On Thursday at the Capitol, lawmakers got a visit from Atlanta Braves legend Dale Murphy before diving into over a dozen bills for the day.
The day kicked off with a ceremony to honor Georgia's law enforcement officers.
Then insurance reform was the theme in the House.
Members approved four bills aimed at giving Georgians relief from insurance costs with little pushback. House Bill 1344 is an omnibus oversight bill inspired by other states protections for insurance payers. The bill would increase penalties for driving without insurance in hopes of reining in auto insurance increases.
"We're increasing 40 insurance fines for insurance companies," Rep. Matt Reeves (R-Duluth) said. "If they violate the law, if they violate policy provisions, they're gonna have consequences under this bill. It strengthens enforcement of uninsured motorist laws. I heard from the commissioner of DDS recently, we have over 9.1 million drivers in Georgia. If you drive on 285, you can believe that. But unfortunately, about 20% of those drivers, nearly 2 million, are uninsured. This bill enforces the law on uninsured motorist coverage. So hardworking Georgians who pay their insurance bills are not subsidizing folks who drive without obtaining insurance."
It would also streamline the claims process for homeowners after storms.
"It tightens up Georgia law about claims processing, particularly in cases of storms," Reeves said. "Hurricane Helene was the biggest insurance event we have in Georgia. We want to make sure when the next storm comes that Georgians are protected."
The bill passed 166 to 3.
Another measure to tamp down auto insurance rates, House Bill 1274. The bill would require car insurance companies to estimate their profits for the upcoming year and drop rates if they consistently profit above the estimation.
"What this says is, when the insurance companies make their insurance rate filings, one of the line items in their filing is anticipated profit," Reeves said. "If that is underestimated and they profit higher than that, by 5% or more for three straight years, they are mandated to come back in and file a rate decrease. Of course, the insurance company or insurance commissioner gets to look at the historical profit amounts at the time of the filing, and what this does is it promotes the companies to go ahead and set their rates modestly so that customers in Georgia benefit from lower rates."
That bill passed 169 to 1.
House Bill 1262 looks at violations of the state's mental health parity law in surprise billing. It increases penalties for insurance companies violating those rules.
"House Bill 1262 increases the unintentional violations from $2,000 to $10,000 and the intentional violations from $5,000 to $25,000," Rep. Eddie Lumsden (R-Armuchee) said. "It's been 15 years since the unintentional fines have been addressed and updated and it's been 30 years since the intentional fines have been changed."
It passed 170 to 1.
HB 1263 would require insurers to refund erroneously charged fees within three years. That bill also passed with little opposition.
After a lunch break, House members unanimously approved a bill to close a loophole for pimping in the Georgia code.
"When you read the code section on pimping and pandering and human trafficking and all that goes along with it," Rep. Johnny Chastain (R-Blue Ridge) said. "It's really serious — pretty serious thing — and if you read those definitions they're all about the same what they mean. And pimping in Georgia right now first offense is a misdemeanor. This bill changes it to a felony if the person has a prior conviction of human trafficking."
The Senate took up seven bills Thursday. Most notable, Senate Bill 470 would prohibit the use of signal jammers and make their use a felony.
"What are signal jammers? You may have seen this in the movies or on television," Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) said. "From a small hand-held device that might get a room to something that can take out an entire building from a football field away, it will disrupt all communications. Cellphone, Wi-Fi, satellite, GPS, radio, rendering them with no communication. No communication from alarms or for 911 centers. No ability to call for help."
The bill passed unanimously.
SB 513, the Every Day Counts Act, would keep teenagers with chronic absenteeism from extracurricular school activities, as well as receiving their learner's permit or driver's license.
"This bill does not begin with punishment, it begins with support," Sen. Jason Dickerson (R-Canton) said. "Senate Bill 513 requires local school systems to implement a three-tiered framework to promote attendance. First, school-wide strategies that encourage every student to show up. Second, targeted supports for students who are at risk of falling into chronic absenteeism. And third, individualized attendance intervention plans for students who become chronically unexcused."
It passed 46 to 1.
But before the Senate took up a highly anticipated bill, SB 34, Senate Majority Leader Jason Anavitarte (R-Dallas) called for a surprising end to the day's session, pushing the bill to next week.
SB 34 was originally written to prevent a utility company from passing along the costs of electrical service for commercial data centers to its customers. But the language forbidding passing on those costs was removed from the bill in committee this week.
Democrats objected to the shortened rules calendar.
“We rise to object to this motion because there are important bills that remain on the calendar for today,” Sen. Kim Jackson (D-Stone Mountain) said. “Most importantly, it's in a bill about affordability. And so, if we are to punt this down the road even further, once more we deny Georgians an opportunity to have more affordable energy bills. So, we object to the motion and urge you all to continue with the calendar as outlined.”
Lawmakers will be back at the Capitol on Tuesday for Day 26. It'll also be Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, where legislators can enjoy a grilled PB&J sandwich to celebrate peanuts, an agricultural staple in Georgia.
GPB's Lawmakers returns for Day 26 on Tuesday, Mar. 3 at 7 p.m. on GPB TV.
