The Georgia State Senate was hard at work this week as we reached the halfway point of the 2023 Georgia Legislative Session. During the sixth week of session, I am happy to report that 17 pieces of legislation were passed on to the State House, from the State Senate for further consideration.

The Senate body carefully considered each bill presented this week, with a few measures of note. Senate Bill 68, sponsored by freshman Senator Rick Williams (R – Milledgeville), would include the offense of dogfighting as a racketeering activity under Georgia’s RICO statute. SB 68 aims to stop corrupt organizations and all those involved from participating in dogfighting. The act of dogfighting is a crime that should be harshly penalized in order to protect animals from harmful abuse in our state. This measure passed by substitute with a vote of 47 to 7 and has been sent to the House for deliberation.

In addition, Senate Bill 12, sponsored by my colleague Senator John Albers (R – Roswell), aims to give much needed criminal justice reform to the state by stopping the involvement of individuals in criminal street gangs. This legislation expands the punishment of a convicted felon who has possession of a firearm to five to ten years in prison. SB 12 also allows an individual’s record of certain crimes to prove their relationship to a street gang. This bill has the support of many public safety organizations across the state, and will be considered by the House in the coming days after passing the Senate with a vote of 44 to 8. Criminal justice reform is a top priority for Governor Brian Kemp, and I am proud to see the Senate making efforts to keep Georgians safe.

I have authored three bills so far this session that have been referred to their respective committees for consideration. Senate Bill 148, would update and modernize the nonprofit corporate code for the state to bring it more in line with the Model Nonprofit Corporation Act and the Georgia Business Corporation Code. I have worked closely with the State Bar to draft this legislation and look forward to presenting SB 148 before the Senate Committee on Judiciary in the coming days.

Further, Senate Bill 161 would ensure that local governments are protected from cyber-attacks directed at contractors and suppliers. This legislation requires certain provisions to be in place when establishing contracts between the two groups as discussions around service take place. Cyber security is of the utmost importance in this modern age, and it is imperative that governing entities are able to deter these malicious attacks to their infrastructure. SB 161 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Science and Technology for further consideration.

Finally, I have introduced Senate Bill 178, which would amend the “Macon Water Authority Act” established in 1992. This measure would provide a code of conduct for board members, officers, and employees within the reach of the Macon Water Authority. The goal of this legislation is to ensure that those who serve in these capacities are held to a higher standard to better serve middle Georgia. SB 178 has been referred to the Senate Committee on State and Local Governmental Operations and will be presented in the coming days.

In addition to the legislative work we have been conducting, the Georgia State Capitol was full of visitors and honorary groups from around the state this week. I was proud to welcome members of the Thomaston-Upson Chamber of Commerce to the Senate as they spent a day under the Gold Dome, advocating for economic development in Georgia. I look forward to welcoming more groups to the State Capitol during the second half of Session.

On Friday, I had the ability to spend the day in Senate District 18 to attend the Coca-Cola United groundbreaking ceremony for the bottling division in the heart of South Bibb County. This year, Coca-Cola announced that the warehouse expansion of 260,000 square feet will create 50 additional jobs on top of the 228 existing jobs at the plat currently. I was honored to stand beside Mayor Lester Miller, Vice President Crawford Jones and Macon Coca-Cola Sales Manager Eddie Cummins as we broke ground to better the livelihoods of middle Georgians.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office if you have any questions or concerns as my door is always open. It is an honor to continue to serve Georgia’s 18th district as the 2023 Legislative Session marches on.