You guys are just wonderful.

You're.

You're the best body that I've ever served in.

I've served in a couple school board and the council type stuff.

That's tough.

But this is really a step up to show your show your ability to live with others, to work with others.

And that is just a great thing to do.

And I'm just totally honored.

This has been the greatest honor of my life.

Senator Ed Harbison announcing he doesn't plan to run for office again after spending 53 years under the Gold Dome.

Good evening and welcome to Lawmakers.

On day 27 of the Georgia Legislative session.

I'm Donna Lowry in Atlanta on the show.

My interview with Senator Harbison, where he reflects on his half century at the Capitol, what he'll miss and how he's likely to feel on the last day of the legislative session.

We'll also learn more about legislation involving shrimp, forestry, surprise billing and the turkey stamp, plus the new best dressed Lawmakers list comes out this week.

We get a preview from journalist Maya Prabhu on her very, very popular list.

But first, let's head over to the Capitol, where our Sarah Kallis has the latest from today's proceedings.

Hi Donna, the Senate has already adjourned for the night, but it's looking like another late night in the House as lawmakers continue to pass as many bills as possible before the Crossover Day deadline, the House got to work quickly, passing bills as crossover day looms.

One bill aims to encourage human trafficking and sexual abuse victims to come forward with accusations, even if they had signed a non-disclosure agreement.

House Bill 11 87 or Trey Rhodes law was requested by First Lady Marty Kemp.

This bill is named after Trey Carlock.

He attended a summer camp where a lot of our Georgia children attended, and he was sexually abused at that summer camp.

He ended up enduring his civil settlement, entered into a non-disclosure agreement.

He was unable to speak about his abuse.

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

He was unable to speak about his abuse or get help for his abuse, and eventually ended up taking his life.

We want to make sure that that our survivors have a voice.

The bill passed unanimously.

After lunch, the house took up a contentious bill.

House Bill 295 would allow property owners to sue local governments if their property value goes down.

When local governments don't enforce Georgia's sanctuary city laws or public nuisance laws.

Put simply, if a local government refuses to do its job, we're going to hit that local government in the pocketbook and put the money back in the hands of the property owners who have been harmed.

This bill applies when a local government adopts a policy of declining to enforce laws against illegal public camping, loitering, obstructing public thoroughfares, panhandling, drug possession, shoplifting or public intoxication, urination on private property.

It also applies when local governments fail to uphold Georgia's prohibition on sanctuary policies, or refuses to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, as required under state law.

Property owners could sue for the reduction in their property value or the mitigation costs.

Nuisances listed in the bill include public camping, panhandling, loitering, and public intoxication and urination on private property.

Democrats oppose the bill and said it overstepped on local control and did not provide any real solution for homelessness in cities.

Accountability without resources is not accountability, it is punishment.

Local governments already have the authority to enforce laws.

What they often lack are shelter beds, treatment options and funding.

This bill does not provide any of those things.

It simply adds the threat of litigation.

If a city or county chooses outreach, delay or harm reduction over immediate enforcement.

HB 295 passed 98-75 along party lines.

The House also passed a bill that will enable pharmacists to prescribe contraceptives.

160 2-4 The Senate started off with a bang.

A Senator Nabilah Islam Parkes, a muslim and Democrat, used her time during the point of personal privilege to commemorate Shia muslims visiting the Capitol and Ramadan.

She also called out Republican Senator Greg Dolezal for a video he posted on his X account yesterday, advocating to keep Georgia Sharia law free.

Two Senator of the 27th I am your colleague and I have never tried to blow you up.

That is what his video suggested.

The Muslim Americans are dangerous and that we were reduced to caricatures.

It was a disgusting, hateful, racist video and I am outraged that he had the audacity to introduce this video.

This video needs to be taken down and he needs to apologize.

He should be ashamed of stooping so low.

We should not be spreading fear and hatred about our fellow citizens, and we should be building a better Georgia where we all belong.

The Senate's other sitting Muslim was also not happy.

I'm really outraged.

That should not have happened.

I respect you all.

I know you respect me, so please take that video of.

Dolezal who is running for lieutenant governor, didn't respond to the criticism while in chamber.

The Senate then got down to business debating 29 pieces of legislation on the calendar like SB 552, which enacts the true patriotism and Universal Student Access Act.

