The Georgia House has passed a number of bills out of its committees. Major bills were passed by committees focused on public health, agricultural policy, and higher education.
The first to convene was the House Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee. The first major bill on the agenda was Senate Bill (SB) 105. This bill would authorize licensed veterinarians and veterinary technicians to practice veterinary teleadvice.
SB 105’s major focus is on improving relations between veterinarians and their clients. It passed to the Rules Committee.
The next bill passed by the committee was SB 112. This bill extends certain protections for consumers relative to warranties of HVAC systems and components of such systems.
SB 112 essentially eliminates registration requirements for HVAC warranties. It passed to the Rules Committee.
The final bill passed by this committee was SB 201. This bill provides increased consumer protection for homeowners entering into contracts following natural disasters.
The focus of this bill is on consumer protection, and it passed easily to the Rules Committee.
The second to convene was the House Health Committee that began with SB 72. This bill is also known as the “Hope for Georgia Patients” Act and is meant to open up new medical treatment for children with rare diseases.
SB 72 essentially allows doctors to use treatments and medicine that have not undergone the FDA process due to individualized conditions. It easily passed to the Rules Committee.
The second major bill discussed was SB 140. This bill authorizes doctors of optometry to dispense and sell pharmaceutical agents to patients under certain conditions. It also passed to the Rules Committee.
The House Higher Education committee met and SB 20 was first on the agenda. This bill provides student loan repayment options to those who practice shelter medicine and in nonprofit pet sterilization clinics. It passed to the Rules Committee.
The final bill to be discussed was SB 180. This bill provides opportunities for apprenticeship sponsors to enter into apprenticeship program contracts. These contracts would be with the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia. It also passed to the Rules Committee.
