Rules Calendar Committee advances three bills to the floor, including elections and unclaimed-property measures

The Rules Calendar Committee met Feb. 4 and advanced three bills to the Senate floor by unanimous voice vote: Senate Bill 239, Senate Bill 403 and House Bill 414.

Senate Bill 239 was discussed briefly; the chair noted the bill had been on the floor and was pulled to consider an amendment. Senate Bill 403, a Department of Revenue agency bill, was described by Senator Kirkpatrick as an effort to expedite return of unclaimed property estimated in the transcript at roughly $3.3 billion. House Bill 414, introduced by Representative Jones, would add a long-arm provision to Georgia's elections law so out-of-state participants face the same filings and disclosures as in-state actors, while the sponsor said it would not expand the ethics commission's statutory powers.

Other items placed on the calendar and described to the committee included Senate Bill 384, which Senator Hatchett said would give Georgians the option to buy a five-year motor vehicle tag rather than renewing annually, and Senate Bill 411, presented by Chairman Steele, which addresses dry needling and reflects months of stakeholder hearings. Senate Bill 146 was listed as relating to protection of cemeteries and burial grounds.

The committee's voice vote to advance the three bills was recorded as unanimous; no roll-call tallies were provided in the committee transcript. The meeting adjourned after the motion carried.