The bill creates guidelines to protect and expand student political expression and organization in public schools.

True patriotism, Universal Student Access Act is inspired by Charlie Kirk's brave efforts to bring both the Word of God and the truth of conservative values to school campuses across America through open discussion and debate in public forums, public school students in Georgia must be permitted to engage in political activities and expression before, during, and after the school day in the same manner and to the same extent.

The students may engage in nonpolitical activities and expression.

An amendment by Democratic Senator RaShaun Kemp would have provided students an excused absence from school to participate in a political event of their choice.

That's my goal, is to allow any student whatsoever their beliefs, to have the opportunity to speak out and engage in civic discourse, and also protecting them.

Should a school leader not agree with what they're trying to do.

While the amendment failed, the bill was passed overwhelmingly, 46-7 Lawmakers will be back on Friday for Crossover Day, the last day that a bill can cross from one chamber to the other.

That's my Capitol report, Donna.

Thanks, Sarah.

The Georgia House is still meeting at this hour.

They're on a break.

They have been meeting since ten this morning.

Why the long days?

Crossover day is Friday when a bill must pass out of one of the chambers to cross over to the other and have the chance of becoming law.

It means there's a frantic push to get as much legislation passed this week as possible.

Now, joining us from the Capitol Live are two members of the House who are working late, and one of them is Republican Representative Jesse Petri of Savannah.

He is chairman of the Human Relations Aging Committee.

He's also on appropriations and secretary of game, Fish and Parks.

Thanks so much for coming on the show.

Hey, Donna, thank you for having me here.

Sorry we couldn't be with you in person, but we're working late tonight as you just described.

I understand, so let's talk about one of your bills that we've talked about on this show.

Your bill requiring food service establishments to clearly label imported shrimp that is still active.

For those not familiar with it, tell us about it.

Yes, ma'am.

So, Donna House Bill 117 frankly, just simply requires that menus and restaurants all across the state clearly label shrimp when they're imported.

We've had a multitude of problems with imported shrimp, with the with the safety of imported shrimp.

In this country, there's a clear distinction between domestic shrimp and those shrimp that are imported.

And pond raised.

Typically in China and India.

And so that bill is passed.

It is passed in the Senate and the House and now is with the governor waiting signature.

Yeah.

It took a while to get to that point.

I know it passed in the House last year.

I know you feel really good about it.

What response are you getting from people, especially restaurant owners?

Well, tremendous response from the people at large.

And I think from Food Services as well, what we're seeing and what is most important to me is that our shrimpers on the Georgia coast, who've almost who've been decimated by the loss of their industry due to unfair trade practices with foreign imports, they are thriving like they haven't in 20 years.

And so people are reaching out.

They're buying the whole conversation about the safety of domestic shrimp, the quality of domestic shrimp, and the lack of quality with imports has caused people to reach out.

They're asking for more domestic shrimp, they're buying more domestic and Georgia wild shrimp and restaurants are doing the same thing.

And so that's the response I'm getting.

It's great for consumers.

It's a simple transparency bill to let consumers know what they're consuming.

And I think it will be promptly signed by the governor.

And, and be law very soon.

All right.

Thank you for that.

I do want to talk to you about another bill.

And you have you want to stabilize Georgia's timber market with HB 1085?

Tell us about it.

Yes, ma'am.

So HB 1085, which I call the Keep Georgia Forested Act, is a measure that we hope will save a real catastrophic turn of events we've had in Georgia.

So Georgia is the number 1 state in the country for timber and for pulp.

Two thirds of Georgia is forested.

And the reason two thirds of Georgia's forested is because we have a market for wood in this state.

And so what we've seen is about 14 mill closures in the last less than two years.

It's been rather catastrophic to industries across this state.

Huge losses of employment.

And I will remind you that we do about $60 billion a year in the wood industry.

It is our number 1 industry in agriculture.

And agriculture is the number 1 industry in Georgia.

So this is a huge issue.

What we do with House Bill 1058 is very simply this.

We take existing tax credits for hiring new employees and tax credits for investment and new infrastructure.

And we and we make them transferable.

We did that with the film.

The film credits for the film industry.

And that's how we exponentially grew the film industry in Georgia.

So when we make those tax credits transferable, industry can immediately monetize them.

And and it it is like a quick start to investment.

And so we want to get more forestry manufacturing in Georgia.

