Jan. 26, 2024 – Issue 02

Greetings from the Cobb Chamber Government Affairs outfit. While the legislature was in budget recess last week, we too took a break from reporting. Now as the General Assembly is back in the saddle, so are we!

During week three of the session, the legislature knocked five days off the calendar with an uptick in committee meetings and movement of bills. After failure to pass in 2023, the legislature sent an antisemitism bill to the Governor’s desk for consideration Thursday. HB 30 adds antisemitism to the state’s existing hate crimes law, which allows harsher criminal penalties against those convicted of certain crimes, such as assault, if they targeted victims based on race, gender, sexual orientation, sex, national origin, religion, or physical or mental disability.
 

Governor Taps First Female Chief of Staff

At the Cobb Chamber’s first Government Affairs Committee meeting of 2024, outgoing GAC Chair Trey Paris, Freeman Mathis Decisions, and Incoming GAC Chair Hillary Thrower, The Home Depot, welcomed Lauren Curry for a fireside chat. Lauren was sworn in as Governor Brian Kemp’s chief of staff on Jan. 11 and is the first female to hold this role for a sitting Georgia governor.

Curry is no stranger to the Gold Dome. She previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Chief Operating Officer, and as Director of Government Affairs and Policy for Governor Kemp. Prior to joining the Governor’s Office, she served as Deputy Director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, Chief of Staff for the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, Director of Public and Governmental Affairs at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Special Projects Director at the Georgia Department of Economic Development, and press aide to Governor Sonny Perdue. Curry earned a bachelor’s degree in Government and Business Economics from Wofford College and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Georgia. She and her family live in East Cobb.

Interested in joining the Government Affairs Committee? Active members of the Chamber are welcome to attend – please reach out to Amanda Seals for additional information.

Tax Cut Package Announced

Speaker Jon Burns announced this week that the House GOP caucus will be introducing a series of bills to provide additional tax relief for Georgians.

• HB 1015 by Rep. Lauren McDonald would accelerate the cut to the state income tax from 5.75 percent to 5.39 percent, which would return approximately another $1 billion to taxpayers.
• HB 1019 by Rep. Matt Reeves doubles the homestead exemption from $2,000 to $4,000.
• HB 1021 by Rep. Lauren Daniel raises the child tax deduction from $3,000 to $4,000. With Georgia’s income tax rate currently at 5.49%, that works out to as much as $55 more per child, or about $150 million statewide.
• HB 1024 by Rep. Shaw Blackmon would remove the cap one the Revenue Shortfall Reserve, which would allow the state to save responsibly, build its reserves, and provide more taxpayer relief in the short-term and long-term.
  
  

Cobb Legislative Delegation

Chaired by Rep. Teri Anulewicz and Vice Chair Devan Seabaugh, the Cobb Delegation has met several times this session to handle a few pressing items. First, re-appointments to the board of the Cobb-County Marietta Water Authority have been approved.

In addition, the delegation is discussing proposed new district lines for the Cobb County School District, which have been introduced by both Rep. Anulewicz and Sen. Ed Setzler.

Rep. Anulewicz introduced her legislation on Tues., Jan. 23 and HB 989 has been assigned to the House Intragovernmental Coordination committee. On Wed., Jan. 24, the Senate passed SB 338, Senator Setzler’s version of the map, 32-19 and it moves to the House for consideration.

In other delegation news, Sen. Setzler has been appointed by Lt. Governor Burt Jones and President Pro Tempore Sen. John F. Kennedy as the new Chairman of the Science & Technology Committee. The committee exercises general jurisdiction over fields such as cyber security, scientific research, artificial intelligence (AI), and other emerging technologies.

Additional Legislation of Interest:

While there are plenty of bills from the 2023 session that did not pass and are still in play, that is not stopping anyone in the House or Senate from dropping new pieces of legislation. Here are a few to note:

SB 366 - Tax Expenditures Transparency Act of 2024
By Sen. Chuck Hufstetler
The bill creates the Joint Committee on Taxation and Economic Development, which would meet in odd-numbered years to investigate and review the fiscal and economic impact of tax credits and exemptions that have been the subject of an economic analysis in the prior calendar year. The committee would then submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Lieutenant Governor and Speaker.

