WEEKS 7-9 | March 14

This week, the Georgia House of Representatives returned to the Gold Dome on Monday, March 3, kicking off the busiest week of the 2025 legislative session so far. Thursday, March 6, marked Crossover Day, a critical deadline for legislation to move from one chamber to the other.  The House passed a record 75 bills and resolutions on Crossover Day alone, which are now awaiting consideration in the Senate. With so many pieces of legislation to consider, it was a week of intense activity and crucial decision-making as we worked to ensure we had every opportunity to advance sound legislation to address the pressing needs of our state and its citizens. We ended week 9 with day 31 of the session. We have nine more days to get legislation out of both chambers and onto the Governor’s desk to sign into law. General Updates Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins Visited Georgia Secretary Rollins took time this week to visit with representatives in the agriculture community and did a roundtable to learn more about the challenges that Georgia agriculture is facing today. Rollins confirmed per acre economic assistance would be in Georgia on or before March 21, 2025. The Farm Bill and H2A were other key topics discussed during her time in Georgia. She’s very aware and understands what we are dealing with, and I’m optimistic that she will be a great advocate for the American farmer and rural communities. FY25 Amended Budget Governor Kemp signed the amended budget last week. Georgia completed the most pressing task during the session, and now it is time to start working on the FY26 budget. Within this budget, more than $860 million is going directly toward hurricane relief. Notable allocations include $113 million for the Governor’s Emergency Fund to continue the state’s emergency response efforts, $50 million for debris removal and $285 million in disaster relief for farmers and timber producers. House Bill 55 This bill provides for an additional judge of the superior courts of the Alapaha Judicial Circuit. It passed out of Senate Judiciary and Senate Rules this week and will be presented on the Senate floor on Tuesday, March 18. House Bill 268 This bill passed the House, which is a comprehensive measure aimed at improving the safety, health, and well-being of students and school communities across Georgia. HB 268 would implement a range of initiatives to reaffirm our dedication to fostering an environment where children can thrive without fear. House Bill 79 The House passed HB 79, the Firearm Safe Handling and Secure Storage Tax Credit Act. This bill would introduce new provisions under Georgia law, offering taxpayers a credit of up to $300 for eligible expenses related to firearm safety training and secure storage devices. House Bill 123 In an effort to improve our state’s criminal justice system, the House unanimously passed House Bill 123, which would eliminate the death penalty as a punishment when sentencing individuals who have intellectual disabilities (ID). Under current Georgia law, those with intellectual disabilities can be subject to the death penalty if found guilty of a crime in capital cases, meaning cases where the defendant could face the death penalty. Under HB 123, the accused individual would be able to file a pretrial notice asserting their intellectual disability, which could lead to a pretrial hearing. House Bill 89 This bill passed and would enhance oversight and coordination of maternal care services. The bill would grant the Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) access to psychiatric records of deceased mothers to better understand mental health’s role in maternal mortality.  House Bill 112 This passed bill would provide a one-time income tax refund for taxpayers who filed returns for both the 2023 and 2024 tax years. This refund amount would be the lesser of their 2023 state income tax liability or a fixed amount determined by their filing status: – $250 for single filers or married individuals filing separately – $375 for heads of household – $500 for married couples filing jointly. Taxable nonresidents and part-year residents would receive a prorated refund based on the portion of their income taxable in Georgia, as reported on their 2023 form. With an estimated total distribution of $7.6 million, the measure underscores the House’s commitment to returning taxpayers’ hard-earned money back into their pockets. House Bill 262 The passage of HB 262 is a necessary measure to strengthen the resilience of Georgia’s healthcare infrastructure, by creating a grant program to acquire and install backup generators for affected rural hospitals – acute care hospitals located in rural counties with fewer than 100 beds and located in any region where the governor declared a state of emergency after July 1, 2024. Under this legislation, the Department of Community Health, in collaboration with the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, would set grant criteria and make award decisions. These grant amounts would be determined on a case-by-case basis to best meet each hospital’s specific needs, with priority given to affected rural hospitals lacking backup generators and the means to install them. In response to vulnerabilities exposed by Hurricane Helene and other recent storms in our state, this legislation would ensure that rural healthcare facilities can continue to operate and provide uninterrupted essential medical services during power outages. House Bill 465 House Bill 465, the Autism Missing Person Alert System Act, also passed unanimously in the House and aims to protect missing individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It would add ASD to the list of conditions eligible for triggering the Mattie’s Call state-wide alert system.  