This bill restores county and city ability to regulate the use of bicycles on sidewalks. State law was amended two years ago to prohibit the riding of bicycles on sidewalks by anyone over the age of 12.

This legislation would authorize each county to ask the voters for approval to levy an additional fractional local sales tax up to one percent for the purposes of funding local government operations, capitol and economic development activities, including local cultural assets important for tourism, education and job creation.

This bill makes several changes to the regulation of motor carriers, including limiting the ability of counties and cities to perform regulatory compliance inspections except as authorized by the state. It further alters a number of definitions. Please let ACCG know if you have any issues with this bill.

This GDOT bill previously required counties to remove asbestos pipes in the state right-of-way. The bill was amended to now only require the county to notify GDOT when abandoning asbestos pipe and to retain ownership, similar to the abandonment of a county road. 

HB 179 addresses removal or maintenance of trees and vegetation near billboards on the state road system. Billboard owners would have to get a vegetation removal permit through the Department of Transportation. The law includes protection for trees that are considered historic or landmarks. For signs taller than 75 feet, in order to get a vegetation maintenance permit from the DOT, the owner would have to agree to reduce the height of the sign to 75 feet unless lowering the sign is precluded by a county code or regulation. If the height reduction involves a new support mechanism, like a new pole, then the owner is required to get a written footer inspection from the county. The Department of Transportation may refuse to grant a vegetation maintenance permit for any signs with material that is considered "obscene" in accordance with state or local law.

After July 1, 2011, HB 202 requires local boards of education to comply with a planning and construction guide regarding site accessibility and flow of traffic published by the Department of Transportation for school properties located on state routes.

HB 202 allows school boards to expend funds for the purpose of roadway improvements necessary to access a school, as well as to use education special purpose local option sales tax funds for road, street, bridge, utility and other improvements.

HB 224 would require off-road vehicles to be registered and licensed by the State.  Vehicles owned by local government or used exclusively for agricultural or construction are exempted from this requirement.

HB 233 would exempt diesel fuel for locomotives from sales tax.

This bill creates the Georgia Tourism Development Act to promote the development of new tourism attractions or expansions of existing tourism attractions that are supported by at least 25 percent from out of state visitors.  It authorizes the incremental increase in state and county/city sales tax generated from the project to be applied toward a tax refund up to 25 percent of the project costs over a ten year period.  To qualify the project must have a cost in excess of one million dollars, be approved by the local governing authority, the Governor and enter into an agreement with the Department of Community Affairs.  Tourism projects include cultural or historic sites, recreation or entertainment venues, and convention and hotel conference centers.

HB 235 allows for the establishment of a convention area up to four square miles. The state may levy a sales tax in the convention area, in lieu of the regular state sale tax, to be used to improve the infrastructure of the convention area. Any tourist attraction located in or adjacent to a convention area, would be exempt from all state and local sales tax during construction of the attraction. The sales tax exemption would apply until the attraction was open to the public or 2017, whichever occurs first.

This bill provides that cash bonds must be accepted for offenses in violation of commercial vehicle or driver safety; hazardous material transport; motor carrier insurance or registration; or road taxes on motor carriers. It further requires compliance with all federal motor carrier requirements.

This bill was amended in committee to prohibit driver clinics from being taught by any entity except the private sector.  Language was added at the request of GMA and ACCG to exempt from that prohibition any courses offered for insurance premium reduction purposes.

This bill expands the special interest groups that receive a variance from weight limit laws to include the transport of organic poultry waste and tree bark. It provides special treatment to chicken waste by doubling the current variance allowed for other industries to 10% or 8,000 extra pounds (4 tons).  Almost every year the General Assembly passes a new exemption to weight limits, which in turn increases the wear and tear on local roads and the costs of maintaining them for local taxpayers. Please let your legislator know you oppose this bill.

This bill provides an incremental sales tax exemption to certain companies approved by the Department of Community Affairs and the local governing authority for the development of new tourism attractions that are supported by at least 25 percent from out of state visitors.

This bill also authorizes the Department of Revenue to continue to make distributions of unidentifiable sales tax to local governments based upon a pro rata formula.

This bill creates a new class of personal transportation vehicles that go no faster than 20 mph. The vehicles are required to meet minimum equipment standards and obey certain traffic laws as defined in the bill. Counties may adopt additional traffic regulations and require drivers to register with the county as long as doing so does not conflict with any state law. Vehicles currently registered with a county are grandfathered in and do not have to meet the minimum standards.

This bill would not allow contracts requiring motor carrier transportation providers to indemnify someone from any loss or damage resulting from an intentional act or omission.

This bill updates the job tax and investment tax credit system in Georgia. The bill creates a standard base job tax credit for job creation, changes current thresholds in the Quality Job Tax Credit, and establishes a sliding scale of investment credits for direct investment. While it does reduce significantly the impact of a county's "tier status," it still recognizes Tier 1 counties and "less developed areas" with additional credits. To learn more, click here.

This bill establishes the Georgia Racing Commission and allows horseracing and pari-mutuel wagering in Georgia.

This bill renders the decision of development authority boards as final and not subject to review regarding what qualifies as a project and allows development authorities to finance public-private mass commuting facilities.

This bill allows GDOT to issue multi-trip permits to overloaded trucks and reduces the amount of information required to be provided.

This bill extends the sales tax exemption used to renovate or expand a zoological institution until 2013.

Under current law, any citizen of Georgia may intervene in a bond validation proceeding.  This bill requires that a person be a "qualified intervenor." Citizens of Georgia who have been sanctioned or found to have engaged in unethical conduct by a court in a previous bond validation action may not intervene in bond validation proceedings.

This bill extends the exemptions from the first and second motor fuel taxes for certain public mass transit vehicles owned by public transportation systems and for vehicles operated by public campus transportation systems until June 30, 2015. The current exemptions are schedules to sunset on June 30, 2012.

HB 793 would eliminate any length or width limitations (on all public roads) on vehicles used in an emergency tow of a wrecked commercial vehicle so long as the vehicle is not being towed more than 100 miles.