Week 7 Legislative Session Recap 2025

The Georgia House of Representatives reconvened at the State Capitol on Monday, February 24th to resume our legislative duties. During our seventh week of session, we convened for four legislative days, while Tuesday was set aside for a committee workday. While the House did not convene on Tuesday, my colleagues and I were diligently working to move legislation through the committee process. This week, the House voted on several bills and resolutions – the most of any week so far. I would like to highlight a few notable pieces of legislation that passed the House this week as we gear up for Crossover Day next week.

With the unanimous passage of House Bill 428, the House took a significant step in supporting Georgians and their growing families. This legislation would codify the right to in vitro fertilization (IVF) in our state’s law, reinforcing our commitment to making Georgia the best place to live, work and raise a family. Many couples face the heartbreaking challenge of infertility, with the Centers for Disease Control reporting that 19 percent of women experience this struggle. IVF has provided a safe and effective path to parenthood for many, and in 2021 alone, more than 2,300 children were born in Georgia through this medical intervention, and members of the House shared stories of their personal connections to this life-changing medical procedure. These testimonies underscored just how vital IVF is for families struggling with infertility, making our vote to protect this right even more meaningful. I am proud to stand with my colleagues in ensuring that those who rely on IVF have the legal protection and support they need to grow their families through this procedure. 

House Bill 307 demonstrates the House’s dedication to improving literacy in Georgia. Passed with bipartisan support this week, HB 307 would amend the Georgia Early Literacy Act to include dyslexia, renaming it the Georgia Early Literacy and Dyslexia Act. During the 2023 legislative session, the House passed House Bill 538, and HB 307 builds on that legislation to further support students at risk of not achieving grade-level reading proficiency or who exhibit characteristics of dyslexia. The bill aims to align instruction with the science of reading principles. HB 307 would also remove outdated language related to programs that do not align with these science-based standards and would prevent the three-cueing method from being used in Georgia. The bill would make it clear that any three-cueing curriculum, defined as any model for teaching students to read based on meaning, structure and syntax and visual cues (also referred to as MSV), would not be considered high-quality instructional material, ensuring that only effective, research-based approaches are used. Importantly, HB 307 would not ban the use of picture books, pictures or the practice of calling attention to pictures or using flash cards in instruction. These methods could still be used as supplemental tools but not as a primary means of literacy instruction. Additionally, HB 307 would create the Georgia Literacy Coach Coordination Council to ensure that Georgia’s literacy coaches receive quality instruction that is standardized. This legislative measure would further strengthen Georgia’s efforts to improve literacy outcomes and ensure all students receive evidence-based, high-quality reading instruction. By focusing on early literacy, especially for students at risk of falling behind, we ensure that every child has the tools needed to succeed academically and beyond.

Another significant bill that passed out of the House this week was House Bill 124, which would mandate that the State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) provide health insurance coverage for children diagnosed with Pediatric Acute Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infection (PANDAS). Under this bill, all SHBP policies renewed or issued on or after July 1, 2025, would be required to include coverage for the purposes of diagnosis, treatment, appropriate management or ongoing monitoring of a covered person’s disorder. Both PANS and PANDAS are rare diseases that have previously not been recognized under the SHBP as covered conditions, and this legislation would help ensure that affected families and patients have answers and receive the care they need. Moreover, this legislation would align Georgia with 29 other states that have adopted similar coverage mandates. In 2019, the House established the House Study Committee on PANS and PANDAS through the adoption of House Resolution 590. The study committee’s mission was to examine and identify the barriers to diagnosing and treating PANS and PANDAS, while also raising awareness and improving access to testing, diagnosis and timely medication and care. Advocates and patients have long pushed for awareness and health coverage for these rare diseases, and I am proud of the House’s leadership in addressing this issue and delivering on our promise to Georgia’s families by supporting those affected by these rare diseases.

