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Legislative Watch

Georgia House of Representatives – 2.26.2025 Committee Meetings

By March 4, 2025No Comments

On February 26, 2025, the following Georgia House of Representatives committees met to discuss bills to potentially advance:

Select the associated links to read each bill in full.

Code Revision

HB 484

This bill allows records to be digital or in book form. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 485

This is just the annual code revision cleanup. This year it includes removing language around programs that are no longer funded as well as changing program names to match their newer titles. 

The bill passed committee. 

Ways and Means

HB 66

This bill relates to title ad valorem taxes (TAVT) on heavily modified vehicles that are primarily used in the film industry. This bill moves the TAVT to the Motor Coach Division for taxation and requires the tax be paid half up front; the other half can be paid up to a year later.

The bill passed committee.

HB 129

This bill relates to farmland preservation. It clarifies conservation use valuation assessment (CUVA) qualifications and restrictions for eligibility; CUVA provides a reduced ad valorem tax rate on farming property. This bill will also allow non-family farms such as corporate farms to take advantage of the CUVA statute.

The bill passed committee. 

HB 144

This bill adds dental students to medical preceptor rotations in their third and fourth years, aligning dental students to the standards of other medical students. This bill reduces taxes on the $1,000 and $750 payments for these rotations and includes a sunset clause for 2030. The aggregate tax credits shall not exceed $6 million.

The bill passed committee. 

HB 165

This bill allows victims of Hurricane Helene to to capture an additional $500 on their standard deduction.

The bill passed committee. 

HB 186

This bill eliminates the death tax on automobiles for immediate family. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 229

This bill exempts local entities and school districts from local sales tax when they purchase construction materials for projects with educational purposes. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 248

This bill allows Georgia families to use the earth’s natural heat via geothermal technology to heat and cool their homes and will allow a 25% tax credit on the installation of these systems. This credit will be applied over a period of five years and shall not exceed $5,000 for any taxable year. HB 248 has a sunset clause of 2030. 

Geothermal systems have been proven to help reduce peak load in the electrical grid and reduce the demand for power. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 290

This bill is an annual cleanup bill to ensure Georgia’s income tax code aligns with federal code. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 297

This bill exempts multi-use off-road vehicles from ad valorem taxes and provides criteria for what constitutes multi-use off-road vehicles. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 370

This bill requires local government, city, county, and school boards to notify whether they opted out of the homeowner property tax relief unless the municipality or school board already has a similar exemption or they have a 100% senior exemption on the school portion. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 425

This bill is intended to prepare Georgia for the next disaster such as Helene by assisting businesses if they choose to implement some sort of generator. Skilled nursing facilities will also have access to this tax credit. The bill has a cap of $5 million in aggregate credits and allows a $5,000 tax credit per year for five years for the entities that take advantage of the credit. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 445

This bill updates the ad valorem tax section of the code to make it more readable and adds that an individual can appeal directly to a hearing officer if personal property is in excess of $200,000. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 463

This bill allows for a reduction in property taxes of up to $500 for seniors 65 and up if they volunteer with any law enforcement authorities, the city, the county, or the school system.

The bill passed committee. 

HB 560

This bill allows counties and cities to begin distribution renegotiation of loss distributions after 2028. If there is not an agreement across the entire county municipal group that one political subdivision should get more than their population share, then every group can opt out to an equal population share. 

Additionally, the bill allows DeKalb County to be a part of the MARTA taxation, which was inadvertently impacted in previous legislation.

The bill passed committee. 

Higher Education

HB 56

This bill, discussed previously (see HERE), would provide for tuition grants to spouses of law enforcement officers, firefighters, and prison guards who were killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty.

The bill passed committee.

HB 286

This bill would create a sub-fund under the Georgia Seed-Capital Fund to provide startup capital to certain small businesses that are majority owned by students or graduates of a small business program of study of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). The startup capital will be used only for costs directly incurred in the normal course of starting and operating a small business. The bill will promote the growth of small business in Georgia.

The bill was heard and not voted on.

HB 385

This bill, discussed previously (see HERE), would allow academically successful students who commence a graduate program at an eligible postsecondary institution within 18 months of earning a baccalaureate degree to use the full number of hours of HOPE scholarship eligibility.

The bill passed committee.

HB 541

This bill would expand the definition of approved schools for tuition equalization grants. The bill would open up the grant program to students who participate in nursing programs at private for-profit colleges, lessening the financial burden of those entering the nursing field. The bill would cost around $750,000.