This bill is expressly for forestry manufacturing.

So whether it's pulp or paper wood pellets, chips, small you know whether it's sawmills, wood floors, it doesn't matter or a lot of new innovative industries.

Listen, we want to start doing biofuel.

We want to start making biofuels in Georgia.

We want to do mass timber for construction.

There's a multitude of new things as well.

We can incentivize those industries to move to Georgia with these transferable tax credits.

We believe it's going to be a game changer.

And in our research, as I studied on this bill, this is the number 1 issue.

Industry kept coming back to.

This is what we need to make an investment.

Georgia is the wood basket of the country, and we have the supply.

We've just got to stimulate the demand.

And right now, other states that have better deals are taking some of those new mills.

We can have them here in this effort, I think is going to allow us to do that.

Okay.

Well, we're going to keep up with that.

Bill.

And I heard those bells.

So I want to thank you, Chairman Petri, for coming on the show today.

I know you've got to get back into the house.

Thanks so much.

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you.

Donna, I'll get back to voting.

Yes.

Now to something else at the Capitol today.

This morning, members of the Senate received a surprise when Senator Ed Harbison announced his retirement.

He's known as the dean of the Senate.

He was first elected in 1973.

I talked to Senator Harbison this afternoon, and I asked him what led to his big decision, what led to your big decision today?

You know how it works like that.

You think all of a sudden something hits you like out of the blue?

And I said, you know what?

I think I'll make my exit right from this area to the next big exposure I got coming by way of God.

Whatever God has for me, I'm ready for it.

But so it wasn't something I thought about over and over again.

But, you know, every qualifying, every qualifying year, you think, well, maybe this year I should leave or think I'm going to leave, but then you.

Well, somebody said, we really need you to do this.

So it's another task, another hill to climb, another mountain to conquer.

So this time I said, no, I'm going around the mountain this time.

How is this place different?

Yeah, it has changed number 1.

Of course it is now Republicans.

When I came, it was Democrats.

Zell Miller was the governor.

And when I'm leaving, it's the governor Republican now, good friend.

He's a nice guy, good guy.

But I'm just saying, over the years, you see people come and go, but you never think, but why am I staying here so long?

But I enjoy helping people.

I enjoy serving people.

And if you lose sight of that, I think you don't need to be here.

You shouldn't be here.

Because if it's to make money, you out of your league.

Because there's none to be had in that context.

But you help people to make laws, and you're part of a history that will never change.

So I've enjoyed that aspect of it.

It's just wonderful.

Got wonderful people you're serving with, and you got most people come up here with a focus to do a job for the constituency that they were elected to do, and that's what they do.

Whether you agree with it or you don't agree with them.

So I try to keep that in mind and understand you got to give some and take some in order to be someone who makes a difference.

What are you most proud of?

I'm most proud of all of the veterans I've helped.

I helped get a lot of veterans.

Bill for men, women, families, veterans.

Tag the Purple Heart tag, making it easier for children to transfer from one state to the other.

If they're military, they can let the records catch up later.

Those kinds of bills that I was proud of passing, not by myself.

Because you don't pass any bill by yourself.

People understand that.

But I was the lead sponsor on that, so I'm happy about those kinds of laws.

And so what will you do with your time now?

Everything I can, everything I can be enjoyable.

Enjoy the fact that I'll be still productive working the areas I think I can perhaps do a little marketing, maybe TV or radio, something like that, that will sort of keep you engaged.

But wherever I can be effective, that's where you'll find me.

Got to ask about signing day this year.

What do you think you'll be feeling?

Oh, I will be feeling probably a little reflective and a little regret about.

Oh, well, I won't be walking these halls again, but at the same time, they'll have new digs to go through and that kind of thing.

So this will always be 328 will always be my home.

So I'm good to go.

I'm good to go.

Leave it or hold it forever in your heart.

You're good to go.

You know.

There were a few tears shed by members of the Senate after his announcement.

We wish Senator Harbison the best on his next journey, and I thank him for that interview.

Well, let's head back to the Capitol.

I'm now joined by Republican Representative Trey Kelley of Cedartown.

He's vice chair of both the Health and Ways and Means Committees.

Representative Kelly, thank you for joining us.

Thanks.

It's great to be with you tonight.

Donna.

Sorry we couldn't be in person, but there's work still to be done for the citizens of Georgia.

