We are grateful to Governor Brian Kemp, Lt. Governor Burt Jones, House Speaker Jon Burns, members of the General Assembly, legislative staff, and our many partners at the Capitol for their hard work this session. Governor Kemp has until May 14, 2025, to sign or veto legislation passed by the General Assembly. If the Governor does nothing after that date, the bill will automatically become law. For a listing of many of the bills our team worked on or followed this session, please refer to the list below.
BUSINESS CLIMATE
HB 111 (Rep. Soo Hong) – reduces the individual income tax rate from 5.39% to 5.19% and provides for further reductions to 4.99% by 2027 if certain economic conditions are met. AWAITING GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE
HB 112 (Rep. Lauren McDonald) – provides a one-time tax refund ($250 per person) for individual taxpayers who filed returns for both 2023 and 2024. AWAITING GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE
HB 141 (Rep. Martin Momtahan) – allows businesses to provide affidavits from certified public accountants to satisfy gross receipts requirements in lieu of tax returns to determine their local occupation tax liability. DID NOT PASS
HB 266 (Rep. Steven Sainz) – increases the exemption on U.S. military retirement pay from $40,000 to $65,000 from Georgia income tax. AWAITING GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE
HB 360 (Rep. Chuck Efstration) – allows certain approved projects to receive their historic rehabilitation tax credits earlier than the typical timeline once they complete the project, while taking a reduction in the credit amount. AWAITING GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE
HB 376 (Rep. Scott Hilton) – raises the cap on the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit for commercial properties from $30 million to $50 million per year. DID NOT PASS
HB 472 (Rep. Rick Jasperse) – prohibits weapons from certain outdoor locations operated by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. DID NOT PASS
HB 555 (Rep. Derrick McCollum) – prohibits entities from owning more than 2,000 single-family residences. DID NOT PASS
HB 559 (Rep. John Carson) – moves the sunset date for the tax exemption on data center equipment from 2031 to 2026. DID NOT PASS
SB 12 (Sen. Frank Ginn) – clarifies that only public entities, not private businesses, must respond to open records requests. AWAITING GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE
SB 28 (Sen. Greg Dolezal) – grants the General Assembly additional authority over agency rulemaking. DID NOT PASS
SB 36 (Sen. Ed Setzler) – adopts the Religious Freedom Restoration Act into Georgia law. SIGNED BY GOVERNOR
SB 57 (Sen. Blake Tillery) – prohibits financial institutions or utilities from discriminating against certain individuals. Provides that individuals harmed by violations of this statute may sue the service provider. DID NOT PASS
SB 59 (Sen. Sam Watson) – establishes limits on municipal tort claims, capping individual recoverable damages at $3 million per municipality and total liability at $5 million per occurrence. DID NOT PASS
SB 68 (Sen. John F. Kennedy) – revises civil practice rules related to anchoring, motions to dismiss, voluntary dismissals, double recovery of attorney’s fees, admissibility of seat belt evidence, premises liability, phantom damages, and bifurcation. AWAITING GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE
SB 69 (Sen. John F. Kennedy) – regulates third-party litigation financing practices. AWAITING GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE
INFRASTRUCTURE
HB 67 (Speaker Jon Burns) – amends the budget for the 2025 fiscal year. Includes $500,000 for the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District and $863 million for Hurricane Helene relief. SIGNED BY GOVERNOR
HB 164 (Rep. Steven Meeks) – removes the sunset on weight limit exceptions for certain trucks and allows local law enforcement to enforce those limits. AWAITING GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE
SB 9 (Sen. John Albers) – criminalizes AI-generated obscene content involving minors, enhances penalties for crimes committed using AI, and establishes stricter sentencing guidelines. DID NOT PASS
SB 13 (Sen. Carden Summers) – allows the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority to finance and oversee projects related to natural gas facilities. AWAITING GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE
SB 111 (Sen. John Albers) – enhances consumer data protection, establishes consumer rights, including opt-out, and civil penalties of up to $7,500 per violation. DID NOT PASS
TALENT DEVELOPMENT & EDUCATION
HB 38 (Rep. Chuck Martin) – provides College Completion Grants eligibility to students who have completed 70 percent of a four-year or 45 percent of a two-year program. AWAITING GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE
HB 68 (Speaker Jon Burns) – creates the budget for fiscal year 2026. Increases funds to provide 500 additional slots in the Childcare and Parent Services program, and computer science professional development by $200,000. AWAITING GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE
HB 136 (Rep. Mark Newton) – expands tax credit for child and dependent care expenses to a 50% match of the federal credit; creates a new Georgia Child Tax Credit; creates a new incentive for employers to cover childcare expenses. AWAITING GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE
HB 162 (Rep. Leesa Hagan) – automatically restricts and seals the record of an individual who qualifies under first offender status. DID NOT PASS
HB 192 (Rep. Matthew Gambill) – aligns the State Board of Education’s curriculum with the High-demand Career List. AWAITING GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE
HB 127 (Rep. Brent Cox) – withholds state funding or state-administered federal funding from any public school or public postsecondary institution if it promotes or maintains DEI activities. DID NOT PASS
SB 179 (Sen. Clint Dixon) – requires passage of a computer science course for high school graduation starting in the 2031-2032 school year and allows certain computer science courses to satisfy other subject credit requirements. DID NOT PASS
SB 180 (Sen. Clint Dixon) – expands incentives for the High Demand Apprenticeship Program to include contracts with the Technical College System. AWAITING GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE
THRIVING COMMUNITIES
HB 14 (Rep. Kasey Carpenter) – establishes the statewide Music Business Office within the Georgia Department of Economic Development. DID NOT PASS
HB 475 (Rep. Matthew Gambill) – cleans up outdated language, improves processes, and clarifies legislative intent in the Film Tax Credit program. AWAITING GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE
HB 579 (Rep. Matt Reeves) – allows division directors of each licensing board to issue licenses and update regulations for licensed professions to enhance efficiency. AWAITING GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE
HB 686 (Rep. Marcus Wiedower) – legalizes and regulates sports betting as a lottery game underneath the Georgia Lottery Corporation. DID NOT PASS YET
SB 207 (Sen. Brian Strickland) – requires transparency and provides for a preclearance process in the occupational licensing process for applicants with a criminal background. DID NOT PASS
HR 450 (Rep. Marcus Wiedower) – proposes a constitutional amendment to legalize sports betting and for its proceeds to fund pre-k, HOPE scholarships, and gambling addiction services. DID NOT PASS
SR 131 (Sen. Carden Summers) – proposes a constitutional amendment to legalize sports betting and casino gaming. DID NOT PASS
