January 17, 2024

Volume 16, Issue 1

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The 2025 legislative session officially began on Monday, January 13, marking the start of a new cycle of policymaking and debate. On Thursday, January 16, Governor Kemp gave his 2025 State of the State address, outlining his priorities for the year and released his Budget Report which includes his recommended Amended Fiscal Year (AFY) 2025 and Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budgets. The General Assembly must adopt these budgets during the 2025 legislative session. While the General Assembly may alter funding levels among budget items, they may not appropriate funds in excess of the Governor’s total budget estimates. 

A replay of the 2025 State of the State can be viewed here. The full transcript of the Governor's address can be read here.

To view the full budget report, please click here.  

ACCG will provide a more thorough review of the proposed budgets in next week’s Legislative Update. The AFY 2025 budget contains the below additional funding amounts of interest to counties:  

• $250 million for the Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT) Local Road Assistance (LRA) Program for grants to counties and cities
• $250 million for Georgia Environmental Finance Authority’s (GEFA) water infrastructure development grants for local governments
• $501 million for surface water investments in Georgia’s coastal region
• $60 million for the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank (low interest transportation loans and grants to cities and counties) 
• $28 million for the Rural Workforce Housing Program
• $300 million to GDOT for debris cleanup, road repair, and signage replacement after Hurricane Helene  
• $150 million for the Governor’s Emergency Fund for the state’s share of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) reimbursement for ongoing debris removal (Hurricane Helene)
• $4 million to complete the statewide replacement of voting machine batteries
• $47 million for upgrades to remove QR codes from voting machine marked paper ballots   

General Assembly Adopts its 2025 Legislative Calendar 

The General Assembly adopted Senate Resolution 6, setting the legislative schedule for the entire 2025 legislative session. The full schedule is available here. Crossover Day (the last day a bill can pass out of its original chamber to be considered during the 2025 session) will be held on Day 28, Thursday, March 6. Sine Die (Day 40) marks the final day of the session and is scheduled for Friday, April 4.  

*Note: Even though a bill may not make it through a chamber by Crossover Day, its provisions can still be added to a bill that did cross over. Additionally, all legislation that does not achieve final passage in 2025, the first year of the General Assembly’s biennial session, automatically carries over to 2026, unless it is voted down in committee or on either the House or Senate floor without winning a subsequent motion for reconsideration.    

Counties’ HB 581 Opt-Out Ends March 1, 2025

House Bill 581 passed during the 2024 legislative session, applied a new floating homestead exemption to all local governments on January 1, 2025. This floating homestead exemption applies to all levies except for bond levies. Local governments may make a one-time decision to opt out of the HB 581 floating homestead exemption. To opt out, the local government must properly advertise and conduct three public hearings of intent to opt out and then must adopt a resolution and submit it to the Secretary of State (SOS) by March 1, 2025. 

Please click here for a model opt-out resolution and opt-out instructions from the SOS Office. Local governments that opt out are strongly encouraged to request a receipt from the SOS Office after submission.    

Additional resources for HB 581 may be found here on the ACCG website.  

Staff Contact: Dante Handel, Associate Director of Governmental Affairs; dhandel@accg.org

Study Committee Reports

During the 2024 interim, several House, Senate, and joint study committees met and have issued their final reports and recommendations that impact Georgia’s counties.

To view these reports and recommendations, click here.

Bill Authorizing Local Government Restrictions on Unmanned Aircraft Systems' Flight Over Large Gatherings Introduced

House Bill 58, sponsored by Rep. Gary Richardson, allows local governments to craft ordinances prohibiting unmanned aircraft from flying over public property during mass public gatherings without written authorization, while no approval is needed for gatherings on private property. "Mass public gatherings" are defined as any event held outdoors or in a semi-enclosed structure that is expected to have 500 or more attendees and last for 30 minutes or more. ACCG supports this measure.

Staff Contact: Kaylon Day, Governmental Affairs Associate; kday@accg.org

Legislation to Increase CUVA Acreage Limits to 4,000 Acres 

House Bill 90 and House Resolution 32 are companion pieces of legislation to increase the maximum acreage that can go into CUVA (Conservation Use Value Assessment) from 2,000 acres to 4,000 acres per person. Both items have been authored by House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration.  

Staff Contact: Dante Handel, Associate Director of Governmental Affairs; dhandel@accg.org

Bill Introduced to Extend HB 581 (2024) Opt Out Deadline to May 1, 2025

House Bill 92, introduced by Rep. Shaw Blackmon, extends the local government opt out deadline from March 1 to May 1 of 2025. This allows local governments more time to make an informed decision about opting out of the new floating homestead exemption authorized for all local governments under HB 581 (2024).

