Senate Rules Committee advances wide calendar for legislative day 34, recommits SB 552 to judiciary

The Georgia Senate Rules Committee approved a broad calendar for legislative day 34 and returned one item to committee, moving dozens of bills forward and scheduling additional work for the next day.

Under the modified-structure calendar the panel approved placing Senate Bill 216; SB 439; SB 444; SB 452; SB 470; SB 489; SB 553; and SB 570 on today’s calendar, and under structured rules added SB 285. Earlier in the meeting the committee voted to recommit Senate Bill 552 to the Judiciary Committee. The chair announced the motions by voice; no recorded roll-call tallies were provided.

Why it matters: advancing a bill to the calendar clears the way for floor consideration and debate; the items on this rules calendar cover a range of policy areas that could reach the Senate floor in the coming days, from health-care authorizations to public-safety rules and local government finance.

Several bills presented at the meeting had only brief presentations; the committee used voice action to place them on the calendar. The chair moved sequentially through the items and stated "It's on" for each with no recorded opposition. When members sought clarity about scheduling, the chair said agendas would be posted online.

Looking ahead, the committee set a calendar for the next legislative day and announced a rules meeting at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. The chair then adjourned the session.

The motion to recommit SB 552 was made, seconded and carried by voice vote; the chair announced the bill was returned to the Judiciary Committee. No named roll-call votes or individual yes/no records were given at the meeting.