'Lawmakers' Day 21: Senate Dems intro voting rights bill; House OKs auto-related bills; Lupus Day

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Members of the state House of Representatives recognized Lupus Advocacy Day at the Capitol on February 19, 2026, by wearing dotted purple and capes.

Credit: Georgia House of Representatives

In the House, pops of purple dotted the chamber as members wore capes for Lupus Advocacy Day. The annual event brings attention to the Lupus warriors battling this invisible disease. 

"Today is Lupus Advocacy Day and I am standing here recognizing the greatest group of people that fight every day to get up out of their bed, go to work, contribute to this state, and become active citizens for their families that are struggling but are overcoming and champions for Lupus," Rep. Kim Schofield (D-Atlanta) said.

There was also a proclamation to honor Echo Park Speedway for its economic boost to Georgia. Renamed from Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2025, Echo Park in Hampton will host the NASCAR Auto Trader 400 on Sunday. NASCAR series driver and watermelon smasher, Ross Chastain, zoomed in to share his story. 

"I am the grandson of a proud Georgia-born farmer from Ochlocknee," he said. "The watermelon life of my family took us to South Florida for my father and my time here on this earth. And I was born and raised in South Florida and fell in love with the sport of racing really as a way to get off the farm. I thought as a kid, I didn't know which way I would wanna go. And now I've been able to do both. So through my platform of racing, y'all see me race the No. 1 car for big companies like Busch Light and Wendy's this weekend. The ties back to agriculture come right back to the state of Georgia."

But it wasn't just about passing cars on the speedway, as the House took up a variety of auto-related bills. 

One bill actually discourages passing. House Bill 1161 clarifies and codifies the best practice of yielding the right-of-way to emergency vehicles during traffic stops. 

"This bill simply clarifies that for traffic stops, drivers should move towards the right-hand curb of the road away from traffic if safe to do so," Rep. Marvin Lim (D-Norcross) said. "This is something most in the situation already do, and many, including law enforcement, have assumed that it's codified, but Georgia courts have actually said it's not, and that's led to some confusion in differential treatment."

The bill passed 162 to 2. 

Another automotive bill received unanimous passage: House Bill 1181 reduces red tape around vehicle title applications. 

"It allows a decedent's car title to come directly from the state where the estate is domiciled to the first-degree relative who is inheriting it," Rep. Bethany Ballard (R-Warner Robins) said. "And this skips the intermediate step requiring that the car be titled first in the state where the executor is."

A utility bill came up on the House floor — the kind of utility bill consumers will like. House Bill 1027 extends rate payer protections.

"This is an electric utility rate payer protection bill," Rep. Victor Anderson (R-Cornelia) said. "What this bill does is it allows the members of the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia to enter into retail electric sales contracts that are validated by Superior Court Judge for a period of 20 years. Current code only allows that for 10 years. This extends that to 20 years to allow for protection of the rate payers."

It passed with a vote of 162 to 2. 

A Judicial Retirement Benefits Bill, HB 1020, seeks to increase the retirement age for district attorneys to 65 to match the age raise already made for judges. 

"In keeping with what we did and increasing the judicial retirement age last year from 60 to 65 would have similar treatment for district attorneys," said House Majority Leader Rep. Chuck Efstration (R-Mulberry). "Consistent with retirement ages being at 65 and for consistency within the judicial code, this would just increase when the retirement for DAs would be eligible, meeting the other eligibility requirements."

HB 1020 passed unanimously. 

The Senate gaveled in, conducted routine business, and then gaveled out for the day. 

But Senate Democrats held a press conference in the morning promoting Senate Bill 536, a state voting rights bill that would set up safeguards against voter suppression and create a voting rights commission — protections, they say, are needed after recent Supreme Court rulings that have eroded the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. 

"This act creates statewide protections against voter suppression and vote dilution, key components of Section 2," said Minority Leader Sen. Harold Jones III (D-Augusta). "It also creates a pre-clearance mechanism to ensure vote dilutions plans by local jurisdictions never move forward. Other specific aspects of the legislation ensures that public notice must be given for new or modified election changes on local or state levels, and it will make sure that voters do not face impediments to voting."

The bill is called the Henry McNeill-Turner Georgia Voting Rights Act, named after a Reconstruction-era Black Republican legislator and faith leader who was expelled from the Legislature with other African American representatives in 1868. 

"We named this bill for him because the lesson of our era is not ancient history," Sen. Nikki Merritt (D-Grayson) said. "The fight over who counts, whose vote matters, and who gets to participate has never fully been stopped. Turner's legacy is a reminder that voting rights is not self-enforcing. If we do not build protections in the law, those protections can be chipped away."

It was Prostate Cancer Awareness Day at the Capitol. Former Chicago Cubs outfielder and Atlanta native C.J. Stewart spoke about the importance of routine screenings, something many men seem to avoid. 

"If you're a man, hear me clearly," he said. "Make the call. Schedule the screening. Get checked. Stay alive. And if you love a man, don't just pray for him. Don't just worry about him. Don't hope he's OK. Push him. Challenge him. Hold him accountable. Because love ought to look like something. And today, love looks like a prostate screening."

GPB's Lawmakers returns for Day 23 on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. on GPB TV.