Daily report, 2022 March 14

Monday March 14,
2022

COMMITTEE DAY REPORT

House Budget & Research Office (404) 656-5050
The House will reconvene for its 28th Legislative Day on Tuesday, March 15 at 10:00 a.m. The Rules Committee will meet at 8:30 a.m. Six bills / resolutions are expected to be debated on the floor.

Committee Actions
Bills passing committees are reported to the Clerk's Office and are placed on the General Calendar.

Health & Human Services Committee

HB 937

Medicaid; coverage for annual mammograms at no cost to recipient; provide
Bill Summary: House Bill 937 requires the Department of Community Health to provide Medicaid coverage for mammograms at no cost to the patient as long as the screening is recommended based on the patient's health status.

Authored By: House Committee:

Rep. Sharon Henderson (113th) Health & Human Services

Committee Action:

03-14-2022 Do Pass by Committee Substitute

HB 1483 Professions and businesses; licensure by endorsement in social work; provide
Bill Summary: House Bill 1483 reduces the number of required supervised hours for social work practice from three years (3,000 hours) to 2,000 hours. The bill also allows licensed clinical social work (LCSW) applicants enrolled in a master's degree accredited social work program to sit for the social work licensing examination in their final semester. HB 1483 will issue licenses by endorsement in social work from other jurisdictions or states if the license requirements are equivalent to that of Georgia. The Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists is required to review and revise its rules and regulations related to licensed clinical and master's social workers.

Authored By: House Committee:

Rep. Matt Barton (5th) Health & Human Services

Committee Action:

03-14-2022 Do Pass

SB 340

Hospital Authorities and Designated Teaching Hospitals; definitions; revise
Bill Summary: Senate Bill 340 updates provisions related to medical education accreditation by replacing the "American Medical Association" with "Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education" as the accrediting body and removes the 50-resident program requirement.

Authored By: House Committee:

Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (32nd) Health & Human Services

Committee Action:

03-14-2022 Do Pass

House of Representatives

Daily Report for March 14, 2022

Committee Actions

SB 341

Healthcare Services; guidelines for the prior authorization of a prescribed medication for chronic conditions requiring ongoing medication therapy; provide
Bill Summary: Senate Bill 341 allows prior authorization of medications used to treat chronic conditions to last for a minimum of one year under certain circumstances. The chronic condition has to require ongoing medication, the medication has to be prescribed by a provider, and the medication must fall within the scope of use by the United States Food and Drug Administration or be proven safe and effective by peer-reviewed guidelines. This does not apply to opioid analgesics, benzodiazepines, or medications with a typical treatment period of less than 12 months.

Authored By: House Committee:

Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (32nd) Health & Human Services

Committee Action:

03-14-2022 Do Pass

SB 403

"Georgia Behavioral Health and Peace Officer Co-Responder Act"; enact
Bill Summary: Senate Bill 403 requires each community service board to establish a co-responder program to work with local law enforcement agencies responding to emergency calls involving people in a behavioral health crisis. Law enforcement agencies have the option to collaborate with co-responder programs and can consider input from the community service board when determining where to refer the individual. Community service boards team members must be available in person or virtually during related emergency calls. Emergency facilities that receive individuals transported by the team for evaluation are required to notify the community service board prior to release of the admitted individual. Any law enforcement agency or community service board along with their personnel will be immune from civil or criminal liability for their actions done in good faith related to team dispatch, incarceration of an individual, transportation to an emergency receiving facility, and not taking someone into custody.

Authored By: House Committee:

Sen. Ben Watson (1st) Health & Human Services

Committee Action:

03-14-2022 Do Pass by Committee Substitute

Judiciary Committee
HB 1425 Medical cannabis; Governor to issue initial Class 1 and Class 2 production licenses for a limited time period; authorize
Bill Summary: House Bill 1425, concerning medical cannabis licensing, cancels the November 23, 2020, competitive application request for proposals and directs the commission to take all necessary steps to purchase or obtain necessary quantities of low-THC oil or other similar products from an available legal source. The commission is directed to take all necessary steps to provide for low-THC oil dispensation, including the development and issuance of dispensing licenses for independent pharmacies and designated universities. The commission shall issue a new competitive application request no later than December 31, 2022, to award two initial Class 1 production licenses and four initial Class 2 production licenses. Applicants who submitted prior applications may submit a proposal without paying an additional application fee. Reporting requirements to the Medical Cannabis Commission Oversight Committee are established. The application request will be managed by the Department of Administrative Services, evaluated by an independent third party, and subject to state purchasing and open records laws. For every increase of 50,000 patients, the commission shall issue one additional Class 1 and one additional Class 2 license. Ulcerative colitis is added to the list of eligible conditions.

