It was a hurry-up-and-wait on the penultimate day of the 2024 Georgia legislative session. Each chamber went through fits and starts throughout the day on Tuesday, with cycles of advancing a flurry of legislation and special actions before pausing for a break, a meal, or another House Rules Committee meeting. Meanwhile, lobbyists and less-involved legislators entertained themselves in the hallways and galleries, preparing for sine die bingo and giggling over antics like Senator Josh McLaurin’s (D-Atlanta) playful impression of Representative Martin Momtahan (R-Dallas). Some levity is key in the waning hours of a legislative session, and the stoic #GoldDomeReport will earnestly try to add a little.

Legislative Day 40 is shaping up to be a busy finale. When legislators convene on Thursday numerous measures and special actions will await. Although the House and Senate took up 24 and 38 bills respectively, and resolutions on their Rules Calendars on Tuesday, the respective chambers have 7 and 47 measures postponed or tabled, exclusive of agrees, disagrees, and other special actions. While legislators will certainly try to move as many measures as possible to final passage, some of these are certainly destined to doom this year. We’ll have a recap of all the action on Friday in our Sine Die edition of the Report.

In this Report:

• Floor Notes
• Committee Reports
• What’s Next

Floor Notes

The House took up the following on Legislative Day 39:

• SB 10 - Offenses Against Public Order And Motor Vehicles and Traffic; knowingly attending and facilitating an illegal drag race or a laying drags exhibition; punishment; provide — PASSED 149-7
• SB 37 - Sheriffs; qualification requirements for the office of sheriff; revise — PASSED 161-2
• SB 83 - Stalking; eligibility for restraining orders; revise — PASSED 172-1
• SB 97 - 'Georgia Cyber Command Act'; Georgia Cyber Command Division under the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency; create — PASSED 169-1
• SB 132 - Agriculture; the acquisition of possessory interest in certain land by certain nonresident aliens; prohibit — PASSED 167-4
• SB 212 - Probate Court Judges; relating to elections; end activities and duties — PASSED 162-0
• SB 322 - Sheriffs' Retirement Fund of Georgia; increase in dues; provide — PASSED 164-0
• SB 341 - Official Code of Georgia Annotated; relating to inactive boards, panels, authorities, centers, commissions, committees, councils, task forces, and other such bodies and certain procedures of the General Assembly; repeal — PASSED 162-4
• SB 344 - Sales and Use Taxes; firearms, ammunition, gun safes, and related accessories during an 11-day period each year; exempt — PASSED 163-1
• SB 354 - Cosmetologists and Barbers; persons performing certain limited responsibilities; exempt from licensure — PASSED 96-76
• SB 358 - State Election Board; remove the Secretary of State; authorize the board to investigate — PASSED 166-0
• SB 384 - Public Officers and Employees; development and administration of the State of Georgia as a Model Employer (GAME) Program; provide — PASSED 157-1
• SB 399 - Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia; to enter into and amend existing agreements with the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia; encourage and state expectations — PASSED 170-0
• SB 402 - Instruction Permits; restrictions upon the operation of Class C motor vehicles by Class D license holders with certain passengers in the vehicle; revise — PASSED 166-1
• SB 414 - "Personal Privacy Protection Act"; enact — PASSED 135-32
• SB 417 - Reporting of Accidents; timing and documentation of such reports; provide— PASSED 157-2
• SB 449 - Certified Nursing Aid; certain military medical personnel from an examination requirement; exempt — PASSED 166-0
• SB 497 - Education; High-demand Career Initiatives Program as the High Demand Apprenticeship Program; redesignate — PASSED 171-1
• SB 517 - Criminal Prosecutions; immunity from certain criminal prosecutions against law enforcement officers whose threat or use of force is justified or otherwise lawful; provide — PASSED 149-18
• SB 110 - 'Back the Blue Act'; enact — PASSED 165-3 
• SB 307 - Private Review Agents; health insurers to implement and maintain a program that allows for the selective application of reductions; provide — PASSED 167-1
• SB 395 - Education; the possession of opioid antagonists in schools; authorize — PASSED 171-1
• SB 429 - "Small Business Protection Act of 2024"; enact — PASSED 161-7
• SB 502 - Department of Administrative Services; state agencies from contracting for advertising or marketing services with certain companies or from supporting certain companies; prohibit — PASSED 103-64

The Senate took up the following on Legislative Day 39:

