Week Five Under the Gold Dome

Week Five of the 2024 Legislative Session is now behind us. We are almost halfway to Day 40. Here’s a brief summary of the matters in the Senate this week: Senate Bill 189

— removes the QR code from ballots. It passed the Senate and is now in the House.

Senate Bill 332 — changes rule making authority for the Prosecuting Attorney’s oversight commission. This commission has the power to remove district attorneys who are not enforcing our state’s laws or have other ethical issues. This bill passed the Senate and now moves over to the House.

Senate Bill 373 — expedites licenses for professional counselors to help with a shortage we see statewide. There were several other licensing bills affecting everything from veterinarians to funeral directors that also passed the Senate.

Senate Bill 405 — lowers the age from 18 to 16 for students to enroll in completion schools, like Coastal Plains Charter School in our area. This bill passed the Senate and is now pending in the House.

Senate Bill 406 — works to improve school safety by setting up a grant program for digital school mapping for emergency responses. This bill passed the Senate and is now in the House.

Senate Bill 362 — states that state economic development incentives are not allowed for businesses using unions that do not protect secret ballots when voting to unionize. This bill passed the Senate and is now in the House.

Senate Bill 376 — a bill I am carrying that aims to keep foster care cases on speedy timelines so children can reach permanency. It passed favorably out of the Senate Committee on Children & Families.

Senate Bill 426 — another bill I am carrying, is a piece of tort reform legislation aimed to stabilize or reduce insurance rates by revising requirements for joining a motor carrier and motor carrier’s insurer to a cause of action. It passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and moves to the Senate Rules Committee.

Senate Bill 349 — caps property tax re-evaluations at a maximum increase of 3 percent each year. This bill passed out of the Senate Finance Committee with my support and moves to Senate Rules.

The Senate Special Committee on Investigations met this week, beginning its much-needed investigation on Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. I am proud to sit on this committee, and I am confident that we will conduct a thorough and fair investigation into the alleged misconduct of District Attorney Willis.

This is just a sample of the matters before the Senate this week. If you have any questions about these or other please don’t hesitate to reach out, and, as always, thank you for the opportunity to represent you in the Georgia Senate.

Sen. Blake Tillery serves as Chairman for the Senate Committee on Appropriations. He represents the 19th Senate District, which includes Appling, Bacon, Jeff Davis, Long, Montgomery, Telfair, Toombs, Wayne, and Wheeler counties and a portion of Coffee County. He can be reached by email at blake.tillery@senate.ga.gov.

By Sen. Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia)