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

Coroners’ Pay Bill Passes House  

House Bill 625, by Rep. Danny Mathis, passed through the House on crossover day. It provides a mandatory base pay scale for all coroners statewide, and coroners will be provided the same employment benefits received by other constitutional officers if they meet certain conditions. For deputy coroners, the death investigation fee will increase from $175 to $250, per case, and they will receive a $100 per diem for each day they do not work a case for up to 90 days (or $9,000) per year. All of this is effective on July 1, 2024, leaving counties little time to adjust their budgets appropriately. ACCG opposes this bill.  

Please contact your Senators if you have any concerns with this legislation.  

House Bill 1407, by Rep. John Lahood, is the new service delivery strategy (SDS) bill and met the Crossover deadline. Among its provisions, this bill: 

House Bill 1149, by Rep. Mesha Manor, requires county constitutional officers (probate judge, tax commissioner, clerk of superior court, and sheriff) to annually report the financial condition and results of the operation of each of their discretionary funds and activities to the county governing authority. The county must then report these financial statements in its annual audit. Counties are not liable if the officer fails to provide this information.

House Bill 1253 initially altered how the governing councils of regional commissions are composed. However, that language was stripped out in the House Rules Committee and now only contains the language of House Bill 999. This authorizes the creation of a "special rural district” among rural counties that do not have the financial resources sufficient to provide all the services needed. The district would seek state and federal funds, including funds from the Department of Community Affairs, to provide joint services.      

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

Tax Reform Package Passes House on Crossover        

House Bill 1031, by Rep. Dale Washburn, is a taxpayer-friendly measure that helps Georgia citizens and local governments. The bill includes three of ACCG’s “Property Tax and Appeal Reform” Legislative Priorities: removing the confusing tax estimate from the assessment notice, limiting the three-year lock to curb frivolous appeals, and fixing the Department of Audits and Accounts sales ratio study issue so counties are no longer unfairly penalized. ACCG thanks Rep. Washburn for his leadership on these complex issues. 

Rep. Beth Camp authored two pieces of legislation: House Bill 1185 and House Resolution 1022, which work in conjunction to create a permissive floating homestead exemption that each local government may choose to adopt via resolution or ordinance. There is an inflationary adjustment in the base year value, which is determined by the state revenue commissioner.   

Senate Resolution 82, by Sen. Carden Summers, passed the Senate this week. This measure allows local governments to authorize the tax commissioner through a resolution to waive all or a portion of the delinquent taxes on a property that remains unsold after two tax sales. Safeguards are in place to prevent abuse of this new system, and it will help to return these properties to productive use.

House Bill 1115, by Rep. Noel Williams, increases the cap on local sales taxes from 2% to 3% and brings all sales tax types under the cap except for education special purpose local option sales tax (ESPLOST), transportation special purpose local option sales tax (TSPLOST), and municipal option sales tax (MOST). HB 1115 caps the combined state and local sales tax rate at 10% in counties containing a city with a MOST, and at 9% in all other counties. The bill also creates a new flexible penny local option sales tax (FLOST), which may be used for property tax relief. 

House Bill 1052, by Rep. Chas Cannon, expands the bona fide conservation use property (CUVA) program so that CUVA properties may be leased to organizations that would not qualify for CUVA. This allows them to lease their land to a corporation that would like to use it for farming. ACCG is supportive of this legislation.     

House Bill 808, by Rep. Mike Cheokas, passed the House this week. This legislation increases the personal property tax exemption from $7,500 to $20,000. This means that anyone with personal property worth $20,000 or less will not pay the tax and anyone with personal property worth more than $20,000 will pay the entire amount. The impetus for the bill is to help small businesses.          

House Resolution 1021, by Rep. Ron Stephens, proposes a constitutional amendment to create a senior homestead credit in exchange for volunteer work performed for local governments. It is permissive, and each local government may choose to participate via the passage of a local resolution or ordinance. The maximum amount of the credit is $500 per year.  

Staff Contact: Governmental Affairs Associate Gabriel Carter; gcarter@accg.org

Senate Bill 479 by Sen. Bo Hatchett, passed out of the Senate. This bill codifies how the $200 secondary metal recyclers registration fee is dispersed. In this bill, $100 would go to the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association (GSA) to maintain the database of all secondary metal recyclers. The other $100 is deposited into the county treasury.

Senate Bill 533, by Sen. Brian Strickland, gives the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) the sole discretion to determine the best treatment for those deemed incompetent to stand trial.  Among the options is a jail-based competency restoration program, which counties can choose to implement. ACCG seeks to work with the author to explore opportunities to enhance this legislation.

House Bill 935 by Rep. Ken Vance, was replaced with the language from Senate Bill 110 otherwise known as the “Back the Blue Fund” bill. This bill creates a fund that is generated through contributions from voluntary donations given during motor vehicle tag registration. The Department of Revenue will collect the funds and transfer them to the Georgia Sheriff’s Association (GSA). GSA will then disperse them equally among all 159 sheriffs as bonuses rather than salary supplements. ACCG is concerned about the accountability of these funds and the proper withholding of payroll taxes. With the tax ID being in the county’s name, the county may be responsible for paying any penalties incurred or interest assessed if taxes are not being paid on these bonuses.

House Bill 1105 by Rep. Jesse Petrea, requires law enforcement agencies to work in conjunction with the federal immigration authorities. It also outlines that if any sheriff's office or law enforcement agency of a local governing body violate the requirements in this legislation, they shall be subject to the withholding of state funding or state-administered federal funding. County and city jailers will also be responsible for maintaining a database and producing a quarterly report detailing the immigration status, offenses, and home countries of inmates. This report will be posted on the city or county website, as well as the Department of Audits and Accounts website.

