Gold Dome Update 

Highlights from the House 

Week 10

The Georgia House of Representatives convened for Legislative Day 28 on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, also known as Crossover Day. Crossover Day is the final day for a bill to pass out of its respective chamber with enough time to remain eligible for final passage prior to Day 40. As expected, Crossover Day was the busiest day yet for the Georgia General Assembly this legislative session. There was no lack of legislation to cover as we worked through many issues of concern.

Education

As the largest expenditure of our state budget, education remains priority. Crossover week brought forth several educational incentives further solidifying our commitment to students, school systems and administrators.

To assist low-income Georgians, we passed House Bill 1435. This bill will help those in need access financial aid to complete their college education. Students who qualify would be eligible to apply for up to $2,500.00 in grant funding to fill any remaining gap between tuition and additional fees. Students would have to complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), complete 80 percent of credit hours towards a degree program and meet other requirements. This program would be available for students attending both University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia institutions, as well as certain institutions eligible for Tuition Equalization Grants. 

We also successfully passed House Bill 1482, which will revise eligibility criteria for grant funding to build and improve school buildings giving greater consideration to low-wealth school systems. To be eligible, a school system would be ranked in the bottom 25 percent in sales tax revenue per full time equivalent (FTE) student and value of property per FTE student. Due to rising construction costs, there are 44 school systems in Georgia that need access to additional funding to ensure students are learning in safe and updated environments.

House Bill 1184 would allow school systems to administer nationally recognized college entrance examinations to 11^th grade students who elect to participate. Schools would be permitted to offer these exams up to three times per year during normal hours of operation. This will make it easier for all Georgia students to sit for these examinations, which can be costly and difficult to attend outside of regular school hours. 

House Bill 1283 which was also passed on Crossover Day would require schools to offer recess to students in kindergarten through fifth grade and recess could not be withheld for disciplinary or academic reasons. 

Healthcare

Unfortunately, the pandemic has further highlighted Georgia’s long-standing health care worker shortage. To address this ongoing issue, we passed House Bill 1520 which creates the Georgia Council on Addressing Health Care Workforce Challenges. This Council would examine education programs, funding sources, and state rules with an eye toward making recommendations to grow Georgia’s health care workforce. Similarly, we also passed House Bill 1533, which would provide protections for health care workers seeking mental health care to remove potential job threatening consequences when seeking such assistance.

House Bill 1425 seeks to address the slow progress of implementation of Georgia’s narrowly defined Medical Cannabis program. This bill, if it becomes law, would rescind the competitive application request initiated in 2020 and simply direct the Medical Cannabis Commission to take the necessary steps to obtain low-THC oil required to administer the program. The Commission would by the end of 2022 issue a new competitive application request to award licenses for the commercial production of low-THC oil. This bill would also engage the expertise of the Georgia Department of Administrative Services to ensure the process is fair and follows all relevant Georgia law on purchasing.

House Bill 918 was passed which would create the Georgia Rare Disease Advisory Council. This Council, consisting of medical experts and patients suffering from rare diseases, would publish a report annually to make recommendations on how to better address rare diseases that would be distributed to Georgia public policy leaders. 

Criminal Justice Reform

For many years, Georgia has used an ad hoc method of compensating wrongfully convicted individuals. This, however, only occurs in cases prominent enough to gain the attention of legislators, who then may pass a bill specifically to compensate the wrongfully convicted individual. Questions have been raised as to whether all cases which merit similar attention are reviewed. To avoid this scenario in the future, we passed House Bill 1354, the Wrongful Conviction Compensation Act. This bill would streamline the process for compensating those who are wrongfully convicted by creating a panel of experts to make recommendations regarding compensation of wrongfully convicted individuals. These recommendations would then be reviewed by the Georgia General Assembly for adoption into future budgets. 

Bills of Interest

The Georgia House of Representatives also passed the following House bills and resolutions during the 10^th week of the 2022 legislative session, the majority of which passed on Crossover Day:

• House Bill 202, which would increase the additional penalty under Joshua's Law from 1.5 percent to three percent of the original fine; the bill would remove the sunset provision and expand eligibility for specified driver education for those who are 21 years old or younger, as well as establish the Driver's Education Trust Fund;

• House Resolution 203, which would create a specialty license plate supporting the Tybee Island Historical Society;

• House Bill 424, which would establish a tax credit for contributions to approved foster care support organizations that assist children aging out of foster care; this tax credit would have an annual aggregate cap of $20 million, and the different tax credit amounts are outlined for different types of tax filers;

• House Bill 733, which would allow guaranteed asset protection waivers to provide a benefit that waives an amount or provides a borrower with a credit towards the purchase of a replacement vehicle with or without a separate charge;

• House Bill 824, which would increase the legislator contribution rate for the Legislative Retirement System from 8.5 percent of the member's monthly salary to $165 each month, and the "presiding member" of the House would contribute $660 each month; it would also change the monthly benefit to $50 for each year of creditable service starting in 2022 and add $200 for each year of a member's presiding creditable service; an actuarial investigation determined there would be no cost to enact this legislation;

