WEEKS 10-11 | March 28

The 2025 Georgia Legislative Session is almost complete! As we ended this week with Day 37 on March 28, we are quickly approaching Sine Die. With only a few legislative days remaining in this year’s session, we are fully focused on advancing meaningful legislation that will deliver real results for our communities and our state, and every moment counts as we work diligently until the last second. We have three more days to get legislation out of both chambers and onto the Governor’s desk to sign into law by April 4, 2025.  General Updates Senate Passes FY 26 Budget The Senate passed an amended version of the FY26 budget. The total spending plan is $37.7 billion. The budget will now move tothe conference committee to discuss differences between the House version and Senate version to finalize it. View the full budget document here.  SB 68 – Tort Reform Bill  The House passed Senate Bill 68, a measure that would revise several areas of civil law, including motor vehicle and tort laws. Under SB 68, the recovery of attorney’s fees would be restricted, and the admissibility of seatbelt evidence would be updated. The bill would create a new framework for claims related to negligent security, limiting property owners’ liability in certain situations. SB 68 would also change how medical expense damages are calculated and allow for bifurcated trials. First, SB 68 would limit arguments on noneconomic damages—such as non-monetary losses resulting from an accident or harm—by prohibiting attorneys from discussing these damages in the closing argument unless they were already addressed in the opening argument. Additionally, attorneys would not be permitted to discuss a different value for noneconomic damages in the closing argument than what was presented in the opening argument. However, the bill would not prevent attorneys from asking potential jurors during voir dire— the process of questioning jurors to determine their suitability for a case—whether they could return a verdict that either does not award damages or awards an amount greater than a specified limit, as long as these questions would be supported by evidence. SB 68 would also require courts to rule on a motion to dismiss within 90 days after the conclusion of the briefings on that motion. If the court does not issue a ruling within this 90-day period, a party would be able to file a motion to terminate or modify the case. However, this remedy would not prevent the use of other available options to address the court’s inability to rule in a timely manner, including, but not limited to, filing a writ of mandamus—a court order which directs a lower court or government official to perform a certain public duty or legal obligation.Further, SB 68 would amend current state law to allow a party to file a written notice of dismissal at any time before the 60th day after the opposing party serves an answer. SB 68 would also specify that a property owner or occupier could be held liable for poor security if the plaintiff proves, by clear and convincing evidence, that prior incidents of similar wrongful conduct by a third person led to an injury. This liability would only apply if the property owner or occupier knew, or had reason to know, that the third person was or would be on the premises and if the owner or occupier had actual knowledge of the prior wrongful conduct. Also, SB 68 would include provisions for cases where the plaintiff has been injured by an alleged sexual offense. These provisions would allow a court to reject a decision made by any party to divide the plaintiff’s case into two phases for liability and damages, also known as a bifurcated proceeding, if the plaintiff is likely to experience psychological or emotional distress from testifying twice in a bifurcated proceeding. The provisions would also apply if the amount in controversy is less than $150,000. On Friday, the Senate accepted the House’s changes to SB 68, and the bill now heads to the governor’s desk for signature. SB 79 – Fentaynl Bill  Building on the foundation of Senate Bill 465, Austin’s Law, which was passed in the 2024 legislative session in memory of Austin Walters, a fentanyl overdose victim, my colleagues and I gave House passage to Senate Bill 79, the Fentanyl Eradication and Removal Act. SB 79 is part of a broader initiative to combat fentanyl-related deaths in Georgia and to address opioid abuse more generally. SB 79 would strengthen penalties for trafficking fentanyl and its equivalents by amending state law related to the manufacture, delivery, distribution, possession or sale of noncontrolled substances. Specifically, it would remove fentanyl and its equivalents from the current statute that governs opiates and creates a separate schedule of offenses for fentanyl. Under the Fentanyl Eradication and Removal Act, individuals found with at least four grams of fentanyl, or its equivalent, would face mandatory minimum sentences, starting at eight years and a $75,000 fine for amounts just over four grams and escalating based on the quantity involved. For example, the penalty for possessing 28 grams or more would be 35 years in prison and a fine of $750,000. SB 79 supports ongoing efforts to address the opioid crisis in Georgia, including initiatives like making Naloxone more widely available in schools and public buildings. Fentanyl is incredibly potent, with just two milligrams potentially being lethal, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has found counterfeit pills containing up to five milligrams—more than twice the lethal dose. With drug trafficking organizations distributing fentanyl by the kilogram, SB 79 would, if approved by the Senate and signed by the governor, strengthen penalties for those involved in trafficking this dangerous substance, helping to protect communities. HB 340 – Distraction-Free Education Act This bill will require local school systems and public schools to enact policies and procedures for the use of personal electronic devices at school and school-sponsored events by students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It will also provide for permissible student use of personal electronic devices, authorize the Department of Education to provide guidance and technical assistance, and prohibit certain waivers. HB 268 – School Safety Bill This bill is for elementary and secondary education, so as to provide for the safety, health, and well-being of students and school