A look at some of the bills working their way through the 2023-2024 session of the Georgia General Assembly as of February 14, 2024.

1. 2024 GEORGIA
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
THE 40 MOST DANGEROUS DAYS IN THE STATE

2. THERE IS ONLY ONE THING THEY MUST DO - PASS
A (BALANCED) BUDGET
• Each January the governor proposes two distinct budgets.
• An amended budget for the previous year (Adjusts spending levels for
current fiscal year that ends June 30)
• The full or “big” budget for the next Fiscal Year (Starts on July 1, 2024)
• Georgia will spend less per person (adjusted for inflation) than in FY
2008
• $2,987.13 per Person in 2008 ($4,280 in today's dollars)
• $3,218 per Person in 2025
• Budget proposal increases per-person spending (adjusted for inflation)
above Georgia’s pre-pandemic (FY 2020) level for the first time

3. FY 2025 BUDGET
• $36 billion ($36,087,802,875)
• This number does not include Federal funds.

4. LOBBYISTS - WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE LOBBYISTS
Year Number Lobbyists
2021 1,128
2022 1,124
2023 1,068
2024 0*
* SOS sucky website shows '0' lobbyists registered in 2024, but
about the same number of clients represented as in 2023

5. LEGISLATIVE
PROCESS IN
GEORGIA
House or Senate
Bill or Resolution is
created (frequently
with 'help')
Bill has one or
more Committee
Hearings
Bill goes to floor
for vote
Bill crosses over to
other body for a
vote
Governor signs (if
required)

6. IMPORTANT
DATES
• Crossover Day - Thursday (Feb 29)
• Crossover Day was March 6 in 2023
• Sine Dei - March 28
• Sine Dei was March 29 in 2023

7. WHAT IF A BILL
DOESN'T
"CROSSOVER"?
• Bill is still alive because we are in the first
year of a two year cycle
• Parts (or all) of the bill may be included in
other legislation
• Resolutions don't have to crossover
• A lot can happen before February 29

8. HOW TO FIND LEGISLATION
• Search for "Georgia General Assembly" and click on
(probably) the first link:
https://www.legis.ga.gov/

15. HB 206
LOCAL GOVERNMENT; CREATION OF COMMERCIAL PROPERTY
ASSESSED CONSERVATION, ENERGY, AND RESILIENCY
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITIES; PROVIDE
• "Green New Deal" Bill (17 pages)
• Authorize development authorities to provide certain financing for qualifying
improvements, including energy efficiency, water conservation, renewable
energy

16. HB 568
PROPERTY OWNER WHO PROHIBITS WEAPONS ASSUMES
RESPONSIBILITY FOR SAFETY
• A person, business, or other entity that owns or legally controls a property and prohibits a
lawful weapons carrier from possessing a weapon on such property shall assume absolute
custodial responsibility for the safety of such lawful weapons carrier
• Carrier shall have a cause of action against the person, business, or other entity that owns
or legally controls such property if they are injured, suffers bodily injury or death, or incurs
economic loss or expense, property damage, or any other compensable loss
• Introduced in 2023, no votes yet

17. HB 974
SECRETARY OF STATE; ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN A STATE-WIDE
SYSTEM FOR THE POSTING OF SCANNED PAPER BALLOTS
• Establish and maintain a state-wide system for the posting of scanned paper ballots
• Provide for minimum resolution requirements for such scans - 200 DPI for BMD ballots
(which is what our current scanners are capable of), and 600 DPI for the absentee by mail
ballots
• No votes yet

18. HB 976
ELECTIONS; BALLOTS USED IN OPTICAL SCAN VOTING SYSTEMS
SHALL USE PAPER WITH A VISIBLE WATERMARK SECURITY
FEATURE
• Ballots used in optical scan voting systems shall use paper with a visible
watermark security feature

19. HB 977
EXPAND NUMBER OF CONTESTS SUBJECT TO RISK-LIMITING
AUDITS
• Require the top race to be audited (President, US Senate, or Governor)
• Require a second race audited to be determined by a five person panel (Governor, Lt.
Governor, Speaker of the House, Minority Leader of the House, Minority Leader of the
Senate)

20. HB 986
ELECTIONS; ELECTION INTERFERENCE WITH A DEEP
FAKE; ESTABLISH CRIMINAL OFFENSE
• Establish the criminal offense of election interference with a deep fake
• No votes yet

21. HB 1079
NUISANCES; PROVIDE FOR INCLUSION OF CLAIMS AGAINST
PROMOTERS AND ORGANIZERS FOR COSTS INCURRED BY LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS DUE TO UNPERMITTED EVENTS IN COMPLAINTS
FILED ON BEHALF OF THE PUBLIC
• Allows cities to sue promoters for damage and complaints of unpermitted
events
• In 2023, the City of Tybee Island spent over $187,000 on support from outside
resources to maintain the crowd and traffic that came along with events on
back-to-back weekends last spring
• No votes yet