Okay.

Let's talk about some of that work.

You have a bill that would essentially help manage and control the wild turkey population in Georgia.

Tell us about that.

Well, thank you, Donna.

You know, this is an issue that was brought to me by several of my constituents who are turkey hunting.

Enthusiasts.

And we've seen our turkey population in Georgia decline over the last few years.

And we're simply trying to put forth several methods which will help raise money for Turkey conservation, while also helping us collect more reliable data as it relates to our turkey hunters across our state.

So it is some kind of stamp that people will get a way to raise money.

It's a two part process, not a one.

We're separating out the turkey permit from our traditional big game permit, which is our deer and other animals around our state.

And so by separating the turkey permit, that allows us to know how many turkey hunters actually exist in Georgia, but also we have created a commemorative stamp that will be updated every year.

And the funds raised from selling that stamp will be used for Turkey conservation efforts.

Okay.

Well, you also have legislation called the Surprise Billing Consumer Protection Act.

What's behind that?

You know, one thing I've heard from our doctors and health care providers across our state is after they graduate from medical school, after they passed their boards, the hardest thing that stands in the way between them and delivering care to patients is getting credentialed by our insurance providers.

And so what this does is this creates a uniform application process where a health care provider would apply through a medicaid application that once they're approved through that Medicaid application, they would also have the credentialing across the private pay providers as well.

And what that will do is it won't only help our medical providers get paid through our insurance companies quicker, it will encourage more healthcare providers to be on our Medicaid list to provide Medicaid care as well.

Okay.

Well, tell us quickly about 13 0-3 You you have a child endangerment bill.

Well, Donna, thank you.

We have that on our floor this afternoon and this evening.

And what that simply looks to do is create a child endangerment statute where an adult uses drugs around minor under the age of 14.

We're talking about marijuana.

We're talking about any schedule one drug, and we're looking at any narcotic that's on our schedule to list its common sense.

And it's legislation was brought to me by my cousin, who's a Floyd County police officer, Bryson Smith.

Okay, we'll keep up with that.

But before I let you go, I just learned that you're one of the best dressed lawmakers of 2026.

You made the list.

How do you feel about it?

You know, I'm honored.

I appreciate my friend called me on the list.

You know, this is a special place up here.

I always think it deserves respect.

And part of that chamber and the respect we showed is by trying to look nice every day.

I appreciate my wife for helping me lay my outfits out and get me dressed every day.

We appreciate her, too.

Thank you so much, Representative Kelly, for taking the time to come on.

Lawmakers.

I heard the bells.

I know you have to get back in there.

Thanks so much.

Hey, thank you so much, Donnie.

Y'all have a good evening.

Thanks.

Well, coming up, there's suspense at the Capitol this week.

Who will get a coveted spot on the Lawmakers best dressed list this year?

In addition to Representative Kelly, the journalists behind the list.

Maya Prabhu.

We just mentioned.

She joins us.

So stay with us.

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Welcome back to Lawmakers.

I'm Donna Lowry at the Georgia Capitol.

It's almost, almost as anticipated by people who love fashion as The Devil Wears Prada two movie in theaters this summer.

It's the list of Georgia's best dressed lawmakers.

Legislators have lobbied to make it on the list since it began, and the full reveal of the newest members of the exclusive club is on Friday.

But for some hints.

Joining us is the Anna Wintour of the Who's Who's list.

The AJC, Maya Prabhu, who has covered the General Assembly for nine years now.

And so thank you so much for coming on for this.

So the big reveal is when.

Maybe tomorrow.

Maybe most likely Friday.

Okay.

So people you started this back in 2019.

And what reaction did you get back then.

In 2019.

Folks were not super excited about being on the list, especially women would always say, I didn't come down here for that, you know?

And I had to explain to them, I'm like, this is a moment of levity for everyone.

We deal with really tough topics, and this is a way for us to not not to keep our sanity.

Yeah.

And I spoke to a it's bipartisan because I spoke to a couple of lawmakers about the list.

And the first one is Democratic Representative Mary Margaret Oliver of Decatur.

And I started by asking her the proverbial question, what are you wearing?

I'm wearing a suit that my mother made over 30 years ago, and she was a genius in design and sewing.

That talent may have gone away in our generation, but I benefited from it, and I'm very, very grateful that I can still wear some of the beautiful things she made for me.

