House first readers in Senate, 2024 February 29

HOUSE FIRST READERS IN SENATE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2024
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATIVE DAY

HB 451. HB 598. HB 643.

By Representatives Seabaugh of the 34th, Kennard of the 101st, Hitchens of the 161st, Gaines of the 120th, Camp of the 135th and others:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 45 of the O.C.G.A., relating to public officers and employees, so as to require the provision of supplemental, illnessspecific insurance to certain first responders diagnosed with occupational posttraumatic stress disorder; to provide for legislative findings; to provide for definitions; to provide for certain insurance benefits to eligible first responders; to provide for limitations and restrictions of such benefits; to provide for methods of funding; to provide for treatment of premiums; to amend Code Section 48-7-27 of the O.C.G.A., relating to computation of Georgia taxable net income, so as to provide an exemption for benefits received from such insurance coverage for first responders; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
By Representatives Cox of the 28th, Powell of the 33rd, Washburn of the 144th, Douglas of the 78th and Jasperse of the 11th:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 43 of the O.C.G.A., relating to professions and businesses, so as to change certain provisions relating to certain boxing, wrestling, and martial art associations and federations; to revise a definition; to change the applicability of certain provisions as to matches, contests, or exhibitions; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
By Representatives Bruce of the 61st, Miller of the 62nd, Glaize of the 67th, Jones of the 60th, Thomas of the 65th and others:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 23 of Title 47 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the Georgia Judicial Retirement System, so as to repeal prohibitions against certain state court judges of Fulton County participating in other public retirement systems; to provide for related matters; to provide conditions for an effective date and automatic repeal; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

- 1 -

HB 880. HB 971. HB 974. HB 996.

By Representatives Ballard of the 147th, Bonner of the 73rd, Burchett of the 176th, Blackmon of the 146th, Prince of the 132nd and others:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Code Section 43-1-34 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to licenses for transitioning members of the armed forces, so as to allow military spouses to use an existing license in good standing from another state to obtain employment in this state; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
By Representatives Newton of the 127th, Hilton of the 48th, Reeves of the 99th, Silcox of the 53rd, Hitchens of the 161st and others:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 7 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to income taxes, so as to provide for a tax credit for certain eligible expenses incurred for firearm safe handling instructional courses and firearm secure storage devices; to provide for an aggregate annual cap; to provide for definitions; to provide for terms and conditions; to provide for credit preapproval by the department; to provide for rules and regulations; to provide for a short title; to provide for automatic repeal; to provide for an effective date and applicability; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
By Representatives LaHood of the 175th, Anderson of the 10th, Leverett of the 123rd, Blackmon of the 146th, Jones of the 25th and others:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to primaries and elections generally, so as to require the Secretary of State to establish and maintain a state-wide system for the posting of scanned paper ballots; to provide for minimum resolution requirements for such scans; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
By Representatives Vance of the 133rd, Gullett of the 19th, Powell of the 33rd, Hitchens of the 161st and Leverett of the 123rd:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Article 1 of Chapter 4 of Title 42 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions relative to jails, so as to provide jailers with arrest powers; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

- 2 -

HB 1018. HB 1115. HB 1127.

