February 7, 2025

Volume 16, Issue 4

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The Georgia General Assembly was in full swing this week, with ACCG actively engaged in numerous bills that have a significant impact on Georgia’s counties. This week’s action concluded on Thursday, Legislative Day 13. As the session progresses, ACCG will continue to serve as the official voice of counties under the Gold Dome.  



Three of ACCG’s Policy Agenda items passed out of committee this week: House Bill 92, a cleanup of last year's HB 581 bill; increasing the public works bid threshold; and revising the annexation arbitration process. Two other agenda items were introduced, addressing local government audit compliance, and removing the sunset on truck weight increases. Additionally, the House passed the Amended Fiscal Year 2025 budget, largely maintaining local appropriations for the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA), transportation, and Hurricane Helene relief, while also adding $5 million to implement Next Generation 911. 

While there is considerable attention on the need to adopt tort reform, several bills have also been introduced to expand the ability to sue counties on the basis of maintaining immigration sanctuary policies, failures to follow immigration detainer requests, and failures to enforce prohibitions on panhandling and illegal camping that are alleged to harm private property values. 

Both the House and the Senate have introduced legislation to either ban automated speed cameras in school zones or place significant restrictions on their use. ACCG has been involved with several criminal justice bills, including the increase of superior court judges’ salaries, shielding judges’ personally identifiable information, and prohibiting local governments from buying or using drones made by China or Russia.  

Counties are encouraged to stay informed on legislation impacting county governments, maintain communication with their legislative delegation, and overall assist ACCG in our efforts to make a positive difference for the citizens of Georgia.

New Legislation Introduced

Removing the Sunset on Truck Weights

House Bill 164, by Rep. Steven Meeks (District 178), repeals the sunset on allowing agricultural products to be hauled at 88,000 pounds and clarifies local law enforcement provisions. ACCG is neutral on this legislation so long as critical infrastructure funding such as Local Road Assistance (LRA) dollars remains in the budget (it was included in the Amended Fiscal Year 2025 budget that passed the House this week), and no changes are made to add additional weight, additional commodities, or affect the non-attainment area. 

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

School Zone Speed Detection Devices

Senate Bill 75, by Sen. Max Burns (District 23), relates to speed detection devices and red-light cameras in school zones. It establishes new standards for warning signs indicating reduced speed limits and modifies exceptions for when speed detection devices can be used, allowing enforcement in school zones one hour before, during, and one hour after school activities. Other measures are included.

House Bill 225, by Rep. Washburn (District 144), repeals laws that allow the enforcement of speeding violations in school zones using automated traffic enforcement safety devices. It prohibits local governments and law enforcement agencies from entering into or renewing contracts for such enforcement.

Staff Contact: Doug Reineke, Governmental Affairs Contractor; dreineke@accg.org

Local Government Audit Compliance

House Bill 244, by Rep. Chas Cannon (District 172), requires the state auditor to grant a 90-day extension after receiving an affidavit from a local government's auditor providing good cause that the local government is unable to complete their audit through no fault of their own. This bill protects local governments against losing state funding or grants such as Local Maintenance and Improvement Grants (LMIG) and Local Road Assistance (LRA) during the 90-day extension. This is an ACCG Policy Agenda item which the Association supports.

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

Sheriff Qualifications

House Bill 246, by Rep. Houston Gaines (District 120), requires that a candidate for sheriff must be a peace officer who is not under revocation or suspension by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. It includes a penalty for noncompliance and mandates the submission of a form completed by the executive director of the council.

Staff Contact: Doug Reineke, Governmental Affairs Contractor; dreineke@accg.org

Solar Power Facility Agreement Revisions

House Bill 249, by Rep. Robert Dickey (District 134), changes the bonding (financial assurance) requirement of solar facility agreements between a landowner and the company leasing the property for solar facilities (a law passed last session). It also requires the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) to ensure that these agreements meet state law.  

