Most Georgia Republicans took a victory lap Friday as their legislation passed out of the Senate. Senate Bill 68 makes it harder for persons to file lawsuits. Governor Brian Kemp pushed tort reform during his State of the State Address in January. He promised to call a special session if Georgia’s General Assembly did not successfully get this passed by April 4th.
Kemp staked a lot of political capital on this issue. Although, he didn’t want to hear any of it during his press conference. He said he disagrees with some of them. But they went through the vetting process and his backers did too.
“I was very excited to see bipartisan support in the House and then the Senate,” Kemp said. “Regardless of the rhetoric that was going on around the bill and the tough politics around it. It shows that people were very thoughtful, and this is a big issue for our state.”
The Senate Bill passed largely along party lines, with the final margin being 34-21. Republican Colton Moore voted against it while Democratic Senators Ed Harbison of Columbus and Emanuel Jones of Decatur voted for it. One Senator decided to take a walk and not vote on the measure.
What is inside Senate Bill 68?
The legislation will overhaul the process of civil lawsuits in Georgia. For example, there will be limits on the monetary amounts of damages that can be awarded to plaintiffs. Even though the final version made concessions for sex trafficking victims (which was a nod to First Lady Marty Kemp’s anti-sex trafficking programs), the Legislation as written does not include survivors of child abuse, elder abuse, sexual abuse or violent crimes when they seek to sue places like abusive daycares or retirement homes.
House Speaker Jon Burns believes the overhaul will reign in big payouts from civil lawsuits. As a result, he says, such judgments are fueling high insurance premiums and suffocating businesses and doctors.
“From trucking companies, pharmacies, landscapers, medical professionals, grocers, loggers, the consensus has been overwhelmingly clear,” Burns told reporters Thursday.
What’s next?
Business groups have championed the legislation because they believe Georgia will no longer be a judicial hell hole. For example, the Georgia Chamber has pushed for tort reform for the last twenty years. Needless to say, they are pleased with final passage.
“The Georgia Chamber of Commerce and our tens of thousands of members across the state, applaud the Georgia State Senate and the Georgia House of Representatives for consistently voting in a bipartisan manner to pass SB 68, the first part of Governor Brian Kemp’s tort reform package. Securing passage of this meaningful piece of legislation could not have happened without the resolute commitment of our legislative leaders, in particular Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, Speaker of the House Jon Burns, and SB 68 bill sponsor Senator John F. Kennedy.”
The Governor is expected to sign the bill into law.
“But at the end of the day, we had to do what we felt was in the best interest for the Georgia businesses and Georgia consumers,” says Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. “When there’s people unhappy with it on both sides of the equation, you might have the right mixture for you.”
Also, Senate Bill 69, an accompanying bill, has yet to be voted on by the House Rules Subcommittee on Lawsuit Reform. It could receive a vote this week.