[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6623632,"mediaKeyId","2769515-7c20b530be3d44183b559e4e0d0b137d","parentId",2769515,"title","Committee backs tougher fentanyl trafficking penalties; advocates urge treatment-first approach","audioSeconds",1737,"startMs",10568000,"endMs",12305000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2769515-7c20b530be3d44183b559e4e0d0b137d&start=10568&end=12305","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2769515-7c20b530be3d44183b559e4e0d0b137d/thumbnail_10568000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6623632/Georgia/Committee-backs-tougher-fentanyl-trafficking-penalties-advocates-urge-treatment-first-approach","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6623632-7ba779cbf869d35ead30d294a2b53aba/orig.mp4?Expires=1771145313&Signature=jwUfPzykh7gDo47h7ma-DRGgxCTk0Ovw~n9Aqf3G~OPor5uKj-1e-MqsMxFTyixbSE5GNSu4lvM6cuJv4~QNYMwf6CMOdJQmm8a9eh0FwUYvdlMQAyS0al2usxTrr85wVg4NIRJ7Bs5J1oRhBBNFwWg2Zrgt9-7uMKydHLOFIuOZHW218Q2~wKxWuBheZ1oqK9L6gz5J~xxTrp-N7ueiLtME3ApGfIB3ZZo1rKA~P2pfKVY3vjrZwiz-dWhTbuGGFnkekr--kiTU1qr7bigwZrtov4CjRdK9ncZQbNyyxtaWodRURBA7rk6oSBgGLzmyhKWwghtfkVgzHmovh3W-yw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","State of Georgia ","date","2025-03-25T23:15:41.223Z","article","Senate Bill 79, introduced as the Fentanyl Eradication and Removal Act, would create a fentanyl-specific schedule of offenses and impose higher mandatory minimum sentences and fines for trafficking by quantity. Senator Goodman, presenting the bill, emphasized the drug’s lethality and the large potential harm represented by small weights. \"One kilogram of fentanyl has potential to kill a half a million people,\" he told the committee, citing DEA data.

Victim advocates and families gave emotional testimony. Beth Walters, whose son Austin died after taking a counterfeit pill, urged the legislature to impose tougher penalties on traffickers. \"Fentanyl ... is a mass poisoning, a silent slaughter,\" she said, describing how dealers distribute counterfeit pills.

Prosecutors and law-enforcement witnesses supported separate, higher penalties for fentanyl and said current statutes do not explicitly name fentanyl or fentanyl analogs in trafficking sections. Cherokee and Cobb prosecutors said the bill corrects a statutory ambiguity and aligns sentencing with the drug’s exceptional lethality.

Defense and recovery advocates urged caution. Several speakers — including peer-recovery program directors and formerly incarcerated people now in recovery — argued the measure would sweep users into trafficking sentences when they had unknowingly ingested fentanyl. They asked for preserved discretion for judges and expanded treatment options. \"People do not recover in prison,\" said one witness who described losing family members to overdose.

Committee members accepted a sponsor amendment that struck one subsection related to possession thresholds and then voted to report the bill to Rules. Representative Panich offered an amendment earlier in the hearing to remove section 1–2; the committee adopted that amendment. The committee chair said the substantive trafficking provisions were the heart of the bill and should remain for legislative consideration.