Staff Contact: Todd Edwards, Director of Governmental Affairs Contractor; tedwards@accg.org

Increase Statewide Homestead Exemption to $5,000

House Bill 260, by Rep. Matt Reeves (District 99), increases the statewide homestead exemption from $2,000 of assessed value to $5,000 of assessed value. ACCG has not yet taken a position on this legislation. This exemption does not apply to taxes levied by municipalities for city or education purposes.

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

Local Government Compensation to Property Owners

House Bill 295, by Rep. Houston Gaines (District 120), mandates that local governments compensate property owners for actions affecting their property value under certain conditions. These conditions include noncompliance with immigration sanctuary policies and failure to enforce prohibitions on illegal camping and panhandling. The sovereign immunity of local government is waived to the extent necessary for enforcing this legislation. ACCG is evaluating this measure. 

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

Exempts Commercial Side-By-Sides from Ad Valorem         

House Bill 297, by Rep. Victor Anderson (District 10), exempts multipurpose off-highway vehicles (such as side-by-sides) from ad valorem taxation. These vehicles are generally not subject to TAVT and would not become subject to TAVT as a result of this legislation. ACCG has not yet taken a position on this legislation. 

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

Restrictions on Corporate Interest in Single-Family Homes

House Bill 305, by Rep. Phil Olaleye (District 59), states that a “prohibited business” cannot acquire an interest in any single-family dwelling or mobile home park under certain conditions. This legislation defines a “prohibited business” as any partnership, corporation, or real estate investment trust that manages funds pooled from investors whose total net value exceeds $6,250,000 or who already have an interest in 25 single-family dwellings within a county. This definition excludes non-profits and homebuilders. ACCG is evaluating this measure.

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

Librarian Penalties for Failure to Remove Harmful Materials to Minors

Senate Bill 74, by Sen. Max Burns (District 23), eliminates an exemption afforded to public libraries from the crime of knowingly having physical or digital content that is deemed harmful to minors left accessible to a minor. Violations constitute a high and aggravated misdemeanor.  Individuals who meet the legal definition of librarians may raise an affirmative defense to the charges by establishing that they made a good-faith effort to remove any physical or digital content deemed harmful to minors. ACCG is evaluating this legislation.

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

Authorize Local Governments to Regulate Rental Prices

Senate Bill 106, by Sen. Donzella James (District 28), and House Bill 299, by Rep. Rhonda Taylor (District 92), repeals the prohibition in state law that allows local governments the ability to enact and enforce any ordinance or resolution that would regulate the amount of rent charged for privately owned rental properties. ACCG is evaluating this legislation.

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

Legalize Gambling and Sports Betting: Counties Receive Funding

Senate Resolution 131, by Sen. Carden Summers (District 13), authorizes the General Assembly to permit sports betting and casino gambling. This resolution stipulates that the first $2 billion in revenue must be evenly distributed among all 159 counties. Additionally, the first $500 million raised annually will be allocated evenly among the counties, with 5% designated for programs and services related to gambling addiction. ACCG is evaluating this legislation.

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

Progressing Legislation

House Bill 581 (2024) Cleanup

House Bill 92, by Rep. Shaw Blackmon (District 146), passed the House Ways and Means Committee. This legislation makes several adjustments to last year’s statewide floating homestead exemption law, including:

• Extending the local government opt-out deadline until March 31, 2029.
• Adding a 5-acre limitation on the floating homestead exemption.
• Clarifying that a surviving spouse continues the exemption without reapplication.
• Allowing a taxpayer to apply for homestead exemptions during their 45-day appeal window.
• Requiring the estimated rollback rate to be provided to the board of tax assessors.
• Setting a deadline of March 31 each year for submitting estimated rollback rates.
• Requiring a tax estimate for jurisdictions that do not submit their estimated rollback rate. 

ACCG is supportive of this legislation, which includes items from ACCG’s legislative priority on HB 581 Cleanup.

