Public Policy

Fractional Penny SPLOST Legislation Vote Comes Up Short   The fractional penny SPLOST legislation, which would give local governments the option to levy less than a penny SPLOST, failed by twelve votes in the House last week.  The bills author asked that the House reconsider its action on legislative day 30, the last day House…

Transportation Committee Looking at Transportation Funding   This week, the House Transportation Committee passed HB 955 that would require the proceeds from any local sales and use taxes on motor fuels, or an equivalent amount from other local revenues, to be used for highway transportation funding purposes.  The legislation, which was introduced by the chairman…

Full Accountability and Collection of Taxes (FACT) Act Getting Attention   Advocates and opponents of the Full Accountability and Collection of Taxes (FACT) Act have begun heavy lobbying on the legislation presently in the House Ways and Means Committee. The FACT Act would allow counties to research and analyze sales tax collections at the local…

2014 Weekly Legislative Update February 3-7, 2014 – Week Four   Legislation to Establish New TSPLSOT Funding Districts Heard   Legislation introduced last year that would allow the establishment of multi-county transportation districts for transportation projects was heard in a House Transportation subcommittee this week.  A number of organizations and legislators expressed concerns with the…

Legislation Stalls during Snow Storm Shortened Week   Fewer than a dozen general bills were considered by both the House and Senate last week with little or no debate.  Even though the legislature didn’t meet Wednesday or Thursday, both days were counted toward the 40 day legislative session.  Approximately 20 bills are eligible for a…

Bill would Redefine Establishment of a Transit Authority Passes Committee   Legislation introduced by Rep. John Carson (R-East Cobb) unanimously passed both a Transportation subcommittee and the full committee this week.  The legislation, if passed, would allow for the establishment of a transit authority in any community in the state, upon designation by the legislature. …

Thank you to the Regional Business Coalition for the update! 2014 Weekly Legislative Update January 13-17 – Week One Legislature Introduces Flurry of Election Year Legislation and Recognitions The Georgia House and Senate got a quick start to this year’s political season with the introduction of a number of politically motivated bills to appease voters…

Weekly Legislative Updates provided by the Regional Business Coalition.  Election Year Legislative Session to be on a Very Fast Track in 2014 All seats in the state House and Senate, as well as most statewide elected offices including the governor and lieutenant governor, are up for election this year.  Additionally, due to changes in voting…

Thank you to the Georgia Chamber for the content! The Georgia Chamber of Commerce released its 2013 Legislative Scorecard on Monday – on which members of the Georgia General Assembly were graded based on their votes related to certain pro-business measures addressed during the 2013 legislative session. Nearly every lawmaker in both the Georgia House and…

Final Legislative Week    Some Bills Passed, Some Will Have to Wait until 2014, But Very Few Were Defeated The 2013 session of the Georgia General Assembly ended Thursday, March 28 at midnight.  While not all legislation that was introduced was passed, very few died.  Only bills that received a negative vote are ineligible for further…