2022 Legislative Preview
| Publication year | 2021 |
| Pages | 0032 |
BY CHRISTINE BUTCHER HAYES
On Jan. 10, 2022, the Georgia General Assembly will convene for year two of the legislative biennium. The 40-day session is likely to be over by the end of March, with many members eager to switch into campaign mode ahead of the primary election on May 24.
For all you lawyers out there contemplating a run for legislative office, save this date—qualifying for state races starts March 7, 2022.
The legislative team has their work cut out for them in 2022. We have two bills that will carry over from the 2021 legislative session in addition to new legislation that the Board of Governors may vote to support at its Midyear Meeting on Jan. 8, 2022.
Here's a current overview of the issues the State Bar of Georgia will give attention to with its 2022 legislative package.
Increased Funding for Civil Legal Services
During the early pandemic in June 2020, the state budget was cut back in contemplation of declining state revenues. This included a nearly $1 million cut to state-funded grants that cover civil legal services for victims of domestic violence. At its Fall Meeting, the Board of Governors voted to support the Judicial Council's fiscal year 2023 budget request for $3 million to fund civil legal services grants for victims of domestic violence. The appropriation for this grant for the current fiscal year is roughly $1.6 million. This request would ask for an increase of approximately $1.4 million, for a total of $3 million.
Advanced Psychiatric Directive Legislation
The Bar's Board of Governors approved the Fiduciary Law Section's proposal to support the codification of an Advanced Psychiatric Directive in January 2021. The bill was filed during the 2021 legislative session as HB 752. Georgia's current Advanced Healthcare Directive statute (O.C.G.A. § 31-32-4) expressly excludes matters related to mental health. The legislation would permit an agent to make decisions during a mental health crisis.
Remote Online Notary
Rep. Joseph Gullet (R-Dallas) filed HB 334 in January 2021, which would create a statutory framework permitting remote online notarization in Georgia. The State Bar's Real Property Law Section, with input from the Family Law Section and the Fiduciary Law Section, has worked with Rep. Gullet throughout the process to ensure that the provisions of the legislation allow for the proper execution of...
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