By Representatives Ridley of the 6th, Rhodes of the 124th, Burchett of the 176th, Williams of the 148th, Ridley of the 22nd and others:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Titles 10 and 16 of the O.C.G.A., relating to commerce and trade and crimes and offenses respectively, so as to provide for protections of persons who own, purchase, or engage in the business of selling firearms; to prohibit financial institutions from requiring the use of a firearms code that distinguishes firearms retailers from other retailers; to prohibit discrimination against firearms retailers by financial institutions through the use of a firearms code; to prohibit the disclosure of certain financial records by financial institutions; to provide for petitions to the Attorney General to investigate alleged violations; to prohibit persons or government entities from keeping registries of firearms or owners of firearms; to provide for construction; to provide definitions; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
By Representatives Williams of the 148th, Kelley of the 16th, Crowe of the 118th, Blackmon of the 146th, Horner of the 3rd and others:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 8 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to sales and use taxes, so as to revise provisions for the maximum allowable sales and use tax rate; to remove the prohibition of simultaneously levying a LOST and a HOST; to phase out certain local sales taxes and authorize a new flexible penny local option sales tax ('FLOST'); to provide for audits and reports; to provide for the withholding of funds by the state under certain circumstances; to amend Article 2 of Chapter 9 of Title 32 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), so as to remove provisions exempting certain retail sales and use taxes from the cap on local sales taxes; to provide for related matters; to provide an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
By Representatives Pirkle of the 169th, Corbett of the 174th, Rhodes of the 124th, Lott of the 131st, Wiedower of the 121st and others:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 2 of the O.C.G.A., relating to agriculture, so as to authorize the Department of Agriculture to enforce certain criminal laws; to regulate consumable hemp products; to provide for the amendment of regulatory plans submitted to the secretary of agriculture of the United States; to provide for the promulgation of rules and regulations; to amend Chapter 12 of Title 16 of the O.C.G.A., relating to offenses against public health and morals, so as to prohibit the sale of consumable hemp products to individuals under the age of 21 years; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

- 3 -

HB 1138. HB 1181.
HB 1182.

By Representative Kendrick of the 95th:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Code Section 10-10-14 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to fund administrator and investments relative to the Invest Georgia Fund, so as to provide for an additional factor that the fund administrator shall consider in the selection of venture capital funds; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
By Representatives Martin of the 49th, Blackmon of the 146th, Williamson of the 112th and Buckner of the 137th:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 7 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to income taxes, so as to limit the carry-forward periods of certain income tax credits; to provide for expirations of certain credits; to amend Code Sections 3-6-70, 33-8-13, 48-5C-1, 48-8-3, and 48-11-2 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to exemptions from excise tax on wine, exemption of certain insurance companies from taxes, definitions, exemption from taxation, allocation and disbursement of proceeds collected by tag agents, fair market value of vehicle appealable, and report relative to alternative ad valorem tax on motor vehicles, state sales and use tax exemptions, and excise tax imposed, rates for tobacco and vaping products, exemptions, collection and payment, and tax separately identified, respectively, so as to provide for sunset dates; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date and applicability; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
By Representatives Crowe of the 118th, Williamson of the 112th, Blackmon of the 146th, Buckner of the 137th and Stephens of the 164th:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 1 of Title 33 and Chapter 7 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions regarding insurance and income taxes, respectively, so as to revise the lowincome housing tax credits; to provide that such tax credits shall be termed the Georgia affordable housing tax credits; to reduce the amount of such credits for certain projects; to authorize such credits in an amount equal to the federal credit for certain projects; to provide for definitions; to provide for open records; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date and applicability; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

- 4 -

HB 1185.
HB 1188. HB 1192. HB 1251.

By Representatives Camp of the 135th, Washburn of the 144th, Frye of the 122nd, Martin of the 49th and Blackmon of the 146th:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Part 1 of Article 2 of Chapter 5 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to tax exemption, so as to provide for a statewide homestead exemption from ad valorem taxes in an amount equal to any amount by which the current year assessed value of a homestead exceeds the inflation rate from the adjusted base year value of such homestead; to provide for definitions; to specify the terms and conditions of the exemption and the procedures relating thereto; to provide for applicability; to provide for approval by local governing authorities; to provide for related matters; to provide for compliance with constitutional requirements; to provide for a referendum, effective dates, and automatic repeal; to provide for contingent repeal; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
By Representatives Lott of the 131st, Powell of the 33rd, Hitchens of the 161st, Collins of the 71st and Vance of the 133rd:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 8 of Title 35 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to employment and training of peace officers, so as to extend the time frame for which reimbursement of total training expenses by a subsequent employer of a peace officer may be sought; to remove partial reimbursement of such training expenses; to limit total training expenses to certain costs; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
By Representatives Carson of the 46th, Martin of the 49th and Blackmon of the 146th:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Code Section 48-8-3 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to exemptions from sales and use tax, so as to prohibit the issuance of new certificates of exemption for certain high-technology data center equipment; to revise the new quality job requirement for such exemption; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
By Representatives Leverett of the 123rd, Efstration of the 104th, Burchett of the 176th, Gunter of the 8th and Smith of the 18th:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Code Section 15-6-30, relating to travel expenses of judges of the superior courts, so as to transfer from the state auditor to The Council of Superior Court Judges of Georgia duties related to review and approval of travel expenses; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

- 5 -

HB 1267.
HB 1303. HB 1339.

