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Courts, colleges come before lawmakers
Legislative update
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Day 6 (Monday, Jan. 23): After a long weekend, we’re back in session today. We got right to work debating two bills. HB46, the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act, will streamline discovery in cases involving out-of-state decisions by allowing depositions and discovery taken in other states to be admissible in Georgia courts. While HB46 passes easily, SB203, a bill that was passed by the Senate last year but had changes made by the House, didn’t make it through the Senate. The bill now will go back to the House, where members will either accept the bill as-is or disagree and have a conference committee appointed to work out the differences between the two chambers.
Day 7 (Tuesday, Jan. 24): We didn’t have any action items on the calendar during today’s session. Most of my day was taken up by committee meetings, including a higher education committee meeting during which we heard presentations from Dr. Lamar Veatch with the public libraries, Chancellor Hank Huckaby and Technical School Commissioner Ron Jackson, who made a presentation on the Complete College Georgia Plan.
The plan creates new forms of collaboration and accountability between the University System and Technical Colleges in our state to help increase the number of students in Georgia who complete college. 
Day 8 (Wednesday, Jan. 25): Today was very busy. I started with a meeting with representatives from The Living Vine, a Christian Maternity Home in Savannah that does outstanding work in our community.
We also recognized sheriffs from across the state who were at the Capitol today. Senators then joined the House for the State of the Judiciary address given by Chief Justice Carol Hunstein.
After meeting with the Community Bankers Association members, the afternoon was filled with committee meetings.
Day 9 (Thursday, Jan. 26): Today is Savannah-Chatham Day at the Capitol. We began the day with a meeting of the Chatham County legislative delegation where, we were joined by Mayor Edna Jackson and members of the Savannah City Council to review their legislative agenda for the year.
I also had the honor of speaking to the Georgia Alumni Association of Historically Black State Universities before Sen. Lester Jackson and I welcome the Class A state football champion Savannah Christian Red Raiders to the Senate.
Later that evening, everyone attended the annual Savannah-Chatham seafood fest, which is a great event and a wonderful asset for legislators representing this area to have.

Editor’s note: Carter, R-Pooler, provides periodic reports during the Legislative session, which began Jan. 9 and is expected to last until the latter days of March.

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