Outcome: Senate Bill 79 was reported favorably to the Rules Committee as amended; the committee adopted the Panich amendment to strike a specified subsection and advanced the trafficking penalties and quantities in the substitute.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Judiciary Non-Civil 03.25.25","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 79 would create fentanyl-specific criminal penalties and higher mandatory minimums for trafficking by quantity; the committee adopted a sponsor amendment and advanced the bill after emotional testimony from victims’ families and law-enforcement officials.","taxTitle","Judiciary, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Georgia","taxId",17225,"location","Georgia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6623636,"Public libraries warn proposed removal of criminal-exemption could chill collections and affect dual-enrollment students",3469,7160000,10629000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2769515-7c20b530be3d44183b559e4e0d0b137d&start=7160&end=10629","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2769515-7c20b530be3d44183b559e4e0d0b137d/thumbnail_7160000.jpg","/articles/6623636/Georgia/Public-libraries-warn-proposed-removal-of-criminal-exemption-could-chill-collections-and-affect-dual-enrollment-students","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6623636-c4ff28994288259431af8d05d37a1bfe/orig.mp4?Expires=1771145313&Signature=G42uGef8TjMGbD01EDKPtumCH~2EJSivehZ9TlcHrKL7Stv59ClQ8DhGyKF8KeGSMfz8vLmxrecRniz-etvWhDkYwbG-Y6NOK2ZSu5pfxRa81FtVAwFFyHBFGv1j35bslGM1ifkLRI7K9SR1rpB6HHmm~F2iWaZ79z4KiCGCtMh~YvRP2UXwutp6n7nR~D4JT~GfiVu8~hZjQ5dT9CU9EfpmL5rmTn-nRgb6d45pVRTN6fl6i~qfkI1DP8VGu3lOQIXGXwxZPa6MiyCiLZFORDJYMMXXM~mXMmnQ0bGAFtXuBtJMllX0PlYTSa45jeTZMJfn7M5CSO-7palme0mq1A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Burns presented Senate Bill 74, which would change an existing statutory exemption that currently limits criminal liability for librarians who make collection decisions. The sponsor described the substitute as a targeted approach that specifies when the exemption would not apply.

Librarians, trustees, library associations and First Amendment advocates urged the committee to reject the bill or narrow it further. Steven Hauser of the West Georgia Regional Library System told members that the substitute could effectively bar under-18 dual-enrollment students from college and university libraries because academic collections do not typically have separate children's sections. \"This bill would severely impact Georgia's dual enrollment students,\" Hauser said.

Testimony from library directors and trustees said libraries already follow selection and challenge procedures and that the proposed language would impose an impossible compliance burden. Catherine Palatsky, director of the Henry County Library System, said librarians follow rigorous selection policies and that parents already retain primary discretion over what their children read. \"The parent has full discretion,\" she told the committee.

Free-speech advocates warned of constitutional and practical problems. Nora Benavides of Free Press cited a federal court decision in Arkansas that struck down similar provisions as overly broad; the witness urged the panel not to expose library staff to criminal penalties.

Public comment included library trustees, Friends-of-the-Library members and parents who said criminal liability for collection decisions would chill materials, threaten staffing and reduce access for underserved communities. Supporters of a stricter law argued the change is needed to keep sexually explicit or objectively harmful materials away from minors.

Outcome of the hearing: the bill’s substitute was discussed at length and multiple witnesses asked for revisions; at the close of testimony the committee did not vote on the bill and treated it as a hearing item for further consideration.","Witnesses from regional, public and academic libraries urged the Judiciary Committee to reject Senate Bill 74 or substantially narrow it, saying removal of a decades-old library exemption would expose staff to criminal liability and curtail access for students and underserved patrons.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6623640,"Committee advances doxxing bill after partisan debate over First Amendment risks",1876,2864000,4740000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2769515-7c20b530be3d44183b559e4e0d0b137d&start=2864&end=4740","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2769515-7c20b530be3d44183b559e4e0d0b137d/thumbnail_2864000.jpg","/articles/6623640/Georgia/Committee-advances-doxxing-bill-after-partisan-debate-over-First-Amendment-risks","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6623640-62af91c330178c1c7e68401b62834172/orig.mp4?Expires=1771145313&Signature=jPAoacxHBKWZwTOBnvqz2TdwBh30OOBzjOefBZtQ4OkWXkNXBWwwUnXQuqrRfFHxPOTT4A0rSyt8yqDhdqCSoIAcA5u0z7b18nSCTkhU4itucI6GJNPxVO9HuSD1tm5WTn50P3kAonB6YVPGGM88dLuNUtyk2u9oNZC1AdwvY~KUeYeJqzLSH2Vdd8fgqgrYHZIhg~eHwtUEXw3pUcKhyoHXNrAuxUCDQPoM1SykcwhiuCnktDaDc3MPqWkHWV8wAWaUek7V1RE1y5bzcnCSreMtFOy9ou3Um9x9Oax6DzHdnIL0WdR1AxMoQ88kJGzwOvpOdp90QVtJu7dS~A~IEQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Albers, sponsor of Senate Bill 27, told the committee the bill creates a graded offense for the practice commonly known as doxxing and is designed to focus protections on victims rather than restrict lawful speech. \"Doxxing has become a major issue in our state and across our nation,\" Albers said. He said the bill uses an escalating penalty structure: misdemeanor for a first offense and felony penalties for repeated or aggravated conduct.

