2018/02/09 Report (51)
Use the drop down to the left to select the next 25 bills to display.

Date of Last Recorded Action: 3/29/2024

HB 0302 SupportProperty Tax Millage Rate - Notice Requirements Randy Nix
2/15/2018 House Withdrawn, Recommitted Ways & Means --
2017/02/10 - Report 2017/02/17-Report 2017/02/24 - Report 2018/01/26 Report 2018/02/02 Report
2018/02/09 Report 2018/02/16 Report Larry Ramsey Property Tax Revenue & Finance
This bill changes the requirements regarding the advertising, notice, and adoption of millage rates. Specifically, it rewords the contents of the ad such that the focus is on the proposed millage rate rather than a tax increase. The ad can be combined with the required five year tax history.
HB 0327 SupportTitle Ad Valorem Tax on Vehicles - Amendments Jay Powell
3/27/2018 Senate Tabled Ways and Means Finance -
2017/02/17-Report 2018/02/09 Report 2018/02/16 Report 2018/02/23 Report 2018/03/16 Report
2018/03/23 Report Larry Ramsey Property Tax Revenue & Finance

The text of this bill was added to HB 329 and adopted, effective July 1, 2019. This bill would make several changes to the calculation and distribution of title ad valorem tax (TAVT). Rather than the current law which provides for annual adjustment of the state/local split based on prior year collections, local governments will continue to collect ad valorem taxes on pre-2013 vehicles. TAVT proceeds be split between the state and local governments on a 65/35 (state/local) basis. The local share would be distributed as follows: 1) for vehicles registered in unincorporated areas, 51% of the local proceeds would be paid to the county and 49% to the school system; and 2) for vehicles registered in incorporated areas, 49% would be paid to the school system, 28% to the county, and 23% to the city. There are also provisions to accommodate MARTA in the three counties in which MARTA sales tax is collected. 

As adopted, the formula for calculating TAVT on used cars is unchanged. The TAVT rate for out-of-state registrations is lowered from 7% to 3%. Certain minor changes are also included, such as no longer charging full TAVT when a vehicle is retitled as a result of a divorce from one spouse to the other.

HB 0381 SupportAbandoned Mobile Homes - Method for Removal John Corbett
5/1/2019 Effective Date Judiciary Judiciary -
2017/02/17-Report 2018/02/09 Report 2018/02/16 Report 2018/03/16 Report 2018/03/23 Report
Code Enforcement General County Government Magistrate Court Progressing Legislation Property Tax
Public Safety and Courts Revenue & Finance Tags/Titles Tax Commissioner Todd Edwards
This legislation establishes a process whereby private property owners can have abandoned mobile homes removed from their land.  Local governments may elect to provide a qualified "local agent" to make a determination, at the request of a property owner, whether a mobile home is abandoned, derelict or intact.  If deemed abandoned, the local government posts a notice, then the property owner notifies the last known mobile home owner (or posts a legal notice if no responsible party can be ascertained), which begins a process whereby the property owner can pay for the removal of the mobile home.  A hearing procedure is provided in magistrate court for aggrieved mobile home owners in this process.  Neither the local government nor the local agent shall bear any liability with respect to any lawful actions taken under this law.  Action: counties wishing to participate must first appoint a qualified local agent.    
HB 0635 SupportCreation of At-Risk Adult Protection Investigative/Coordinating Teams in each Judicial Circuit Sharon Cooper
7/1/2018 Effective Date Human Relations and Aging Health and Human Services -
2018/01/12 Report 2018/02/09 Report 2018/03/23 Report Debra Nesbit District Attorneys
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Health and Human Services Law Enforcement Public Safety and Courts Solicitors
This legislation amends the Disabled Adults and Elder Persons Protection Act, to require the creation and implementation of at-risk adult protection investigative/coordinating teams in each judicial circuit.  These teams will be formed at the direction of the district attorney and will include local law enforcement, aging services and any other agency as deemed appropriate by the district attorney.
HB 0657 NeutralGuns - Unlawful to Provide to a Felon on Probation Jesse Petrea
7/1/2018 Effective Date Public Safety and Homeland Security Judiciary -
2018/02/09 Report Firearms/Carry Laws Probate Court Public Safety and Courts Todd Edwards
This legislation makes it a felony to knowingly and intentionally provide a firearm to another person who is on probation as a felony first offender.   
HB 0683 SupportFY 2018 Amended Budget David Ralston
3/9/2018 Effective Date Appropriations Appropriations -
2018/01/19 Report 2018/02/02 Report 2018/02/09 Report 2018/03/2 Report Appropriations
Debra Nesbit Econ. Dev. & Transportation General County Government Health and Human Services Nat. Res. & the Environment
Public Safety and Courts Revenue & Finance
Please click here for a summary of the amended budget.
HB 0693 OpposeProhibits Liens on Property Where Solid Waste Fees Are Delinquent Brett Harrell
2/21/2018 Senate Read and Referred Ways and Means Natural Resources and the Environment -
2018/01/19 Report 2018/01/26 Report 2018/02/09 Report 2018/02/16 Report 2018/02/23 Report
Forfeitures, Fees, and Fine Add Ons Kathleen Bowen Nat. Res. & the Environment Property Tax Revenue & Finance
Solid Waste
This legislation would repeal the state law that permits local governments to place liens on properties for unpaid trash fees without going to court first. Local governments would still have other collection options, including filing a claim in Magistrate Court; a judgment from Magistrate Court can still be filed as a lien against the property of the debtor. Because direct filing of trash liens provides another tool for local government collection of unpaid fees, ACCG opposes this legislation.