House Bill 1233, by Rep. Bill Hitchens, passed out of the House on Crossover Day. This bill authorizes local governments to collect taxes or fees to provide fire services. Local governments are authorized to enforce the tax or fee inside and outside their boundaries so long as that area is limited to territories served by the fire department.

House Bill 451 by Rep. Devan Seabaugh, passed out of the House. This bill provides post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) insurance for first responders. Cities, counties, and the state would be mandated to provide this insurance program. ACCG is still urging the General Assembly to allow this program to be subject to local appropriations.

House Bill 1188, by Rep. Jodi Lott, requires that any state, county, or municipal law enforcement agency that hires a law enforcement officer from another agency prior to 36 months after their mandated training, provide reimbursement to that agency for the total cost of training.

Staff Contact: Governmental Affairs Associate Gabriel Carter; gcarter@accg.org

Senate Bill 480, by Sen. Mike Hodges, passed out of the Senate. This bill authorizes the Georgia Board of Healthcare Workforce to establish a student loan repayment program for mental health and/or substance abuse professionals. The aim is to expand and enhance the mental health and substance abuse workforce in Georgia.

House Bill 583 by Rep. Leesa Hagan requires cottage food operators to obtain an operating license from the Department of Agriculture. Cottage food operators are people who produce certain homemade food inside of a residential home. Most importantly, this bill prohibits counties and municipalities from regulating the production or sale of these cottage food operators. ACCG is working with the author to remove the preemption language from the bill.

House Bill 1314, by Rep. Ruwa Romman, passed the House and designates emergency medical services as an essential service.

 

Senate Bill 515 by Sen. Bo Hatchett passed out of the Senate. This bill requires the Department of Public Health to establish an EMS pilot program that will be developed and implemented by the Georgia Trauma Care Network Commission and the State Office of EMS and Trauma. This pilot program will run in EMS regions 2 and 8 and will operate four ambulances.

House Bill 1409 by Rep. Rob Leverett passed out of the House. This bill removes liability from mental healthcare professionals unless it is proven that their “gross negligence” led to the injury or death of a patient.

 

Senate Bill 293, by Sen. Ben Watson, changes the procedure for selecting the Department of Public Health District Health Director. County boards of health are still involved in the selection process.

Staff Contact: Associate Director of Governmental Affairs Martha Revelo; mrevelo@accg.org

House Bill 1146 by Rep. Ron Stephens requires the Environmental Protection Division to issue water permits to private companies where public service cannot be provided within 18 months. The proposed legislation raises concerns about establishing a precedent and its potential impacts on public health, environmental conservation, and local government planning, including service delivery strategy (SDS) agreements. ACCG opposes this bill and continues to encourage counties to reach out to their senators about their concerns.

House Bill 1223, by Rep. Rob Leverett, amends the Georgia Soil Amendment Act of 1976 by prohibiting the distribution of soil amendments on any site subject to ongoing enforcement action by the Department of Agriculture or the Environmental Protection Division due to contamination of soil, surface water, or groundwater, as determined by a consent order. ACCG supports this bill.

House Bill 1294, by Rep. Clay Pirkle, grants the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) the authority to provide financing and oversight for projects related to natural gas in cities and counties across the state.

Senate Bill 542, by Sen. Sam Watson, removes references to the public trust doctrine and addresses legislative findings regarding the public's right to utilize navigable streams for various activities such as fishing, hunting, navigation, commerce, and transportation.

House Bill 1197, by Rep. Penny Houston, expands tax credits to include rehabilitation of historic residential structures.

Staff Contact: Associate Director of Governmental Affairs Martha Revelo; mrevelo@accg.org

House Bill 617, introduced by Rep. Rick Jasperse, establishes the Georgia Freight 2050 Program managed by the Georgia Department of Transportation, to enhance the state's investment in the statewide transportation freight network.

House Bill 1312, by Rep. Rick Jasperse, changes the date on which the Department of Agriculture will begin regulating and taxing the use of electric vehicle charging stations from January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026.

During a ceremony at the Capitol on Crossover Day, Gov. Kemp signed the $37.9 billion AFY 2024 budget, also known as the supplemental budget. Several items are covered under the budget including, $50 million to expand the rural workforce housing program, $100 million for rural economic development projects through the OneGeorgia Authority, $250 million to the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) for local water and sewer projects, and almost $70 million in additional funding for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.

In the amended FY 2024 budget, the General Assembly awarded a $2 per diem increase for state prisoners housed in county correctional institutions (CIs). ACCG is still working to get increased funding in the FY 2025 budget for state prisoners housed in county jails.

In the amended FY 2024 budget, the General Assembly appropriated $664,462 for a 30-bed jail-based restoration pilot program. The pilot program is aimed at expanding treatment solutions for those deemed incompetent to stand trial. Also, this budget allocates $750,000 for a pilot program to implement transportation alternatives for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.

More information on the budget can be found here.

Join us at the 2024 Legislative Breakfast to get the latest updates and learn more about trending state issues. Legislation passed during the 40-day session can have a direct impact on county government operations. County officials are encouraged to invite their legislators to attend the Legislative Breakfast by sharing this formal invitation with them via email. Download the file by simply clicking the link and then save it to your computer before sharing it with your legislative delegation.  Send your confirmed meetings to Tottianna Davis at tdavis@accg.org.

Visit the ACCG website for updates on the agenda and registration.

It is time for counties to review and update, if necessary, their ACCG 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 Tottianna Davis at tdavis@accg.org or 404-522-5022.

Click here to review your county's CLC from the 2023 session.

Watch the replay of the Virtual Legislative Update 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.

Don't forget about the various communications tools that will help keep you informed and engaged. Click here to read all about them!

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AJC Politics - February 29, 2024

Cobb County Newsroom - February 27, 2024