Under the Gold Dome: January 2024 Update

On Monday, January 29, the Georgia General Assembly reconvened at the State Capitol for the fourth week of the 2024 legislative session. This week, the House convened for four days and reached Legislative Day 14 by the end of our week, which means we are now more than a quarter of the way through the legislative session.

Perhaps the most significant news this week came on Tuesday morning when we learned the heartbreaking news that we had lost one of our own, a dedicated statesman, the honorable House Rules Chairman, Richard Smith (R-Columbus). We laid him to rest on Monday, February 5 and continue to mourn his loss.

Election Security

Last week, House Bill 976 passed almost unanimously to address concerns related to election security. This bill would require all election ballots to be printed on paper that includes a visible watermark security feature, and this visible watermark would identify the ballot as an official Georgia ballot. Currently, all ballots have an invisible watermark that is not visible to the human eye, but this bill would ensure that a watermark security feature would be visible to the naked eye.

If this bill receives final passage and is signed into law, this enhanced security feature would be implemented in time for the general election in November 2024, and the low, one-time cost to implement this change would be included in this year’s amended budget. Election security continues to be a topic of discussion amongst the Georgia General Assembly and Georgia’s voters, and this legislation seeks to address some of those concerns and restore confidence in our elections.

Prosecuting Attorney’s Council

We also passed House Bill 881, which would amend the provisions that govern the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission (PAQC) to remove the requirement that the Supreme Court of Georgia review and approve the rules and regulations of the PAQC. The grounds for discipline would also be amended to clarify that a mental or physical incapacity must adversely affect the performance of the district attorney's (DA) or solicitor general's (SG) duties in order to be punishable.

Further, medical leaves of absence would only qualify as a ground for discipline if the absence, or the aggregate time of the absences, is at least 10 months or more in a 12-month period. The bill would clarify that decisions by the PAQC hearing panel are appealable to the superior court of the county or counties in which the DA or SG practices or practiced in, with the appeal using an arbitrary, capricious or abuse of discretion standard. That decision could be immediately appealed to the Supreme Court of Georgia.

Judicial and Courts legislation

We also took up a number of bills relating to our court system, including:

·      House Bill 884, which would increase the number of superior court judges in the Douglas Judicial Circuit from three to four. The fourth judge would be appointed for a term beginning July 1, 2024, continuing through December 31, 2026. Their successor would be elected at the nonpartisan judicial election in 2026;

·      House Bill 905, which would remove the authority for administrative officers and quasi-judicial officers to exercise zoning powers in specified circumstances. The bill would remove the authority for quasi-judicial boards or agencies to hear and render decisions on special administrative permits and conditional use permits;

·      House Bill 906, which would increase the number of superior court judges in the Tifton Judicial Circuit from two to three. The third judge would be appointed for a term beginning July 1, 2024, continuing through December 31, 2026. Their successor would be elected at the nonpartisan judicial election in 2026.

The Georgia House of Representatives will resume its legislative work on Tuesday, February 6 to begin our fifth week of session. The pace under the Gold Dome is surely picking up, and next week promises to be another busy week on Capitol Hill. As we continue working on the state budget, education improvements and other important policies, please stay tuned for legislative news and announcements. We will be working diligently to continue advancing a simple, smart and effective approach to government.

We hope you will take the opportunity to review updates like this throughout the session and reach out should you have any questions, concerns or feedback.