This legislation changes the name of the Georgia Public Defenders Standard Council to the Georgia Public Defenders Council for purposes of their retirement system.  This legislation is contingent on legislation passing that changes the name of the council. 

This legislation allows counties to provide payroll deductions when more than 2,500 of the county's employees request to have deductions made from their salaries to be given to nonprofit organizations, associations, or corporations that provide tangible services and benefits to state government, local government or their employees. the nonprofit must provide educational, legislative or professional development activities that promote and enhance the efficiency, productivity and welfare of state government services, local government services or government employees. The county may retain 1% of the amount deducted and remitted to the nonprofit to cover the cost of administering the payroll deduction.

This legislation allows counties to provide payroll deductions when more than 500 of the county's employees request to have deductions made from their salaries to be given to nonprofit association that provide professional development activities related to their county employment, that provide assistance to or on behalf of those who are killed, injured, in need of medical attention or otherwise in need of assistance, or that promote or enhance law enforcement, corrections or registered professional nursing in Georgia. The county may retain 1% of the amount deducted and remitted to the nonprofit to cover the cost of administering the payroll deduction.

This legislation allows counties to provide payroll deductions to employees to purchase personal computers and computer related equipment through the Georgia Technology Authority or to purchase consumer offerings through an employee purchase program facilitated through the Department of Administrative Services.

This legislation changes the calculation for vesting to allow inclusion of prior part time service for members of the Georgia Judicial Retirement System.

This legislation is a rewrite of garnishment law necessitated by a recent federal court ruling that struck down a portion of Georgia's garnishment law. Garnishment is a court order used when an individual owes money. It requires an employer (or other third party) to take a portion of salary (or other money held by a third party belonging to the debtor) and pay it to the person who obtained the garnishment order. SB 255 addresses how counties will handle garnishments filed against their employees, as well as how county retirement plans respond to garnishments filed.

This legislation allows commissioners to adopt policies allowing their sworn peace officers to retain their weapons and badge upon retirement.

This legislation requires local governments to comply with the Georgia Personal Data Security Act. Because counties maintain electronic and physical copies of personal information, they must provide individuals with notice of any breach of security of the system that houses the personal information as soon as possible after the breach is discovered, but in no case later than 45 days. If the county uses a third party to store the personal information, the third party must notify the county within 72 hours of any data breach, so that the county can meet its notification requirements. If law enforcement determines that notification would impair an ongoing criminal investigation, notification can be delayed. If the county, after investigation and consultation with relevant federal, state or local law enforcement, determines that the breach was not likely to result in identify theft or financial harm to an individual, notification will not be necessary. The county will be required to provide a written certification within 30 days to the attorney general and to maintain a copy of the written certification for at least five years.

This legislation instills meaningful reforms and more predictability in the process of creating new cities in Georgia.  Current law has very few requirements to formulate a new city, often putting legislators in the position of refereeing contentious local disputes with inadequate information by which both legislators and the public can make an informed decision.  Among other provisions, this legislation expands the new city's impact study to look at the fiscal and service delivery impacts on the entire county, prohibits unincorporated islands, places several of the current "rules" in statute so that they cannot be changed in the middle of the process, and studies what impact the newly incorporated area will have on past pension obligations to the county. For a more detailed summary, please click here.

This legislation calls for a statewide referendum to amend the constitution to prohibit public retirement and pension systems to invest funds in foreign states that sponsor terrorism and in entities that engage in certain for profit activities with a foreign state that sponsors terrorism.