Opponents and civil- liberties groups urged caution. Lauren Collins, an attorney speaking in opposition, told the committee the draft criminalizes dissemination of even public information and lacks adequate defenses for truthful reporting. \"This law does not recognize truth as a defense,\" Collins said, warning of a chilling effect on investigative reporting and consumer fraud exposures.

The Georgia First Amendment Foundation and the Anti-Defamation League both testified and urged narrower language. Sarah Bruton Palmer of the First Amendment Foundation said the misdemeanor standard of ‘‘reckless disregard’’ in the draft is too low and could sweep in legitimate reporting. The Anti-Defamation League's witness argued the substitute tightened the bill and relied on recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent on threats and speech.

Discussion at the hearing ranged from whether the bill covers material created by artificial intelligence to whether media outlets would be vulnerable to prosecution for publishing alleged personally identifiable information. Several committee members pressed staff on carve-outs for reporting and for when published information is already public.

Chairman Gullett offered and the committee accepted a technical amendment clarifying that posting a property address on real-estate or mapping platforms is not, by itself, personally identifiable information under the section when the address is not tied to the owner or occupant. The committee then voted to advance Senate Bill 27 with that amendment to the Rules Committee.

What happened next: After extended debate and a targeted amendment addressing mapping and real-estate displays, the committee reported Senate Bill 27 favorably to the Rules calendar.","Senate Bill 27 to criminalize doxxing passed out of the Judiciary Committee with a technical amendment after hours of debate over free speech, scope, and the statute's mental-state standard.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6623645,"Georgia committee advances bill to criminalize cockfighting after witnesses cite linked crime",3009,1127000,4136000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2769515-7c20b530be3d44183b559e4e0d0b137d&start=1127&end=4136","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2769515-7c20b530be3d44183b559e4e0d0b137d/thumbnail_1127000.jpg","/articles/6623645/Georgia/Georgia-committee-advances-bill-to-criminalize-cockfighting-after-witnesses-cite-linked-crime","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6623645-32b6b89eddfa097581859f91d7933545/orig.mp4?Expires=1771145313&Signature=etW4MS74dpRO2Q9meXbBg5zDt6Cn8IE7Tw5dEy4IqpTlmc97BomA~Qq2b~MBXIDUKZA2ayK1ov5Rew0n~YvEIV41dtOtPwf4Favg-xO6H77OmJ~Yi53rO9rlfVRl-pQzKSdqAYwwuvK3LSzE-1fomnFg5ijFr0hVI9nh5OMP1H7l97TXq8mZzroOmr9SKx0oCKudu6GfBI2HS6nWzOWY9oCyrStUK1NEDrAnPgBfshDef2gy-WtqLrvUtJ1ynI8Eg2q2IlFXNz2SlOZSk6c8UDWpf2M8aqvlCUmKsQLc9ZEqi5UIHZWQGvwTE0nEZUjTK~fNvaUreHAY7DkDrmDZeA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Robertson, sponsor of Senate Bill 102, told the House Judiciary Committee that the measure would ban cockfighting and bring Georgia into line with federal law and nearly every other state. \"In The United States Of America today ... the fighting of roosters, was made a violation of federal law,\" he said as he introduced the bill.

The committee heard roughly two hours of testimony from prosecutors, federal agents, and law-enforcement officials who said cockfighting events had become sites for broader criminal activity. Jessica Rock, the statewide animal crimes resource prosecutor, told the panel the bill is narrowly targeted and contains an explicit exemption for birds kept for legitimate shows and competitions. \"It is not about prosecuting people who are simply possessing or simply breeding or simply showing Gamecocks or roosters,\" Rock said.

Doug Bridges, a special agent with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, described federal investigations that uncovered large, organized cockfighting operations. He cited a 2020 raid on a barn that reportedly held more than 200 attendees, stadium seating and active cockpit rings. The agent said undercover investigators purchased membership cards to gain entry and that cockfighting events often drew participants across state lines.

Local law-enforcement witnesses described the criminal collateral the bill targets. Mike Perkins, a retired police officer, said cockfighting sites are typically associated with gambling, weapons and drug offenses and argued they bring a criminal element into communities.

Supporters framed the measure as a law-enforcement and child-safety tool. Mike Griffin of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board asked legislators to consider the bill because events frequently exposed minors to gambling and other illicit activity.