House Bill 651 This bill would limit automated speed camera operation to a four-hour window around school starting and dismissal times and enforce a 10-mph buffer above the school-zone speed limit before a citation is issued. Proper signage, including flashing yellow lights and radar speed detectors, would also be in place to ensure drivers receive clear warnings. A key change in this bill is the redistribution of civil citation revenue, with 50 percent of funds going directly toward school safety measures, such as surveillance, cybersecurity and crossing guards. Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Legislation that made it across the finish line at Cross Over Day:  HB 91: provide for licensure for graduates of foreign colleges or schools of veterinary medicine who are board certified in a specialty; to provide for an exemption to help relieve the pressure in under-served areas.  HB 117: require notification of the country of origin of seafood items. HB 163: require that certain food products be disclosed as containing cell cultured meat, plant-based meat alternatives, or both. HB 172: clarify eligibility for the Veterinary Education Loan Repayment Program to include former students and specifies that applicants must have practiced in the required specialty for 10 years or less. HB 331:  prohibit the transfer of certain domestic animals at certain locations. HB 398: standards, labeling, and adulteration of food, so as to authorize the production and sale of cottage food items with certain exemptions, requirements, and disclosures. HB 413: general provisions regarding agriculture, so as to prohibit local ordinances that prohibit the operation of mobile sawmills on agricultural lands. HB 449: relating to public utilities and public transportation to subject certain companies providing water services in this state to regulation by the Public Service Commission; to provide for the review of certain increases to the rates and charges of such companies by the commission; to provide for financial record keeping of such companies. HB 495: transfer the Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation to the Department of Agriculture.  HB 529: provide consumers with the option of having service contracts that contain automatic renewal provisions, terminate after their specified period rather than being subject to the automatic renewal provision.  HB 614: prohibited fireworks activities and application of noise ordinances, so as to authorize local governments to prohibit the use or ignition of consumer fireworks in proximity to certain facilities housing equines.  SB 33: provide limits on the total THC concentration of consumable hemp products; to revise provisions concerning the certificate of analysis applicable to consumable hemp products SB 105: relating to veterinarians and veterinary technicians, so as to authorize licensed veterinarians and veterinary technicians to practice veterinary teleadvice. SB 112: extend certain protections for consumers relative to warranties of HVAC systems and components of such systems; to provide required information for warranty and product registration cards and forms; to provide an effective date for certain warranties of HVAC systems and components of such systems. SB 144: relating to liability for use of fertilizers, plant growth regulators, or pesticides, so as to clarify that a manufacturer cannot be held liable for failing to warn consumers of health risks above those required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency with respect to pesticides.  SB 201: relating to unfair or deceptive practices in consumer transactions, unlawful and examples, so as to provide increased consumer protection for homeowners entering into contracts with contractors following natural disasters.  Natural Resources and Environment A couple of topics made it to Cross Over Day in the Natural Resources and Environment Committee.  HB 143: Water resources; water-measuring devices for farm use of surface and groundwater. Agriculture has shown to have used less water than the meters are reading. This bill is to streamline metering and be less restrictive.  HB 351: relating to general provisions regarding solid waste management, so as to modify the powers and duties of the Board of Natural Resources; to revise definitions; to modify solid waste permitting; to provide for submission of written verification regarding compliance with local zoning and land use regulations; to remove certain restrictions on permits; to revise provisions regarding public meetings and notice; to remove outdated terminology. Rural Development Rural Communities are the heart of our district! Learn more about these two bills that are headed to the Senate focused on helping rural communities thrive.  HB 51: Authorize to finance and perform certain duties in connection with projects relating to natural gas facilities and expand the lines available to help with power needs in rural communities.  HB 262: Grant program for the purpose of acquiring and installing backup generators. This bill supports the need for backup generators at rural hospitals. This was spurred by the impacts of Hurricane Helene this fall.  Since we have passed Cross Over Day, now, all eyes are set on Legislative Day 40 or Sine Die, and we have a lot of work to be done to get important bills passed to help you and your families.  As always, thank you for your support. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or comments during this legislative session. If you would like to visit me at the State Capitol, reach my Capitol office at (404) 656-0325 or by email at [email protected].  -Jaclyn Ford Check out Constituents at the Capitol below!

HD 170 Constituents at the Capitol

Tyron Spearman of Tifton, Georgia, on PB&J Day.

Member of the Georgia Peanut Commission, Tifton, Georgia, served the famous grilled PB&J at the PB&J Day at the Capitol. Annie Bazin and Sandra Tooley visited the State Capitol. ABAC Day at the Capitol. Nolan Smith, Philadelphia Eagles Linebacker and former Georgia Bulldog, came to the Capitol this week. My son, J.Manry, and his friends from Augusta stopped by the Capitol to visit with Speaker Burns and I. The Hamburglar and Grimace made their appearance on Cross Over Day.