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GMA Assistant General Counsel Ryan Bowersox and ACCG Governmental Relations Associate Martha Revelo testify in favor of SB 383 before the Senate Finance Committee.
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House Bill 946 by Rep. Lee Hawkins (R-Gainesville) and Senate Bill 383 by Sen. Shelly Echols (R-Gainesville) are corresponding Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) bills. Under current law, TSPLOST may be levied for five years at 1% if there is an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) in place with every qualified municipality in the county, and if any one of the cities in the county do not agree to sign the IGA, the TSPLOST may only be levied up to 0.75%. These bills would allow for a county and municipalities representing at least 50% of the county’s municipal population to enter into an IGA to levy a TSPLOST, subject to referendum. Additionally, these bills would provide any cities that do not sign the IGA a share of the tax proceeds based on a formula similar to that used for LMIG. If every city in the county signs the IGA, they would be allowed to levy the TSPLOST for up to six years, rather than the current five years. These bills would not impact regional TSPLOST. HB 946 was heard for the first time in House Ways & Means Sales Tax Subcommittee on Wednesday January 31st. SB 383 was also heard for the first time in Senate Finance on Wednesday January 31st.
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GMA Governmental Relations Associate DJ Waller testifying in support of HB 447 before House Motor Vehicles Committee.
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House Bill 447 by Rep. Ken Vance (R-Milledgeville) provides that a person driving a vehicle on state roadways without motor vehicle insurance or with expired, suspended, canceled or revoked vehicle registration, may be subject to citation via electronic image (camera). GMA testified in support of this bill as it allows for an efficient use of law enforcement resources, allowing officers to continue their patrolling efforts after the camera identifies the violator for these civil violations. Second, this bill provides for safer enforcement; using technology to limit officer-violator interaction when it is not absolutely necessary, will decrease the chances of confrontations between the two parties. ACCG also testified in support of HB 447.
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Bills to Watch
Community Development
House Bill 514 by Rep. Dale Washburn (R-Macon) would create a six-month limitation on local zoning moratoriums.
Status: remains in conference committee; GMA is monitoring the status of the final conference committee report
House Bill 981 by Rep. James Burchett (R-Waycross) would set a $500 cap related to issuing a permit or other such approval by a local government to a qualified agricultural producer regarding the construction or renovation of an agricultural structure.
Status: pending in House Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee
House Bill 1043 by Rep. Scott Hilton (R-Peachtree Corners) would provide regulations for virtual currency mining operations and prohibit cities from adopting certain zoning policies or noise regulations that discriminate against such operations.
Status: pending in House Banks and Banking Committee
House Bill 1073 by Rep. Dale Washburn (R-Macon) would strike language from the zoning procedures chapter of Title 36 of the OCGA. This action removes specific language relating to zoning procedures relating to halfway house (s), drug rehabilitation center (s), or another facility for the treatment of drug dependency.
House Bill 1121 by Rep. Bethany Ballard (R-Warner Robins) limits the ability of cities to prohibit short-term rentals that are in existence prior to any prohibition and provides a statutory process for cities to address violations by short-term rental operators.
Status: pending assignment to committee by the House.
Senate Bill 435 by Sen. Frank Ginn (R-Danielsville), which is subject to approval of a constitutional amendment called for by SR 533, would create the statutory framework for Community Development Districts to build and maintain public infrastructure and to levy ad valorem tax to bond and to pay for such infrastructure.
Status: pending in Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee
Municipal Government
House Bill 290 by Rep. Mitchell Scoggins (R-Cartersville) would limit the amount of compensation a county tax commissioner may receive for collection of municipal taxes.
Status: pending in Senate Rules Committee
House Bill 456 by Rep. Stan Gunter (R-Blairsville) establishes a two-year term for all municipal court judges and provides a removal mechanism in the event of the breach of an employment agreement.
Status: passed House Judicial Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 31, pending in House Rules Committee
House Bill 461 by Rep. Brad Thomas (R-Holly Springs) would make revisions concerning a city's calculation of regulatory fees, specifically building inspection fees.
Status: passed House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday, Feb. 1, pending in House Rules Committee
House Bill 813 by Rep. Victor Anderson (R-Cornelia) clarifies and standardizes the process for creation of a new city by setting forth the procedural steps in state law rather than just in legislative committee rules.