Authored By: House Committee:

Rep. William Werkheiser (157th) Judiciary

Committee Action:

03-14-2022 Do Pass by Committee Substitute

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House of Representatives

Daily Report for March 14, 2022

Committee Actions

Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee
HB 1553 Bishop's Law; enact
Bill Summary: House Bill 1553 is 'Bishop's Law,' which requires that any inmate convicted of the murder of a peace officer killed in the line of duty be assigned housing in a facility designed for the maximum level of oversight. The bill prohibits the transfer of any such prisoner to a lower security facility without written documentation of the justification of the transfer and notice to the peace officer's family. The board of Corrections is required to revalidate any risk and needs assessment instrument by January 1, 2019, and every five years thereafter. The board is also required to assess performance outcomes relevant to the level and type of treatment given to an inmate and the outcome on his or her recidivism and report annually to the governor, lieutenant governor, the speaker of the House, and the chairs of the House and Senate Judiciary committees. Additionally, the board is required to evaluate the quality of the programming utilized in all department facilities except state prisons by January 1, 2019, and every five years thereafter and publicly publish its report.

Authored By: House Committee:

Rep. Clint Crowe (110th) Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee
Action:

03-14-2022 Do Pass

Regulated Industries Committee
HB 1530 Education; provide for HOPE small business grants
Bill Summary: House Bill 1530 allows for incoming college students who are eligible for the HOPE scholarship to elect to take a HOPE Small Business Grant instead. Students are required to meet the same residency, achievement standards, and enrollment requirements as an undergraduate program at a participating college. The bill adds definitions for "authorized program," "commission," "eligible student," "investment funds," "participating institution," "participating student," "student business plan," and "tuition funds."
The grant is for a maximum of $20,000, and the total amount of tuition funds awarded under O.C.G.A. 20-3-519.12(c)(1) will be deducted from that amount, although those tuition funds shall not exceed 30 percent ($6,000) of the maximum HOPE Small Business Grant amount available to the student. The maximum amount of the awards to be given is $50 million.
As part of the agreement, the eligible student must agree that he or she will not be eligible for the traditional HOPE Scholarship and his or her failure to comply with the terms of the award shall be grounds for the college to recover all or part of the investment funds that were distributed. The student needs to complete applicable prerequisites, including satisfactory completion of required coursework and the submission and approval of a student business plan. Upon acceptance, each participating student will work with a program advisor and receive instruction and assistance in planning, organizing, directing, and controlling the functions of a business.
If a college seeks to be a participating institution, it is required to submit a proposed program of study to the Georgia Student Finance Commission. The submission will include a description of the required courses, the criteria that it will use in assessing the qualifications of any apprenticeship or work-study program it is considering for participation in the program, support it will provide to participating students in developing a student business plan, prerequisites a student must satisfy in order to seek disbursement of investment funds, and the manner and method of its review of approved student business plans.
The bill also creates a new article in Chapter 4 of Title 20, titled the 'Small Business Incubator, Apprenticeship, and Work-study Program Act.' This article requires the State Board of Education to determine the specific competencies of skills needed for the completion of the program; work in conjunction with the Georgia Student Finance Commission to create standards by which the student business plans will be reviewed and assessed to determine whether investment funds should be awarded to the participating students; and establish policies and rules.
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House of Representatives

Daily Report for March 14, 2022

Committee Actions

The provisions of this bill stand repealed on June 30, 2028.

Authored By: House Committee:

Rep. Yasmin Neal (74th) Regulated Industries

Committee Action:

03-14-2022 Do Pass by Committee Substitute

HR 581

General Assembly; net proceeds of one or more lottery games to support economic development; authorize - CA
Bill Summary: House Resolution 581 asks Georgia citizens whether to amend the Georgia Constitution to allow lottery funds to be used for small businesses run by Georgia students enrolled in higher education.

Authored By: House Committee:

Rep. Yasmin Neal (74th) Regulated Industries

Committee Action:

03-14-2022 Do Pass by Committee Substitute

HR 798

Joint Study Committee for Cannabis Waste Disposal and Recycling; create
Bill Summary: House Resolution 798 creates a House study committee to study the waste created from products related to medical cannabis and potential uses and value of that waste in producing renewable energy. The study committee consists of five members of the House of Representatives and shall stand abolished on December 1, 2022.

