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By Vance Smith
Georgia State Representative

The 10th week of the session of the Georgia General Assembly was March 15 – March 18. We are now taking up Senate bills on the floor of the House, which have come through the appropriate House Committees and the Rules Committee.

SB 34 passed the House 162-0 with my support. The legislation allows victims of human trafficking to petition for a name change without the request being made public. Name changes usually are published in the legal organ of the respective area, but this legislation allows individuals, who have survived this horrific ordeal, to do so without making their new names public.

SB 168 allows shareholders meetings to be held virtually. I voted in favor, and the legislation passed 161-0.

SB 88 allows the Georgia Teacher of the Year to be invited to serve as an ex-officio member of the State Board of Education. It passed 171-1. I voted in favor.

I received a call from the governor’s office and met with his staff to discuss an appointment to the Georgia Public Defender Supervisory Panel for the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit. Stacey Jackson has been offered the position, and he has accepted. I will let everyone know when Stacey is officially sworn in. I appreciated the help from Mark Post with this endeavor.

The House Special Committee and Senate Ethics Committee continue to work on election legislation. I continue to stress the importance of fair, accessible, secure, and transparent elections, and these traits need to be in the bill.

I appreciate the calls and emails. With the close of the 2021 Session approaching rapidly, March 31. Continue to contact me at Vance.Smith@house.ga.gov or 404-656-0254.