Opponents did not have substantive testimony recorded in the hearing record on the bill; committee members asked sponsors and witnesses about practical enforcement — for example, how officers would distinguish lawful breeders from organizers — and witnesses replied that the statute is focused on intent and organized events rather than mere ownership.

After witnesses finished, Representative Panich moved the committee to report the bill favorably. The committee voted to advance Senate Bill 102 to the Rules Committee.

What happened next: Senate Bill 102 was approved by the House Judiciary Committee and sent to the Rules Committee for further consideration.","The House Judiciary committee voted to advance Senate Bill 102 to the Rules Committee after testimony from prosecutors, federal agents and local law enforcement describing cockfights as a locus for gambling, drugs and other crimes.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6623627,"Committee advances substitute changing preemption penalties and grand-jury accusation rules after heated debate",1856,5174000,7030000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2769515-7c20b530be3d44183b559e4e0d0b137d&start=5174&end=7030","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2769515-7c20b530be3d44183b559e4e0d0b137d/thumbnail_5174000.jpg","/articles/6623627/Georgia/Committee-advances-substitute-changing-preemption-penalties-and-grand-jury-accusation-rules-after-heated-debate","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6623627-b08655fd44b412e5b45d8e53fbada692/orig.mp4?Expires=1771145313&Signature=omiOvUhEiibHhSdO9gJpeeNNSaiirUFDEz4kiZcjv5Jf5AJ~FKendEGyBhCMK1ArDzVrqXsEQV-0my1EQELeODsqAISKlA9ERdqfLvEI9zxnpWsGYbkgx4ec6WCVdPh5FCJMP3l46XBU1fhGuBH69wmGJCiLXVTxVmXVQEO068KWSipbMVPqtxYQbaS4ZyPxHvGZrRzjG-wu1~dnxGRMcBeeNXcCO4UqlPJVkNPvSHOUlhTgUL79Zli-tXIXnNnirabJXkeg8LNrY6up-bZqxbHnYIT6AH6U8jEKfENcT0G0jSkK0CBWVntAydFmAEAkkQDIR1j2lkgJp8Og7gLwoQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Chairman Powell presented a committee substitute to Senate Bill 204 that combines two policy areas: (1) expanded state preemption and higher monetary penalties for local governmental ordinances that conflict with state gun law; and (2) a change to when prosecutors may prefer accusations (use an accusation charging process) rather than indictments in certain non-violent felony and lower-level matters.

The preemption portion would increase penalties on a local government that attempts to enact firearm regulations inconsistent with state law. The sponsor said the aim is to preserve uniform statewide rules for weapons and to avoid a patchwork of municipal ordinances. The original Senate version carried a $50,000 penalty; the committee sub reduced that to $25,000.

The substitute also revises parts of the criminal charging process by allowing accusations in more cases under defined circumstances, while excluding the most serious violent felonies and other enumerated offenses. Supporters argued the accused-charging change would reduce burdens on small counties and conserve law-enforcement and prosecutorial resources; assistant district attorneys and local prosecutors told the committee that regularly presenting routine cases to grand juries requires overtime, subpoenas and travel expenses.

Opponents — including several district attorneys and public defenders — warned the changes would cut an important constitutional protection: the grand jury's role as an independent probable-cause check. Critics argued that narrowing grand-jury presentation for specific crimes would diminish oversight and reduce community input.

The committee considered a motion to table the substitute, which failed. The committee later voted to report the substitute favorably; committee leaders said they would obtain the necessary signatures to move it to Rules. The chair characterized the substitute as a compromise intended to keep more serious offenses subject to grand-jury indictment while permitting prosecutorial accusation in limited cases to ease workload pressures on small counties.","A multi-part substitute to Senate Bill 204 that raises penalties for local preemption of state firearms law and alters certain grand-jury/accusation procedures moved out of committee after debate and a failed motion to table.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee backs tougher fentanyl trafficking penalties; advocates urge treatment-first approach

Public libraries warn proposed removal of criminal-exemption could chill collections and affect dual-enrollment students

Committee advances doxxing bill after partisan debate over First Amendment risks

Georgia committee advances bill to criminalize cockfighting after witnesses cite linked crime

Committee advances substitute changing preemption penalties and grand-jury accusation rules after heated debate