Authored By: House Committee:

Rep. Mesha Mainor (56th) Regulated Industries

Committee Action:

03-14-2022 Do Pass by Committee Substitute

Retirement Committee

HB 824

Georgia Legislative Retirement System; retirement allowance; increase
Bill Summary: House Bill 824 increases the member contribution rate for the Legislative Retirement System (LRS) from 8.5 percent of the member's monthly salary to $165 each month, and the "presiding member" of the House will now contribute $660 each month. The bill also changes the monthly benefit to $50 for each year of creditable service for any individual that was a contributing member on January 1, 2022, and an additional $200 for each year of a member's presiding creditable service. This bill is certified by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts as a fiscal retirement bill. The actuarial investigation has determined there is no cost to enact this legislation.

Authored By: House Committee:

Rep. Wesley Cantrell (22nd) Retirement

Committee Action:

03-14-2022 Do Pass by Committee Substitute

SB 343

Retirement; prohibition of granting postretirement benefit adjustments to any individual who became a member on or after July 1, 2009; remove

Bill Summary: Senate Bill 343 specifies that forfeited leave payments for retirements that become effective prior to July 1, 2022, will not have to be paid by the employer; instead, these payments will be factored into actuarial assumptions for the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia (ERS) and paid as part of the annual defined employer contribution (ADEC). Currently, employers contribute amounts relating to creditable service for forfeited leave payments. The bill also changes the 401(k) match for the Georgia State Employees' Pension and Savings Plan (GSEPS). Employers will contribute up to a maximum of five percent of the employee's salary and 0.5 percent for each year of the member's creditable service after five years, for a maximum employer match of nine percent at thirteen years. This bill is certified by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts as a non-fiscal retirement bill.

Authored By: House Committee:

Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (52nd) Retirement

Committee Action:

03-14-2022 Do Pass by Committee Substitute

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House of Representatives

Daily Report for March 14, 2022

Committee Actions

Ways & Means Committee

HB 931

Ad valorem tax; contents of certificates of title of motor vehicles; revise
Bill Summary: House Bill 931 amends 48-5C-1, relating to title ad valorem tax, by excluding upgrades or enhancements meant to enable or accommodate individuals who use wheelchairs from the fair market value of the vehicle.

Authored By: House Committee:

Rep. Wesley Cantrell (22nd) Ways & Means

Committee Action:

03-14-2022 Do Pass by Committee Substitute

HB 1187 Sales and use tax; exemption for certain high-technology data center equipment; extend sunset
Bill Summary: House Bill 1187 amends O.C.G.A. 48-8-3, relating to exemptions from sales and use tax, by extending the sunset date for the sales tax exemption for high-technology data center equipment to be incorporated or used in a high-technology data center from December 31, 2028, to December 31, 2033, and revising new job creation and expenditure requirements. In counties with a population of greater than 50,000, the job creation requirement is increased from 20 to 25 quality jobs. In counties with a population between 30,000 and 50,000, the new job creation requirement is reduced from 20 to 10 quality jobs, and the expenditure requirement is reduced from $150 million to $75 million. In counties with a population of less than 30,000, the job creation requirement is reduced from 20 to 5 quality jobs, and the expenditure requirement is reduced from $100 million to $25 million. Also, in counties with a population of less than 50,001, the high-technology data center is eligible to receive the Quality Jobs Tax Credit as well as the sales tax exemption on data center equipment.

Authored By: House Committee:

Rep. Noel Williams (148th) Ways & Means

Committee Action:

03-14-2022 Do Pass by Committee Substitute

HB 1278 Sales and use tax; sales of tangible personal property used for renovation or expansion of certain museums; exempt
Bill Summary: House Bill 1278 amends O.C.G.A. 48-8-3, relating to exemptions from sales and use tax, by adding an exemption for tangible personal property used in the expansion or renovation of a civil rights museum owned or operated by a 501(c)(3) organization that is dedicated to the achievements of the civil rights movement in the United States, exhibits historical artifacts about the civil rights movement, and contains special event space and retail space. The exemption is not allowed on or after the date when the museum opens to the public following the renovation or expansion and sunsets on July 30, 2025.

Authored By: House Committee:

Rep. Patty Bentley (139th) Ways & Means

Committee Action:

03-14-2022 Do Pass by Committee Substitute

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.

Tuesday - March 15, 2022 8:30 AM RULES COMMITTEE (House) 10:00 AM FLOOR SESSION (LD 28) (House)

341 CAP House Chamber

VIDEO Agenda VIDEO

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