The bill was heard and not voted on.

Public and Community Health

HB 291

This bill establishes a foundation and structure for community healthcare workers. It would identify who is qualified to be a community healthcare worker and what they can do. Standards and consistent training would be established to certify competency of these workers. The result of this bill would be an increase in the number of healthcare workers especially in rural and underserved areas.

The bill passed committee.

HB 584

This bill will change the governing body of the Heath Care Facility Regulation division from the Department of Community Health to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. The change would reassign management of licensing and oversight of drug abuse treatment and education programs, narcotic treatment programs, community living arrangements, and adult residential mental health. This change will better align programs at the state and federal level.

The bill passed committee.

HB 506

This bill would provide Medicaid coverage for tobacco cessation treatments. The change has the potential to reduce the number of citizens that require Medicaid for lung issues.

The bill passed committee.

HB 471

The bill would educate new mothers on the importance of water safety prior to being discharged from the hospital. A video regarding drowning prevention and intervention would be presented to them. The bill is intended to save the lives of young children that die from drowning every year.

The bill passed committee.

Banks and Banking

HB 159

The Department of Community Affairs through the Georgia Housing Finance Authority issues bonds and sells bonds to raise money and underwrite loans primarily for first-time home buyers but also for a few other programs. Current Georgia code caps them at $3 billion outstanding in these bonds; this bill seeks to increase that to $12 billion due to rising housing costs. 

The bill will return to committee at a later date.

HB 439

This bill relates to compensation for dealers and merchants for reporting and paying tax and their reimbursement deduction; this refers to any business that collects sales tax. This bill aims to provide a vendor’s compensation for every merchant that is required to report and collect sales tax and remit the tax to the state; this compensation will be a 3% deduction for the first $10,000. 

The bill will return to committee at a later date. 

Judiciary Juvenile

SB 8

This bill, discussed previously (see HERE), removes the inconsistencies between Title 17 and Title 15 in the Georgia code relating to arrest warrants, providing juvenile court judges with the full authority to issue arrest warrants based on probable cause. This bill reinstates that authority while retaining the power of district attorneys to make the final decision regarding whether charges are brought. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 343

This bill takes some of the juvenile code and puts it into the criminal code for more adequate prosecution of the crime. 

The bill passed committee.

Industry and Labor

HB 569

This bill allows claimants with the Department of Labor to receive their decision electronically rather than through the mail. Claimants will have the choice of which method they prefer.

The bill passed committee. 

HB 574

This bill allows international longshoremen working in Georgia to use either the Georgia Workman’s Comp or the Federal Longshoremen’s Workers’ Comp; it prevents individuals from using both. Workers currently have access to a longshoremen’s workers’ comp and also the Georgia Workman’s Comp, but this will ensure they are not double dipping into each fund, which is already illegal.

The bill led to some confusion among committee members. It will return to committee at a later date.

Technology and Infrastructure Innovation

HB 478

This bill requires disclaimers on any commercially used material that was produced by artificial intelligence (AI). This does not limit the use of AI but does require any images and videos to have a disclaimer. 

The bill will return to committee with a few amendments.

Rural Development

HB 262

This bill establishes a grant for rural hospitals to correct a problem brought to light by Hurricane Helene. The minimum generating capacity proved to be insufficient, with some hospitals going without water or power for a week or more. This bill will allow these hospitals access to a grant to funds to mitigate this issue. 

These hospitals must be located in one of the 41 counties included in the Governor’s state of emergency, must contain fewer than 100 beds, and must be in a county with a population of less than 50,000.

The bill passed committee. 

Game, Fish, and Parks

HB 432

This bill aims to create a $10 stamp to fund research projects, reforestation, and any further education on wild turkeys to ensure they do not go extinct in Georgia. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 443

This bill creates a resident and non-resident reef fish endorsement, which is an ancillary permit for offshore fishermen that will be required. There will be a $10 fee for residents and a $20 fee for non-residents.

The bill passed committee. 

HB 451

This bill authorizes local boards of education to provide instruction in Hunter Safety in grades 6 through 12 by Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR)-certified instructors beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 454

This bill creates the Vince Dooley Battlefield Trust Fund through the DNR to allow funds consisting of annual appropriations from the General Assembly, private or public grants, gifts, donations, or other contributions dedicated to the fund. The DNR will use these funds to match grants for organizations to purchase battlefields for permanent protection.

The bill passed committee. 

