Rules committee approves substitute to fentanyl-awareness resolution, places several bills on calendar

The Rules Committee on [date not specified in transcript] approved a rule substitute to House Resolution 1049 to recognize fentanyl awareness each October as part of Red Ribbon Week and placed several bills on the calendar for the next legislative day.

Members heard brief presentations from sponsors on a package of bills. Senator Kirkpatrick described Senate Bill 428 as “a department bill for DCH” that would authorize a waiver application to provide a package of medical benefits, including “intensive nurse case management” aimed at people who are very high utilizers of emergency departments and other costly care settings, with the goal of reaching people “falling through the cracks” and improving access to services.

A sponsoring senator described SB 399, identified in the transcript as the Mason Sales AED Coordination Act, using two constituent anecdotes to underscore the measure’s purpose. The sponsor said an AED being locked in a building prevented timely use in one case while in another case an AED used within three minutes revived a young person. The sponsor said the bill would coordinate AED locations with 911 services and include AED and CPR training so responders could locate devices more quickly on campuses and at other public sites.

Senator Watson presented SB 427 as the result of about three years of work with the composite medical board and stakeholders. According to the sponsor, the bill would create a supervised pathway for international medical graduates: four years of supervised service in rural or underserved areas followed by two additional years with reduced supervision, after which a license could be granted. The sponsor noted a drafting issue — a single missing word from committee — that would need an agreement if the bill reached the House floor.

Leader Hughley presented a substitution to House Resolution 1049 that changes a reference from “general assembly” to “the Georgia House of Representatives” and formally recognizes fentanyl awareness during Red Ribbon Week in October. A motion to approve the rule substitute was made, seconded and approved by the committee with no opposition recorded in the transcript.

The committee also set the calendar for Thursday, legislative day 31, beginning at 10:00 a.m., and moved several items onto that calendar. Senate Bill 177 was called and an objection was voiced, but the chair later stated that the bill “carries” and it was placed on the calendar; specific vote tallies were not recorded in the transcript. Senate Bill 220 and other items were also placed on the calendar by unanimous consent or voice motions as recorded.

The chair closed the meeting, announced the next rules meeting for Monday at 9 a.m., and dismissed the committee. The transcript does not provide vote tallies, committee roll calls, or an explicit meeting date; such details were not specified in the record provided.