Week 6 Review from Rep. Bruce Williamson – Your Local News

Dear Friends, 

Legislation Week 6 is now complete. The legislation that passed the House this week had two principal themes: protecting Georgia’s ratepayers and protecting the most vulnerable, children.

Protecting Georgia Ratepayers

The Special Committee on Resource Management traveled throughout the state during the off-session to study the effects of data centers on our state. The information obtained became priority legislation for Speaker Burns and the House. The Protecting Georgia’s Ratepayers HB 1063 will help protect residential and retail electricity customers from costs associated with data center construction and operation. HB 1063 safeguards energy affordability for Georgia families and small businesses by ensuring that data centers and large-load consumers pay their own way upfront. It requires performance and credit provisions in contracts to protect retail customers in the event of a data center default. It also mandates termination provisions to protect retail customers if electric service contracts with data centers are terminated. Here is the link to the Speaker’s press release on this priority legislation: https://loom.ly/vyfNUuo

Insurance affordability & Claims Integrity Act

The House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Insurance Rates met over the summer and worked alongside Insurance Commissioner John King to draft the following legislation. This legislation will further stabilize Georgia’s insurance market and provide relief to ratepayers. Insurance costs have risen by about 60% nationwide since 2020, placing a significant financial strain on Georgia drivers, homeowners, and ratepayers. Fortunately for Georgia, since the passage of tort reform in 2025, two insurance companies have reentered the market, and nine have announced significant rate cuts, including State Farm and Allstate. But there is more work to be done.

HB 1344, The Insurance Affordability & Claims Integrity Act

• Increase nearly 40 insurance fines in Georgia’s insurance code.
• Strengthens enforcement of uninsured motorist laws
• Cracks down on insurance fraud.
• Implements the Fortified Homes Program to shore up homes against storm damage.

HB 1274, Excess Auto Insurance Profits Act

• If a company profits 5% above expected profit for 3 straight years, it must file a rate decrease.
• Florida and several other states do this, and in one case, it reduced rates by $1 billion for a single company.

HB 1262, Fine Increase Bill

• Surprise Billing, Mental Health, and General Fine authority is increased from $2,000 to $10,000 and from $10,000 to $25,000.

HB 1263, The Premium Tax Clawback Act

• Currently, insurance companies can pursue refunds for premium tax payment “errors” over long periods of time. This bill shortens the clawback period to 3 years.

Here is the link to the Speaker’s press release on Insurance Affordability & Claims Integrity Act: https://loom.ly/TlKGI_c

Protecting the Most Vulnerable Children

Foster Placements Bill of Rights, HB 256, passed. This bill expands protection of foster care providers under the state law to ensure that all caregivers are treated equally. This bill extends the same legal rights afforded to foster parents to relative caregivers and fictive kin (persons with no biological or legal relationship but are treated as loved members of the family). Foster care placement caregivers are extended new protections as well. This bill will protect caregivers from retaliation for filing complaints with the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) and affirm their right to seek and obtain independent legal counsel or advice regarding the foster placement caregivers. This new legislation will help with the rights, training, planning, and retention of foster care parents.

Foster Children & Autism,HB 943 will create a five-year pilot program to provide autism spectrum disorder screenings and clinical evaluations for children in foster care. With early detection, children will receive the necessary care that they need and will receive proper placement. This bill requires DFCS to provide training and resources for providers, including supervisors, case managers, and caregivers, so children with autism in foster care can be identified earlier.

Mandi Ballinger Act, HB 1061, is named in honor of our late colleague and former chair of the House Judiciary Juvenile Committee. This legislation creates a 12-member committee composed of the chairpersons of the House Committee on Judiciary Juvenile and the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with other designated state and criminal justice officials. This committee is tasked with preparing Georgia for the potential inclusion of certain 17-year-olds within the juvenile court system. Based on best practices from other states, the committee would consult with law enforcement, juvenile court attorneys, youth advocates, and other experts to evaluate raising the juvenile court age in Georgia. Currently, Georgia treats most 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal justice system, one of only a few states that do so. Raising the juvenile court age to 18 and focusing on rehabilitation and helping young people redirect their lives will improve outcomes for young people before adulthood.

Legislation Successfully Passed by the House

HB 541 expands the tuition equalization grant eligibility to include higher education institutions that offer baccalaureate nursing programs, have maintained a physical presence in Georgia for 10 years, and hold accreditation from either the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, as well as accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools or another regional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

HB 662 amends the definition of “rural hospital organization” to include “rural freestanding emergency department.” With this definition change, more rural hospitals will be eligible to receive tax credits.

Preston Fant and Brant Chesney Firefighter Safety Act, HB 1086, will require the owner of any commercial or industrial building that was constructed using light-frame truss-type construction to post a notice. This will protect firefighters since this type of construction burns more quickly, which can cause sudden roof and floor collapse.

HB 970 will expand the list of qualified healthcare professionals who can conduct sports physicals for student athletes. These physicals will also include a cardiovascular prescreening to take proactive steps to identify health risks for student athletes.

Georgia House Republicans are delivering on insurance premium relief for hardworking Georgians.

The Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Insurance Rates met throughout the summer to hear from stakeholders, business owners, ratepayers, and policy experts to determine common sense solutions to make insurance more affordable.

Karen & Tom Chamberlain visited in support of the issuance of auto tags celebrating America’s 250 anniversary this year.

I had the honor of meeting the Consul General of Japan, Kenichi Matsuda. Walton County has two major Japanese companies, Takeda Pharmaceuticals in Social Circle, and Astemo Americas, Inc. in Monroe. Both are headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Astemol employs 80,000 worldwide including their auto parts manufacturing plant in Monroe, with around 1,100 jobs. Takeda has over 40,000 worldwide employees with around 1,500 jobs in Social Circle.  Katie Butler and her beautiful daughter, Amelia visited me this week.  Along with Rep. Houston Gaines, I got to spend some great time with Walton County and Barrow County realtors this week. I got to meet Walton County School Superintendent Chip Underwood’s daughter, Cate Underwood, who was serving as a Capitol page this week.

I hope you will come visit your State Capitol. Give us a call at 404-656-5025 if you plan to come, so that we can make time to meet and discuss matters of importance to you.

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