HB 491

This bill extends the sunset clause on previously passed legislation that allows individuals to hunt wildlife with air guns and air bows. The sunset clause was originally for 2025 and has been extended to 2030.

The bill passed committee. 

HB 556

This bill will require anyone renting a boat to take a training course regarding water safety before they can take the boat out onto the water. These courses are typically 10-minute educational videos that must be watched every six months to continue renting boats.

The bill passed committee. 

Public Safety and Homeland Security

HB 80

This bill makes a small amendment to current law regarding firearms that come into the possession of police departments. These are unclaimed, ownerless firearms from crimes or civil forfeiture that must currently be stored and kept and are periodically sold off. HB 80 would give the police department the authority to destroy these weapons at their discretion. This will alleviate storage burdens. 

The bill will return to committee at a later date. 

HB 238

This bill creates a training course at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center to help first responders know how to deal with individuals who have dementia and other mental illnesses. It will need appropriations. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 472

This bill will allow the World Congress Center to restrict weapons on the property, as it is a government building, which are already gun free zones. 

The bill was tabled.

HB 518

This bill aims to improve the state system of testing sexual assault evidence. It bans over the counter sexual assault kits. Victims in emergency rooms or a sexual assault crisis center receive sexual assault kits that are paid for by the taxpayer; this bill will ban that. The author claims it is for the chain of custody of evidence. Victims must go to law enforcement for evidence collection by a sexual assault nurse examiner. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 549

This bill expands the time frame for which an organization can seek reimbursement for training from a peace officer or their subsequent employers. Currently, reimbursement is required if the officer is hired by another agency within 15 months after the officer completes mandated training; this bill increases that to 36 months. Eligible expenses include equipment and materials, housing and transportation costs incurred during training, the officer’s salary during basic training, and up to 90 days of salary paid during the office’s field training. 

The bill passed committee. 

Governmental Affairs

HB 215

This bill removes Georgia from the voter list maintenance organization called ERIC. ERIC is a state-to-state communication system that helps state election offices keep up with people who move from state to state, people who have passed away, etc. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 244

This bill provides some additional flexibility in local government audit requirements based on the level of local government expenditures. It eases and reduces the financial reporting burden for those cities and counties that have expenditures less than $2.5 million. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 324

This bill relates to preferential treatment during advanced voting and certain hours on election day for certain voters relating to primary elections; this bill provides preferential treatment to voters who are blind, deaf, amputee, pregnant, disabled, accompanied by children of two years of age or younger, accompanied by children with special needs regardless of age, or 75 years and older. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 374

This bill aims to increase transparency and security in Georgia’s housing market by requiring disclosure of foreign adversary ownership of residential real estate rental properties. This disclosure must be public and made available to local governments and residents. It also requires the owners to provide property manager contact information.

The bill passed committee. 

HB 397

This bill relates to elections. 

Currently, appointees are elected from the General Assembly; both the House and the Senate have appointees on the State Elections Board. The board can approve to appoint or remove members when the General Assembly is not in session. The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House have the authority to appoint members to those boards; this bill allows them to remove members as well. 

There are currently two mandated Saturday votings for municipalities; this bill allows municipalities to opt out of Saturday voting if they see fit for municipality elections. 

This bill allows for local special elections for referendum or questions as long as there is a statewide election or special statewide election already occurring. 

This bill removes an instant in the code that puts a special election on the third Thursday in September; this code is hardly ever used. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 399

This bill, previously discussed (see HERE), requires any landlord with more than 25 homes to have a licensed real estate broker who may or may not reside in the state and have at least one representative located within the state who is responsible for receiving, coordinating, managing, and responding to communications from tenants. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 467

This bill removes oddities in the law regarding monuments and gives a clear bath to local officials when issues come up. Entities or individuals who try to remove monuments will be found in violation of the law. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 513

This bill relates to counties’ service delivery strategy; every 10 years, the counties must come to an agreement with the municipalities within the counties. 

The bill passed committee. 

HB 521

This bill relates to de-annexation when a county owns all parcels proposed to be de-annexed. In this situation, the county must be petitioned for that de-annexation. This bill puts a 90-day limit for the petition to be rejected and creates provisions to reject based on the health, safety, and welfare of the residents and property owners. 

The bill passed committee. 

Small Business Development

HB 250

This bill, discussed previously (see HERE), is based on the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations and will align what these businesses can do in Georgia with what they are doing in other states with similar legislation. It will establish rules and regulations for PEOs.

The bill passed committee.