• HB 158 - Courts; change name of Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit to DeKalb Judicial Circuit — PASSED 52-1 
• HB 181 - Controlled Substances; mitragynine and hydroxymitragynine are Schedule I; provide — PASSED 49-3
• HB 206 - Local government; creation of Commercial Property Assessed Conservation, Energy, and Resiliency Development Authorities; provide — PASSED 43-9
• HB 220 - Property; means of enforcement of condominium and property owners' association instruments, rules, and regulations; provide — PASSED 50-1
• HB 338 - Student Technology Protection Act; enact — PASSED 50-1
• HB 451 - Public officers and employees; supplemental, illness-specific insurance for certain first responders with occupational post-traumatic stress disorder; require provision — PASSED 53-0
• HB 508 - Crimes and offenses; orders be served on a respondent within 24 hours of the court's issuance of such order; provide — PASSED 53-0
• HB 581 - Audits and Accounts, Department of; revise deadlines, selection criteria, and required contents for certain annual economic analyses — PASSED 52-0
• HB 808 - Ad valorem tax; increase a statewide exemption for tangible personal property — PASSED 51-0
• HB 825 - Judicial Retirement System; require certain counties to supplement retirement benefits paid to the circuit's superior court judges and district attorneys; require — PASSED 44-9
• HB 872 - Medical professionals; rural assistance; expand service cancelable loan program for health care providers to include dental students — PASSED 47-2
• HB 906 - Tifton Judicial Circuit; provide for a third judge — PASSED 53-0
• HB 916 - General appropriations; State Fiscal Year July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025 — PASSED 53-1
• HB 934 - Self-service storage facilities; enforcement of unsigned rental agreements under certain circumstances; providE — PASSED 46-6
• HB 946 - Special district mass transportation sales and use tax; intergovernmental agreements; revise requirements — PASSED 42-1
• HB 959 - Motor vehicles; procedure for passing stationary vehicles on certain highways; provide — PASSED 52-0
• HB 974 - Secretary of State; establish and maintain a state-wide system for the posting of scanned paper ballots; require — PASSED 47-6
• HB 986 - Elections; election interference with a deep fake; establish criminal offense
• HB 992 - Houston Judicial Circuit; provide for fourth judge — PASSED 51-0
• HB 993 - Crimes and offenses; grooming a minor for indecent purposes; provide for offense — PASSED 53-0
• HB 994 - Torts; negligent operations of a vessel; revise liability — PASSED 52-1
• HB 1017 - Georgia Squatter Reform Act; enact — PASSED 54-0
• HB 1018 - Georgia Firearms Industry Nondiscrimination Act; enact — PASSED 33-19
• HB 1123 - Handicapped persons; require establishment of an Adult Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Multidisciplinary Team in each judicial circuit — PASSED 52-2
• HB 1104 - Quality Basic Education Act; address mental health risks for student-athletes — PASSED 33-12
• HB 1114 - Data Analysis for Tort Reform Act; enact - PASSED 38-16
• HB 1165 - Criminal Justice Coordinating Council; replace chairperson of the Governor's Office of Children and Families with the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities — PASSED 49-2
• HB 1172 - Water rights; public trust doctrine; remove references — PASSED 34-18
• HB 1207 - Elections; proofing of ballots by local superintendents in certain races; provide — PASSED 33-20
• HB 1341 - State symbols; white shrimp as official state crustacean; designate — PASSED 49-0
• HR 302 - General Assembly; appropriation of funds received from certain legal judgments or settlements; provide - CA — PASSED 49-3
• HR 1022 - Local government; option to offer a state-wide homestead exemption from ad valorem taxes when current year assessed value exceeds the inflation rate; provide - CA — PASSED 42-11
• HR 1042 - Joint Study Committee on Judicial System Compensation; create — PASSED 50-1

The Senate also approved the following study committees on a consent calendar:

• SR 37 - Senate Property Owners' Associations, Homeowners' Associations, and Condominium Associations Study Committee; create
• SR 203 - Senate Safe Firearm Storage Study Committee; create
• SR 251 - Senate Rosenwald Schools Study Committee; create
• SR 476 - Senate Study Committee on Artificial Intelligence; create
• SR 751 - Senate Disaster Mitigation and Resilience Study Committee; create
• SR 786 - Senate Advancing Forest Innovation in Georgia Study Committee; create

Committee Reports

House Ways and Means Committee

Chaired by Representative Shaw Blackmon (R-Bonaire), the House Ways and Means Committee met Monday afternoon to discuss the following measures:

• HB 1357, authored by Representative Rick Jasperse (R-Jasper), amends Title 48 to create a temporary income tax credit for expenditures related to projects promoting industrial infrastructure enhancement and connectivity. This is to be known as the “Strategic Industrial Development Enhancement (SIDE) Tax Credit Act”. The credit includes a 50% credit capped at $4 million for initial infrastructure expenditures and a 10% credit capped at $8 million for economic development expenditures. No action was taken on the measure.
• SR 82, authored by Senator Carden Summers (R-Cordele), is a proposed constitutional amendment allowing the tax commissioner to waive delinquent ad valorem property taxes, penalties, and interest to utilize non-revenue-generating and tax-delinquent property. Representative Spencer Frye (D-Athens) asked about a right to redemption. Representative Penny Houston (R-Nashville) asked about land bank authorities. The requirements for a land bank are sometimes too high for certain counties. No action was taken on the measure.

What’s Next

The General Assembly will reconvene for Legislative Day 40 on Thursday, March 28 at 10 a.m.