Let's talk about the best dressed list that Maya Prabhu came up with a few years ago.

Some would say it was kind of a frivolous thing.

How do you look at it?

I think it's fun.

I think that in my short life I have another job as a lawyer.

I have to wear black.

I have to wear very conservative down here.

I feel freer and we have different seasons during our sessions.

I can come out with my spring suits.

I can wear my winter outfits.

I grew up in a house where fashion was discussed, where we went to fashion shows.

When I first started, there were some people who may have been a little critical of her focusing on that when there were some serious issues down here, because she did in 2019.

What do you think changed over the years?

Because people started wanting to be a part of it?

Fashion is part of art.

It's an artistic expression.

We do a lot of frivolous things down here.

We're setting the lemon pepper chicken wing as some kind of standard this year, but fashion is art.

It's an industry, and it's something that some of us, many of us really enjoy.

Well, I also talked to Senator Matt Brass of Newnan.

You're always in the Senate.

So I asked him what he thought of the best dressed list.

Well, it meant a lot of hard work.

I had to lobby to get on it.

So at one point, I think I practically begged for it.

So you know, I think Maya probably just caved in and didn't want me bothering her anymore, so she let me on it.

But no, it was it was it was neat.

It was.

You know, that that's been something that she brought here, and it's it's been a cool part of the Senate.

Something fun, lighthearted that we do.

And and to be a part of it, it was it was fun and it was it was an honor, I guess I could say.

But it was it was more my lobbying that got me on than than my dress.

I don't believe that.

Well, I'll tell you, when I came in in 2017, the rules chairman at the time, who is my my predecessor as rules chairman, Jeff Mullis told me, he said, take your job seriously.

Don't take yourself serious.

Take what I do to represent my people.

Take that serious and care about it, but at the same time still have fun.

And so to be able to do, do something like Best Dressed and some of the other things we get to do, you know, just have fun with it.

And it's important.

Maya and I have become close friends and you know, we agree on nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Well, very little.

And you know, but but we can sit down and have conversations because, you know, I see in her writing, she typically likes to leave her.

She leaves her opinion on the sidelines.

I love that.

What do you think of what they had to say?

I love that you know, Mary Margaret Oliver on the first day of session.

Well, shortly after the list came out last year, she came to me and said, why am I never on your list?

And I was like, I didn't know you wanted to be.

And so this year, on the first day of session, she came.

She stood in front of me and she was like, I'm wearing one of my mother's outfits that she made me.

And I love that.

And then Senator Brass is hilarious.

I play devil's, I'm a journalist, I play devil's advocate.

When we have our little back and forth.

But we do debate like brother and sister.

I love that and Trey Kelley this year we know he's definitely one.

Trey Kelley did make the list.

He made the list this year.

Let's talk about some in the past, and we have some video that we're going to tell.

I'm sorry, show that you can talk about a little bit, talk about some of these RaShaun Kemp RaShaun Kemp.

Senator Kemp.

Yeah.

So Senator Kemp made.

It last year, I think.

Yeah, these are from two years ago.

Maybe.

Well, both Senator Kemp, he came in, like, sharp immediately got on the list in his first year.

You know, and then there are other people like Trey Kelley who just get on, you know, this year.

Inga Willis.

I would put her on every year if I could.

She is my personal, my personal favorite dresser down at the Capitol.

Yeah.

What I love about Park Cannon is that she takes risks.

They don't always land.

But I appreciate that about her.

Yeah.

And then this is this is the person Senator Eckles.

They call him Farmer Drew, but he dresses up when he comes to the Capitol.

He does.

And he he like, warned me that he was going to wear his Jordans and then he didn't wear them.

I was disappointed.

Yeah.

So it's been fun.

So this is the last one?

Yes.

This is the last one.

Friday is my last day with the Atlanta Journal Constitution after nearly nine years.

And unfortunately, I was part of the layoffs.

But I am.

Thank you.

I'm working very hard to stay in this world.

Okay, well, I hope we will see you around.

Maya Prabhu.

Prabhu from the AJC.

Thank you for joining us.

That does it for Lawmakers today.

We will not have a show tomorrow because it's a conference day, but we will have a 1 hour crossover day show on Friday and we want you to join us.

Lots of live interviews.

So we'll see you then.

Have a good evening.