'Lawmakers' Day 14: Senate bills on juvenile court, retirement, home insurance, controlled substances

It was a busy day in the Senate and a late start in the House on Day 14. Four bills were voted on in the Senate on Monday.

Senate Bill 8 would clean up code in existing law to allow juvenile court judges to issue arrest warrants, just as other judges in the other court systems can.

SB 23 would increase the amount of funds that the Georgia Employee Retirement System could invest in alternative investments, raising the limit from 5% to 10%.

“What happens if they take the money and when they invest it, and the folks belly up,” Sen. David Lucas (D-Macon) said. “Who going to have to pay the dividend?”

“That's a great question, senator; thank you for bringing it up,” Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) said in reply to Lucas. “It's really no different, though, than if you invest in the stock market. Sometimes stocks fail. And the goal is to have a balanced portfolio, and I have very good confidence and trust that the folks that are managing those funds are picking safe and secure investments. Nothing that's too far out there to do that. This just gives them another tool in their toolbox.”

Good news for homeowners: If you have recently received some bad news from your insurance company about your homeowner's policy, SB 35 would require a 60-day notice about any type of non-renewal of your policy that doubles the current notice time of 30 days.

SB 6 would allow authorities to test controlled substances to see if they have been adulterated in any way.

“Now there's a non-opioid drug called xylazine: It's a horse tranquilizer commonly known as tranq, that's causing harm to Georgians and deaths,” Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (R-Marietta) said. “There's a wide range of other adulterants and even industrial chemicals that are harming Georgians. And it's not known what the next adulterants or straight drug will be, whether opioid or not.

“This bill simply broadens the bill that we passed previously to include tools like xylazine test strips and test for other adulterants,” she added.

All four bills were overwhelmingly passed.

Some senators continued the day with a press conference to advocate for more funding for public schools.

Sen. Jason Estevez (D-Atlanta) spoke about his bill SB 128, which would add $2 billion of funding for schools in low-income areas.

“Schools struggle to meet modern demands," he said. "Teachers who are already not paid enough spend their own money for supplies. And in rural districts across the state, they face shrinking budgets unless they raise money through property taxes. As a former middle school social studies teacher, I constantly found myself thinking about how to remove barriers for my students. This antiquated funding formula shouldn't be one of those barriers.”

On the other side of the Capitol, the House convened later in the day.

They began the afternoon by praying for a former member and Speaker Burn's chief of staff, Terry England, who was injured in a heavy machinery accident on his farm over the weekend and has undergone spinal cord surgery.

“Thank you, God, for blessings what a good man like Terry England,” Speaker Jon Burns said during his prayer. “Helped guide our thoughts and our actions, Lord in so many different ways. And we ask your presence to be with him and with Cindy as he recovers. Bring him back Lord in next appointed time as you would have him to be here with us. We miss him and we love him. Amen.”

Also, the House congratulated Rep. Rhonda Burnough on her 50th anniversary as a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

Members remembered a Roswell police officer killed in the line of duty on Friday.

“Mr. Speaker and members: Each of us woke up Saturday, Feb. 8, safe in our homes because of the service and sacrifice of our first responders,” Rep. Chuck Martin (R-Alpharetta) said. “Would you join us now in a moment of silence for Officer Jeremy Labonte, a hero that gave his life to provide that very safety.”

The House also recognized Georgia Hearing Day, Career Technical Education Day, International Epilepsy Day and Georgia EMC's 85th anniversary.

Also, the Senate Judiciary Committee held its first hearings on the Kemp-backed lawsuit reform bills.

Watch Lawmakers tonight to see Rep. Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton), Rep. Eric Bell (D-Jonesboro), Rep. Scott Hilton (R-Peachtree Corners), and Rep. Demetrius Douglas (D-Stockbridge) discuss the latest on the legislative session.