NEWS
The Georgia General Assembly convened on Monday, March 28 for legislative day 36 and worked through Friday, April 1, completing legislative day 39. Thursday, March 31, Saturday, April 2, and Sunday, April 3 were all committee workdays.
Today, April 4 is SINE DIE, the 40th and final day of the 2022 legislative session. Any legislation that hasn’t passed both the House and the Senate is no longer under consideration.
Savannah Area Chamber’s Legislative Priorities in Action Last Week
House Bill 469 (Sponsored by State Representative Ron Stephens) extends Georgia’s historic preservation tax incentives for both commercial and residential historic structures. This tax incentive was set to expire on January 1, 2023. HB 469 extends the credits until January 1, 2025. HB 469 passed the House on March 8, 2021. HB 469 passed the full Senate, by substitute on April 1. The Senate substitute was sent to the House for their consideration. This tax credit has been instrumental in the redevelopment of Savannah’s Plant Riverside District and its extension has been a legislative priority for the Savannah Chamber for the past several years.
House Bill 1053 (sponsored by State Representative Ron Stephens) extends the film post-production tax credit set to expire on January 1, 2023, through 2027. Since its inception, the tax credit has been fully subscribed and has successfully supported and extended the post-production industry in Georgia. The Bill passed out of the House on March 15. HB 1053 passed the full Senate, by substitute on March 29. The Senate substitute was sent to the House for their consideration. HB 1053 is in line with the Chamber’s efforts to support the film and post-production tax credits and advocate for the continued protection of these credits.
While not on our Legislative Agenda for 2022, the Chamber will continue to monitor the following legislation that made moves last week:
HB 934 would allow a single-county Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) to be collected for the full five years rather than ending the collection once a certain amount is collected. HB 934 passed the House on Friday, March 11. HB 934 passed out of the Senate by substitute on March 30 and on April 1 the House agreed to the Senate substitute. HB 934 has been transmitted to the Governor for his consideration.
House Bill 1013, the Mental Health Parity Act, passed out of the House on March 8. HB 1013 passed out of the Senate by substitute on March 30 and on the same day, the House agreed to the Senate substitute. HB 1013 has been transmitted to the Governor for his consideration. HB 1013 helps to provide community-based resources for mental health individuals as an alternative to housing people with mental illness in jails. This will also help to alleviate overcrowding in our county jails. HB 1013 will enhance resources for frontline responders and helps provide solutions for individuals dealing with substance abuse.
