Highlights From Under the Gold Dome: Week Five

We are 40% of the way through the 2023 Legislative Session. Crossover Day is two weeks away. This significant day in the legislative session is the last day that bills are able to pass to the opposite chamber for consideration. The Senate is operating at full steam ahead as a number of bills were passed on the floor this week and Appropriations Subcommittees have begun to tackle House Bill 18, the Amended FY 2023 Budget.

Here is a summary of the bills passed in the Senate this week: • Eliminating the Sun set Date on COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements (Senate Bill 1) • Expanding Telecon ference Abilities (Senate Bill 26) • Increasing Penalties for Pimping and Pandering (Senate Bill 36) • Amending Quali cation Requirements for Sheriffs (Senate Bill 37) Here’s a summary of several other bills that were introduced in the Senate this week: • Incorporating Buck head City (Senate Bill 114) • Sports Be(ing (Sen ate Bill 57) • Banning Tik Tok on State Issued Devices (Senate Bill 93) • Second Amendment Preservation Act (Senate Bill 67) I would also like to take this opportunity to provide you with a brief update on legislation that I have sponsored. As I mentioned to you last week, Senate Bill 73 had been assigned to the Senate Committee on Regulated Industries and Utilities. On Tuesday, the committee favorably passed the legislation. Now the bill will make its way to the Rules Committee. Senate Bill 74 has yet to be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee, but rest assured, I intend to provide you with updates soon.

Finally this week, the Capitol was full of visitors and honorary groups from around the state. The Senate had the pleasure of welcoming a number of distinguished members of Georgia’s workforce including fire fighters from Jeff Davis County, young farmers from Bacon, Telfair, Wayne, and Toombs County, many of our law enforcement agencies in addition to several troops of Girl Scouts, nurses from Augusta University, and more. I am also happy to announce that Director Cameron Asbell of the Vidalia — Toombs Ohoopee Regional Library was honored as the Georgia Librarian of the Year! I am also happy to see more Senate Pages in the chamber.

Next week, the Senate will convene for four more legislative days. I expect things to really pick up next week as we inch closer to the halfway point and hopefully pass the Amended FY 2023 Budget out of the Senate. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office if you have any questions or concerns as my door is always open. It is a pleasure to serve you Under the Gold Dome.

Sen. Blake Tillery serves as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He represents Senate District 19, which includes Appling, Bacon, Jeff Davis, Long, Montgomery, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Wayne and Wheeler Counties and a portion of Coffee County. He can be reached at 404.656.5038 or by email at blake.tillery@senate. ga.gov.

By Sen. Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia)