Passage of House Bill 276:
Victory for Local Businesses
The Georgia General Assembly is four days into the 2020 Legislative Session, and GMA is already celebrating a legislative victory with the passage of HB 276. Yesterday, (Jan. 16) both the House and Senate passed a version of the “marketplace facilitator” bill, which would tax internet sales. This legislation will level the playing field for local businesses and communities.
IN THIS UPDATE
Scroll down for detailed information on these legislative priorities. Please note that the General Assembly will meet for day five on Monday, January 27.
Issues at a Glance
Preemption of Local Design Standards – House Bill 302 and Senate Bill 172: Do you want residents or special interests determining the character of your local community?
TAVT Distribution Adjustment – House Bill 779: This legislation will recoup some of cities’ lost revenue from the July 1, 2019 allocation distribution change.
ADVOCACY IN ACTION
GMA thanks those city officials who took time to visit the Capitol this week to speak with their legislators about GMA's legislative priorities.
Would you like to plan a trip to the Gold Dome?Contact Charlotte Davistoday.
Remember to also follow GMA on Twitter: @GaCities & use the hashtag #GaCities!
Gov. Kemp’s State of the State
Did you miss the Governor deliver his plans for 2020 in his annual State of the State address? Followthis linkto read the full transcript andclick here to watch a video of his speech.
ISSUES AT A GLANCE
Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT):After House Bill 329 from the 2018 session took effect on July 1, 2019, many cities reported a decrease in TAVT revenues from 2018 to 2019. GMA has compiled data from over 200 cities for TAVT revenues from July-Dec 2018 and 2019 for comparison. In addition GMA also compared municipal revenues to those of counties and school systems to analyze traditional shares of the local revenues and how those shares have changed since the new law took effect. OUR FINDINGS: Cities lost roughly 7% of the local share between 2018 and 2019, while counties gained roughly 5% and schools gained roughly 2%. These findings indicate that the local distribution formula does not adequately reflect the municipal aggregate share.
HB 779would change the distribution of the TAVT fee between local governments to allow cities to recoup some of this lost revenue by changing their distribution from 23% to 28% in a city with a county school district. The legislation would change the allocation for cities from 23% to 49% in a city with a city school district.
GMA supports this bill and encourages city officials to contact their Representative(s) and ask that they support HB 779.
Preemption of Local Design Standards:House Bill 302 andSenate Bill 172, which were held during the 2019 legislative session and is currently pending in committee, would prohibit cities and counties from establishing residential "building design elements" for single and double-family dwellings. If this legislation were to become law, local governments could no longer enact design standards on:
