Lawmakers convened for legislative days 26-28 this week, leaving 12 days remaining this legislative session. Thursday was Crossover Day, the last day for a bill to pass out of its chamber of origin to still be considered. However, the language in a bill that failed to come up for a vote can be added to a bill that did pass.
The Governor signed the Amended Fiscal Year 2025 budget into law on Thursday. The $40.5 billion amended budget includes boosted funding for Hurricane Helene relief and recovery efforts, water and sewer infrastructure, public safety and corrections, and education among others. You can read the Governor’s full press release here.
On Monday, the Senate voted on SB 139 to expand the limits of the city of Mulberry to include commercial and vacant parcels. It passed 31-22. HB 647 sponsored by Rep. Sandy Donatucci is the house version and it passed in the House Thursday 98-76.
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. This bill did not make it out of Crossover Day.
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 House on Thursday.
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 House on Thursday.
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. This bill did not make it out of Crossover Day.
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. This bill did not make it out of Crossover Day.
HB 266 sponsored by Rep. Steven Sainz would double the retirement income benefit for Georgia’s retired military personnel. The bill passed unanimously in the House.
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. The House passed the bill 172-0 on Tuesday.
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. This bill did not make it out of Crossover Day.
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. This bill did not make it out of Crossover Day.
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 31 sponsored by Sen. Greg Dolezal would eliminate state income tax on all military retirement income. Senate passed the bill 53-1.
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. This bill did not make it out of Crossover Day.
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 did not make it out of Crossover Day.
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 and is assigned to House Judiciary Non-Civil.
SB 82 sponsored by Sen. Clint Dixon would encourage local school boards to approve high value charter schools. This bill passed in the Senate by substitute 44-9.
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 in the Senate and 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 in the Senate 53-2.
SB 180 sponsored by Sen. Clint Dixon would allow apprenticeship sponsors in high demand apprenticeship programs to apply directly to apprenticeship programs with the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia, giving more access and awareness to apprentices. It passed in the Senate 53-1.
SB 208 sponsored by Sen. Billy Hickman would authorize the regulation and taxation of sports betting in Georgia. The bill did not make it out of Crossover Day.
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. HR 450 sponsored by Rep. Marcus Wiedower is the house companion. These did not come up for a vote.