mister president, I yield the world.
Senator recognize
chair recognizes the senator from '36.
Do you want you you had a question. Okay. He's yielded the well.
Alright.
Moving on. The senator from the fiftieth has moved that the senate agree to the house substitute to senate bill one forty eight.
All those in favor of the motion by the senator from the 50 will vote yay. All opposed will vote nay. The secretary will lock unlock the machine.
On the motion, the yeas are 50 and the nays are zero.
The motion prevailed and the senate has agreed to the house substitute senate bill one forty eight.
I recognize the senator from the forty
first for a
motion. Mister president,
I move that the senate agree to the house substitute to s b one seventy.
Secretary, read the caption.
Senate bill one seventy by senators Jackson of the forty first and others. A bill to be entitled in the act to amend chapter 12 of title 50 of the official code of Georgia annotated relating to commissions and other agencies so as to create the Georgia inter agency council for the homeless to provide for the purpose
membership
and duties of such council to provide for reporting of activities, to provide for compensation, to provide for legislative findings, to provide for related matters, to repeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes. Mister Brit?
President, the house offers the following substitution
to senate bill one seventy. A bill to be entitled in act to amend chapter two of title 31 of the official code of Georgia annotated relating to the Department of Community Health so as to provide for a grant program for the purpose of funding to certain rural hospitals for requiring or installing backup generators to ensure continuity
of operation during a state of emergency to provide that department shall consult with the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency and establish the grant criteria to provide for the department to establish grant amounts, to provide for definitions, to provide for related matters, to provide for an effective date, to appeal conflicting laws, and for other purposes. Mister president, that completes the order.
Chair recognizes the senator from the forty first to speak to the motion.
Thank you, mister president.
I rise to speak to SB one four one seventy today.
It was a beautiful
bipartisan
bill that originated in this body,
and the house saw fit to use it as a vehicle
to pass something, else which is to provide,
should
we choose to appropriate the funds to provide a fund fund for rural hospitals
to be able to purchase generators
in the event of they need generators.
Again, this is subject to appropriations.
So if we as a body decide that that's not how we want to spend our money,
we don't have to.
With that, I will yield for all the questions.
No questions, senator.
Thank you. I ask for your favorable,
consideration on the passage of this week. I apologize.
Chair recognizes the senator from the fifty second for a question.
Thank you. Will the senator yield? I sure will.
Is the senator where I do work in a hospital in a in a operating room, we do appreciate it when the generator comes on
at that time.
And
is this does the senator have a list of how many hospitals do not have a backup generator at this time?
No, sir, senator. I do not have a list, but I I assure you that anybody who's laying on the bed when you are beside them is appreciative as well for those generators that come on.
Is the senator aware that from what I've seen that that number is zero right now that don't have a backup generator?
Senator,
I am honored to carry a house vehicle today. This is not,
originating from my beautiful brain. Alright. So it's I apologize
that I perhaps do not have all the information that you would like for me to have. Alright. I just am wondering if this is a
solution in search of a problem, but
thank you for your comments.
I'll I'll simply remind us if we choose if there's no money to be appropriated for it, then it doesn't do any good. But should we find ourselves needing to appropriate the funds for it, we will have enacted enacted the law to make it possible. So,
I do ask for your favorable consideration, but I certainly hear, the senator's concerns.
No further questions, senator.
I yield the will. Oh,
I'm sorry.
I'm
sorry.
I'm trying to see. It's a lighter robbing question, senator from the thirty second.
About that. Senator, do you yield? I will yield. Okay.
Senator, are you aware that federal law
already requires
hospitals to have generators?
I am certainly aware of that, ma'am.
So can you, would you yield for another question? Happy to yield.
So can you explain how this
bill is,
not redundant
to what already exists
for hospitals?
Well, it seems to me that our colleagues in the house,
found that it was fit and right
to pass a bill
that allows for some funding resources from the state,
should, I guess, these rural hospitals need some backfilling.
Grateful for the work of my house colleagues. I do not know that they were aware of of the minds of the federal government at the time, but,
here we do have a bill from the house that is certainly good intentions and certainly does no harm, which I think as a physician you, value. So the bill does no harm. That's why I'm here to stand in support of it. Thank you.
Alright, senator. Okay. I will I will yield the well. Okay.
Does any other senator wish to speak for or against the motion?
The senator from the 41st has moved that the senate agree to the house substitute in senate bill one seventy. All those in favor of the motion by the senator from the
41st will vote yay. All opposed will vote nay. The secretary will unlock the machine.
On the motion to agree to the house substitute senate bill one forty eight, the yays are 27, the nays are 22.
Haven't failed to have a
the requisite,
majority, the it fails. The agreement the grade fails.
Mister president, I'm
Chair recognizes the senator from the forty first. Mister president, I would respectfully
make a motion that we reconsider.
Senator,
I
think you need to make the motion
to
that's not an order.
Reconsideration
is not an order, senator.
Chair recognizes the center from the forty first. Parliamentary inquiry.
Mister president State your inquiry. Thank you. Would it be in order to,
serve notice
of a motion of reconsideration for tomorrow? Would that be an order?
Senator, the
you get one shot at the motion to agree.
Alright. Thank you.
Alright.
Chair recognizes the senator from the thirty first for a motion.
Thank you, mister president. After all that excitement,
it felt like a flashback to day 40.
I move that the senate stand adjourn till 10AM on Thursday, 01/29/2026.
Majority leader has made a motion.
All those in favor signify by saying aye.
Aye. Those opposed, nay.
No.
Ayes clearly have it. We stand adjourned until 10AM, Thursday, 01/29/2026.
Read the announcements. Read the announcements.
Read the announcements. Read the
announcements.
The rules committee will meet upon adjournment in Room 450 Of Capitol.
The public safety committee will will also meet in 450 In The Capitol at 1PM.
The agriculture and consumer affairs committee will meet in 307
CLOB at 2PM. The finance committee will meet in Mezzanine 1 at 3PM. The health and human services committee
will meet in Room 450 Of The Capitol at 4PM. Mister president, that completes the order.