Kemp Applauds Passage of Tort Reform Bill in the State Senate

Governor Brian Kemp applauded the efforts of the Georgia State Senate after the chamber passed its tort reform bill - SB 68 - legislation that aims to "provide for [a] substantive and comprehensive revision of provisions regarding civil practice, evidentiary matters, damages, and liability in tort actions" among other legal revisions.

The bill passed by substitute with a tally of 33-21.

Gov. Kemp's initiative to end tort costs for Georgia residents from a multitude of policy fixes, including seatbelt evidence admissibility, phantom damages, anchoring, third-party litigation financing, premises liability, double recovery of attorneys’ fees, bifurcated trials, plaintiff dismissal during trial, and motion to dismiss timing.

Research from Citizens Against Law Abuse (CALA), estimates that Georgians can pay as high as $2,084 per person in tort fees, and pay $1,373 on average.

The Peach State Governor mentioned his intention to address this issue during his State of the State Address in January and is already thanking those involved with passing the bill in the Georgia State Senate.

"Thank you to all those who voted to support hardworking Georgians and our small businesses by passing SB 68 out of the Senate," said Gov. Kemp. "This is a strong bill that will stabilize the cost of insurance and the cost of doing business in our state, which means more jobs, stronger communities, and greater opportunity for Georgia families!"

Moreover, U.S. Representative Mike Collins (R-GA) congratulated Gov. Kemp and the state senators involved in the bill's passage as he released a message on social media regarding the news.

"Great work @GovKemp and thank you to @LtGovJonesGA and the Georgia legislature for advancing tort reform through the Senate," said Rep. Collins. "Let’s keep the pedal down and get these crucial reforms across the finish line. We’ll be a better state because of it."

The national legal reform advocacy group, Protecting Americans Consumers Together (PACT), has been calling on the State of Georgia to enact this sort of change regarding tort reform. Lauren Zelt, PACT's Executive Director, spoke to Dome Politics regarding the advocacy group's mission concerning legal (especially "tort") reform.

PACT Director Zelt mentioned that she hopes Georgia follows in Florida's footsteps on tort reform to save Peach State residents money.

"What we're hoping for at PACT is for Georgia to follow the lead that Florida set last year and pass lawsuit abuse reform into law this year so that regular Georgia families can feel the same financial relief that Florida families are feeling today," said Zelt.

You can find the contents of the rest of the interview here:

Legal Reform Advocacy Group, PACT, Wants Georgia to Follow in Florida's Footsteps