|
The Georgia General Assembly is in session in the state capitol building, with this Friday, March 6, marking the “Cross-Over Day” where bills must pass a full vote of either the House of Representatives or Senate in order to be considered by the opposite chamber this year. Georgia’s legislative session is scheduled to end on April 2 at the conclusion of 40 “legislative days.”
Amended Fiscal Year 2026 Budget
Governor Kemp signed the amended FY ‘26 budget on March 3. The “little budget” is the first of two appropriations bills that the legislature must consider each session. Items of note to the Ag industry include:
- $2.4 million in additional funds to the Georgia Department of Agriculture for “agricultural improvements”
- $300,000 to the Agricultural Exposition Authority (Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter) for facility improvements
- $6 million increase in funds for the UGA Extension’s Research and Education Center
- $2,000 one-time bonus for state employees
The amended budget also includes almost $2 billion in property and income tax rebates.
Joint Study Committee on Generational Sustainability of Family Farms
House and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairmen Roberty Dickey (R-Musella) and Russ Goodman (R-Cogdell) introduced resolutions to form a joint study committee on the generational sustainability of family farms. Both resolutions passed their committee unanimously. The study committee will evaluate policies to decrease the cost of doing business, developing new markets for Georgia agricultural commodities, and supporting the growth of the agricultural industry in Georgia.
Bills of Interest:
SB 306 - Authored by Sen. Randy Robertson (R-Cataula), this bill would require county tax assessors to provide notification of an expiring conservation covenant via certified mail. Additionally, if the owner of the property does not receive notification of the expiring covenant, the covenant is automatically extended by 1 year. Status: Passed Senate Finance Committee and waiting vote by full Senate.
HR 1008 - This resolution will ratify amendments to the comprehensive state-wide water management plan reducing the number of appointments to each regional water planning council and require designees from specific industries, including agriculture. Status: Passed House on Jan. 29, Passed Senate Committee on Feb. 24. Awaiting vote by full Senate.
HB 1195 - A bill to amend the code section relating to the practice of veterinary telemedicine. The bill would remove a restriction in law preventing veterinarians or vet technicians from providing telemedicine or teletriage if a licensed veterinarian or vet technician was available within a 50-mile radius to perform a physical examination within 24 hours of the client’s request. The bill also clarifies that a valid veterinary-client patient relationship must be in place prior to providing teleadvice or veterinary teletriage. Status: Passed House of Representatives on March 3.
HB 1159 - This bill would exempt Farmer Bridge Assistance Program payments from State Income Tax. Status: Passed House Ways & Means Committee on Feb 18.
HB 1071 - This bill would require employers to implement a heat-illness prevention program. Status: Assigned to House Industry & Labor Committee. Note: Our friends at Georgia Agribusiness Council stated in its Inside Ag newsletter that it did not expect this bill to advance during the legislative session.
HB 947 - This bill would strengthen state oversight of SNAP eligibility, verification, and rule enforcement to match federal changes to SNAP fraud and error prevention requirements. An earlier version of this bill included limitations on purchases of certain "unhealthy" foods with SNAP benefits. That language has been removed. Status: Passed House Agriculture Committee on Feb 18. Awaiting vote by full House
HB 547 - This bill would add language to the CUVA code section allowing landowners to combine multiple parcels under existing covenants into one, new covenant if all such parcels would be eligible for renewal, creating a 180-day grace period for transferring properties CUVA properties to FLPA or vice versa, and allows the use of carbon credits for timber in CUVA covenants. Status: Passed House Ways & Means Committee on March 3. Awaiting vote by full House.
Georgia Farm Bureau Action Center & Bill Tracker
| 
