Last Friday, Georgia’s General Assembly met for its 28th legislative day, also known as “Crossover Day.” Bills that are not passed by their originating chamber by Crossover Day are considered dead for the year.
Day 28 Crossover Update
Last Friday, Georgia’s General Assembly met for its 28th legislative day, also known as “Crossover Day.” Bills that are not passed by their originating chamber by Crossover Day are considered dead for the year.
Below are the bills that MAC’s Public Policy team have been working/tracking, and their status as of Crossover Day.
Bills that PASSED their chamber:
Business Climate
HB 155 The Georgia Musical Investment Act (Rep. Amy Carter) – Creates an income tax credit for certain expenditures by a production company on state certified musical or theatrical productions. MAC SUPPORTS
HB 192 The Business Judgement Rule (Rep. Beth Beskin) – Establishes gross negligence as the standard by which an officer/director may be held personally responsible for the process by which their decision was made. In Loudermilk, the Georgia Supreme Court created a bifurcated process by which a separate standard was used for a decision (gross negligence) versus the process (simple negligence) – BJR ensures “gross negligence” is the standard for both. MAC SUPPORTS
HB 199 Interactive Entertainment Tax Credit (Rep. Trey Rhodes) – Creates a new income tax credit for interactive entertainment companies and film post-production work. MAC SUPPORTS
HB 225 Rideshare Tax Liability (Rep. Jay Powell) – Assigns tax liability to ridesharing services to collect the 4% state transportation services sales and use tax. UNDER EVALUATION
HB 243 Local Government Preemption (Rep. Bill Werkheiser) – Preempts local governments from levying fines on business for scheduling changes to employee’s schedule. MAC SUPPORTS
HB 265 Quality Jobs Tax Credit (Rep. Chuck Efstration) – Allows the tax credit to be used by businesses already receiving the credit to now use it for expansions or for the creation of new quality jobs in the state, which is currently prohibited. MAC SUPPORTS
HB 280 Campus Carry (Rep. Mandi Ballinger) – Allows anyone 21 years and older to possess a concealed licensed handgun on college campuses excluding some preschool spaces, sporting events and student housing. UNDER EVALUATION
HB 329 Flat Tax (Rep. Jay Powell) – Changes Georgia’s income tax law by replacing the graduated income tax rate with a flat tax of 5.4 percent. MAC SUPPORTS
HB 342 Enterprise Zone Bill (Rep. Chuck Efstration) – Creates a sales and use tax exemption for urban redevelopment areas designated as enterprise zones (minimum investment of $400 million). MAC SUPPORTS
SB 2 The FAST Act (Sen. Mike Dugan) – expedites the licensing and permitting process for small businesses, by removing duplicate and needless regulations. Bill will provide for the imposition of fees on entities that issue licenses or permits, if they delay the return of important documentation. MAC SUPPORTS
Education & Workforce
HB 237 Public Education Innovation Fund Foundation (Rep. Brooks Coleman) – Authorizes the Public Education Innovation Fund Foundation to receive private donations to be used for grants to public schools. MAC SUPPORTS
HB 338 Turnaround Schools Take 2 (Rep. Kevin Tanner) – Creates the Education Turnaround Advisory Council and a Chief Turnaround Officer. It also establishes the Joint Study Committee on the Establishment of a State Accreditation Process. MAC SUPPORTS
HB 425 Testing Opt Out (Rep. Joyce Chandler) – Requires the Board of Education to establish guidelines which prohibit punitive action against students opting-out of mandating standardized testing. MAC OPPOSES
SB 3 The CONNECT Act (Sen. Lindsey Tippins) – Provides high school students additional opportunities to obtain industry credentials aligned with critical workforce needs; establishes a grant program to support workforce initiatives and teacher training required for credentialing programs; includes career demand inventories as part of career awareness for middle and high school students. MAC SUPPORTS
Transportation
HB 160 The Georgia Commission on Transit Governance and Funding (Rep. Kevin Tanner) – Creates an advisory commission which will assess the needs for and potential funding of mass transportation for one or more metropolitan areas. MAC SUPPORTS
HB 506 MARTA bill (Rep. Tom Taylor) – Provides MARTA with additional flexibility when selecting concessions partners to operate within MARTA rail stations. MAC SUPPORTS
SB 6 Georgia Regional Transit Council (Sen. Steve Gooch) – Creates a transit council to define goals, metrics and governance for transit services. MAC SUPPORTS
SB 89 Georgia Freight Rail Program (Sen. David Shafer) – Creates a new program within the Georgia Department of Transportation which could be used to provide for the maintenance and rehabilitation of state-owned rail lines. MAC SUPPORTS
SB 156 DeKalb County Sales Tax (Sen. Fran Millar) – Freezes MARTA sales tax in DeKalb County at 1 percent, denying voters the opportunity to increase if they so wished. UNDER EVALUATION
SB 219 Autonomous Vehicle Operations and Liability (Sen. Steve Gooch) – Establishes minimum operating requirements and liability coverage for autonomous vehicles in Georgia. UNDER EVALUATION
Environment and Energy
HB 204 Property Tax Bill (Rep. Brett Harrell) – Prohibits counties and municipalities from including fees on property tax bills. The law requires that fees billed for stormwater, trash, streetlights, etc. be printed on separate sheets of paper, but allows them to be included in the mailed property tax envelope. UNDER EVALUATION
Bills that DID NOT PASS their chamber:
Business Climate
HB 145 Aviation Fuel Tax Policy Change (Rep. John Carson) – Revises the tax policy for the sale of aviation fuel at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Purchasers of aviation fuel for interstate flights would pay 45% of the 4% state sales tax rate. MAC SUPPORTS
HB 158 Destination Resort Act (Rep. Ron Stephens) – Authorizes the licensing of two casino resorts in Georgia. The bill creates a Georgia Gaming Commission and lays out its procedures and processes for licenses, suppliers, and employees. UNDER EVALUATION
HB 324 Driver’s License Bill (Rep. Alan Powell) – Requires the term “noncitizen” to be listed on certain driver’s licenses, permits or identification cards. MAC OPPOSES
SB 9/SR 249 Destination Resort Act (Sen. Brandon Beach) – Authorizes the licensing of two casino resorts in Georgia. The bill creates a Georgia Gaming Commission and lays out its procedures and processes for licenses, suppliers, and employees. The resolution creates the constitutional authority to allow the casinos. UNDER EVALUATION
SB 233 Federal RFRA (Sen. Marty Harbin) – Incorporates the federal Religious Freedom US code section into Georgia code. MAC OPPOSES
Education and Workforce
HB 229/HR 159 House Tuition Cap (Rep. Matt Dollar) – Caps yearly tuition and student fee increases within the university system according to rates of inflation. MAC OPPOSES
SB 97 Childcare Subsidy Caps (Sen. Elena Parent) – Expands childcare subsidy caps for parents in school full-time. MAC SUPPORTS
Transportation
HB 248 Autonomous Vehicle Operations and Liability (Rep. Trey Kelley) – Establishes minimum operating requirements and liability coverage for autonomous vehicles in Georgia. UNDER EVALUATION
SB 251 DeKalb MARTA Referendum (Sen. Gloria Butler) – Enabling legislation for DeKalb county to levy a 0.5 percent sales tax to expand MARTA. MAC SUPPORTS
