GBAN Legislative Update – April 3, 2017

Sine Die Update
Thursday, March 30 was the last legislative day of the 2017 session of the Georgia General Assembly. Both chambers went well past midnight as they continued to consider legislation. Below are a few highlighted bills that moved through the state legislature this session.

Chamber Scorecard Legislation

• House Bill 192: Banks, trust companies, and corporations; responsibilities and standard of care of directors and officers; change provisions
  • Bill Author: Rep. Beth Beskin (R – Atlanta)
  • HB 192 aims to return to an environment that facilitates reasonable decisions by corporate directors and officers. It also encourages companies to incorporate in Georgia and creates opportunities for further economic growth.
  • Status: Passed by both House and Senate.
• Senate Bill 70: Hospital Medicaid Financing Program; sunset provision; extend
  • Bill Author: Sen. Butch Miller (R – Gainesville)
  • SB 70 seeks to extend the sunset on the so-called “provider fee” for hospitals through June of 2020. The bill is expected to generate $311 million annually in state Medicaid funds and assists in drawing down $600 million in federal Medicaid dollars.
  • Status: Passed by both House and Senate, and signed by Governor Deal.

Legislation of Interest

• House Bill 73: Income tax credit; incentives to promote the revitalization of rural Georgia downtowns; provide
  • Chamber Position: Support
  • Bill Author: Rep. Penny Houston (R – Nashville)
  • HB 73 is a tax credit aimed at revitalizing rural downtowns and is supported by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
  • HB 73 creates revitalization zones (RZ) under the discretion of the Commissioner of DCA and Economic Development for which existing businesses and developers can receive tax credits for qualified projects.
  • Status: Passed by both House and Senate.
• House Bill 134: Sales and use tax; special district mass transportation; provisions
  • Chamber Position: Support
  • Bill Author: Rep. Bubber Epps (R – Dry Branch)
  • HB 134 allows single county T-SPLOSTs to fund state transportation projects and gives counties and cities the authority to bond their own T-SPLOST projects.
  • Status: Passed by both House and Senate.
• House Bill 155: Georgia Musical Investment Act; enact
  • Chamber Position: Support
  • Bill Author: Rep. Amy Carter (R – Valdosta)
  • HB 155 provides a 15% tax credit for qualified music productions in the state and an additional 5% for work done in rural areas.
  • Status: Passed by both House and Senate
• House Bill 199: Income tax credit; interactive entertainment companies; change certain provisions
  • Chamber Position: Support
  • Bill Author: Rep. Trey Rhodes (R – Greensboro)
  • HB 199 gives a post-production tax credit to interactive entertainment companies that complete projects in Georgia.
  • Status: Passed by both House and Senate.
• House Bill 224: Quality Basic Education Act; military student may attend any school in local system; provide
  • Chamber Position: Support
  • Bill Author: Rep. Dave Belton (R – Buckhead)
  • HB 224 will allow for students in military families to attend any school in their local school system provided space is available to them.
  • Status: Passed by both House and Senate.
• House Bill 237: Public Education Innovation Fund Foundation; receive private donations for grants to public schools; provisions
  • Chamber Position: Support
  • Bill Author: Rep. Brooks Coleman (R – Duluth)
  • HB 237 authorizes the Public Education Innovation Fund Foundation to receive private donations to be used for grants to public schools for wrap-around services and provides an income tax credit for qualified education donations.
  • Status: Passed by both House and Senate.
• House Bill 243: Minimum wage; require additional pay to employees based on schedule changes; preempt local government mandates
  • Chamber Position: Support
  • Bill Author: Rep. Bill Werkheiser (R – Glennville)
  • HB 243 preempts local ordinances regarding scheduled pay requirements.
  • Status: Passed by both House and Senate.
• House Bill 245: Professional Standards Commission; establish process by which military spouses may qualify for temporary certificates; provide
  • Chamber Position: Support
  • Bill Author: Rep. Al Williams (D – Midway)
  • HB 245 will expedite the process for military spouses to acquire certificates and licenses in Georgia.
  • Status: Unanimously passed both House and Senate chambers.
• House Bill 265: Income tax; credit for establishing or relocating quality jobs; revise provisions
  • Chamber Position: Support
  • Bill Author: Rep. Chuck Efstration (R – Dacula)
  • HB 265 amends the existing quality jobs tax credit and is supported by the Georgia Dept. of Economic Development.
  • Status: Passed by both House and Senate.
• House Bill 283: Revenue and taxation; Internal Revenue Code and Internal Revenue Code of 1986; revise definitions
  • Chamber Position: Support
  • Bill Author: Rep. David Knight (R – Griffin)
  • HB 283 is an annual IRS update bill that has already been signed into law by Governor Deal. Click the following links to find the House and Senate vote tallies.
• House Bill 338: Education; system of supports and assistance for low-performing schools in the greatest need; provisions
  • Chamber Position: Support
  • Bill Author: Rep. Kevin Tanner (R – Dawsonville)
  • HB 338 provides for low performing schools to receive assistance and the tools necessary to identify key areas of concern and formulate a plan to improve.
  • Status: Passed by both House and Senate.
• House Bill 430: Governor’s Education Reform Commission; charter schools; implement recommendations
  • Chamber Position: Support
  • Bill Author: Rep. Buzz Brockway (R – Lawrenceville)
  • HB 430 seeks to implement recommendations from Governor Deal’s Education Reform Commission with respect to standards of authorization of charter schools, standards for charter school performance, and address charter school funding.
  • Status: Passed by both House and Senate.
• House Resolution 848: House Commission on Transit Governance and Funding; create
  • Chamber Position: Support
  • Bill Author: Rep. Kevin Tanner (R – Dawsonville)
  • HR 848 creates a House commission on statewide transit governance and funding.
  • Status: Passed by the House.
• House Resolution 389: House Rural Development Council; create
  • Chamber Position: Support
  • Bill Author: Rep. Sam Watson (R – Moultrie)
  • HR 389 creates the House Rural Development Council in an effort to study and propose solutions for greater economic development in rural Georgia.
  • Status: Passed by the House.
• Senate Bill 85: Malt Beverages; provide for limited sale at retail by manufacturers
  • Chamber Position: Support
  • Bill Author: Sen. Rick Jeffares (R – McDonough)
  • SB 85 is a compromise measure that was reached by industry representatives after multiple sessions attempting to address this issue. The legislation will allow craft breweries to sell limited quantities of their product to visitors on site.
  • Status: Passed by both House and Senate.
• Senate Bill 133: Corporate Net Worth Tax; less than a certain amount; make such tax inapplicable to corporations
  • Chamber Position: Support
  • Bill Author: Sen. Larry Walker III (R – Perry)
  • SB 133 eliminates fees for small businesses related to corporate net worth income. The final bill also includes the language from House Bill 314.
  • Status: Passed by both House and Senate.
• Senate Bill 219: Motor Vehicles; definitions; operation of motor vehicles with automated driving systems on certain public roads; provide
  • Chamber Position: Support
  • Bill Author: Sen. Steve Gooch (R – Dahlonega)
  • SB 219 provides basic guidelines for the operation of autonomous vehicles on specified public roads.
  • Status: Passed by both House and Senate.
• Senate Resolution 410: Senate Information Technology Corridors in Georgia Study Committee; create
  • Chamber Position: Support
  • Bill Author: Sen. P.K. Martin IV (R – Lawrenceville)
  • SR 410 creates a Senate Study Committee to look at ways to encourage creation of technology corridors in Georgia.
  • Status: Passed by the Senate.
• Senate Resolution 152: Joint Study Committee on Stream Buffers in Georgia; create
  • Chamber Position: Support
  • Bill Author: Sen. Frank Ginn (R – Danielsville)
  • SR 152 will create a joint House and Senate Study Committee on the rules and requirements relating to stream buffers.
  • Status: Passed by both House and Senate.

Political Engagement
Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp became the first candidate to announce his run for Governor in 2018. You can read the AJC’s story, here. Representative Buzz Brockway (R – Lawrenceville) has also recently announced his intent to seek higher office, saying he will seek Kemp’s position as Secretary of State.