The House passed HB 693 on 2/20/18. Vote Tally Link 
HB 0699 SupportAcceptance of Military Firefighter Training as Required Basic Firefighter Certification Dave Belton
7/1/2018 Effective Date Public Safety and Homeland Security Public Safety -
2018/02/09 Report 2018/03/09 Report Debra Nesbit Fire Services Public Safety and Courts
Training
This legislation allows military firefighter training in lieu of the required basic firefighter training for full time firefighters, upon the approval of the Firefighters Standards and Training Council.
HB 0703 SupportCreation of the Governor's Office of Public Safety Support Bill Hitchens
5/7/2018 Act 439 Public Safety and Homeland Security Public Safety -
2018/01/26 Report 2018/02/09 Report 2018/03/16 Report Debra Nesbit Emergency Management/Preparedness
EMS/Ambulance Fire Services Health and Human Services Law Enforcement Public Safety and Courts
This legislation creates the Governor's Office of Public Safety Support which will provide peer to peer counseling for public safety officers who experience traumatic events.  This office will be housed within the Department of Public Safety and will be staffed by employees of the department.  The legislation is contingent on funding.
HB 0705 NegotiatingIncrease Jurisdictional Limits of Civil Cases in Magistrate Court Trey Kelley
2/8/2018 House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute Judiciary --
2018/02/09 Report Debra Nesbit Magistrate Court Public Safety and Courts
This legislation increases the jurisdictional limit to $25,000 from $15,000 in certain civil cases in magistrate court.  The current filing fee in magistrate court is $22.00, this bill will increase that filing fee to $40.00 per case that is over $15,000.  This may result in an increase in the number of cases filed in magistrate court in lieu of filing in state court.
HB 0751 Support911 Legislation - Georgia Emergency Communications Authority Act Alan Powell
7/1/2018 Effective Date Public Safety and Homeland Security Public Safety -
2018/01/26 Report 2018/02/09 Report 2018/02/16 Report 2018/03/09 Report 2018/03/16 Report
911 Debra Nesbit Health and Human Services Public Safety and Courts Revenue & Finance
This legislation is similar to 911 legislation passed last year.  It increases the prepaid fee to $1.50, eliminates cost recovery, and reduces the administrative fee retained by the providers from 3 percent to 1 percent.  Please click here for a detailed summary by section.  Please click here for talking points.
HB 0756 SupportSPLOST - Annual Reporting Deadline Scott Hilton
3/12/2018 Senate Read Second Time Ways and Means Finance -
2018/01/26 Report 2018/02/02 Report 2018/02/09 Report 2018/03/09 Report Larry Ramsey
Revenue & Finance Sales Tax-Local
This bill makes several changes to the requirements for annual reporting and publication of SPLOST proceeds and the expenditure thereof. Currently, reports are due within 180 days of the end of each calendar year. The bill changes "calendar year" to "fiscal year." For those counties with non-calendar year fiscal years, this would allow for SPLOST reports to be on the same schedule as annual audits, which are also due within 180 days of the end of the fiscal year.
HB 0761 NeutralElectronic Filing of Motor Vehicle Certificate of Title Jason Ridley
5/8/2018 Effective Date Motor Vehicles Public Safety -
2018/02/09 Report 2018/02/23 Report Econ. Dev. & Transportation Larry Ramsey Revenue & Finance
Tags/Titles
This legislation allows motor vehicle dealers the option of electronic filing of applications for titles; current law requires dealers to file electronic applications. As a result, dealers would have the option of filing applications at county tag offices. In addition, a dealer would have the option of filing title applications in the county where the dealer is located rather than in the counties where the purchasers reside.
HB 0774 NeutralStatewide Regulations for Booting Vehicles Alan Powell
2/20/2018 House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute Public Safety and Homeland Security --
2018/02/09 Report 2018/02/23 Report Econ. Dev. & Transportation General County Government Kathleen Bowen
Land Use/Zoning Law Enforcement Preemption Public Safety and Courts Traffic Enforcement
This legislation defines and sets statewide standards for vehicle immobilization devices and services - commonly known as "booting". In addition, this bill states that booting would be prohibited in a jurisdiction unless the local government passes an ordinance allowing booting.
HB 0791 NegotiatingSovereign Immunity - Waiver for Certain Claims against the State Chuck Efstration
3/27/2018 Senate Tabled Judiciary Judiciary -
2018/02/02 Report 2018/02/09 Report 2018/02/23 Report 2018/03/16 Report 2018/03/2 Report
2018/03/23 Report General County Government Government Immunity Larry Ramsey Public Safety and Courts

 Following recommendations of the Governor's Court Reform Council and in response to several recent Georgia Supreme Court decisions, this bill would allow for a limited waiver of the state's sovereign immunity so as to allow lawsuits against the state for injunctions and/declaratory judgments where a state law is alleged to be unconstitutional. As amended in House committee, the substance of HB 674 was added to this bill, waiving county and city sovereign immunity for injunctive/declaratory relief for allegations that the local government has violated a constitutional provision, statute, state rule/regulation, or local ordinance. Immunity would still apply to any  related monetary damages. The amended version also permits direct appeals of trial court orders ruling that immunity does not apply to a claim (from HB 256).

A substitute version approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee removes local governments from the scope of this bill but retains the direct-appeal authorization. 

HB 0792 SupportReauthorize Hazardous Waste Trust Fund / Increase in Landfill Host Fee Terry Rogers
6/30/2018 Effective Date Ways and Means Natural Resources and the Environment -
2018/02/02 Report 2018/02/09 Report 2018/02/16 Report 2018/03/16 Report 2018/03/23 Report
Forfeitures, Fees, and Fine Add Ons Kathleen Bowen Nat. Res. & the Environment Revenue & Finance Solid Waste

This legislation renews the fees that make up the Hazardous Waste Trust Fund (HWTF) for one year, from July 1, 2018 to July 1, 2019. Most of the fees come from the state’s 75-cent per-ton tipping fee on solid waste going into Georgia’s landfills – a fee counties pay if they own/operate landfills. 

This legislation also includes language to increase the state’s minimum local solid waste cost reimbursement (host) fee from $1 to $2.50 per ton on waste going to privately owned landfills. The $1 minimum fee has been in existence since 1992 and for the past ten years, ACCG has included in our policy platform a request for the host fee to increase.  ACCG was supportive of the efforts led by Sen. Burt Jones to increase this fee. 

Details: 
  • Host fee minimum increases from $1 to $2.50 per ton but not effective until July 1, 2019. This increase only applies to a municipal solid waste disposal facility that is owned by a private entity. 
  • Coal ash minimum fee is $1 per ton until 2025 when it will then increase to the $2 per ton minimum fee.
  • Inert waste, construction and demolition waste minimum is $1 per ton.
  • All of these fees are the minimum, not the ceiling. Counties can negotiate host fees, other fees and charges above the minimum. No host fees are to be reduced if they are in existence on July 1, 2019.
  • 50% of the host fee collected shall be used for these purposes:
    • To offset the impact of the facility
    • Public education efforts 
    • Cost of solid waste management
    • Administration of the local/regional solid waste management plan
    • Repair of damage to roads and highways associated with the facility
    • Enhancement of litter control programs
    • Ground-water and air monitoring and protection
    • Remediation and monitoring of closed or abandoned facilities
    • Infrastructure improvements associated with the facility
    • Reserve fund allocation
    • Acquisition of property adjacent or in reasonable proximity to the facility to serve as beautification, environmental, buffering or recreational purposes
    • Fees not used for the above purposes (the remaining 50%) can be used for other governmental expenses.
 
HB 0803 NeutralCreates and Expands Criminal Sanctions for Trafficking or Abusing an Elder Person Wendell Willard
7/1/2018 Effective Date Judiciary - Non-Civil Health and Human Services -
2018/02/09 Report Criminal Procedure Debra Nesbit Health and Human Services Immigration
Public Safety and Courts
This legislation creates an offense of trafficking a disabled adult and sets forth criminal penalities as well as expands criminal penalities for elder abuse.
HB 0811 SupportInformation Sharing with Tax Collection Agencies Jay Powell
5/3/2018 Effective Date Ways and Means Finance -
2018/02/09 Report 2018/02/16 Report 2018/03/09 Report 2018/03/2 Report Larry Ramsey
Revenue & Finance Sales Tax-Local
This bill authorizes the Department of Revenue to contract with data companies for the purpose of identifying taxpayers who are not complying with requirements to collect and remit state and local sales taxes. Such vendors would be required to maintain the confidentiality of any taxpayer-specific records used in providing these services.
HB 0820 NeutralTax Digests and Temporary Collection Orders Beth Beskin
5/3/2018 Effective Date Ways and Means Finance -
2018/02/02 Report 2018/02/09 Report Larry Ramsey Property Tax Revenue & Finance
Originally, this bill establishes a new procedure that will apply to any county for which the state revenue commissioner did not approve a 2017 county tax digest and the county was granted by a court a temporary tax collection order in 2017.  In that limited circumstance, the temporary collection order shall apply to the next two years. During the collection period, the board of assessors is required to take corrective measures. Numerous criteria are set forth, but they are not required to be followed and need only be considered during the correction perio. The bill was completely changed in committee and is now a homestead exemption bill for the city of Atlanta.
HB 0821 OpposeTax Revisions - Aviation Fuel Taxes and TAVT Chuck Efstration
2/8/2018 House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute Ways and Means --
2018/02/02 Report 2018/02/09 Report Airports Larry Ramsey Property Tax
Revenue & Finance Sales Tax-Local
This bill is DOR's annual income tax conformity bill. However, it also contains many provisions which affect counties. First, it revises TAVT and provides that no TAVT is collected on replacement titles for vehicles which are not less than 15 years years old. Second, it completely exempts jet fuel from SPLOST, ESPLOST, and single county TSPLOST (and presumably MOSt although it is silent on this point). Third, it partially exempts jet fuel from LOST and MARTA levies and rates in effect on December 30, 1987. Fourth, it redirects local sales and use tax revenue derived from jet fuel to state aviation programs and purposes and allows any excess to be appropriated for other purposes.  ACCG opposes the sales tax exemption for jet fuel, which is estimated to cost local governments up to $21M per year (the vast majority in Clayton County).
HB 0833 NeutralProfessional Land Surveyors - Redefine Paulette Rakestraw
2/26/2018 Senate Read and Referred Regulated Industries Regulated Industries and Utilities -
2018/02/09 Report 2018/02/16 Report Econ. Dev. & Transportation General County Government Nat. Res. & the Environment
Roads Todd Edwards
This legislation, mirroring SB 425, results from negotiations with ACCG and other stakeholders and changes several provisions relating to professional land surveyors.  Surveyors’ training hours are increased, but they no longer have to take five semester hours of training in hydrology.  Three semester hours of hydrology, and passage of a hydrology exam, are required if a surveyor seeks licensure to design storm water management plans, facilities, water distribution lines, or sanitary sewer collection systems.   Lastly, officers and employees of local governments or authorities engaged in gathering, processing, managing and sharing of geospatial and photogrammetric data for cataloging or mapping purposes are not required to be licensed surveyors.
HB 0834 SupportAllows Termination of Rental or Lease Agreement in Circumstances of Family Violence Mandi Ballinger
7/1/2018 Effective Date Judiciary Judiciary -
2018/02/09 Report 2018/03/16 Report Civil Procedure Criminal Procedure Debra Nesbit
Public Safety and Courts
This legislation requires that landlords allow tenant who are victims of family violence to terminate their lease or rental agreements.
HB 0835 NeutralSpecial Event Tobacco Permits - Authorize Jodi Lott
2/23/2018 Senate Read and Referred Ways and Means Finance -
2018/02/09 Report 2018/02/16 Report Alcohol/Tobacco General County Government Health and Human Services
Land Use/Zoning Revenue & Finance Todd Edwards
This bill authorizes licensed tobacco dealers to apply to the State Revenue Commissioner to be granted special event tobacco permits for off-premise sales of cigars, cigarettes, or loose or smokeless tobacco.  This $10 permit allows said sales offsite from the licensed location (so long as the new site has a specific address), may be authorized for between one and ten days (so long as specific dates are listed), and there is no limit on how many permits a dealer may be issued.
HB 0837 EvaluatingMandates Statewide Uniformity in Policies Concerning Local Law Enforcement Contact with Sexual Assault Victims Mary Oliver
2/7/2018 House Second Readers Judiciary - Non-Civil --
2018/02/09 Report Debra Nesbit Law Enforcement Public Safety and Courts
This legislation requires that local law enforcement agencies adopt standard policies regarding contact with all sexual assault victims and failure to comply with this will result in loss of state and federal funding.
HB 0848 NeutralElections - Uniform Voting Equipment Ed Setzler
2/28/2018 House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute Governmental Affairs --
2018/02/09 Report Auditing/Budget Elections General County Government Todd Edwards

This legislation, mirroring SB 403, allows only optical scanning voting equipment to be used for federal, state and county primaries and elections by January 1, 2024.  Paper ballots will be utilized to cast votes, but they can be marked by electronic ballot markers, which will then be scanned.  By August 1, 2018, the Secretary of State must issue a competitive public solicitation to select a vendor to supply this equipment statewide, with the selection announced by December 31, 2018. The purchase of this equipment, by the Secretary of State, is specifically conditioned on the General Assembly appropriating monies by July 1, 2019, and equipment must be in place, statewide, by the 2020 presidential preference primary.  All polling places utilizing these optical scanning voting systems will be equipped with at least one electronic ballot marker, which must be certified by the Secretary of State.  The bill sets out conditions which ballot markers must meet; procedures by which markers are examined, tested, approved and audited; public transparency; responsibilities of elections superintendents in examining and utilizing the equipment; and includes election superintendents in these processes.       

Green background on status indicates a bill has been acted on the last recorded legislative day.








Copyright @1996-2015 Association County Commissioners of Georgia