Evans E-Bulletin Week Eleven

Other Votes this Week

Below is a list of legislation that passed in the House this last week. 

Judiciary 

SB60 would make it a crime to purchase, possess, transport or advertise the sale of a used, detached catalytic converter, or any non-ferrous metal parts of a catalytic converter, unless the person is a registered secondary metals recycler, is authorized to do so and has the appropriate registration and licensing that is required by Georgia code. This bill also includes reporting requirements and guidelines to curb catalytic converter theft in Georgia. I voted yes. 

SB74 aims to bring more truth in lawyer advertising in Georgia by requiring the use of licensed attorneys and clients (or make clear when actors are used), among other requirements. I voted yes. 

SB44 would amend Georgia’s anti-gang statute in several ways; it would clarify that it is unlawful for a person to indirectly through another person recruit individuals to become a member of a criminal street gang or participate in a gang or gang activity; the punishment would increase with imprisonment between five and 20 years with a mandatory minimum of five years; if a gang member recruits a minor under 17 years old or an individual with a disability to join a criminal street gang, that person would be subject to 10 to 20 years of prison for a first offense with a mandatory minimum of 10 years.

I agree gangs are a problem in our state, but this bill misses the mark on how to address the problem. In particular, I am concerned that children will be on the receiving end of the increased penalties. This is so because typically gangs use other children to recruit new (children) members to gangs. Longer sentences for vulnerable children is not a good idea. I voted no. 

Health

SB106 or the “Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Act,” would create a Medicaid program to provide virtual maternal health clinical services to women with high-risk pregnancies through the Georgia Department of Public Health’s (DPH) pilot home visiting program. These at-home interventions can reduce the risk of preterm birth and improve the management of various risks during pregnancies. I voted yes. 

SB164 would create licensure requirements for advanced practice registered nurses and changes the definition of “advanced practice registered nurse” (APRN) to only a person licensed by the Georgia Board of Nursing who is either a certified nurse midwife, certified nurse practitioner, certified registered nurse anesthetist, clinical nurse specialist or clinical nurse specialist in psychiatric/mental health or a recognized APRN before June 30, 2006. This bill would make it a misdemeanor to practice as an APRN without a license and add anesthesiologist assistant to the Georgia Composite Medical Board and the Physician Assistants Advisory Committee. This bill is also the Anesthesiologist Assistant Act and would create the licensure process and regulation of anesthesiologist assistants through the Georgia Composite Medical Board. A similar bill was passed by the House earlier this session. I voted yes. 

SB197 or the “Health Care Practitioners Truth and Transparency Act,” which would amend the Consumer Information and Awareness Act to prohibit an advertisement or identification by a health care practitioner that includes deceptive or misleading terms or false representation or references to medical titles that they do not hold. The bill would require advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants to verbally identify themselves during each patient interaction and clearly state they are not a medical doctor even if they hold a doctorate degree and identify themselves with the title “doctor.” I voted yes. 

SB47 would add the use of electronic smoking or vaping devices to the Georgia Smokefree Air Act of 2005. This bill provides that if you cannot smoke in an area, you also cannot vape there. I voted yes. 

SB1 would permanently prohibit state and local governments from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of providing services, accessing a facility, issuing licenses or permits, performing duties and other matters. I see no reason for the state to tie the hands of local governments and state agencies in this way. We don’t know what the future holds and this preemption is potentially dangerous. I voted no. 

Regulated Industries

SB73 would allow citizens on the “Do Not Call List” who receive more than one unauthorized telephone solicitation within a year to bring action against the person/entity that made the solicitations and/or the person/entity the telephone solicitations were made on behalf of for injunctive relief and damages. I voted yes. 

SB95 relates to tire disposal restrictions and fees and would require tire distributors to collect $1.00 per tire sold instead of retail dealers. This bill would also add an individual from the tire industry to the list of representatives considered by the governor for appointment to the Recycling Market Development Council. I voted yes. 

