Sen. Ben Watson
Columnist
The General Assembly has completed 36 legislative days, leaving us with four days to finish the business of the Assembly and present legislation to Governor Brian Kemp for his signature or his veto. The biggest item left for the Senate is the negotiation and approval of the Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget, set to take effect July 1, 2025.
An important bill that has been much discussed in Georgia and other states is the removing of cellphones in schools. House Bill 340 will be debated in the Senate with its intention to remove the devices in all of Georgia’s public elementary and middle schools. The House of Representatives approved the measure two weeks ago amid rising frustration with social media and other distractions. Experts have testified in both House and Senate hearings about the impact of smartphones on student behavior, mental health, and academic performance.
One of the most important bills facing the General Assembly has passed the House and Senate and has been sent to the Governor’s signature. Senate Bill 68, the first of two tort reform bills, passed out of the Senate last week, clearing the General Assembly. This bill would address several aspects of tort reform, including but not limited to reevaluating premises liability, requiring a truthful calculation of damages in personal injury cases (thereby eliminating “phantom damages”), and allowing a jury to know whether a plaintiff was wearing his or her seatbelt in an auto accident. The bill also proposes changes seeking to amend other procedures to ensure a fairer legal environment. The House added language to exempt premises liability cases involving sex crimes, while also giving judges discretion to reject splitting trials in cases with damages below $150,000, as well as exempt those involving sex crime victims who “would be likely to suffer serious psychological or emotional distress” from testifying a second time, and to determine how seatbelt evidence can be used.
Another Senate Bill, S.B. 28, is making its way through the House of Representatives. S.B. 28 is designed to bring DOGE-like reforms to the red tape of government by eliminating or modifying state government rules that are burdensome or no longer relevant. Called the Red Tape Rollback Act, there are about 150,000 state agency rules on the books, and members of the Georgia General Assembly don’t believe that the various state agencies are going through their existing rules with a fine-tooth comb with an eye toward making life easier on Georgia citizens.
To help our very large military population, both active duty and retired, especially in Bryan, Chatham, and Liberty counties, the Senate sent the House H.B. 266. This legislation would eliminate the state income tax on military retirement benefits earned by Georgians. Current law allows retired service members under age 62 to exempt the first $17,500 in military retirement income from state income tax. Under HB 266, all income paid to an individual as military retirement benefits would be exempt from income tax in Georgia.
I will keep you updated on legislation affecting our community as we progress through the session. Thank you for your continued interest in the work of our General Assembly. As your public servant, feel free to visit me at the Capitol or to reach out by phone or email. I am in 325A Coverdell Legislative Office Building.
My office number is (404) 656-7880 and my email is ben.watson@senate. ga.gov. I look forward to continuing to serve you.
