This legislation allows for the boundary lines of restricted access communities to be used as boundary lines for all or a portion of a voter precinct.  

This legislation creates the Georgia Downtown Renaissance Investment Act which will encourage investment in downtown areas through multiple funding mechanisms, promote economic development, and provide for other matters.

This legislation provides for changes relating to the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission (formerly known as the Ethics Commission) as well as the definition of a lobbyist and expenditures.

 

A more detailed summary can be found here.

 

 

This legislation makes substantial revisions to TSPLOST. It allows any two counties to levy as long as they are contiguous and located in a special district that rejected the imposition of the tax in 2012.

This legislation requires the Department of Transportation to notify cities with landscape and tree ordinances before removing trees along a state highway within the city.

This legislation requires the Department of Transportation to perform a value engineering study on any project over $50 million except for design-build projects. Currently, a value engineering study is required on all projects over $10 million.

 

This legislation also changes the total expenditures from the State Transportation Fund to exclude the following from budgeting by the department:  funds for projects earmarked by Congress, funds for projects on the Interstate System, and funds for projects on state designated freight corridor

 

This legislation changes the transfer of income tax credits designed to encourage film, video and digital production in Georgia.

This legislation would prohibit county employees from using county computers, networks, software, printers, phones, fax machines, cell phones, email, or other telecommunication devices to promote or oppose any state legislation unless the employee is a registered lobbyist.  Elected officials are not subject to this requirement.  Additionally, if the Governor or a member of the General Assembly requests information, this legislation would not prohibit an employee from using county equipment to respond to the request. 

This legislation makes administrative changes to the implementation, collection and distribution of the energy excise tax.

 

Click here for a complete review of the bill.

 

This bill repeals Code Sections 32-9-13 & 32-9-14 relating to restrictions on use of MARTA proceeds. It becomes effective only if a companion bill reconstituting the MARTA board is enacted at the 2013 session.

This legislation creates the Invest Georgia Fund.

This legislation creates the Piedmont Altamaha Rail Authority, which is charged with constructing, owning and operating a higher-speed intercity and urban rail and tram system in Bibb, Butts, Clayton, Henry and Monroe Counties.

This legislation changes the procedures of the Georgia Tourism Development Act and the necessary agreements that provide sales tax exemptions for certain projects. This legislation was amended to now include the option for local governments to offer the tourism tax exemption by resolution in the jurisdiction where a tourism project exists.

 

This legislation was also amended to include the language from SB 224 which creates the Invest Georgia Fund as a direct component of the Seed Capital Fund.  The legislation provides for the make up of the Board and the process for identifying qualifying early stage or seed businesses.

 

This legislation gives the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission the authority to investigate written complaints of elected official's failure to file or pay taxes, contingent upon approval of a constitutional amendment by the voters (HR 298).

This legislation changes the makeup of the Georgia Council for the Arts to include a focus on the role of arts in economic development.  The legislation also charges the Council with the task of assisting local governments with planning, building and connecting the arts to tourism, community and economic development initiatives.

Under current law, billboards may not usually be located within 500 feet of a public park, playground, recreation area, forest, or scenic area of cemetery. This legislation reduces this buffer to 200 feet.

This legislation eliminates the tier classification of counties, which considers factors such as unemployment rates, per capita income and percentage of residents below the poverty level, to determine tax credits for businesses that add jobs.

 

This legislation requires counties that allow the use of motorized carts on public streets to post signs that are at least 24 inches by 30 inches on every state highway that intersects with the county's and cities' boundaries to warn other drivers that motorized carts are permitted on public roads. Any ordinance by the county regulating motorized carts will not be effective until the signs are posted.

This legislation creates the division of Minority and Women's Business Development in the State Department of Economic Development.

This legislation sets the procedure for establishing local workforce investment boards. It also makes counties, cities and regional commissions the fiscal agent/grant recipient for certain funds.

This legislation enacts the Georgia New Markets Jobs Act.