Lawmakers convened for legislative days 22-25 this week. Next Thursday, March 6, is Crossover Day, and lawmakers will rush to get their bills out of committees and on the floor for a vote. The Senate approved HB 67 the Amended Fiscal Year 2025 budget with changes to the House version, including increased funding for Hurricane Helene relief and recovery, increased funding for rail upgrades and infrastructure projects, and boosts funding for surface water infrastructure statewide. The bill returns to the House for consideration.
On Thursday, the Senate unanimously passed SB 69 sponsored by President Pro Tempore John Kennedy. SB 69 deals with third party litigation funding, specifically geared towards banning hostile foreign adversaries from financing suits against Georgia companies to gain intellectual property or advance political agendas. The bill would also increase transparency in litigation funding.
Georgia’s Supreme Court justices elected Justice Nels Peterson to Chief Justice after outgoing Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs resigned earlier due to family commitments. Peterson has served in Georgia’s Supreme Court since 2016. The vote was unanimous.
Bills to Watch
HB 34 sponsored by Rep. Dale Washburn would create a continuing education tracking solution to monitor compliance of professional licenses with applicable continuing education requirements. It passed in the House and was read and referred in the Senate.
HB 82 the “Georgia Guest Worker Act” sponsored by Matt Reeves would create a guest worker program under the state’s Department of Labor to address labor shortages. It has been assigned to the House Committee on Industry and Labor.
HB 111 sponsored by Governor’s Floor Leader Soo Hong would reduce the state income tax rate from 5.39 to 5.19 and will continue to reduce the rate by 0.1 percent annually until it reaches 4.99. The bill passed out of the Ways and Means Committee.
HB 112 sponsored by Governor’s Floor Leader Lauren McDonald III would provide a one-time tax credit to Georgia taxpayers who filed state tax returns in 2023 and 2024. Single filers would receive $250, married filing jointly would receive $500, and heads of households would receive $375. This bill passed out of the Ways and Means Committee.
HB 113 sponsored by Governor’s Floor Leader Lauren McDonald III would prohibit state agencies from purchasing goods from foreign companies or country of concern. The bill passed out of the House.
HB 137 sponsored by Rep. Victor Anderson would increase the bid limits for public works purchasing projects from $100,000 to $250,000. It passed the House 152-9. It was read and in the Senate and referred to the Senate State and Local Governmental Operations Committee.
HB 147 sponsored by Rep. Brad Thomas would allow the Georgia Technology Authority to take annual inventory of artificial intelligence usage by state agencies. The bill passed out of the House 172-0. It is assigned to the Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee.
HB 168 sponsored by Rep. Mitchell Horner would require a local Act by the General Assembly to reimpose a county SPLOST. It has been assigned to the House Mays and Means Committee.
HB 230 sponsored by Rep. Yasmin Neal would create a tax credit for single-family home builders to receive up to 20% of eligible construction expenses for homes that cost $200,000 or less. The bill is assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee.
HB 361 sponsored by Rep. Bethany Ballard would increase Georgia’s Military Retirement Income Exclusion to 100 percent. It is assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee.
HB 539 sponsored by Rep. Matt Reeves would increase the existing homestead exemption on Gwinnett School property taxes to $10,000. Gwinnett County Board of Education unanimously voted to opt-out of the statewide homestead exemption.
HB 559 sponsored by Rep. John Carson would revise the sales and use tax exemption sunset date for data centers to December 31, 2026. The current sunset date is December 31, 2031. The bill was assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee.
SB 12 sponsored by Sen. Frank Ginn would require any open records request to be made to the government entity that has control over such records. It passed unanimously in the Senate and is assigned to the House Governmental Affairs Committee.
SB 15 sponsored by Sen. Ed Setzler would allow nonpartisan elections for county offices. The bill is assigned to the Senate Ethics Committee.
SB 28 “Red Tape Rollback Act of 2025” sponsored by Sen. Greg Dolezal aims to streamline the state’s regulatory process and strengthen public and legislative oversight of any rule-making process. Among the requirements include reducing burdensome regulations on small business. It passed in the Senate 33-21.
SB 34 sponsored by Sen. Chuck Hufstetler would require electric utilities to charge commercial data centers for their higher energy usage instead of passing it on to the electric utilities’ general customer base. The Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee favorably reported by substitute.
SB 37 “AI Accountability Act” sponsored by Sen. John Albers would require all government entities to develop and maintain artificial intelligence system usage plans. It would create the Georgia Board for Artificial Intelligence. The bill is assigned to the Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee.
SB 79 “Fentanyl Eradication and Removal Act” sponsored by Sen. Russ Goodman would increase penalties for crimes and offenses relating to the possession, selling, distributing, and manufacturing of fentanyl. It passed in the Senate 50-3 and is assigned to House Judiciary Non-Civil.
SB 89 sponsored by Sen. Brian Strickland would increase the tax credit for certain childcare expenses. It would also create a new state tax credit for families and offer tax credits for employers providing child care. The bill is assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee.
SB 111 “Georgia Consumer Privacy Protection Act” sponsored by Sen. John Albers would limit certain businesses from data collecting and first obtain consent for sensitive info. Excluded are entities covered by HIPAA and financial regulators. The bill passed out of the Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee.
SB 208 sponsored by Sen. Billy Hickman would authorize the regulation and taxation of sports betting in Georgia. The bill is assigned to the Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee.
SR 131 sponsored by Sen. Carden Summers would require a constitutional amendment to allow sports betting and casino gambling in Georgia. Funds would go to county governments and addiction prevention and treatment programs. The bill failed to pass out of the Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee.