ACCG Legislative Update

Crossover Day was marked without much action for legislation of interest to counties. The ACCG policy team spent much of this week continuing to work with legislators on concerns contained in bills that have already cleared either the House or the Senate and monitoring legislation on the floor. As the General Assembly progresses towards Day 40, however, many bills including county priorities are still alive. Please click here to see an updated status on many of the bills that ACCG has been tracking this year.

The criminal justice reform legislation (HB 1176) continues to be a work in progress. The legislation did not include all of the recommendations from the Special Council on Criminal Justice, and the Special Committee has heard testimony from many concerned stakeholders. ACCG is working closely with the Georgia Sheriffs Association to ensure committee members understand the legislation’s impact on jail populations as well as supervision responsibilities of parolees and others that may be passed on to the county. This bill is not subject to the Crossover Day rules. It is expected to move very quickly once Special Committee deliberation is completed. County officials should consult with their sheriff and be prepared to contact your local delegation when ACCG has more information on what will be included in the final legislation.

Two Big Issues Scheduled for Senate Votes Next Week: Foreclosure Registries and Freeport Tax Exemptions

The Senate is scheduled to vote on two bills of interest to counties on Monday. First, senators will consider the legislation that addresses foreclosure registries (HB 110). This legislation seeks to establish limits on foreclosure registries established by counties and cities. ACCG has worked closely with the bill’s Senate sponsor to develop consensus among counties, cities, banks and credit unions. ACCG supports the current version of this legislation, but expects amendments to be offered on the Senate floor that could derail the previous agreement. ACCG urges county officials to call their Senators and ask them to disagree with any floor amendments that may be introduced.

The other legislation of interest to counties that is scheduled for a vote in the Senate on Monday deals with Freeport tax exemptions (HB 48). This legislation designates the current exemption as a Level 1 Freeport exemption and allows counties to let the voters decide to provide a Level 2 Freeport exemption for finished goods in a company's inventory that are not exempt under Level 1 Freeport. Level 2 Freeport exemptions may be given instead of Level 1 or in addition to Level 1.

HB 772, the FY 2013 Budget, passed in the House on Wednesday, March 7th. Minor revisions were made to the Governor’s Recommended Budget. To view the tracking document that outlines the changes, click here. The Forestland Protection Grants appropriation of $14.5 million was reduced by $400,000 to reflect expenditures, and direction was provided for the Department of Revenue to use existing funds to provide the initial step for a three-year replacement schedule for the county GRATIS printers and maintenance in the amount of $500,000. The Department of Public Health was allocated an additional $2,517,334 to fund the first and second year phase-in for the new grant-in-aid formula to hold counties harmless.

Encourage Senate Appropriations Committee to Pass HB 811, Addressing Redirected Fees

One of ACCG’s top priorities this session is to pass legislation to end the redirection of dedicated fees. HB 811 passed with strong support in the House and is awaiting action in the Senate Appropriations Committee, chaired by Senator Jack Hill. Please contact members of the Senate Appropriations Committee and encourage their support for this legislation in order to strengthen transparency in the state's budget making process.

Ask Senators to Restore Funding for Printers and Terminals in Tax Commissioners’ Offices in FY 2012 Supplemental/FY 2013 Budget

Counties fulfill state tag and titling responsibilities through the tax commissioner’s office. Recently, the Department of Revenue stopped paying for the maintenance and replacement of state owned and required printers and terminals in your tax commissioner’s office. ACCG, working with the Georgia Association of Tax Officials (GATO) and House members, restored the state funding for this equipment in the FY 2012 Supplemental/FY 2013 Budget ($500,850). The intent was to carry this funding into future budgets, therefore having the state once again pay the costs to help support this service provided on its behalf through the county. However, the Senate has removed this funding from the FY 2012 Supplemental Budget. Please contact your Senators and explain how funding for state owned and required printers and terminals should be the responsibility of the state and ask them to return this funding to the FY 2012 Supplemental Budget. For a history of this issue click here.

The General Assembly has set its calendar through Day 37. The schedule for the next two weeks is as follows:

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