It wasn’t too busy under the Dome today as only a few committees met to discuss new bills. The committees that did meet were focused on issues that could affect many Georgians. The courts, energy, and insurance policy were on the schedule today.
The first to meet was the House Judiciary Committee where only two bills were discussed. Senate Bill (SB) 145 was the first and it proposes to add a sixth judge to the superior courts. Specifically, this new judge would be added to the Augusta Judicial Circuit. The bill passed to the Rules Committee with no pushback.
SB 88 was the second bill on the schedule and it proposes something similar. It seeks to add a fourth judge to the superior courts along the Douglas Judicial Circuit. This bill also faced no pushback and was passed to the Rules Committee.
The next to meet was the House subcommittee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications. Only one bill was discussed and it was SB 13. This bill grants the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) more responsibility. GEFA would be able to finance and perform certain duties in connection with projects relating to natural gas facilities.
SB 13 was hotly contested and was met with resistance from guest speakers and committee members. There were questions of government overreach and budgetary management. The main question came down to “Why should GEFA have this power?” However, it was eventually passed to the Rules Committee.
Finally, the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee started off with House Bill (HB) 197. This bill specifies how a health care provider can respond to a private review agent or utility review entity’s attempt to discuss the patient’s care. HB 197 passed to the Rules Committee with minimal discussion.
The committee then moved to HB 348. This bill expands lines of insurance or reinsurance in which a limited purpose subsidiary and captive insurance company may engage. It passed to the Rules Committee with a vote of 4-2.
For more on the General Assembly’s activity, click here.
For the General Assembly’s upcoming schedule, click here.
