Mirroring SB 66, this is the compromise Small Cell (5G) legislation.  By way of background, over the past two years, ACCG has opposed legislation which would have greatly preempted local government of the public's rights of way for the placement of small cell (5G) poles, antennas and equipment.  At the urging of the General Assembly, ACCG, GMA, Verizon and AT&T negotiated this reasonable compromise over the 2018 interim that has incorporated many safeguards which ACCG had called for in previous legislation.  

Key points of this ACCG compromise include: incentives for collocation in order to limit new poles; protections for historic districts and residential areas; the requirement that telcoms share build-out plans prior to deploying new facilities; a safe-harbor in case the current FCC order preempting state and local regulation of 5G deployment is overturned; the prohibition of speculative permit requests by third parties; and safeguards for local aesthetic and decorative pole conditions, among many others.  For a summary of the bill's key provisions, please click here. 

For a detailed, section-by-section summary of the bill, please click here.  

HB 242 establishes board certification of massage therapy educational programs, within and outside the state, which meet the standards for training and curriculum set by the rules of the Georgia Board of Massage Therapy. The bill allows the board to request on-site inspections of massage therapy businesses and requires these businesses to continuously maintain liability insurance coverage for bodily injuries and property damages. Further, massage therapy businesses must comply with appropriate advertising. The bill increases fines for non-compliance and unlawful acts.  A provision was added that allows local governments to run criminal background checks on owners and employees.  The massage therapists themselves will undergo a criminal background check through the secretary of state.

This omnibus elections legislation provides that the state will provide new, uniform voting machines for every county in Georgia "as soon as possible".  Voting equipment would consist of ballot marking devices (electronic devices, similar to the DRE interface currently used) which produce a paper ballot that is then scanned into a recording device that tabulates votes.  Among other election revisions, the bill provides additional notice before a voter's registration is rejected, before a felon is removed from the rolls, and to those appearing to have moved to another state; changes from 3 to 5 years the period of inactivity before a voter is removed from the rolls, also requiring notification prior to removal; requires counties to provide additional notice of any precinct changes; provides a cure period if a voter's signature on an absentee ballot does not mirror that used in registration; and lifts the 10-voter limit on persons assisting disabled or other individuals complete absentee ballots.  Lastly, the bill enrolls Georgia in a 25-state collaboration - the Electronic Registration Information Center - to share voting information in order to track and cancel voters who move out of state.  For a more thorough summary of HB 316, please click here.

This legislation prohibits a property owner, whether residential or commercial, from bringing a nuisance action against any kind of agricultural facility or operation unless they are within 5 miles of the source of the alleged nuisance activity. The lawsuit is allowed to be filed within two years after the nuisance occurs. 

This legislation keeps in place the ability to file a nuisance action when a nuisance results from the negligent, improper, or illegal operation of any agricultural facility or operation.