Education

SB45 or A.J.’s Law, would provide for the care of students diagnosed with epilepsy or a seizure disorder by training school nurses and other school employees on proper treatment protocols. A parent or guardian would be required to provide the school with an annual seizure action plan for their child with specific instructions on what to do in emergency situations. I voted yes. 

SB86 expands access to the HOPE grant program to high school students who are already preparing themselves to join our state’s workforce by earning college credit before graduation. This bill would allow eligible dual enrollment students to access HOPE grant funds for eligible career, technical and agricultural education (CTAE) courses, regardless of whether a student has reached the maximum credit hour cap to receive these funds. To ensure this grant funding is put to good use, the Georgia Student Finance Commission would collaborate with the Technical College System of Georgia to collect and report certain data related to the dual enrollment program to track the program’s impact. I voted yes. 

SB204 would require accrediting agencies that operate in Georgia to focus on student achievement, academic success and fiscal solvency of schools and school systems. The State Board of Education would establish evaluation criteria, procedures and other requirements for recognized accrediting agencies. I voted yes. 

Governmental Affairs

SB129 would require employers, upon reasonable notice, to provide time off for employees to vote during the period of advance voting. This bill would also allow the State Election Board to appoint members of county election boards to performance review boards, clarify the language that must be included on any absentee ballot application that is mailed to an elector by a nongovernmental entity, as well as extend the time limit from 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. for specified reporting requirements for election superintendents following the close of the polls on election day. The bill would also clarify the auditing requirements for local election superintendents following specified elections. I voted yes. 

SB213 would prohibit local governments from adopting or enforcing any zoning decisions or other regulations on a new manufactured or mobile home that were not imposed on the preexisting home under certain circumstances and subject to specified exceptions. I voted yes. 

Public Safety

SB218 would allow state identification cards to be issued to inmates after they have completed a term of incarceration. The Georgia Department of Corrections (DOC) and the Georgia Department of Driver Services would work together to process these ID cards, which would look like any other state-issued ID and would not include any stigmatizing information about their status as a past offender. Additionally, when an inmate is released from a DOC facility, the individual could request documentation regarding programs he or she completed at the request of the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles or the DOC. These individuals could also request documentation if they have obtained a state-approved high school equivalency diploma, other educational degrees and their institutional work record, including skills obtained through job training. I voted yes. 

SB93 would prohibit the use of certain foreign-owned social media platforms on state-owned devices. This ban would only apply to social media platforms that are owned or operated by a foreign adversary or by a company which is domiciled in, has its headquarters in or is organized under the laws of a foreign adversary. The prohibition would also stand when a foreign adversary has substantial control over the content moderation practices of the platform or if the platform uses software or an algorithm that is controlled or monitored by a foreign adversary. Gov. Kemp previously issued a memo to state agencies in December to prohibit employees from using TikTok on their state-owned devices, such as cellphones or laptops, and this legislation would make his ban an official law. I voted yes. 

Insurance

SB61 permanently allows Georgia’s private sector workers to continue to utilize their paid sick leave to care for a family member in need. This legislation would remove the end date of the current provision under the Family Care Act that requires employers to allow employees to use up to five days per calendar year of earned sick leave for the care of an immediate family member who is ill. The current law was set to expire this July, and this bill would ensure that eligible Georgians can continue to take their earned time off to take care of their sick family members. I voted yes. 

Agriculture

SB220 or the “Georgia Farmland Conservation Act,” would create the Georgia Farmland Conservation Trust Fund to provide matching grant awards to qualified easement holders to support farmland conservation, active farming and food production or to purchase agricultural conservation easement. I voted yes. 

Juvenile Justice

SB135 would clarify that genetic testing required by the court must be administered through a method that is reasonably relied upon by experts that are professionally accredited. This bill includes requirements and a process for admitting genetic testing results, including parentage results, into evidence. I voted yes.