Legislative Update
Laying Down the Law

In the early morning hours (1:15 AM) on Friday, April 3rd, the 158th General Assembly of the State of Georgia adjourned Sine Die.  Never were two words so welcomed!  After this year's elections, we will do it again and convene the 159th Georgia General Assembly on Monday, January 11, 2027, at 10 AM with lots of new legislators. 
While all sessions are distinct in their own way, this one was particularly unusual.  The only pieces of legislation that went to 'conference committee' were the budgets.  Additionally, only one bill was formally 'disagreed' with by a chamber, and none (again, other than the budget) were insisted on.  While it may seem like the chambers were working in lockstep, be assured, there were large differences of opinion on policy matters.   This year, the chambers used different tactics to move bills, including stripping bills of their original language and replacing it with a new bill that was completely unrelated to the initial version.  For example: a tax bill became a liquor store bill (but didn't pass), a hemp bill became a coin-operated amusement machine (gaming) bill (but didn't pass), and a hemp bill became a property tax bill (did pass).  It was a whirlwind, and we've been double-checking every single bill that passed the last three days of session to ensure we weren't surprised. 
The bills receiving final passage now head to the Governor's office for consideration. The governor has 40 calendar days (Wednesday, May 13th) to sign or veto the legislation.  We will update you on any notable developments. 

Previously reported bills receiving final passage:
Food
HB1138 (Camp) initially dealt with who can provide contraceptives.  Notably, the version that came out of committee also included language requiring manufacturers and retailers to sell products (and label accordingly) with corn masa flour to be fortified with folic acid.  This language was removed in the final version of the bill before passing. 
 
Insurance
HB 987 (Representative Todd Jones), providing for portable benefit plans and accounts for independent contractors.
 
HB1344 (Reeves) is one of the House's insurance reform bills to come out of the Blue Ribbon Commission.  Notably, the bill makes it unlawful (felony provisions) for any person, in an individual capacity or in a capacity as a law enforcement officer, law enforcement records staff member, wrecker services staff member, emergency staff member, physician, hospital employee, or attorney to solicit, release, or sell any information relating to the parties of a motor vehicle collision for personal financial gain.  The bill also increases the fines for various forms of insurance fraud. Finally, the bill increases the fines on PBMs. 
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Fuel
HB1277 (Barton) pushes forward the start date for when EV charging stations must begin collecting the EV-related motor fuel tax to support road construction and maintenance. The new date is Jan 1, 2028.
General Business
HB1112 (Barrett), in light of the elimination of the penny, legislators sought to provide businesses with clear direction on how to appropriately round transactions to accommodate the currency elimination.  The bill stipulates that if one cent, two cents, six cents, or seven cents is at the end of the resulting total, the total shall be rounded down to the nearest five cents. If three cents, four cents, eight cents, or nine cents are at the end of the resulting total, the total shall be rounded up to the nearest five cents. Further, the bill stipulates that the rounding adjustment shall not be interpreted as impacting the sales price of the purchase pursuant to Code Section 48-8-2 or the calculation of any other tax.
​SB33 (Kirkpatrick), initially regulating consumable hemp products, was stripped of its language and instead passed with language reforming the property tax. The bill allows for the creation of a special LHOST (local homestead option sales tax) toward capping homestead property annual taxable value growth. 
 
HB1470 (Kelley) seeks to protect businesses and individuals from certain tort exposure for not having an ADA-compliant website. 
 
HB141 (Momtahan) allows businesses and practitioners to provide affidavits of certified public accountants instead of a tax return for the purpose of occupational tax and other similar purposes. 
 
HB 447 (Gullett) provides for penalties for gift card-related crimes. 
 
HB1272 (Jones) provides for a regulatory framework around stablecoins. 
 
