DAILY REPORT Thursday March 9, 2017 House Budget & Research Office (404) 656-5050 The House will reconvene for its 31st Legislative Day on Friday, March 10 at 9:30 a.m. The Rules committee will meet at 9:00 a.m. 2 bills / resolutions are expected to be debated on the Floor. 30th Legislative Day House Media Services (404) 656-0305 Today on the Floor Rules Calendar HR 170 State agencies; work toward increasing research, clinical care, and medical education for myalgic encephalomyelitis; urge Bill Summary: This resolution urges state agencies, medical service providers, health care agencies, research facilities, medical schools, and all interested parties to work toward increasing research, clinical care, and medical education for myalgic encephalomyelitis. Myalgic encephalomyelitis is an incurable disease that causes a cellular disorder characterized by profound fatigue, sleep abnormalities, pain, and other symptoms that are made worse by exertion. Authored By: Rep. Sharon Cooper (43rd) House Committee: Health & Human Services Floor Vote: Floor Action: Yeas: 165 Nays: 0 Adopted (Resolution) Rule Applied: Committee Action: Modified-Open 02-14-2017 Do Pass HR 281 Water trails in Georgia; proliferation and use; recognize and encourage Bill Summary: House Resolution 281 recognizes and encourages the use of Georgia's water trails, as well as the efforts of the Georgia River Network. Authored By: Rep. Spencer Frye (118th) House Committee: Natural Resources & Environment Floor Vote: Floor Action: Yeas: 168 Nays: 0 Adopted (Resolution) Rule Applied: Committee Action: Modified-Open 02-23-2017 Do Pass HR 361 United States Congress; enactment of a Regulation Freedom Amendment to the Constitution of the United States; encourage Bill Summary: This resolution encourages the enactment of a "Regulation Freedom Amendment" to the Constitution of the United States by the United States Congress. The resolution states the U.S. has more than 300 independent and executive agencies that are staffed by unelected officials. These agencies issue thousands of rules and regulations each year that frequently involve everyday lives of people. While federal rules and regulations can benefit the public, many are concerned the increasing amount of rules and regulations have slowed economic growth by increasing consumer and compliance costs and limiting job creation. Although the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act to address the issue in 2011, 2013, and 2015, it still hasn't come up for a vote in the United States Senate. Page 1 of 9 House of Representatives Daily Report for March 9, 2017 Today on the Floor The Regulation Freedom Amendment states, "Whenever one quarter of the members of the U.S. House or the U.S. Senate transmit to the President their written declaration of opposition to a proposed federal regulation, it shall require a majority vote of the House and Senate to adopt that regulation." Essentially, the amendment ensures that regulatory agencies remain accountable to the people of the country through Congress. Authored By: Rep. Don Parsons (44th) House Committee: Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications Floor Vote: Yeas: 118 Nays: 44 Rule Applied: Committee Action: Modified-Open 02-27-2017 Do Pass SB 69 Packaging, Labeling and Registration of Organic Products and Certifying Entities; registration requirement; eliminate Bill Summary: This bill amends Code Section 2-21-4, relating to packaging, labeling and registration of organic products and certifying entities, by eliminating a registration requirement. Specifically, it removes a part of the section that states no person shall produce, process, distribute or handle in this state any advertised or identified organic food or product unless that person has first registered with the Department of Agriculture. It also strikes language that licensed retail food sales establishments that do not process or repackage certified organic commodities shall be exempt from the registration provisions in the chapter. Authored By: Sen. John Wilkinson (50th) House Committee: Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Floor Vote: Yeas: 167 Nays: 2 Rule Applied: Committee Action: Modified-Open 02-15-2017 Do Pass SB 78 Adulteration and Misbranding of Food; Commissioner of Agriculture to issue a variance to certain rules and regulations; authorize Bill Summary: This bill authorizes the commissioner of the Department of Agriculture to issue a variance or waiver of certain rules and regulations of the department. These waivers or variances can be given authorized if the rule would create a substantial hardship to a person. Additionally, the variances or waivers shall not be sought or authorized if granting a waiver or variance would be harmful to the public. Authored By: Sen. Lee Anderson (24th) House Committee: Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Floor Vote: Yeas: 166 Nays: 3 Rule Applied: Committee Action: Modified-Open 02-15-2017 Do Pass Local Calendar HB 532 Fayette County; Board of Commissioners of Roads and Revenues; provide for qualifications of members Bill Summary: This bill provides qualifications for members of the Fayette County Board of Commissioners of Roads and Revenues. It states any person seeking election as a member of the board must satisfy the requirements of state law governing qualifications to hold civil office. It also states any person seeking election shall have resided in the road district from which he or she is running for a period of at least 12 months preceding the date of his or her election. Authored By: Rep. Josh Bonner (72nd) House Committee: Intragovernmental Coordination