Sen. Ben Watson

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Article 2 of Chapter 11 of Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to offenses against public order, so as to revise the offense of wearing a mask, hood, or device which conceals the identity of the wearer; to clarify application; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 9 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to civil practice, so as to provide for uniform laws governing mediation and participants in mediation; to provide for definitions; to provide for privileges against disclosure, admissibility, and discovery; to provide for waiver and preclusion of privilege; to provide for exceptions to privilege; to provide for confidentiality and mediator disclosure of conflicts; to provide for international commercial mediation and electronic signatures; to provide for uniformity of construction and severability; to provide for applicability; to provide a short title; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 12 of Title 19 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to name change, so as to provide that victims of human trafficking may petition for name change under seal; to provide for a definition; to provide for determination by the court; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 5 of Title 26 of the O.C.G.A., relating to drug abuse treatment and education programs, so as to prohibit patient brokering; to provide for definitions; to provide for exceptions; to provide for penalties; to provide for enforcement; to provide for venue; to provide for reasonable expenses; to provide for cumulative actions; to amend Chapter 1 of Title 33 of the O.C.G.A., relating to general provisions regarding insurance, so as to provide that excessive, fraudulent, or high-tech drug testing of certain individuals is considered a fraudulent insurance act; to provide for investigation by the Commissioner of Insurance; to provide for penalties; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 43 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to professions and businesses, so as to provide patient protection measures for patients undergoing sedation in certain settings; to provide for patients under conscious sedation in dental settings and for dental procedures in medispas; to provide for patients under varying levels of sedation in physician offices and medispas; to provide for definitions; to provide for rules and regulations; to provide for enforcement; to provide for statutory construction; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Article 33 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Act, so as to revise the prior school year requirement; to expand eligibility for students; to revise the basis for calculating scholarship amounts; to require annual parent surveys; to provide for a review procedure for scholarship calculations; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 34 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the "OneGeorgia Authority Act," so as to provide for a grant program to support border region retail and tourism projects; to provide for criteria; to provide for legislative findings; to provide for a definition; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 8 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to equipment and inspection of motor vehicles, so as to exempt fully autonomous vehicles from certain vehicle equipment requirements; to provide for compliance; to remove requirement for use of strobe light while operating a low-speed vehicle; to provide for means of operation of vehicle brakes and parking brakes; to revise exhaust system requirements; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 1 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions relative to state government, so as to provide that this state shall observe standard time year round until such time as Congress authorizes the states to observe daylight savings time; to provide for contingent effectiveness; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 4 of Title 20 of the O.C.G.A., relating to vocational, technical, and adult education, so as to provide for the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia to award high school diplomas; to provide for a pilot program by the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia to allow students who are 16 years of age or older, who have completed certain secondary school coursework requirements, and who have withdrawn from secondary school, to enroll in the Dual Achieve Program at a technical college of this state and achieve a high school diploma in conjunction with successful completion of the program; to amend Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the O.C.G.A., relating to elementary and secondary education; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.