• House Bill 830, which would allow a sheriff to be compensated by a supplement for official services by up to two courts;

• House Bill 923, which would set a specified limit on the per diem allowance paid to development authority directors and authorize, in addition to the governor, the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission and local ethics boards or offices to have concurrent jurisdiction over ethics violations of development authority members, as well as establish and clarify the procedures for ethics violation hearings of development authority members;

• House Bill 931, which would exclude upgrades or enhancements meant to enable or accommodate individuals who use wheelchairs from the fair market value of the vehicle;
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• House Bill 937, which would require the Georgia Department of Community Health to provide Medicaid coverage for mammograms at no cost to the patient as long as the screening is recommended based on the patient's health status;

• House Bill 972, which would update the Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists Licensing Law in several ways by allowing for people participating in an internship, under the direction of a certified rehabilitation counselor, to be exempt from certain licensure requirements; this bill would also update requirements and minimum standards for associate professional counselor license candidates and penalties for those who violate these laws;

• House Bill 997, which would exempt timber equipment from ad valorem taxation, including all equipment owned or held under a lease-purchase agreement by a timber producer and is directly used in the production or harvest of timber products, excluding motor vehicles; the bill also provides language for a referendum to be included on the November 2022 ballot;

• House Bill 1034, which would expand the sales tax exemption for ticket sales to non-recurring major sporting events to include any match of a FIFA World Cup and by extending the sunset date to December 31, 2031;

• House Bill 1041, which would update our laws related to tax credits for contributions to rural hospital organizations by increasing the annual aggregate cap from $60 million to $75 million;

• House Bill 1053, which would amend the Georgia Entertainment Industry Postproduction Investment Act by extending the tax credit through December 31, 2027, and reducing the carry forward time of the tax credits earned to three years; each company that claims the post-production tax credit or film tax credit would be required to be subject to Georgia income tax for royalties with respect to a state-certified production;

• House Bill 1068, which would require a chief executive officer of a state government entity to provide a designee for service of process for civil actions brought against the state;

• House Bill 1180, which would change the membership requirements of regional commissions, as well as provide requirements for the establishment of regional commission executive committees;

• House Bill 1187, which would extend the sunset date for the sales tax exemption for high-technology data center equipment to December 31, 2033; this bill would also revise new job creation and expenditure requirements depending on county population sizes;

• House Bill 1291, which would extend the sunset on the exemption for sales or leases of computer equipment to high-technology companies from June 30, 2023, to December 31, 2033, and modify the exemption process;

• House Bill 1297, which would provide an insurance premium discount or reduction for a home or commercial property that is built to fortified standards to better resist catastrophic wind events;

• House Bill 1330, which would amend tax credits for musical or theatrical performances by revising the eligibility requirements and lowering the spending thresholds for the credits, and the bill would increase the tax credit from 15 to 30 percent of the qualified production expenditures and establish an annual aggregate cap on the tax credit of $5 million for 2023, $10 million for 2024 and 2025 and $15 million for 2026 and 2027;

• House Bill 1331, which would revise references to make the governor's designee the administrator of the State Employment Service program, the person responsible for fulfilling state duties under the federal Wagner-Peyser Act and the designee to the U.S. Department of Labor for purposes of the federal Wagner-Peyser Act; money in the Employment Security Administration Fund would be available to the governor's designee, and any transfer from the fund by the commissioner of Labor would be made at the discretion of the governor's designee; this bill originally passed the House on March 11 but received final passage on March 15 after a motion to reconsider was made;

• House Bill 1335, which would align Georgia Code with the federal holiday list to provide 13 state holidays and designate Public Safety Week in September each year;

• House Bill 1350, which would require an estate representative to send notice to all beneficiaries within 30 days of issuance of letters and would require filing of notices with the probate court within 60 days of issuance of letters; this bill would also ensure compliance and amend the Uniform Transfer on Death Security Registration laws;

• House Bill 1358, which would repeal the requirement for a weapons carry license for those who are not otherwise ineligible to possess and carry a firearm; this bill originally passed the House on March 11 but received final passage on March 15 after a motion to reconsider was made;

• House Bill 1382, which would require development authority members to complete continuing training on development and redevelopment programs annually as a prerequisite for the authority to receive specified funding;

• House Bill 1387, which would suspend a driver’s motor vehicle registration if penalties from overtaking a school bus or speeding in a school zone are not paid;

• House Bill 1390, which would provide a cause of action for local government workers if that local government retaliates against an individual who has opposed sexual harassment, filed a complaint related to sexual harassment or participated or planned to participate in an action or proceeding related to sexual harassment;

• House Bill 1404, which would instruct the Georgia Department of Community Health to submit a waiver request to the federal Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services to allow private mental health institutions to qualify for Medicaid reimbursement;

• House Bill 1405, which would revise the Zoning Procedures Law to establish procedures and notice requirements for specified zoning hearings before quasi-judicial entities, and this bill would require local governments to provide hearings when a zoning decision is granted or denied;

