Jan. 24, 2025 – Issue 02

What should have been a week packed full of Appropriations meetings turned into another snowmageddon for lawmakers south of the city. Meetings were postponed, and mainly rescheduled for the upcoming week, which will make for a busy re-entry to session when the full General Assembly returns to the capitol on Mon., Jan. 27 for days six through nine.
 

Budget Highlights

As mentioned in FTCS Week 1 report, the Governor’s Amended FY 2025 and FY 2026 budgets were released and given to lawmakers to peruse.

To assist state agencies in Hurricane Helene recovery efforts, over $614 million in the Amended Fiscal Year budget is outlined in the Governor’s amended budget includes:

• $300 million for the Department of Transportation for debris cleanup, road repair, and signage replacement, and to ensure ongoing projects are not negatively impacted by the suspension of the motor fuel tax following the storm,
• $100 million to replenish funds used for immediate financial relief for the agricultural and timber industries,
• $50 million to ensure the health of the state’s property insurance risk pool as we repair state facilities, and
• $150 million for the Governor’s Emergency Fund for the state’s share of FEMA’s reimbursement of ongoing debris removal, temporary shelter expenses, and direct aid to Georgians.

Additional budget items supported by the Cobb Chamber include:

• $1.6 billion for water and transportation infrastructure development projects (one time investment)
• $250 million for local road assistance grants
• Additional $60 million in the Amended budget for the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank
• Kennesaw State University - Design, construction, and equipment for the Research Support Building
  
  

Cobb Legislative Delegation Update

On Friday, Jan. 24, the Cobb Legislative Delegation met to elect new leadership and to discuss new delegation rules. Rep. David Wilkerson was elected as chair; Rep. Terry Cummings as Vice Chair; and Sen. Michael “Doc” Rhett as Secretary/Treasurer. The Cobb Chamber looks forward to working with the new leadership and continuing to support the delegation.

In addition, on Jan. 22, several members of the Cobb Delegation joined Cobb Chamber partner, the Cumberland Community Improvement District (CID) for an indoor ribbon cutting celebrating the long-awaited opening of the new ramp for the Interstate 75 express lanes at Akers Mill Road. The new ramp will open access to the express lanes by having an entrance and exit behind the Cobb Energy Centre and Cobb Galleria Centre. The Cumberland CID helped fund the $44 million project along with Cobb County SPLOST money and state and federal transportation funding.

Government Affairs Committee

The Cobb Chamber Government Affairs Committee kicked off the new year with its first meeting by welcoming William Crozer, Practice Co-Head for BGR’s State & Local Advocacy Practice. From 2018-21, William served as Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) in the Trump-Pence Administration.

In a fireside chat with GAC Chair Bert Reeves, the two discussed the difference between the first Trump administration and the incoming second; how the new Congress might also influence regulatory and legislative priorities that affect business; what the new tax reforms might look like; and what businesses should prepare for with potential shifts in federal and state regulatory landscapes coming soon.

For more information on the GAC, please contact Amanda Seals

Legislation of Interest

HB 34 by Rep. Dale Washburn
Legislation establishes a continuing education tracking solution to monitor compliance of professional licensees with applicable continuing education requirements and requires compliance with continuing education requirements prior to the issuance of certain professional licenses.
Assigned to the House Regulated Industries Committee

HB 76 by Rep. Stacey Evans
A bill that requires public hearings for local transportation plans of significant impact. Significant impact is defined as any project that includes roadway extensions, new roadway construction, or reconfiguration of major intersections.
Assigned to the House Transportation Committee

HB 92 by Rep. Shaw Blackmon
The bill would extend the opt out deadline for local governments that want to opt out of the floating homestead exemption. The opt out deadline would be extended from March 1, 2025 to May 1, 2025. The bill also provides opt out advertisement language that local governments must use in their local newspapers and websites. The advertisement must appear at least one week prior to each of the three public hearings that a local government must hold to opt out. A local government's opt out resolution must be filed with the Secretary of State by May 1, 2025.
Assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee

SB 2 by Sen. Greg Dolezal
Legislation to exclude tips received as income from being taxable by the State of Georgia. Additionally, the legislation would require employers to submit the total amount of tips received by any employee during the tax year to the Georgia Department of Revenue by January 1, 2026, for income received during the tax year beginning on January 1, 2025. For tips received as income for the tax year beginning on January 1, 2026, employee data must be received monthly or quarterly in accordance with due dates for monthly and quarterly withholding tax returns. Assigned to the Senate Finance Committee

SB 6 by Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick
Broadens the scope of testing equipment that can be used to determine whether a controlled substance has been adulterated. Prior, only testing equipment used to detect synthetic opioids was allowed.
Assigned to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee

SB 9 by Sen. John Albers
Criminalizes the distribution of AI-generated obscene material depicting children and introduces enhanced sentencing for crimes when AI is used during illegal activity. The legislation also aims to establish procedures for determining the use of AI in criminal activity.
Assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee

SB 12 by Sen. Frank Ginn
Legislation to change requirements related to open records requests for private entities contracted with public agencies. If passed, open records requests made to private entities contracted with public agencies will need to be made directly to the public agency. This law would not change the basic rules related to open records requests but would change to whom the open records request would have to go to.
Assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee

2024 Study Committee Reports

At the end of the 2024 Legislative Session, several Senate and House study committees were created to review and provide recommendations on different issues that the general assembly will seek to address in the upcoming 2025 Georgia Legislative Session. Study committee topics ran the gambit, however there were multiple of interest to us at the Cobb Chamber that correspond with items listed within our 2025 State Legislative Agenda. A full list of Senate and House study committees can be found at the following links: Senate – House.

