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Multiple Pieces of CUVA Reform Legislation Introduced
Several pieces of conservation use valuation assessment (CUVA) reform legislation have been introduced. Majority Leader Chuck Efstration (District 104) is leading the House effort to increase the CUVA acreage limit from 2,000 to 4,000 through House Bill 90 and House Resolution 32, while identical bills have been introduced in the Senate by Sen. Sam Watson- via Senate Bill 45 and Senate Resolution 56. Both SB 45 and SR 56 were presented in Senate Finance this week, however, no further action will be taken until a fiscal note has been provided. Additionally, Sen. Carden Summers has introduced, Senate Bill 43 and Senate Resolution 55 which will increase the CUVA acreage limit from 2,000 acres to 6,000 acres. There are also proposals in both the House and Senate to expand the CUVA program to allow CUVA properties to be leased to nonqualifying entities: House Bill 129 by Rep. Chas Cannon and Senate Bill 59 by Rep. Sam Watson. Lastly, House Bill 169, sponsored by Rep. Chas Cannon, limits the solar exception for CUVA to only apply to existing contracts entered into before July 1, 2025. This language would sunset on July 1, 2035.
Bill Allowing Opt-Out Extension for HB 581 (2024) Passes Committee
House Bill 92, sponsored by Rep. Shaw Blackmon, passed the House Ways and Means Committee this week. This legislation extends the opt-out deadline for the statewide floating homestead exemption created by House Bill 581 (2024) from March 1, 2025 to May 1, 2025, to provide local governments additional time to make their one-time opt out decision.
Staff Contact: Dante Handel, Associate Director of Governmental Affairs; dhandel@accg.org
Bill Introduced to Replace Existing Manufactured Home SUT Exemption
House Bill 134, sponsored by Rep. Beth Camp, replaces the existing sales and use tax exemption for manufactured homes of 50% of the sales price when the home is converted to real property, with an exemption for all manufactured homes, regardless of whether the home is converted to real property, and tax is imposed on 60% of the manufacturer’s invoice amount for new manufactured homes on the first retail sale or purchase. All other sales of manufactured homes will be exempt from all state and local sales taxes. ACCG is opposed to this legislation.
Staff Contact: Dante Handel, Associate Director of Governmental Affairs; dhandel@accg.org
Legislation Raising Public Works Bidding Threshold Introduced
House Bill 137, sponsored by Rep. Victor Anderson, raises the public works bidding threshold from $100,000 to $250,000. In the case of road projects, this threshold is being raised from $200,000 to $250,000. This measure is a 2025 Policy Objective that ACCG strongly supports.
Staff Contact: Kaylon Day, Governmental Affairs Associate; kday@accg.org
End Local Taxation by Citation Act to Promote Fiscal Responsibility
House Bill 140, the “End Local Taxation by Citation Act" introduced by Rep. Joseph Gullett, limits the amount of funds that local governments can use in their annual budgets derived from criminal or civil fines and forfeitures. Specifically, no more than 10% of a local government's budget can come from these sources. Any funds collected beyond this cap will be sent to the state.
Staff Contact: Doug Reineke, Governmental Affairs Contractor; dreineke@accg.org
Bills Mandating Qualified-Based Selection Practices Introduced
House Bill 152, sponsored by Rep. Matt Reeves, and Senate Bill 51, sponsored by Sen. Ed Setzler, mandates local governments use qualified-based selection (QBS) to hire professional services from architects, interior designers, land surveyors, landscape architects, and engineers when preliminary construction costs exceed $1 million or when professional services cost more than $75,000. The bill forbids local governments from asking for cost estimates in submission documents. ACCG opposes this mandate.
Staff Contact: Kaylon Day, Governmental Affairs Associate; kday@accg.org
Legislation to Extend Concrete Mixer Sales Tax Exemption
House Bill 153, introduced by Rep. Beth Camp, extends the sunset date on the sales and use tax exemption for concrete mixers. This bill extends the expiration date of the exemption from June 30, 2026, to June 30, 2031. ACCG is opposed to this legislation.
Staff Contact: Dante Handel, Associate Director of Governmental Affairs; dhandel@accg.org
Bill Designates Ambulance Services as an Essential Service
House Bill 154, sponsored by Rep. Gary Richardson, designates ambulance services as “essential” services in Georgia law. It applies to both public and private ambulance services, whether nonprofit or for-profit. The bill also clarifies that it does not change the way ambulance services are coordinated or regulated within local health districts, nor does it grant new authority or oversight to state or local governments.