Local Floor Vote: Yeas: 148 Nays: 0 Rule Applied: Committee Action: 03-06-2017 Do Pass Page 2 of 9 House of Representatives Daily Report for March 9, 2017 Today on the Floor HB 534 Roswell, City of; councilmember; provide that no one person hold office more than three consecutive terms Bill Summary: The bill states that no person shall hold the office of councilmember in the City of Roswell for more than three consecutive terms. This only affects councilmembers elected in the 2017 general election or any election thereafter. Terms of office served prior to January 1, 2018, shall not be considered in determining the number of terms served. Authored By: Rep. Betty Price (48th) House Committee: Intragovernmental Coordination Local Floor Vote: Yeas: 148 Nays: 0 Rule Applied: Committee Action: 03-06-2017 Do Pass HB 537 Villa Rica, City of; levy an excise tax Bill Summary: This bill authorizes the governing authority of the City of Villa Rica to levy an excise tax. Authored By: Rep. J. Collins (68th) House Committee: Intragovernmental Coordination Local Floor Vote: Yeas: 148 Nays: 0 Rule Applied: Committee Action: 03-06-2017 Do Pass Page 3 of 9 House of Representatives Daily Report for March 9, 2017 Next on the Floor Next on the Floor from the Committee on Rules The Committee on Rules has fixed the calendar for the 31st Legislative Day, Friday, March 10, and bills may be called at the pleasure of the Speaker. The Rules Committee will next meet on Friday, March 10, at 9:00 a.m., to set the Rules Calendar for the 32nd Legislative Day. HR 389 House Rural Development Council; create Bill Summary: This resolution creates the House Rural Development Council to be composed of 15 members of the House of Representatives appointed by the speaker of the House, who will designate two members as co-chairs and other officers at his discretion. Beginning April 1, 2017, the council shall strive to expand the economic success of Georgia's rural areas by examining the components of economic development and related policy areas as it deems appropriate, such as: education, infrastructure, access to health care, and economic growth incentives. At the council's request, Georgia's departments and agencies shall provide services, information and other support. The co-chairs shall call all meetings to be held on a regular basis at different locations of Georgia, particularly rural areas, to meet with the local officials and leaders. The funding for the resolution shall come from funds appropriated to the House of Representatives. An initial report of findings and recommendations, including suggestions for proposed legislation shall be filed no later than December 31, 2017; a second report shall be filed prior to the council's sunset of December 31, 2018. Filed reports require a majority vote of a quorum of the council. Authored By: Rep. Sam Watson (172nd) Rule Applied: House Committee: Economic Development & Tourism Committee Action: Modified-Open 03-07-2017 Do Pass SB 102 Emergency Medical Services; emergency cardiac care centers; designation; Office of Cardiac Care within Department of Public Health; establishment Bill Summary: This bill establishes the Office of Cardiac Care within the Department of Public Health and a three-level designation system with criteria for each level of emergency cardiac care center. The office shall administer the designation process including data collection, analysis, reporting, and site visits. Level I shall have: 1. Cardiac catheterization and angioplasty facilities available 24 hours, seven days per week, 365 days per year; 2. On-site cardiothoracic surgery capability available 24 hours, seven days per week, 365 days per year; 3. Established protocols for therapeutic hypothermia for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients; 4. The ability to implant percutaneous left ventricular assist devices for support of hemodynamically unstable patients experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest or heart attack; 5. Neurologic protocols to measure functional status at hospital discharge; and 6. The ability to implant automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillators. Level II shall have: 1. Cardiac catheterization and angioplasty facilities available 24 hours, seven days per week, 365 days per year; 2. Established protocols for therapeutic hypothermia for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients; 3. Neurologic protocols to measure functional status at hospital discharge; and 4. A written transfer plan with one or more Level I emergency cardiac care centers for patients who need left ventricular assist devices or cardiothoracic surgery. Level III shall have: 1. Established protocols for therapeutic hypothermia for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients; 2. One or more additional levels of cardiac care centers as necessary based upon advancements in medicine and patient care; and 3. A transfer agreement for the transport and acceptance of cardiac patients. Page 4 of 9 House of Representatives Daily Report for March 9, 2017 Next on the Floor A hospital can apply to the office for designation as an emergency cardiac care center as long as the hospital demonstrates the satisfaction of the applicable criteria. A hospital seeking designation as an emergency cardiac care center may apply for a grant and provide information as the office deems necessary to determine if the hospital is eligible for such grant. The Office of Cardiac Care will establish a data reporting system on all out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients and all heart attack patients. Existing data bases can be modified