Rep. Alan Powell: 2024 Legislative Newsletter – Week Eleven

By State Representative Alan Powell, HD 33

The House of Representatives focus remains on advancing pending Senate bills, with our committees convening frequently to review and refine proposed legislation from our Senate colleagues. We took up a bipartisan effort to enhance public safety and impose stricter penalties for criminal offenses:

Senate Bill 421, increases penalties for repeated unlawful emergency service requests, known as “swatting;” and outlines criminal offenses for swatting, discharging
of a firearm without legal justification, and introduces the separate offense of drive-by shooting crimes;

Senate Bill 335, the ‘Safeguarding Adopted Children from Sexual Violence Act,’ expands the crime of incest to include those whose familial relationships are created by adoption and updates the definition of incest to include those who are related to
the perpetrator by adoption. This bill has been sent to Governor Kemp to be signed into law.

Senate Bill 370, expands education and creates increased awareness of human trafficking; expands current law to add convenience stores, body art studios, manufacturing facilities, and medical offices to the list of establishments that would be required to post notices containing the human trafficking hotline information; requires each board member of the Georgia Board of Massage Therapy to complete at least 30 minutes of training each year on human trafficking awareness;

Senate Bill 483, allows Georgia into the updated version of the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children Act (ICPC), which 16 other states have currently joined, to ensure children are placed in safe homes in a timely manner; to enter into an
agreement under the updated version of the compact;

Senate Bill 387, provides free state identification cards for eligible children between the ages of 14 and 17 who lack an address or are under the custody of the Division of Family
and Children Services (DFCS), without requiring a parent, guardian or adult to sign or verify the application. This bill has been sent to the governor for his signature.

Senate Bill 50, requires the State Board of Education to create content standards in lifeguard and aquatic safety beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, with local boards of education adopting curriculum for students to successfully complete certification as a lifeguard upon course completion;

Senate Bill 205, explicitly states the State Board of Funeral Service must reinstate the funeral director license of a licensee who has previously allowed a license to lapse for 10 years or less and who has applied for reinstatement;

Senate Bill 232, modifies the types and dollar amounts of fees charged and collected by probate court judges and clerks for filings such as petitions, motions, claims, and certificates, as well as applications, licenses, and certified copies,
including fireworks;

Senate Bill 233, creates the Georgia Education Savings Authority, to establish and administer student assistance programs; the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act to provide $6,500 per student to families for qualified education-related expenses; changes program weights in the Quality Basic Education formula to allow capital outlay
funds to be used for pre-kindergarten programs; caps tuition fees for out-of-district student transfers; revises grants to low-performing schools, and amends the tax credit for qualified education donations;

Senate Bill 342, allows the Department of Human Services to use records from the child abuse and neglect registry, or from another state, to locate, recover or provide services to a child who is determined by the department to be missing or a victim of sexual
exploitation, and amends who can have reasonable access to records of child abuse, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children;

Senate Bill 348, changes the timeframe from 180 days to 60 days for an individual to be
considered unattended by a physician in an untimely or suspicious death circumstance, and clarifies that no individual would be deemed unattended by a physician while they are a resident of a long-term care facility;

Senate Bill 389, provides state-sponsored life insurance for members of the Georgia National Guard;

Senate Bill 436, revises the definition of the implement of husbandry; and adds a definition for the operator as it relates to the operation of farm-use vehicles;

Senate Bill 450, excludes certain probate court orders from the petition for review process, clarifying state or superior courts do not have appellate jurisdiction over an order of a probate court that cannot be appealed.

We also commemorated the life and legacy of the late House Speaker David Ralston on what would have been his birthday.

Speaker of the House Jon Burns and other leaders unveiled a portrait in his honor, to be permanently displayed outside the House Chamber in the Capitol. The unveiling event included remarks by former governors Sonny Perdue and Nathan Deal, as well as our current governor, Brian Kemp.

With Sine Die approaching on March 28, 2024, the pace is expected to intensify under the Gold Dome as we work to address outstanding issues and finalize pending legislation before the clock runs out.

I encourage you to visit or call my Atlanta office at 404-463-3793; [email protected] or [email protected].

When writing, please include your address and phone number.

As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your State Representative.