Summary for Fifth Week of 2022 Session

Monday, February 7, marked the start of the fifth week of the 2022 legislative session. This week was filled with debates on legislation in the House Chamber and in our committees, but several bills were passed: House Bill 910 amends the state budget for the current fiscal year ending June 30, 2022. These amendments focus on education, health, public safety, and the state’s workforce and infrastructure; House Bill 56, which would provide an additional superior court judge in the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit; House Bill 263, which would allow for an updated mortality table to be used when determining the amount of retirement benefits of survivors of deceased probate judges; House Bill 412, which would create the Georgia Behavior Analyst Licensing Board, set the operating standards for the board, and include licensing requirements for applicants for a behavior analyst license; House Bill 430, which would revise the definition of “advanced nursing practice” to include clinical nurse specialists and contains the educational or certification requirements, amend the definition of “advanced practice registered nurse” (APRN) to include several nursing specialties, provide eligibility requirements for licensing of APRNs and renewal requirements for licenses; House Bill 780, which would transfer all full-time state-wide business court judges from the Judicial Retirement System to the Employees’ Retirement System starting July 1, 2022; House Bill 826, which would create a ballot referendum for area residents to consider the creation of the City of Lost Mountain; House Bill 840, which would create a ballot referendum for area residents to consider the creation of the City of Vinings; House Bill 891, which would act as the annual housekeeping bill for sections of Georgia’s code that relate to banking and finance; House Bill 899, which would help phase out the use of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) formula as the predominant interest-rate average and, instead, would allow a recommended benchmark formula replacement for any contract, security or instrument that uses LIBOR; House Bill 1011, which would remove the permit requirement for low-speed vehicles to use an amber strobe light and clarify that permits for emergency vehicles to operate flashing or revolving emergency lights would be valid for five years from the date of issuance; House Bill 1045, which would revise the year from 2022 to 2026 at which the required contribution rate for new or newly covered employers to make into unemployment insurance increases from 2.64 percent of wages to 2.7 percent of wages, as well as change the dissolution date of the Subsequent Injury Trust Fund; House Bill 1049, which would add two members to the State Board of Long-Term Care Facility Administrators and increase the number of board members who are nursing home, personal care home or assisted living community administrators, bringing the total number of board members to 11 after June 30, 2022; House Bill 1055, which would increase the defined weight limit for an “all-terrain vehicle” from 2,500 pounds to 3,500 pounds.

When we return to the State Capitol on Monday, February 14, we will have another packed week under the Gold Dome. While this session is getting busier by the day, one of my top priorities will remain connecting with my constituents to hear your feedback about the work we are doing in Atlanta. I encourage you to reach out if you have any questions or concerns regarding legislation that has been discussed or passed so far. You can reach my Capitol office at 404-656-0195, or you can email me directly at robert.pruitt@house.ga.gov.

As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your state representative and legislative voice here at the Capitol.

As the State Representative for District 149, Robert Pruitt serves Dodge County, Telfair County, Wheeler County, Cadwell, and Hazlehurst. During the second week of the 2021 Legislative Session, Rep Pruitt was appointed to serve on the Industry and Trade, Economic Development, and Small Business committees for the next two years. Robert and his wife Kelly have been long time residents of Eastman.

By Rep. Robert Pruitt (District 149)