to include additional reporting regionally, nationally or any combination thereof. The office will have on an ongoing analysis of statewide data collected for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients and heart attack patients, with the goal of improving survival rates over the initial three years of the program, and shall improve any processes or adjust any protocols as necessary to implement best practices to improve the cardiac care of patients through emergency cardiac care centers in this state. The office will be required to annually prepare and submit to the governor, the president of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, and the chairpersons of the House Committee on Health and Human Services and the Senate Health and Human Services Committee for distribution a report indicating the total number of hospitals that have applied for grants, the number of applicants that have been determined by the office to be eligible for such grants, the total number of grants to be awarded, the name of each grantee and the amount presented to each awarded grantee. Beginning June 1, 2018, and each year thereafter, the office shall provide a list of designated emergency cardiac care centers to the medical director of each licensed emergency medical services provider in this state, shall maintain a copy of such list in the office, and shall post such list on the office's website. The office will develop a sample emergency cardiac care triage assessment tool and post this sample assessment tool on its website. The copy of the sample will then be distributed to each licensed emergency medical services provider no later than December 31, 2017. Authored By: Sen. Butch Miller (49th) House Committee: Health & Human Services Rule Applied: Committee Action: Modified-Structured 02-28-2017 Do Pass Page 5 of 9 House of Representatives Daily Report for March 9, 2017 Committee Actions Committee Actions Bills passing committees are reported to the Clerk's Office and are placed on the General Calendar. Intragovernmental Coordination - Local Committee HB 539 Hampton, City of; Henry County; mayor pro tem or members selected to serve in absence of mayor and mayor pro tem to vote on matters before council while serving in absence of mayor; provide ability Bill Summary: This bill allows the mayor pro tem or members selected to serve in the absence of the mayor and mayor pro tem to vote on matters before the council. Authored By: House Committee: Rep. Karen Mathiak (73rd) Intragovernmental Coordination Local Committee Action: 03-09-2017 Do Pass HB 540 Cobb County; State Court; change salaries of certain staff of solicitor-general Bill Summary: This bill changes the salaries of certain staff of the solicitor-general of Cobb County. Authored By: House Committee: Rep. Albert Reeves (34th) Intragovernmental Coordination Local Committee Action: 03-09-2017 Do Pass HB 544 Richmond Hill Public Facilities Authority Act; enact Bill Summary: This bill creates the Richmond Hill Public Facilities Authority. Authored By: House Committee: Rep. Ron Stephens (164th) Intragovernmental Coordination Local Committee Action: 03-09-2017 Do Pass Judiciary Committee SB 46 Torts; space flight activities; provide facilitation; definitions; exceptions Bill Summary: This legislation adds new chapters to Title 51, related to torts, to provide a limited waiver of liability for persons who agree to participate in space flight activities and space flight operations provided such persons sign a written waiver agreeing to those limitations. The bill provides the warning and written agreement that the flight participant shall sign, and it provides a list of what makes the warning and written agreement effective and enforceable. This limit on liability does not cover injuries caused by gross negligence (acting in a conscious and voluntary disregard of the need to use reasonable care) for the safety of the participant or intentional injury. Liability is also not limited for: any other person who is not a participant of a space flight who has not signed such a waiver; for breach of contract for the use of real property by a space flight entity; or for an action by the federal government, the State of Georgia, or any state agency to enforce a valid statute or rule or regulation. All space flight lawsuits that occur in Georgia shall be brought in Georgia. Authored By: House Committee: Sen. William Ligon, Jr. (3rd) Judiciary Committee Action: 03-09-2017 Do Pass Page 6 of 9 House of Representatives Daily Report for March 9, 2017 Committee Actions SB 71 Bankruptcy; list of property that is exempt; add assets in health savings accounts and medical savings accounts Bill Summary: This bill amends Code sections relating to exemptions for purposes of bankruptcy and intestate insolvent estates. Currently, a non-corporate debtor may choose to forgo exemptions for levy or sale of $5,000 or $21,500 for real or personal property that is the debtor's primary residence in favor of exempting the debtor's aggregate interest, up to a certain amount, or the debtor's right to receive certain moneys or other benefits. SB 71 adds within those certain moneys or other benefits the funds, assets and income of a health savings account or medical savings account authorized under the Georgia Code or Internal Revenue Service. Authored By: House Committee: Sen. Jesse Stone (23rd) Judiciary Committee Action: 03-09-2017 Do Pass SB 87 Bankruptcy; judgments against exempt property; provide for the discharge Bill Summary: HB 87 amends Code sections relating to exemptions for purposes of bankruptcy and intestate insolvent estates by providing for the