We also took an important step to protect Georgia’s children by passing House Bill 171, a measure aimed at addressing the growing concern surrounding computer-generated obscene material involving children. As technology evolves, so do the ways in which individuals may exploit and potentially harm children, with artificial intelligence (AI) playing an increasingly prominent role. HB 171, also known as the Illegal AI Activities Act, would create a new criminal offense for the distribution, solicitation or possession with the intent to distribute obscene computer-generated material that depict a child. This would include any AI-generated images, videos, drawings, sculptures or paintings that are obscene and feature realistic depictions of what appears to be a child. Individuals convicted of this crime would face a prison sentence between one and 15 years. In addition, HB 171 would give judges the discretion to impose specific probation rules, including special protections for minors. These specific probation rules could include being monitored remotely and imposing restrictions on using drones or prohibiting the individual from running for a local school board position. Additionally, HB 171 would enhance sentences for certain crimes when they involve the use of AI. For example, crimes such as stalking, aggravated stalking, exploitation of a disabled adult, child exploitation and theft, among others, would carry increased penalties if AI is used in the crime. If AI is determined to be the proximate cause of the crime—meaning it played a direct role in facilitating the offense—those convicted could face up to 12 additional months in prison or a fine of up to $5,000 for misdemeanor offenses. For felony crimes, this penalty enhancement could result in a minimum of two extra years in prison. By passing HB 171, the House took a strong stand to guarantee that emerging technology is used responsibly, closing a loophole to ensure that those who attempt to use AI technology for criminal purposes are held accountable.

To support Georgia’s veterans, the House passed House Bill 108, the Safeguarding American Veteran Empowerment Act (SAVE Act), which would provide various protections for veterans applying for veterans’ benefits, while also encouraging free-market business practices. Georgia has a large veteran population, many of whom are eligible for benefits but face delays, denials or difficulty navigating the claims process. Currently, there is a backlog of appeals of more than 300,000 benefits claims at the Veterans Affairs (VA), and most appeals take five to 10 years to resolve. Because of this, many veterans have decided to pay third-party claims consultant companies, who in turn, have been able to provide quicker and more effective services than the VA. However, HB 108 seeks to ensure that these businesses operate within a regulated framework to prevent exploitation of our veterans. This exploitation has manifested in the form of charging veterans to assemble claims packets, charging upfront fees, making false promises or failing to deliver services. To combat these predatory practices, the bill would prohibit businesses from compensating individuals for referrals to their services, require a written agreement that discloses fees and informs veterans of free alternatives, such as those available through the VA and the Department of Veterans Services and cap fees at no more than five times the monthly increase in awarded benefits and no upfront charges would be allowed. The bill would also ban companies from employing doctors to influence medical evaluations in the claims process and prohibit the use of international call centers for handling veterans’ personal information and mandating background checks for anyone handling this sensitive data. Furthermore, businesses offering these services would be required to comply with Georgia’s Fair Business Practices Act, subjecting them to oversight by the Attorney General’s Office. Violators of the bill’s provisions would face daily fines of up to $2,000 per violation, and the Attorney General’s Office would have the authority to enforce these penalties and ensure compliance with the law. To this end, we owe it to the women and men who have served our great country, and this bill would safeguard and expedite their rights to VA benefits, while also ensuring that businesses are held to ethical standards when helping our veterans with claims needs. 

The House also passed House Bill 253, or Ethan’s Law, with bipartisan support, to protect Georgia families during the reunification process. Under current law, superior court judges could order children to attend reunification camps outside of Georgia, which would not only remove the child from the state’s jurisdiction but also violate certain parental rights. Parents with sole custody could be directed, under court order, to send their children across state lines for reunification with a parent who was previously deemed unfit for custody. Ethan’s Law would prevent such practices by prohibiting juvenile courts from ordering family reunification or unification treatments, programs or services, including camps, workshops, therapeutic vacations or educational programs. The bill would define these treatments as educational or experiential workshops that may involve youth transporters or private transportation agents. Additionally, the legislation would ensure that such programs cannot be ordered if they would result in a violation of court orders, involve the use of force or threat of force by private youth transporters, put the child’s safety at risk, require no-contact periods between the child and their parent or guardian or involve out-of-state stays. With the passage of HB 253, the House took crucial action to protect parental rights, as well as the safety and well-being of Georgia’s children.

We also turned our attention this week to passing legislation that seeks to improve health outcomes for Georgians. The House passed House Bill 373, which would mandate insurance coverage for annual prostate cancer screenings for high-risk men, including digital rectal examinations and prostate-specific antigen tests. Given that early detection significantly improves outcomes for prostate cancer, this bill would prioritize preventive care over late-stage, often costly treatments. The bill would define high-risk men as men who have a first-degree relative who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, who developed prostate cancer, whose death was a result of prostate cancer, who has been diagnosed with a cancer known to be associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer or who has a genetic alteration known to be associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. It would further define high-risk men as men with a family history of prostate cancer between 40 and 49 years old, men who are 50 years and older and other men, as determined by a physician. By defining risk categories and ensuring coverage for these essential screenings, HB 373 would allow for greater chances of early detection and would ultimately save lives as a result.

