On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, my legislative colleagues and I returned to the Gold Dome for Legislative Day 32, ready to resume our work on behalf of the people we serve. With only a few legislative days remaining in this year’s session, we are fully focused on advancing meaningful legislation that will deliver real results for our communities and our state. With just two weeks remaining until Sine Die on Friday, April 4th, I want to highlight some important measures we addressed during the 10th week of the 2025 legislative session.
The House passed Senate Bill 68, a measure that would revise several areas of civil law, including motor vehicle and tort laws. Under SB 68, the recovery of attorney’s fees would be restricted, and the admissibility of seatbelt evidence would be updated. The bill would create a new framework for claims related to negligent security, limiting property owners’ liability in certain situations. SB 68 would also change how medical expense damages are calculated and allow for bifurcated trials. Here are some of the highlights:
- Limit arguments on noneconomic damages—such as non-monetary losses resulting from an accident or harm—by prohibiting attorneys from discussing these damages in the closing argument unless they were already addressed in the opening argument
- Attorneys would not be permitted to discuss a different value for noneconomic damages in the closing argument than what was presented in the opening argument
- Require courts to rule on a motion to dismiss within 90 days after the conclusion of the briefings on that motion. If the court does not issue a ruling within this 90-day period, a party would be able to file a motion to terminate or modify the case
- Amend current state law to allow a party to file a written notice of dismissal at any time before the 60th day after the opposing party serves an answer. SB 68 would also specify that a property owner or occupier could be held liable for poor security if the plaintiff proves that prior incidents of similar wrongful conduct by a third person led to an injury
- Includes provisions for cases where the plaintiff has been injured by an alleged sexual offense. Provisions would allow a court to reject a decision made by any party to divide the plaintiff’s case into two phases for liability and damages, also known as a bifurcated proceeding, if the plaintiff is likely to experience psychological or emotional distress from testifying twice in a bifurcated proceeding
Other bills the House passed last week:
The Dignity and Pay Act, bipartisan legislation which would prohibit the Georgia Department of Labor from offering exemptions to minimum wage laws for individuals with disabilities. Senate Bill 55 would further prohibit employers from utilizing certificates issued by the U.S. Department of Labor that allow companies to pay individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities below the minimum wage.
SB 109 would prevent group life insurance policies in our state from excluding or limiting liability for the death of an insured active-duty service member, unless the death is directly or indirectly caused by war or a related act or hazard.
The House gave final passage to Senate Bill 58, the Georgia Transporting Life-Saving Organs and Personnel Act, which would allow for the licensing and operation of emergency organ transport vehicles as ambulance services to transport necessary personnel, organs, tissue or medical supplies to a time-critical organ transplant procedure.
My House colleagues and I will return to the State Capitol on Tuesday, March 25th for the 11th week of the 2025 legislative session. We are in the final stages of advancing legislation that could soon become law. I encourage you to stay engaged and keep track of the legislation that affects our community and your family.