Staff Contact: Dante Handel, Associate Director of Governmental Affairs; dhandel@accg.org

Legislation Revising Open Records Laws Introduced

Senate Bill 12, sponsored by Sen. Frank Ginn, revises the definition of ‘public record’ to exclude certain documents prepared and maintained or received by a private person or entity. The bill also defines the term ‘custodian’ and limits enforcement actions in superior court to those who are custodians of the public records. ACCG is neutral regarding this change.

Staff Contact: Kaylon Day, Governmental Affairs Associate; kday@accg.org

Legislation Permitting Non-Partisan Elections Introduced

Senate Bill 15, by Sen. Ed Setzler, grants the General Assembly the power to authorize non-partisan elections specifically for county governing authority offices through the passage of local legislation. ACCG is neutral on this matter and will continue to monitor the bill.

Staff Contact: Kaylon Day, Governmental Affairs Associate; kday@accg.org

GDOT Provides Funding for Transportation Alternative Program

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) has published a Transportation Alternatives (TA) Program funding opportunity for projects such as pedestrian and bicycle facilities, pedestrian streetscape improvements, and other non-traditional transportation related activities. Applications will be accepted until Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. For more information on the TA Program, click here.

If you have any questions or need assistance with your application, please contact TAPapplications@dot.ga.gov.

Review the ACCG Legislative Toolkit to Get Prepared

County officials are encouraged to review the 2025 Legislative Toolkit and share it with their legislative delegation before the 2025 legislative session ramps up.  The Toolkit includes policy briefs on ACCG's top three Legislative Priorities as well as the association's Guiding Principles and Policy Objectives.  The top three Legislative Priorities for 2025 include HB 581 Cleanup, Implementation of Next Generation 911 System, and Truck Weight Increase/LMIG.

Questions regarding any issues outlined in the Toolkit should be directed to a member of the Governmental Affairs Team.

How a Bill Becomes a Law



As ACCG embarks on another session on behalf of Georgia’s counties, we want to ensure county officials understand the many phases of Georgia’s lawmaking process. Understanding how a bill becomes a law is not only imperative to being an informed citizen, but also to your role as a county official. Click here for a detailed overview of the process. Click the image below to enlarge it.

Photo source: Carl Vinson Institute of Government

Governmental Affairs Team members Todd Edwards, Kaylon Day, and Dante Handel discuss policy on the first day of the legislative session.

ACCG Deputy Director Clint Mueller discussing the local legislation process with new House members. 

2025 ACCG Capitol Connection Conference - Register Today

Registration is now open for the 2025 Capitol Connection Conference! Join us February 24 - 25 for two days of networking, learning, and strengthening connections with ACCG and state leaders. Legislation passed during the 40-day session can have a direct impact on county government operations. For this reason, it is important for county officials to stay involved and engaged. County your county clerk or designated staff member to register.

Cick here for more information.

Note: The deadline to secure housing accommodations within the ACCG room block is Friday, January 24.

Please Remember to Update Your County Legislative Coordinator (CLC)

It is time for counties to update their County Legislative Coordinator (CLC). The CLC’s primary responsibilities are to relay pertinent information about current legislation to county commissioners and county management and to maintain an open line of communication with ACCG to ensure county-specific information is readily available for legislators. ACCG encourages all counties to participate in this network and designate a CLC prior to the legislative session. To confirm, update, or appoint your county’s CLC, please contact Avis White at awhite@accg.org or 404-522-5022.

Click here to review your county's CLC.

Legislative Update Live! Replay

Watch the replay of the Legislative Update Live! here. As a reminder, join the ACCG Governmental Affairs team every Friday at 9:00 a.m. during the legislative session. This is a recurring event, so county officials can access the meeting each week through this link. There is no need to register more than once.

Policy Communication Tools

Don't forget about the various communications tools that will help keep you informed and engaged. Click here to read all about them!

News You Can Use - Articles Related to ACCG Policy Issues

Articles covering some of ACCG's major policy issues are found here. Click the hyperlinked title to begin reading.

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GBP - January 16, 2025

Kemp warns of special session to pass lawsuit limits, pitches income tax cut and disaster relief

Georgia Recorder - January 16, 2025

Georgia Senate committee chairs for 2025 session announced

11 Alive - January 14, 2025

Kemp outlines $1B in new spending for road, sewer and freight projects

AJC - January 14, 2025

Coastal Georgia lawmakers tout environmental agenda

The Current - January 13, 2025



State representative introduces legislation to reform salaries for Georgia judges

WSB TV - January 12, 2025

Georgia lawmakers ready to take up usual mix of old business and new

Capitol Beat - January 10, 2025

Georgia’s House speaker outlines long list of priorities for 2025 legislative session

Atlanta News First - January 8, 2025