Sen. Sam Watson

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a Senate study committee to investigate pharmacy benefits managers and their impact on prescription drug costs and consumer access. The committee will examine practices such as steering patients to affiliated pharmacies, drug price markups, and reimbursement manipulation that critics say harm patients and independent pharmacies. The committee consists of Senate committee chairs and appointed experts, and it will hold meetings, receive funding for its work, and submit a report with findings and potential legislative recommendations before being abolished on December 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryThis bill is a Senate resolution that formally recognizes and commends Austin Trott for completing a 10-year work anniversary with the Georgia State Senate. The document highlights his career progression from a senate aide in 2015 to his current role as deputy director of the Senate Budget and Evaluation Office, noting his academic background and contributions to legislative operations. The resolution authorizes the Secretary of the Senate to provide a copy of the document to Trott as an official acknowledgment of his service and leadership.

A RESOLUTION recognizing and commending Jennifer Boger for her distinguished career in public service and her time in the Georgia State Senate Budget and Evaluation Office; and for other purposes.

Maddy summaryThis bill is a Senate resolution that formally recognizes and commends Mrs. Angela W. Touhy for her long and distinguished service to the Georgia State Senate. It directly affects Mrs. Touhy by officially honoring her career, which includes over 35 years of public service in state administration and legislative support roles. The resolution highlights her contributions to the Senate Appropriations Committee and her continued work assisting the committee after retirement in 2022. The Senate authorized the Secretary to provide a copy of this resolution to Mrs. Touhy as a formal acknowledgment of her service.

A RESOLUTION urging the Department of Community Affairs to refrain from adopting the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code in order to protect housing affordability and maintain the current energy code framework of this state; and for other purposes.

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Part 1 of Article 3 of Chapter 11 of Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to wiretapping, eavesdropping, surveillance, and related offenses, so as to establish criminal offenses of virtual peeping; to prohibit the use of a generative artificial intelligence system to generate images of individuals with the knowledge that such generation was without authorization or consent; to provide for penalties; to provide for an exception; to provide for definitions; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date and applicability; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 5 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to government transparency and campaign finance, so as to prohibit candidates, campaign committees, independent committees, political action committees, and leadership committees from accepting contributions or donations from non-Georgia persons that exceed 50 percent of all contributions received; to provide definitions; to provide for the return of such excess contributions; to provide for the escheatment of excess contributions that are not returned; to provide for exceptions; to provide for injunctive relief; to prohibit and provide penalties for strawman transactions seeking to avoid the contribution cap provided herein; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Part 2 of Article 1 of Chapter 2 of Title 8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to state building, plumbing, and electrical codes, so as to provide for acknowledgment of an applicant's use of a private professional provider to conduct a plan review or inspection and that such review or inspection may proceed regardless of whether the local governing authority had performed its own plan review or inspection; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date and applicability; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

A RESOLUTION proposing an amendment to the Constitution so as to increase the maximum acreage to qualify for assessment and taxation as a bona fide conservation use property; to provide for related matters; to provide for the submission of this amendment for ratification or rejection; and for other purposes.

A RESOLUTION urging the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) to create a study committee for the purpose of making recommendations to the Senate with regard to how the State of Georgia can use advanced nuclear reactors to increase power generation and economic development in this state; and for other purposes.