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Tomorrow is "Crossover Day" at the state capitol. Crossover marks the last day a bill can pass out of its original chamber and then be considered by the other chamber this year (e.g. a House Bill must pass the House by close of business tomorrow in order for the Senate to consider it this year). This is done to ensure both chambers have time to consider each other's bills and resolutions. There are, however, a few caveats. First, a bill can be combined with another piece of legislation or stripped of its original language and replaced with a different bill and then considered by the other chamber. Second, because Georgia's legislature works on a biennial session, bills that don't become law this year are always available for consideration during the second year. Crossover is a really long day at the Capitol with legislators voting up until midnight most years.
Recent Votes of Interest:
Our friends at GA Agribusiness Council and Georgia Farm Bureau do a good job of tracking ag bills. I encourage you to look back at last week's Inside Ag newsletter or the GFB Action Center to see the full slate of bills that the ag community is tracking.
Recent Action:
SB 144 - Clarifies that a manufacturer of pesticides cannot be held liable for failing to warn consumers of health risks above those required by EPA. PASSED SENATE 3/4/25
Read more about the issue HERE.
HB 172 - Restructures the Veterinary Education Loan Repayment Program to incentivize veterinarians to practice in rural areas by providing reimbursement for veterinary student loans over the course of three years.
HB 169 - Removes carve-out option for landowners to remove portions of land enrolled in CUVA for solar power generation. New covenants (after July 1, 2026) will have to pay the penalty for the entire covenant if they want to place any portion of covenant land in solar generation.
HB 129 - Allows LLCs, corporations, and other legal entities to lease property enrolled in CUVA if the individual owners of those legal entities themselves would qualify for CUVA and the land is maintained in accordance to the CUVA requirements.
HB 164 - Removes a sunset clause from the 2023 truck weights bill which increased the maximum weight (with variance) to 88,000 lbs for ag and timber products on state and county roads.
SB 68 & 69 - Governor’s Tort Reform package with measures to limit damages in lawsuits, allow certain information to be admitted into evidence by the defense during trials, limit third-party funding of lawsuits, and other measures aimed at capping excessive and frivolous tort claims.
GAC's Inside Ag
GFB Action Center
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