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

Public Works Bidding Threshold

House Bill 137, by Rep. Victor Anderson (District 10), passed through the House Governmental Affairs Committee. This legislation 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. ACCG is supportive of this legislation, which is one of ACCG’s 2025 Policy Objectives.

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

ACCG Governmental Affairs Associate Kaylon Day, GMA Governmental Relations Associate DJ Waller (middle), and Associated General Contractors of Georgia Director of Governmental Affairs Mark Woodall (left) testify in support of HB 137 before the House Governmental Affairs Committee.

Annexation Arbitration Dispute Panel Process Revision

House Bill 155, by Rep. Victor Anderson (District 10), also passed the House Governmental Affairs Committee. This legislation 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. ACCG is supportive of this legislation, which is one of ACCG’s 2025 Policy Objectives.

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

ACCG Director of Governmental Affairs Todd Edwards (right) and GMA Director of Governmental Relations Jim Thornton (middle) testify in support of HB 155 before the House Governmental Affairs Committee, chaired by Rep. Victor Anderson (left), the bill's sponsor.

Personal Information Protection for Judges

House Bill 199, by Rep. Trey Kelley (District 16), favorably passed the House Judiciary Committee. This bill enhances protections for the personally identifiable information of judges and their spouses. It eliminates the requirement for the Administrative Office of the Courts to maintain a database of protected individuals and their information. Instead, it establishes a statewide form for protected persons to request the removal or redaction of their personal information from public records. State and local governments will be required to comply with such requests following specified procedures.

Staff Contact: Doug Reineke, Governmental Affairs Contractor; dreineke@accg.org

Legislation Expanding Open Records Exclusions for Private Entities

Senate Bill 12, by Sen. Frank Ginn (District 47), passed the Senate Judiciary Committee. This legislation establishes that public records held by a private entity providing services for a public agency are not subject to public records requests unless those records are being stored or intended for future use. ACCG is neutral on this measure.

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

Waiving Sovereign Immunity for Immigration Violations

Senate Bill 21, by Sen. Blake Tillery (District 19), passed through the Senate Public Safety Committee. This legislation 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, its sovereign immunity, and that of its officials, are waived. ACCG is negotiating this measure.

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

ACCG Director of Governmental Affairs Todd Edwards speaks on SB 21 in the Senate Public Safety Committee.

Sales Tax Holiday for Firearms and Accessories

Senate Bill 47, by Sen. Jason Anavitarte (District 31), passed the Senate Finance Committee. This bill creates an 11-day annual sales tax holiday for firearms, ammunition, gun safes, and accessories, which would likely result in lost revenue to local governments. ACCG opposes this legislation.

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

Unmanned Aircraft Procurement Prohibition

Senate Bill 64, by Sen. Clint Dixon (District 45), passed the Senate Public Safety Committee this week. This legislation 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 Jan.1, 2026. ACCG is neutral on this bill. 

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

2025 ACCG Capitol Connection Conference

Remember to Invite Your Legislators!

There's still time to register 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.

County officials are encouraged to invite their legislators to attend the Legislative Reception on Monday, Feb. 24 and/or the Legislative Breakfast on Tuesday, Feb. 25. Please share this formal invitation with them via email so they can register to attend.

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.

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 current 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.

Senate bill seeking to strip governmental immunity from ‘sanctuary cities’ passes committee

Georgia Recorder - February 5, 2025

Legislation invites lawsuits against cities and schools that ignore immigration law

Capitol Beat - February 5, 2025

DNR approves 2025 round of land conservation grants

Capitol Beat - February 4, 2025

Georgia bill banning school zone traffic cameras garners support

WABE - February 4, 2025

Georgia House panel advances bill to allow judges to keep personal info out of public records

Georgia Recorder - February 4, 2025

Inspired by a local election, Georgia Senate passes first bill of legislative session

AJC - February 3, 2025