SB 386 – Legalization of Sports Betting
By Sen. Clint Dixon
This legislation would recognize sports betting as a lottery game and house it under the Georgia Lottery Corporation. The state would issue 16 sports betting licenses that would be divided among Georgia professional sports teams, the owners or operators of a Georgia-based car racetrack and professional golf tournament or tour. The Georgia Lottery Corp. would own one license while also issuing the seven remaining licenses at a price of $1 million annually. The state would charge a 15% tax on sports betting revenue. This legislation has strong bipartisan support, which includes the the Lt. Governor, and the Senate Minority Leader. Unlike previous bills which have failed, this will not require a constitutional amendment since it is housed under the Lottery Corporation.

HB 451 – Mental Health Relief for Public Safety Workers
By Rep. Devan Seabaugh
This legislation supports public safety personnel by requiring public entities to provide supplemental, illness-specific insurance to certain first responders diagnosed with occupational post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

HB 738 – Task Force on Workforce and Safety Net Integration
By Rep. Scott Hilton
The bill creates the Task Force on Workforce and Safety Net Integration, which is composed of nine members, within the Department of Labor. The task force must determine how state agencies and departments can improve workforce development programs or improve employment situations for workers, while also reviewing whether certain agencies should be merged to better accomplish those tasks. The task force is required to create an implementation strategy for an integrated delivery system and to consult with the commissioner of labor; the state school superintendent; and the commissioners of human services, community affairs, early care and learning, and public health. Members of the task force shall serve without compensation, and the task force will stand abolished on December 31, 2025.

HB 880 – License Reciprocity for Military Spouses
By Rep. Bethany Ballard
This legislation would allow for the spouse of a service member of the United States armed forces including the National Guard, to maintain the licensure in his/her profession issued by any state in the country or recognized jurisdiction as long as the license holder is in good standing in the originating state. It puts the burden of proof on the employer of the military spouse prior to hiring.

HB 926 – Second Chance Workforce Act
By Rep. Matt Reeves
Aimed to help Georgians maintain access to work and housing despite past involvement in the criminal justice system. The bill would allow reinstatement of one’s driver’s license and serve as evidence of good moral character for purposes of employment, housing and occupational licensing.

HB 982 – High-Demand Career List  
By Rep. Matthew Gambill
This legislation would require the State Workforce Development Board to develop, approve, and annually publish a High-demand Career List identifying those careers most critical to the state's current and future workforce needs.

HB 1027 – Computer Science Literacy
By Rep. Bethany Ballard
To bolster the workforce, the legislation requires that a half-credit computer science course shall be a high school graduation requirement by the 2026-2027 school year.

Carryover Legislation:

Introduced in 2023, here is an update on some of the measures we’ve been tracking that are getting a second chance in 2024:

SB 85 - Speaker David Ralston’s Veterans Retirement Act
By Sen. Michael “Doc” Rhett
Passed out of the Senate Retirement Committee on 1/25/24.
The “Speaker David Ralston’s Veterans Retirement Act,” allows for creditable service for certain military service.  Retirement legislation is introduced in year one of a term; studied for fiscal impact during the interim; and then considered in year two of a term. This legislation has no fiscal impact on the state.

Leadership Cobb at the Capitol

On Wed., Jan. 17, Leadership Cobb stormed the capitol for its annual “Politics Day” under the Gold Dome. The program was co-chaired by State Rep. Teri Anulewicz (LC 2006) and former state Rep. Bert Reeves (LC 2010), who is now at Georgia Tech. They heard from the Cobb Legislative Delegation, Public Service Commissioners Fitz Johnson and Tricia Pridemore, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Hyper, state Rep. Mandisha Thomas, state Supreme Court Justices Charlie Bethel and Nels Peterson and political consultants Brian Robinson and Tharon Johnson.

General Assembly Calendar

For the second year in a row, the General Assembly passed a full session calendar outlining the dates it will be in session and recess. The full resolution may be read here – important dates to note:

Week of Jan. 30: Days 9 – 12, Monday – Thursday
Crossover Day – Feb. 29, 2024 (Happy Leap Year!)
Sine Die – Day 40 – Thurs., March 28, 2024

If you have any questions about the Cobb Chamber Government Affairs Committee, the Cobb Chamber legislative priorities or legislative advocacy in general, please reach out to Amanda Seals, Executive Vice President of Advocacy and Government Relations.