Staff Contact: Doug Reineke, Governmental Affairs Contractor; dreineke@accg.org
Bill Revising the Annexation Arbitration Dispute Panel Process Introduced
House Bill 155, sponsored by Rep. Victor Anderson, aims to assist the Department of Community Affairs in appointing annexation arbitration panels by expanding the panelist pool to include county and city managers/administrators, increasing panelist compensation, and timeline revisions, among other provisions. This is another 2025 Policy Objective that ACCG supports.
Staff Contact: Kaylon Day, Governmental Affairs Associate; kday@accg.org
Truck Weights Sunset Removal Bill Introduced
House Bill 164, by Rep. Steven Meeks, repeals the sunset on the increased weight limits for hauling agricultural products established by House Bill 189 (2023). This bill allows these trucks to continue to operate at 88,000 pounds with an additional 10% variance allowed. ACCG is opposed to this legislation.
Staff Contact: Dante Handel, Associate Director of Governmental Affairs; dhandel@accg.org
Bill Makes SPLOST Renewals Require a Local Act
House Bill 168, sponsored by Rep. Mitchell Horner, requires all Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) renewals to get approval via a Local Act of the General Assembly, instead of being a local decision by the board of commissioners. ACCG is opposed to this legislation.
Staff Contact: Dante Handel, Associate Director of Governmental Affairs; dhandel@accg.org
Bill Authorizing Digital Recording Court Reporting
House Bill 179, introduced by Rep. Tyler Smith, authorizes the use of digital recording for certain court proceedings across multiple types of trials and hearings, including felony cases, civil cases in superior and city courts, and Georgia State-wide Business Court proceedings.
Staff Contact: Doug Reineke, Governmental Affairs Contractor; dreineke@accg.org
Bill Allowing Commissioners to be Bail Bondsmen Advances
Senate Bill 16, sponsored by Sen. Matt Brass, passed the Senate Rules Committee and is set to be heard on the Senate floor on Monday, February 3, 2025. This legislation allows county commissioners and city council members to be directly or indirectly involved with any bail bond business. However, the official cannot issue bonds within the jurisdiction where they hold office. ACCG is neutral on this measure.
Staff Contact: Kaylon Day, Governmental Affairs Associate; kday@accg.org
Legislation Waiving Sovereign Immunity for Immigration Violations Introduced
Senate Bill 21, sponsored by Sen. Blake Tillery, requires local governments to detain subjects and fulfill immigration detainer requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). If a local authority or its employees violate this legislation’s provisions, sovereign immunity and that of its officials is waived. ACCG is negotiating this measure.
Staff Contact: Kaylon Day, Governmental Affairs Associate; kday@accg.org
Legislation Allowing BOC to Extend Period for Historic Property Passes Committee
Senate Bill 24, authored by Sen. Max Burns, allows local boards of commissioners the option to extend the preferential assessment period for income-producing rehabilitated or landmark historic properties for up to twelve years. This legislation passed the Senate Finance Committee.
Staff Contact: Dante Handel, Associate Director of Governmental Affairs; dhandel@accg.org
Legislation Requiring AI Usage Plan Introduced
Senate Bill 37, sponsored by Sen. John Albers, requires local governments to publish an artificial intelligence (AI) system usage plan on their website by December 31, 2026. Some of the required elements of this plan include specific goals and objectives for AI deployment, employee training, incident protocols, and reporting procedures. ACCG is currently evaluating this bill.
Staff Contact: Kaylon Day, Governmental Affairs Associate; kday@accg.org
TREES Act Introduced to Provide Relief After Hurricane Helene
Senate Bill 52, the “Timberlands Recovery, Exemption, and Earnings Stability (TREES) Act”, was introduced by Sen. Russ Goodman and given a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee. This legislation authorizes local governments to eliminate property taxes levied in the fourth quarter of 2024 and all of 2025 on eligible timber within disaster areas. The bill also establishes a grant program to repay the local governments for granting this relief, but only if the state appropriates funding for the grants. ACCG is neutral on this legislation.
Staff Contact: Dante Handel, Associate Director of Governmental Affairs; dhandel@accg.org
Unmanned Aircraft Procurement Prohibition Introduced
Senate Bill 64, sponsored by Sen. Clint Dixon, prohibits local governments from purchasing or acquiring a small, unmanned aircraft system manufactured by a covered foreign entity, such as Russia or China. The operation of these aircraft systems is forbidden after January 1, 2026. Please let us know if your county owns an aircraft fitting this description.
Staff Contact: Kaylon Day, Governmental Affairs Associate; kday@accg.org
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