Senate Study Committee on Artificial Intelligence
Chaired by Senator John Albers, the Senate Study Committee on Artificial Intelligence was tasked with examining the current and future use of AI technologies in Georgia and determining policies and procedures that work to build a landscape focused on responsible AI innovation, competition, and partnership across the public and private sectors.

Other goals of the study committee included reviewing the potential impacts AI innovation could have on workforce development, examining the potential misuse of and unintended consequences of AI, and reviewing paths forward to ensure that AI technology advances in a way that enforces existing customer protection laws. Additionally, the study committee reviewed potential considerations on necessary safeguards against fraud, unintended bias, discrimination, infringements on privacy, and other potential harms.

Full discussion and a list of final recommendations can be found in the full Study Committee on Artificial Intelligence Final Report.

Senate Study Committee on Access to Affordable Childcare
Chaired by Senator Brian Strickland, the Senate Study Committee on the Access to Affordable Child Care was formed to review potential measures to aid in increasing access to affordable childcare within the state. The Georgia State Senate continues to increase its interest in prioritizing matters that impact children and families within Georgia, further emphasized with the creation of the Senate Committee on Children and Families during the 2024 legislative session. With affordable childcare being a key concern of the full standing committee, the Senate Study Committee on Access to Affordable Childcare was created to examine current childcare costs, accessibility barriers, and potential policy solutions.

The Senate Study Committee on Affordable Child Care provided numerous recommendations, including the following key recommendations. Full discussion and a complete list of recommendations can be found within the full Senate Study Committee on Access to Affordable Childcare Final Report.

• Implement a refundable tax credit for early childhood educators
• Increase the tax credit for child and dependent care expenses
• Prioritize the creation of a Georgia Child Tax Credit helping families with the youngest children offset the expenses they incur as their children reach school age
• Consider grants to USG and TCSG schools to cover the childcare for student-parents who are enrolled in programs that align with the state’s new High Demand Career List
• Expand eligibility for Georgia’s tax credit for employer-sponsored childcare and making the amount of that credit more generous

Senate Study Committee on Veterans' Mental Health and Housing
Chaired by Senator Chuck Payne, the Senate Study Committee on Veterans’ Mental Health and Housing was created with the purpose of reviewing and evaluating the adequacy of public and private programs and services that provide crucial resources to Georgia’s large veteran population.

The Senate Study Committee on Veterans’ Mental Health and Housing heard testimony from multiple public and private entities that provide resources to veterans in the state including the Georgia Department of Veteran Services (“GDVS”), the Center for the Advancement of Military and Emergency Services Center at Kennesaw State University, Highland Rivers Behavioral Health, and the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency.

The Study Committee on Veterans’ Mental Health and Housing provided several recommendations, including the key recommendations below. A full list of recommendations can be found in the Senate Study Committee on Veterans’ Mental Health and Housing Full Report.

• Establish a failsafe system between the U.S. Department of Defense and the Georgia Department of Veterans Service to directly engage every service member returning home to Georgia for the purpose of connecting them with relevant resources following their service and during their re-entry into civilian life;
• Identify “veteran friendly” and/or “military spouse friendly” employers and share their information with unit transition centers;
• Establish an application fee waiver program for veterans and spouses applying to universities;
• Establish a state waiver for reduction or omittance of property taxes for a specified period of time for veterans;
• Allocate up to $5 million to support innovative studies on the use of psychedelic therapies (such as MDMA, psilocybin, and other compounds) in treating PTS, TBI, and other mental health conditions affecting veterans.

House Study Committee on Credit Card Fees on State Sales and Excise Tax and Their Impact on Georgia Merchants and Consumers
The passage of House Resolution 1135 created the House Study Committee on Credit Card Fees on State Sales and Excise Tax and Their Impact on Georgia Merchants and Consumers with the purpose of evaluation the effects of transaction fees on Georgia’s merchants and consumers.

Chaired by Representative Will Wade, the study committee heard testimony from various stakeholders including Georgia Department of Revenue and numerous industry associations.

Within the House Study Committee on Credit Card Fees on State Sales and Excise Tax and Their Impact on Georgia Merchants and Consumers Full Report, the following recommendations were presented:

• Increase Georgia’s Vendor’s Compensation Rate - The General Assembly should consider legislation that increases the Vendor’s Compensation rate from 3% of the first $3,000 collected to 3% of the first $10,000 collected beginning on January 1, 2026. Starting on the same date, the rate assessed to any amount over $10,000 should be 0.5% and increase a quarter percentage annually until reaching 1.5% on January 1, 2030.
• Study how any changes made to the card transaction process and related fees impact state revenues - The General Assembly should identify and consider the state revenue impact imposed by any proposed legislation that makes changes to the card transaction process and related fees, including, but not limited to, changes to the Vendor’s Compensation rate and swipe fees.
• Study and implement best practices to prevent card transaction fraud - As fraud surges nationally, with Georgia appearing particularly susceptible, it should be noted that the losses related to fraud are increasingly shouldered by Georgia consumers and merchants, as well as financial institutions. The General Assembly, in collaboration with law enforcement and industry experts, should study and encourage the adoption of policies and best practices related to the prevention of transaction fraud to better protect Georgia’s customers and businesses.
  
  

Next Week at the Capitol

Mon., Jan. 27 – Legislative Day 6
Tues., Jan. 28 – Legislative Day 7
Wed., Jan. 29 – Legislative Day 8
Thurs., Jan. 30 – Legislative Day 9
Fri., Jan. 31 - Committee Work Day

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.