• House Bill 1421, which would require that fees collected for the disposal of solid wastes and hazardous wastes be annually appropriated to the Hazardous Waste Trust Fund;

• House Bill 1424, which would update Georgia law regarding coin operate amusement machines (COAM), and COAM regulation would be under the jurisdiction of the Administrative Procedures Act; the per-play prize limit would increase and operators/owners would be allowed to issue gift cards for non-cash redemption for COAMs;

• House Bill 1443, which would allow for a mobile food establishment, such as a food truck, that is permitted in one county to operate in other counties in the state and would specify provisions for permitting and inspections of these food truck operations;

• House Bill 1461, which would require a municipal corporation to provide notice of a petition of annexation to any impacted school system, and this bill would provide proposed annexation objection and arbitration guidelines and procedures for impacted school systems and county governing authorities;

• House Bill 1464, which would update Georgia’s laws regarding the investigation of election fraud and election crimes;

• House Bill 1478, which would allow for the option to submit certificate of title applications electronically;

• House Bill 1479, which would remove the State Board of Registration for Foresters from within the Secretary of State and establish the board as a separate entity attached to the State Forestry Commission; board members nominated by the governor would be confirmed by the Senate, and the board could issue cease and desist orders and impose a fine up to $500 for violations;

• House Bill 1481, which would provide guidelines for allocating specified plates to motor vehicle dealers;

• House Bill 1483, which would reduce the number of required supervised hours for social work practice from three years (3,000 hours) to 2,000 hours; the bill would allow licensed clinical social work applicants enrolled in a master's degree accredited social work program to take their licensing examination in their final semester; HB 1483 would also authorize social work licensing by endorsement from other jurisdictions or states with equivalent license requirements; the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists would be required to review and revise its regulations for licensed clinical and master's social workers;

• House Bill 1496, which would allow sheriffs in possession of impounded and unclaimed livestock to donate an animal to a rescue organization or private individual in addition to being able to auction or euthanize the animal;

• House Bill 1515, which would revise the approved schools for tuition equalization grants at private colleges and universities to include schools that were previously accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and are now accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools if they meet all other requirements to be considered an approved school;

• House Bill 1516, which would revise provisions for joint operations between the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and instead allow for joint operations between the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Authority and the Classic Center Authority; this bill would also update the composition of these two authorities;

• House Bill 1522, which would require additional informational items to be provided to entrants of a beauty pageant;

• House Bill 1528, which would prohibit the possession, transport or sale of used, detached catalytic converters by unauthorized individuals; unauthorized individuals in possession of these catalytic converters would be subject to item forfeiture, and each unlawfully possessed item would be considered a separate offense;

• House Bill 1553, or Bishop’s Law, which would require offenders convicted of murdering a peace officer in the line of duty to be housed in a high-security prison; the Georgia Department of Corrections (DOC) would be required to provide written justification and notice to the victim’s family if it seeks to transfer one of these inmates; the DOC would prepare an annual report regarding information of how these inmates are treated for the governor, lieutenant governor, the speaker of the House and the chairs of the House and Senate Judiciary committees;

• House Resolution 467, which would urge the Georgia Department of Transportation to study the potential costs and benefits of extending Interstate 185 along U.S. 27 until it meets the Florida state line; this resolution would also urge the study of extending Georgia 300 through Albany and expanding the route into four or more lanes in accordance with interstate standards;

• House Resolution 593, which would authorize the Department of Administrative Services to pay $1,230,000 to Dennis Arnold Perry as compensation for his wrongful conviction;

• House Resolution 626, which would authorize the Department of Administrative Services to pay $480,000 to Kerry Robinson as compensation for his wrongful conviction;

• House Resolution 650, which would create the House Study Committee on Literacy Instruction comprised of five state representatives and nine area experts; this study committee would work to examine evidence-based instruction, the impact of low literacy on Georgia's economic and workforce competitiveness and the extent of different programs in Georgia provide literacy instruction for all ages;

• House Resolution 686, which would amend the Georgia State Constitution related to ad valorem taxation of timber by reducing the taxation rate from 2.5 times the rate of other real property to the same rate as other real property; this resolution would also require the General Assembly to annually appropriate funds to each county, municipality or school district that experiences a revenue reduction from the revised tax rate on timber; this bill would also provide for a ballot referendum for approval;

• House Resolution 732, which would propose an amendment to the Georgia Constitution to change the payable date of temporary loans for counties and municipalities from December 31 of each year to within 12 months of the initial funding;

• House Resolution 820, which would serve as the General Assembly’s annual road dedication bill;

• House Resolution 822, which would state the Georgia House’s opposition to the practice of shark finning and its support for requiring standards for importers of shark fins that are equal to or stricter than those imposed by the federal government;

• House Resolution 842, which would amend the Georgia Constitution relating to salaries of General Assembly members pending the approval of a ballot referendum; if approved, starting July 1, 2023, each sitting senator and representative would receive an annual salary equal to 60 percent of the median household income in Georgia.