On Friday at the Capitol, Senate Bill 68, the controversial tort reform bill, was back in the Senate today after changes were made in the House that carved out an exception for victims of human trafficking.

Democrats tried to add an amendment before the debate started that would give children and elderly plaintiffs the same protections as people who have been trafficked.

"So, let's stand with kids; let's stand with the elderly," Sen. Elena Parent of Atlanta said. "Why should they not have the same rights if they're abused? If they're raped, then people who have been sex trafficked, why should they not have the same rights?"

But that amendment failed.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-Macon), who sponsored the bill, said that current laws still provide many of those protections and weren't needed in the bill.

"All of the other causes of actions in Georgia law remain untouched that folks have available to them," he said.

Democrats also found an unexpected ally in Republican Sen. Colton Moore of Trenton, who said that while he was all for the premises liabilities addressed in the bill, he still had a major reservation.

"Because everything else in this piece of legislation is nothing more than an insurance company bailout," he said. "There's no guarantees whatsoever that insurance companies are going to lower their rates. I think any good businessman in the insurance company, now that they've got this bailout, what are they going to do? They're going to pocket that money, not return it back to their customers."

SB 68 was passed mostly along party lines 34 to 21.

Gov. Brian Kemp spoke afterwards.

"I've seen a lot of good legislating around this bill and over the years on really tough issues," he said. "And in this ranks, right up there with them. This is a great job."

Lawmakers return on Tuesday for Day 35.

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