procedure, effect of a court order and discharge of judgments against exempt property in such cases. Any time after a debtor has been discharged from his or her debts pursuant to an act of Congress relating to bankruptcy, the debtor, his or her receiver or trustee, or any interested party may file a civil motion with the court that rendered the bankruptcy judgment for an order to cancel and discharge that judgment to all the debtor's exempt property. A certified copy of the discharge or a certified copy of the order of confirmation of a plan filed by the debtor must be filed with the motion and served upon the judgment creditor in the same manner as any other motion in a civil action, accompanied by the required attachments including proposed consent order. If it appears during the hearing on the motion that the bankrupt or debtor has been discharged or exempted from the payment, the court shall enter an order specifying the effective date and canceling and discharging judgment regarding the property and any other property acquired by the debtor after the filing of the bankruptcy petition, which shall have the same effect and recorded in the same manner as a satisfaction of judgment. Authored By: House Committee: Sen. Jesse Stone (23rd) Judiciary Committee Action: 03-09-2017 Do Pass by Committee Substitute SB 137 Child Support Recovery Act; federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005; require the obligor to pay the full fee Bill Summary: SB 137 amends Code sections relating to child support by specifically amending the fees payable to the Department of Human Services for the collection of child support payments. Currently, the Code authorizes the Department of Human Services to charge a federal 'Deficit Reduction Act of 2005' fee of $25 as the annual maintenance fee for the collection of child support where the total collection amount exceeds $500. The fee is currently divided between the custodial parent paying $12.00 and the non-custodial parent paying $13.00 for each child support case. The Code also currently refers to child support collection entities as a "IV-D agency responsible for child support". SB 137 assigns payment of the full $25.00 annual maintenance fee for each case to the non-custodial parent. The fee only applies to a non-custodial parent when the custodial parent has never received adoption assistance payments or medical assistance payments under the 'Social Security Act'. The Department of Human Services collects the fee through income withholding or any other method available to the department and it retains it to operate the program. The bill also deletes references to "IV-D agency" and replaces it with "an entity within the Department of Human Services and its contractors that are authorized to enforce a duty of support". Authored By: House Committee: Sen. Greg Kirk (13th) Judiciary Committee Action: 03-09-2017 Do Pass by Committee Substitute Page 7 of 9 House of Representatives Daily Report for March 9, 2017 Committee Actions Natural Resources & Environment Committee SR 152 Joint Study Committee on Stream Buffers in Georgia; create Bill Summary: HR 362 creates the Joint Study Committee on Stream Buffers for the purpose of reviewing the existing data and current practices relating to stream buffers prior to recommending legislation. The committee is composed of 17 members: five members of the House, with the chairperson of Natural Resources and Environment serving as co-chair; five members of the Senate with the chairperson of Natural Resources and Environment serving as the co-chair; the director of the Environmental Protection Division; three members of the private sector with experience in water resources appointed by the speaker of the House, and three members appointed by the president of the Senate. The committee is authorized to meet up to five days. Authored By: House Committee: Sen. Frank Ginn (47th) Natural Resources & Environment Committee Action: 03-09-2017 Do Pass SR 224 Joint Study Committee on Storm-Water Management Fees; create Bill Summary: SR 224 creates the Joint Study Committee on Storm-Water Management Fees for the purpose of reviewing existing data and current practices relating to the imposition of stormwater collection and disposal fees onto private property owners. The committee is comprised of 12 members: two members of the Senate, including the chairperson of the Natural Resources and the Environment Committee, who shall serve as co-chair; two members of the House, including the chairperson of the Natural Resources and Environment Committee, who shall serve as co-chair; two members with experience in local government appointed by the president of the Senate; two members with experience in local government appointed by the speaker of the House; two members from the private sector who own property subject to storm-water management fees appointed by the president of the Senate; and two members from the private sector who own property subject to storm-water management fees appointed by the speaker of the House. Authored By: House Committee: Sen. Frank Ginn (47th) Natural Resources & Environment Committee Action: 03-09-2017 Do Pass Page 8 of 9 House of Representatives Daily Report for March 9, 2017 Committee Actions Committee Meeting Schedule This meeting schedule is up to date at the time of this report, but meeting dates and times are subject to change. To keep up with the latest schedule, please visit www.house.ga.gov and click on Meetings Calendar. Friday, March 10, 2017 9:00 AM RULES - 341 CAP 9:30 AM FLOOR SESSION (LD 31) - HOUSE CHAMBER 2:30 PM Small Business Development Clark's Subcommittee - 403 CAP Page 9 of 9