22. HB 1105
THE GEORGIA CRIMINAL ALIEN TRACK AND REPORT ACT OF
2024
• Require the commissioner of corrections to report certain information regarding the
immigration status, offenses, and home countries of persons who are confined under the
authority of the Department of Corrections
• Provide for quarterly reports by jailers regarding foreign born inmates
• No votes yet

23. HB 1117
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS; EXPAND ELIGIBILITY TO
SERVE AS A PEACE OFFICER TO UNITED STATES NATIONALS
• Current Georgia law requires all law enforcement officers (LEOs) to be U.S.
citizens.
• HB 1117 would change the law so that LEOs don’t have to be citizens - they
could be only “U.S. nationals.”
• No votes yet

24. HB 1160
PROHIBIT SALE, TRANSFER, USE, POSSESSION,
IMPORTATION, OR MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN
FIREARMS AND MAGAZINES
• Relating to carrying and possession of firearms
• Prohibit the sale, transfer, use, possession, importation, or manufacture of certain firearms
and magazines (20 rounds or more)
• 'Semiautomatic assault weapon' - Any semiautomatic center fire rifle that allows large
capacity magazines
• It shall be illegal to own, possess, use, sell, import, or manufacture semiautomatic assault
weapons in this state.
• No votes yet (or ever...)

25. HB 1245
FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY
• Provide for the use and limitations of use of facial recognition technology by law
enforcement agencies
• No votes yet

26. MISC ECONOMIC LEGISLATION
• House Bill 1015
• About: Accelerated state income tax cut to
5.39% (House Tax Package)
• Status: Passed the House
• House Bill 1019
• About: Increased homestead tax exemption
from $2,000 to $4,000 (House Tax Package)
• Sponsor: Representative Matt Reeves
• Status: Passed the House
• House Bill 1021
• About: Increased child income tax
deduction from $3,000 to $4,000 (House
Tax Package)
• Status: Passed the House
•

27. SB 67 (HB 293)
PROVIDE FOR PROTECTIONS AGAINST THE INFRINGEMENTS ON
THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS
• Cites the 10th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States
• The following federal acts shall be considered infringements:
1. Any tax, levy, fee, or stamp imposed on firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition not common to all other goods
2. Any registering or tracking of firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition
3. Any registering or tracking of the owners of firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition
4. Any act forbidding the possession, ownership, or use or transfer of a firearm, firearm accessory, or ammunition
5. Any act ordering the confiscation of firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition from law-abiding citizens.
PASSED SENATE LAST YEAR 31-21

28. SB 67 (CONTINUED)
PROVIDE FOR PROTECTIONS AGAINST THE INFRINGEMENTS ON
THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS
• Any political subdivision or law enforcement agency that knowingly employs an individual acting or
who previously acted as an official, agent, employee, or deputy of the government of the United
States, or otherwise acted under the color of federal law within this state, who knowingly enforced
or attempted to enforce any infringements identified in Code Section 16-11-183 or giving material
aid to the efforts of another who enforces or attempts to enforce any infringements identified by
Code Section 16-11-183 shall be subject to a civil penalty of $50,000.00 per employee
PASSED SENATE LAST YEAR 31-21

29. SB 189
ELECTIONS; TEXT PORTIONS OF BALLOTS SHALL BE COUNTED FOR
VOTE TABULATION AND RECOUNTS PURPOSES
• Provide that the text portions of ballots produced by ballot marking devices
shall be counted for vote tabulation and recounts purposes instead of any
machine coding
• Similar bill, HB 975, has no votes yet

30. SB 344
SALES AND USE TAXES; FIREARMS, AMMUNITION, GUN SAFES, AND
RELATED ACCESSORIES DURING AN 11 DAY PERIOD EACH YEAR;
EXEMPT
• Exempt sales of firearms, ammunition, gun safes, and related accessories from
sales and use taxes during an 11-day 5-day period each year
• For five days beginning on the second Friday of October

31. SB 355
PROHIBIT USE OF RANKED-CHOICE VOTING
• Ranked Choice Voting is bad, but there was a big push to move to it at the beginning of the
session.
• This bill would stop it.
• UOCAVA ballots exempted

32. SB 358
REMOVE THE SECRETARY OF STATE FROM SEB
• Currently the Secretary of State as an ex-officio member of the State Election Board
• Would also allow the SEB to investigate the Secretary of State

33. SR 543
AMERICA'S BORDERS; INCREASED PROTECTIONS; SUPPORT
• ... support increased protection for America's borders in the pursuit of ending
the illegal immigration
• ... support any action taken by Governor Brian Kemp to allocate resources and
assistance to the protection of the southern border
• ... encourage Congress to close the southern border and reinstate funding for
as well as construction of the border wall.

34. SR 543
AMERICA'S BORDERS; INCREASED PROTECTIONS; SUPPORT
• ... condemn President Joe Biden's executive actions relating to the southern
border and urge for the reinstatement of former-President Donald Trump's
border policies, specifically Executive Order 13768 and 42 Proclamation 9844.