HB295 (Gaines) provides for property owners to make claims for compensation from local governments for loss of property value or expenses incurred due to the local government's failure to comply with or non-enforcement of certain laws or ordinances (think public camping, loitering, panhandling, etc.). 
​SB501 (Robertson) makes changes to the statutes governing the office of fire safety.  Notably, the bill provides a mechanism for any party aggrieved or adversely affected by a final ruling of a local governing authority on a building permit based on an interpretation or variance of the state minimum fire safety standards to appeal such ruling to an appeals board.  Additionally, it allows the Insurance Commissioner or his or her designee shall be authorized to issue an immediate evacuation order of all persons from any building or structure, whether or not such building or structure has been issued a certificate of occupancy, when such building or structure or any condition or cause presents an imminent life safety hazard of any type.  Finally, the bill allows for tent sales for fireworks in certain circumstances. 
 
SB447 (Dixon) requires local governments, beginning January 1, 2028, to maintain a publicly accessible website or application that provides real-time status information for all building permits for which an application has been submitted.  This website will be required to display the current status of the permit and the statutory rationale for denial (if applicable). 
​HB 463 (Blackmon) is an income tax reform bill. The bill reduces the individual income tax rate, increases the standard deduction, and excludes certain overtime and cash tips from taxation (note there is an employer reporting requirement here).  To fund some of this, the general assembly opted to eliminate a few business tax exemptions and credits including: manufacturers of PPE, manufacturers of medicine, pharmaceuticals, credits for teleworking, manufacturing cigarettes for export, business enterprises that purchase or lease a motor vehicle to provide transportation for employees, credits for alternative fuel, low-emission, and zero-emission vehicles and electric vehicle chargers and more.
 
HB297 (Anderson) creates the Georgia Transportation Efficiency Authority (GTEA), replacing the Atlanta Transit Link (ATL) Authority, which is assuming certain responsibilities of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA).  Further, the bill stipulates that counties that provided no transit services before January 1, 2026, may not initiate any transit services without a resolution passed by their board of commissioners authorizing such services, as well as approval in a county-wide referendum for counties within a nonattainment area.  Finally, the bill extends the sunset on the one percent sales and use tax collected by local governing authorities to fund the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) from 2057 to 2067.
 
HB1247 (Reeves) stipulates that when interpreting this state's Constitution, statutes, or published rules, a court, or an officer hearing an administrative action, shall not defer to a state agency's determination or interpretation of such authorities, whether such determination or interpretation is written or unwritten.  Further, the bill included language from last year's 'Red Tape Rollback' legislation. This portion of the bill changes the process by which the general assembly can overrule proposed rule-making by the Department of Community Health.  Further, it changes the threshold for the general assembly to override rule-making by state agencies.  Finally, the bill requires, subject to appropriations, that on or before July 1, 2028, and at the end of each five-year period ending on July 1 thereafter, each agency shall prepare and submit to the director of the Office of Planning and Budget a report containing an analysis of each rule of such agency.
 
SB306 (Robertson) revises the definition of bona fide conservation use property to allow for certain carbon sequestration.  
There were various other bills that GACS lobbied, followed, and/or reported that did NOT pass.  Please know that those bills required as much, if not more, political capital.   The relationships you all build with your state legislators in their districts are exceptionally valuable, and you make it easy to represent such a fine industry.  The commitment you show in your communities shines through when GACS is afforded an opportunity to talk about you and when your elected officials talk about you, too.  Several times during the legislative session, we testified on your behalf, and because of your relationships and community commitment, GACS is well-received and respected.  THANK YOU for what you do to make representing you a success.
 
I also want to extend a special thank you to our members who were able to make donations during session to help keep our room overflowing with food!
 
Andalusia Distributing
Circle K
McLane Company
Utz Brands
Monarca Food Solutions / Turkey Creek
QuikTrip
Friendley Gus
McCall Farms - Peanut Patch
Golden Pantry
Stewart Distribution
Jet Food Stores of Georgia
General Mills Convenience
Hershey
Mars Snacking
Lil' Drug Store Products
Frito-Lay
McLane / Circle K
Georgia Association of Convenience Stores.  All Rights Reserved.
200 East Memorial Drive, #1   Dallas, GA 30132
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