communities; to create an Office of Safe Schools within the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency; to provide technical assistance for local school systems to develop policies and procedures for their threat management teams; to develop a state-wide behavioral threat management operational process; to provide for definitions; to amend Code Section 16-11-37 of the O.C.G.A., relating to terroristic threats and acts and penalties, so as to provide for the offense of threatening the death of or serious injury to individuals who are or likely to be at school; to amend Article 4 of Chapter 18 of Title 50 of the O.C.G.A., relating to inspection of public records, so as to provide for an exemption.Reacting to privacy concerns, it no longer creates a statewide database to track students but requires schools to maintain student behavior records and share them when a student transfers.Reimbursements for hiring student advocacy specialists is included, and it establishes suicide awareness and violence prevention programs.It creates a felony offense in adult court for kids accused of terroristic threats at school.(Information from Axios email March 29, 2025) Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Legislation that made it across the finish line at Cross Over Day:  HB 91: provide for licensure for graduates of foreign colleges or schools of veterinary medicine who are board certified in a specialty; to provide for an exemption to help relieve the pressure in under-served areas.  HB 117: require notification of the country of origin of seafood items. HB 163: require that certain food products be disclosed as containing cell cultured meat, plant-based meat alternatives, or both. HB 172: clarify eligibility for the Veterinary Education Loan Repayment Program to include former students and specifies that applicants must have practiced in the required specialty for 10 years or less. HB 331:  prohibit the transfer of certain domestic animals at certain locations. HB 398: standards, labeling, and adulteration of food, so as to authorize the production and sale of cottage food items with certain exemptions, requirements, and disclosures. HB 413: general provisions regarding agriculture, so as to prohibit local ordinances that prohibit the operation of mobile sawmills on agricultural lands. HB 449: relating to public utilities and public transportation to subject certain companies providing water services in this state to regulation by the Public Service Commission; to provide for the review of certain increases to the rates and charges of such companies by the commission; to provide for financial record keeping of such companies. HB 495: transfer the Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation to the Department of Agriculture.  HB 529: provide consumers with the option of having service contracts that contain automatic renewal provisions, terminate after their specified period rather than being subject to the automatic renewal provision.  HB 614: prohibited fireworks activities and application of noise ordinances, so as to authorize local governments to prohibit the use or ignition of consumer fireworks in proximity to certain facilities housing equines.  SB 33: provide limits on the total THC concentration of consumable hemp products; to revise provisions concerning the certificate of analysis applicable to consumable hemp products SB 105: relating to veterinarians and veterinary technicians, so as to authorize licensed veterinarians and veterinary technicians to practice veterinary teleadvice. SB 112: extend certain protections for consumers relative to warranties of HVAC systems and components of such systems; to provide required information for warranty and product registration cards and forms; to provide an effective date for certain warranties of HVAC systems and components of such systems. SB 144: relating to liability for use of fertilizers, plant growth regulators, or pesticides, so as to clarify that a manufacturer cannot be held liable for failing to warn consumers of health risks above those required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency with respect to pesticides.  SB 201: relating to unfair or deceptive practices in consumer transactions, unlawful and examples, so as to provide increased consumer protection for homeowners entering into contracts with contractors following natural disasters.  Natural Resources and Environment A couple of topics made it to Cross Over Day in the Natural Resources and Environment Committee.  HB 143: Water resources; water-measuring devices for farm use of surface and groundwater. Agriculture has shown to have used less water than the meters are reading. This bill is to streamline metering and be less restrictive.  HB 351: relating to general provisions regarding solid waste management, so as to modify the powers and duties of the Board of Natural Resources; to revise definitions; to modify solid waste permitting; to provide for submission of written verification regarding compliance with local zoning and land use regulations; to remove certain restrictions on permits; to revise provisions regarding public meetings and notice; to remove outdated terminology. Rural Development Rural Communities are the heart of our district! Learn more about these two bills that are headed to the Senate focused on helping rural communities thrive.  HB 51: Authorize to finance and perform certain duties in connection with projects relating to natural gas facilities and expand the lines available to help with power needs in rural communities.  HB 262: Grant program for the purpose of acquiring and installing backup generators. This bill supports the need for backup generators at rural hospitals. This was spurred by the impacts of Hurricane Helene this fall. We are in the final stages of advancing legislation that could soon become law. I encourage you to stay engaged and keep track of the legislation that affects our community and your family. You can access committee schedules, livestreams and the status of bills on the Georgia General Assembly’s website, linked here. As always, thank you for your support. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or comments during this legislative session. If you would like to visit me at the State Capitol, reach my Capitol office at (404) 656-0325 or by email at [email protected].  -Jaclyn Ford Check out Constituents at the Capitol below!

HD 170 Constituents at the Capitol