By Representatives Martin of the 49th, Gunter of the 8th, Blackmon of the 146th, Buckner of the 137th, Stoner of the 40th and others:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 50 of the O.C.G.A., relating to state government, so as to repeal Chapter 13A, relating to tax tribunals; to amend Title 15 of the O.C.G.A., relating to courts; to provide for the application of Chapter 11 of Title 9, the 'Georgia Civil Practice Act,' discovery, and attendance of witnesses; to amend Title 5 of the O.C.G.A., relating to appeal and error; to amend Chapter 4 of Title 9 of the O.C.G.A., relating to declaratory judgments; to amend Chapter 4 of Title 23 of the O.C.G.A., relating to equity procedure; to amend Code Section 45-7-4 of the O.C.G.A., relating to annual salaries of certain state officials and cost-of-living adjustments; to amend Code Section 15-21-209 of the O.C.G.A., relating to state operation assessment against adult entertainment establishments, determination of obligation, use of funds, and administration, Title 48 of the O.C.G.A., relating to revenue and taxation, and Chapter 13 of Title 50 of the O.C.G.A., relating to administrative procedure; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
By Representatives Stinson of the 150th, Corbett of the 174th, Pirkle of the 169th, Greene of the 154th and Paris of the 142nd:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Code Section 40-2-86 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to special license plates promoting or supporting certain worthy agencies, funds, or nonprofit corporations with proceeds disbursed to the general fund and the agency, fund, or nonprofit corporation, so as to establish a specialty license plate honoring the Shepherd Center; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to provide for compliance with constitutional requirements; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
By Representatives Parrish of the 158th, Burns of the 159th, Hawkins of the 27th, Beverly of the 143rd, Taylor of the 173rd and others:
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to health, so as to revise relative to certificate of need; to amend Code Section 48-7-29.20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to tax credits for contributions to rural hospital organizations, so as to increase the aggregate limit for tax credits for contributions to rural hospital organizations; to extend the sunset provision; to amend Article 7 of Chapter 4 of Title 49 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to medical assistance generally, so as to provide for the creation of the Comprehensive Health Coverage Commission; to provide for its members; to provide for its purpose and duties; to provide for assistance from experts and consultants; to provide for semiannual reports; to provide for the automatic repeal of the commission; to provide for related matters; to provide for effective dates; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

- 6 -

HR 598. HR 1022.

By Representatives Martin of the 49th, Cannon of the 172nd, Williamson of the 112th, Jones of the 25th, Smith of the 138th and others:
A RESOLUTION proposing an amendment to the Constitution so as to vest judicial power of the state in the Georgia Tax Tribunal; to provide for venue and jurisdiction of the Georgia Tax Tribunal; to provide for concurrent jurisdiction with superior courts; to provide for judges of the Georgia Tax Tribunal and their qualifications; to provide for vacancies; to provide for related matters; to provide for the submission of this amendment for ratification or rejection; and for other purposes.
By Representatives Camp of the 135th, Washburn of the 144th, Frye of the 122nd, Martin of the 49th and Blackmon of the 146th:
A RESOLUTION proposing an amendment to the Constitution so as to provide for local governments to have the option to offer a state-wide homestead exemption from ad valorem taxes in an amount equal to any amount by which the current year assessed value of a homestead exceeds the inflation rate from the adjusted base year value of such homestead as provided by general law; to provide for the submission of this amendment for ratification or rejection; and for other purposes.

- 7 -