The House postponed the following measures on Legislative Day 39:

• SB 69 - Honorable Clarence Thomas; placement of a monument in his honor within the capitol building or grounds; provide
• SB 198 - Georgians with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Innovation Commission; create 
• SB 198 - Georgians with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Innovation Commission; create
• SB 208 - 'Georgia Development Impact Fee Act'; provide for fees for education
• SB 351 - "Protecting Georgia's Children on Social Media Act of 2024"; enact
• SB 543 - Bingo; certain provisions relating to bingo games operated by nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations; change
• SR 189 - General Assembly; development impact fees for educational purposes; provide - CA

The Senate had the following measures on the table upon adjournment of Legislative Day 39:

• HB 53 - State Board of Registration for Foresters; independent state agency; provisions
• HB 82 - Income tax; limit eligibility for rural physician tax credit to physicians who qualify on or before December 31, 2023
• HB 101 - Income tax; change certain definitions
• HB 218 - Evidence; sexual assault hearsay for disabled adults and 17 year olds; provide
• HB 231 - Prosecuting Attorneys Oversight Commission; create
• HB 264 - Revenue and taxation; handling of appeals of property tax assessments; revise certain deadlines and procedures
• HB 279 - Insurance; discount for property owners who build a new property that better resists tornado, hurricane, or other catastrophic windstorm events; provide
• HB 300 - Solar Technology Trust Fund; fund within state treasury; establish
• HB 362 - Insurance; benefit provider to disclose certain payments to a treating healthcare provider; provide
• HB 384 - Insurance; annual notification by insurers to male insureds of coverage for prostate-specific antigen tests; provide
• HB 409 - Local government; authorize local authorities to dispose of real property in the same manner as county governing authorities
• HB 434 - Georgia Composite Medical Board; licensing for radiologist assistants; provide
• HB 500 - Crimes and offenses; offense of arson of law enforcement vehicle; provide
• HB 546 - Georgia Pharmacy Practice Act; pharmacy care; revise definition
• HB 617 - Highways, bridges, and ferries; development and maintenance of a state-wide freight and logistics implementation plan; provide
• HB 814 - Income tax credit; certain manufacturing and telecommunications facilities; qualified investment property; revise definition
• HB 881 - Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission; standards of conduct and rules; provisions
• HB 905 - Zoning procedures; provisions authorizing administrative officers to exercise zoning powers; repeal
• HB 926 - Second Chance Workforce Act; enact
• HB 957 - Water, ports and watercraft; penalties for failing to remove abandoned vessel; revise
• HB 970 - Realizing Educational Achievement Can Happen (REACH) Scholarship; victims of human trafficking are eligible; provide
• HB 971 - Firearm Safe Handling and Secure Storage Tax Credit Act; enact
• HB 976 - Elections; ballots used in optical scan voting systems shall use paper with a visible watermark security feature; provide
• HB 977 - Elections; number of contests subject to risk-limiting audits; expand
• HB 1019 - Revenue and taxation; statewide homestead exemption from certain ad valorem taxes; increase
• HB 1021 - Income tax; increase amount of dependent exemption
• HB 1048 - State symbols; cornbread as official state bread; designate
• HB 1049 - Insurance Business Transfer Act; enact
• HB 1073 - Local government; zoning; repeal additional hearing and notice provisions regarding halfway houses, drug rehabilitation centers, or other facilities for treatment of drug dependency
• HB 1096 - Professional licensing boards; continuing education tracking solution to monitor compliance of licensees with applicable continuing education requirements; establish
• HB 1146 - Natural Resources, Department of; EPD to issue water permits to private companies in areas where no public service can be provided within a period of 12 months; require
• HB 1170 - Public Health, Department of; require certain state government buildings, courthouses, and university buildings maintain and make accessible opioid antagonists
• HB 1182 - Income tax; low-income housing tax credits; revise
• HB 1231 - Postsecondary education; allow academically successful students to use the full number of hours of HOPE scholarship eligibility
• HB 1253 - Community Affairs, Department of; revise composition of governing council for regional commissions
• HB 1260 - Georgia Nicotine Vapor Products Directory Act; enact
• HB 1283 - Juvenile code; use of deadly weapon; revise provisions
• HB 1292 - Property; clerks of superior courts obtain photographic identification cards of individuals who present deeds or other instruments for recording; require
• HB 1330 - Mableton Development Authority Act; enact
• HB 1371 - Torts; clarify liability regarding third-party criminal activity; provisions
• HB 1407 - Local government; establishing service delivery strategies; revise provisions
• HB 1409 - Torts; mental health care providers; limit liability under certain circumstances
• HR 96 - Ad valorem tax; rate reduction for sale or harvest of timber; provide - CA
• HR 804 - Local government; temporary loans are payable from end of calendar year to 12 months of initial funding date; change date - CA
• HR 854 - Keith Jackson Memorial Intersection "Whoa Nellie"; Carroll County; dedicate
• HR 1164 - Honorable Richard H. Smith Memorial Interchange; Muscogee County; dedicate
• HR 1215 - Speaker David E. Ralston Interstate Connector; Fannin County; dedicate