Status: recommitted to House Government Affairs Committee
House Bill 905 by Rep. Matt Reeves (R-Duluth) would clarify provisions of the Zoning Procedures Law relative to the role of quasi-judicial boards and agencies and the appeal process from their decisions.
Status: passed the House chamber Thursday, Feb. 1
House Bill 1033 by Rep. Rob Leverett (R-Elberton) enhances the level of punishment for the crimes of assault and battery when the victims of those crimes are utility workers.
Status: passed House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 31
House Bill 1044 by Rep. Victor Anderson (R-Cornelia) raises the dollar amount of the public works bidding exemption from $100,000 to $250,000.
Status: passed the House Government Affairs committee on Wednesday.
Public Safety
Senate Bill 16 by Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) would allow municipalities to establish EMS service areas and is a priority for GMA as we aim to address the critical need for efficient EMS response times.
Status: pending in Senate Health and Human Services Committee
House Bill 348 by Sen. J Collins (R-Villa Rica) would revise the regulations for speed cameras in school zones. GMA is monitoring this bill closely for expected changes prior to committee action.
Status: pending in Senate Public Safety Committee
House Bill 447, by Rep. Ken Vance (R-Milledgeville) provides that a person driving without insurance or with invalid vehicle registration may be subject to citation via electronic image (camera). The camera, affixed to an officer vehicle, will notify the officer of the violation, and the officer will then have the option to automatically issue a civil citation rather than initiate a traffic stop.
Status: received a hearing in House Motor Vehichles Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 30
House Bill 451 by Rep. Devan Seabaugh (R-Marietta) establishes an insurance program to cover post-traumatic stress disorder claims for first responders and requires city participation in the program.
Status: pending in House Rules Committee
House Bill 935 by Rep. Ken Vance (R-Milledgeville) and Senate Bill 94 by Sen. Randy Robertson (R-Cataula) would both require the governing body of local law enforcement agencies to apply for and secure a permit from the GA Department of Transportation prior to placing a speed detection device within a school zone, as opposed to the school applying.
Status: HB 935 is pending in House Motor Vehicles Committee; SB 94 is pending in Senate Public Safety Committee
Revenue and Finance
Senate Bill 349 by Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome) would improve the notice requirements for tax assessments and millage rate adjustments to be more transparent, but would also allow for a statewide floating homestead exemption with a cap of 3 percent.
Status: pending in Senate Finance Committee
Senate Bill 364 by Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) would allow for a statewide floating homestead exemption with a cap of 3 percent or the rate inflation, whichever is less. The exemption would be based on the assessment value from 2020, 2021, or 2022, whichever is lowest.
Status: pending in the Senate Finance Committee
House Bill 862 by Rep. Mitchell Horner (R-Ringgold) would allow for HOST and LOST to be levied simultaneously.
Status: pending in the House Ways and Means Committee
House Bill 946 by Rep. Lee Hawkins (R-Gainesville) and Senate Bill 383 by Sen. Shelly Echols (R-Gainesville) would both allow for a referendum on a single-county T-SPLOST without the requirement of unanimous approval of the agreement by all local jurisdictions and provides protection for those jurisdictions that are not party to the agreement.
Status: HB 946 received a hearing in the House Ways & Means Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 31; SB 383 received a hearing in Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, Jan. 31
House Bill 1019 by Rep. Matt Reeves (R-Duluth) would double the amount of the statewide homestead exemption from $2,000 to $4,000, provided the property owner lives in the home as their primary residence, and would have to go through a statewide referendum upon passage into law.
Status: passed House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday and is pending in House Rules Committee
House Bill 1031 by Rep. Shaw Blackmon (R-Bonaire) would require mandatory reappraisal of parcels at least once every three years and would require the estimated roll-back rate to be included on the annual notice of current assessment.
Status: received a hearing in House Ways & Means Subcommittee Public Finance and Policy on Wednesday, Jan. 31
House Leadership Tax Bills Advance
As announced last week by Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) and key House members, a series of tax proposals representing the House’s tax relief priorities for this year have been making their way through the legislative process. These bills would provide the following: an increase in income tax deduction of $1,000 per dependent child; a doubling of the statewide homestead exemption from $2,000 to $4,000; a lowering of the state income tax rate from 5.49 to 5.39 percent; and a removal of the statutory limit on the amount that can be placed in the state’s “rainy day fund.” These bills all passed out of the House Ways & Means Committee on Thursday, Feb. 1, excluding the “rainy day fund” bill, which is pending in House Appropriations Committee.
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