On February 13, 2025, the following Georgia State Senate committees met to discuss bills to potentially advance:
- Education and Youth voted on SB 17 and SB 123
- Judiciary voted on SB 40 and SB 88
- Insurance and Labor voted on SB 55 and SB 121
- State and Local Government Operations voted on SB 51, SB 138, and SB 139
Select the associated links to read each bill in full.
Education and Youth
SB 17
This bill requires all public schools to equip all classrooms with mobile, silent panic alarm technology (i.e., wearable buttons) that would connect all agencies, including 911, with real-time information to coordinate the response; this information would include crucial mapping data of the facilities and surrounding areas. These alarms would be used in times of active shooters, medical emergencies, weather emergencies, and other events requiring coordination of information and agencies. This technology will shorten response time, allowing first responders to be more effective and also eliminating confusion. Approximately half of the schools in Georgia currently have this technology.
The bill passed committee.
SB 123
This bill concerns the high rates of absenteeism in Georgia and implements measures to address it. Such measures include requiring each county to use School Climate Committees to gather absenteeism data and recommend solutions for their school system; these recommendations will be reported to the Chief Superior Court Judge for the county.
The goal of this committee is to raise awareness of the problem with school boards and citizens to create action to solve the problem. Last year, 380,000 Georgia students missed 10% (18 days) or more days. The bill requires the School Climate Committees to update their school attendance protocols by June 1, 2026, and to meet twice per year.
Additionally, the bill requires the Department of Education to send a report to the Education and Youth Committee every two years. If a school system has a chronic absentee rate of higher than 10%, that system would be required to form an Attendance Review Team tasked with finding solutions. If any school goes above 15%, a team would need to be formed for that school.
The bill passed committee.
Judiciary
SB 40
This bill would revise elements of how a secondary metal recycler can do business. The bill would remove the sunset clause on a law that allows recyclers to pay no more than $100 in cash for any transaction and conduct no more than two transactions per seller per day. The sunset was instituted in case theft of metals surged to capitalize on the recycling industry. As a surge did not occur, the sunset is no longer required according to the legislators and other stakeholders.
The bill clarifies that a specific subset of sellers can sell metals to recyclers. Under this bill, sheriff departments would be allowed to require recyclers to provide a copy of their business license. The bill also revises eligibility requirements of recycling license holders and the license registration process. The intent of the bill is to tighten up loose ends from related laws passed years ago.
The bill passed committee
SB 88
This bill would add a fourth judge to the superior court of the Douglas Judicial Circuit. The court is currently doing the work of 4 to 5 judges with only 3 available to them. This expansion helps resolve a man power issue for the court.
The bill passed committee.
Insurance and Labor
SB 55
The purpose of this bill is to stop certain employers from paying less than federal minimum wage to people with physical or mental disabilities. Section 14C of the Fair Labor Standard Act of 1938 allowed disabled veterans to be paid less than minimum wage through Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRP). The bill phases out the certificates that allow the CRPs to pay disabled people less than minimum wage. Starting on July 1, 2026, the pay for persons currently employed under a CRP must be raised to at least half of the federal minimum wage. On or after July 1, 2027, the pay for persons currently employed under a CRP must be no less than the federal minimum wage.
The bill passed committee.
SB 121
This bill would require individuals charged and convicted of reckless driving or DUI to increase their minimum required insurance coverage to not less than $100,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident. The limit for bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident would be increased to $300,000, and the limit for injury to or destruction of property will be increased to $100,000.
The bill was heard and will be voted upon at a later date.
State and Local Government Operations
SB 51
This bill relates to quality-based selection of architects, engineers, and surveyors—the trusted advisors and experts in the realm of public works. This bill aligns with federal law to require state and local governments engaging in hiring an architect or engineer for a project over a million dollars in scale to use the quality-based selection process to hire an architect or engineer based on their qualifications and expertise. The second phase of the process is to discuss fees and negotiations to ensure they are possible; if an agreement cannot be made, the government must select the next best-qualified candidate and go through the second phase with them. This process continues until a qualified candidate with agreeable fees is procured.
This has been federal law for federal projects since the 1930s.
The bill passed committee.
SB 138
A few years back, Northeast Gwinnett was experiencing issues with their commissioner refusing to allow zoning for multifamily and high-density housing; his motions were often struck down, forcing commissioners from the surrounding areas to approve these projects. This led to many citizens feeling disgruntled and not represented at the local level and ultimately led to the creation of the city of Mulberry in Gwinnett in 2023. Gwinnett County remains adversarial to Mulberry.
SB 138 requires Gwinnett County to continue providing police services to Mulberry unless notified by the city that the city wants to opt out. Additionally, if the county collects ad valorem taxes from the city for those police services, any excess to the balance must be returned to the city to be used as supplemental police services, such as a city marshal.
This bill also requires Gwinnett County to continue maintaining the roads during the transition process unless the city chooses otherwise.
If Mulberry takes over any municipal service during the year, the county must prorate that share of the tax for that year.
Any fees the county received from permit requests must be reimbursed to the city.
The bill also prohibits the city from needing to reimburse the county for any elections in the first two years.
If Gwinnett continues to seek litigation to stop the city of Mulberry from fully forming, the county must pay the city’s attorney fees if the county loses in court, and if Gwinnett violates a transition law, the county will lose its sovereign immunity for one year.
The bill passed committee.
SB 139
This bill also pertains to the city of Mulberry and Gwinnett County. Mulberry has requested several vacant parcels, some of which are commercial areas, because constituents who live across the street from the city line want to be part of the city and have a voting say in what the city does.
The bill passed committee.
