In an unexpected twist, two bills backed by Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp that take aim at Georgia’s legal landscape will bypass a typical committee path before coming up for a vote on the House floor.
The legislation to limit lawsuit jury awards are Senate Bill 68, which includes provisions that would limit owners’ liability for injuries that occur on their property and restrict damages awarded for medical bills, and Senate Bill 69, which would increase regulations on third-party funding of lawsuits. The two proposals will instead be assigned to a newly created subset of the gatekeeping House Rules Committee called the Subcommittee of Rules on Lawsuit Reform, composed of several influential members of both parties.
House Rules Committee Chairman Butch Parrish, a Swainsboro Republican, announced the change during Wednesday’s House Rules Committee meeting, saying that his chamber is dedicated to passing legislation designed to overhaul Georgia’s system for awarding damages to injured people. The governor’s top 2025 legislative priority is referred to by Kemp and other supporters as “tort reform.” So far, SB 68 has cleared the Senate chamber and now awaiting a needs a vote in the House for a clear path for it to advance by Crossover Day. Meanwhile, SB 69 is set for a Senate vote Thursday.
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