We also passed the following bills and resolutions during the seventh week of session:

• House Bill 14, which would designate corn bread as the official state bread of Georgia; 

• House Bill 34, which would require the Office of the Secretary of State to institute a unified system for tracking the continuing education credits completed by licensees of the various boards under the Secretary of State’s purview. Beginning on January 1, 2026, a professional licensing board would not renew a license until the applicant has complied with all applicable continuing education requirements; 

• House Bill 66, which would amend state law relating to alternative ad valorem taxation of motor vehicles and title ad valorem tax fee by defining “special modified rental vehicle” as a motor vehicle significantly modified at a manufacturing facility operated by the owner of the vehicle that would be rented or leased without a driver to businesses, and the rental or lease transaction of which would be subject to state and local sales and use taxes. A person applying for a certificate of title for a special modified rental vehicle would be required to pay 50 percent of the title ad valorem tax fee at the time it is due and 50 percent within 12 months of filing the application;

• House Bill 78, which would allow the Firefighters Pension Fund to invest up to 20 percent of assets in alternative investments. HB 78 would also allow the Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) of Georgia to invest up to 10 percent of assets in alternative investments;

• House Bill 94, which would require every health benefit policy renewed or issued after January 1, 2026, to include coverage for expenses related to starting fertility preservation when a medically necessary treatment may cause infertility;

• House Bill 113, which would require the Georgia Technology Authority to maintain a list of concerned goods produced by a foreign company of concern or a foreign country of concern. State entities would be prohibited from purchasing concerned goods from a foreign company of concern, a foreign country of concern or a third-party vendor or reseller;

• House Bill 115, which would establish procedure and policy for discovery and subsequent removal of vessels abandoned or left unattended on public property or in public waters of this state; 

• House Bill 131, which would revise self-serving storage facility advertising requirements so that storage facility owners attempting to enforce a lien would not be required to advertise an auction once a week for two consecutive weeks but would instead be required to publish an auction advertisement once in the legal organ for the county or in any other commercially reasonable manner. The advertisement would be deemed commercially reasonable if at least three independent bidders attend the auction; 

• House Bill 134, which would amend state law relating to sales and use tax by eliminating language that excludes the local portion of sales and use tax from a 50 percent exemption on the sales price of a manufactured home that has been converted to real property;

• House Bill 136, which would amend state law relating to tax credits for contributions to foster child support organizations and would expand qualified expenditures for the credit to include wraparound services for aging foster children and justice involved youth who meet one of the following criteria: are enrolled in a public or private postsecondary education institution; enrolled in a program to obtain a high school diploma or equivalent; enrolled in a vocational school or participating in a registered and compliant apprenticeship program. HB 136 would add to the definition of “aging foster children” to include former foster children between 16 and 25 years old who were in foster care for at least six months after the age of 14. HB 136 would define “justice involved youth” as those between the ages of 18 and 25 who are currently or previously committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice and were placed, or are currently placed, in a nonsecure facility or community setting. The bill would include membership services provided to justice involved youth as a qualified expense and would limit the number of contributions that could be used for expenses other than qualified expenses to no more than 10 percent. The annual compensation threshold to receive the credit would be increased from $500 to $1,200 per year, and payments made to employees of a qualified mentorship organization that provide services other than mentorship would be a qualified expense. Corporations contributing under this program would be limited to credits totaling no more than 30 percent of the entity’s income tax liability. The bill would further add business enterprises that would be eligible for the credit for qualified expenditures related to wraparound services. The bill would raise the aggregate cap for credits under this program from $20 million to $30 million and would eliminate the ability to carry forward any unused tax credit. Furthermore, the bill would allow for the Division of Family and Children Services to decertify an organization that does not meet program requirements or has violated any other law. An organization seeking to be certified, but isn’t a licensed child-placing agency, would be required to demonstrate it has operated an aging out program and provided services to at least 50 aging foster children or justice involved youth over the course of at least two calendar years. After receiving certification, the organization would annually demonstrate that it is continually providing these services. The bill would add that each qualified organization would be required to post on its website a certification, signed by the organization’s chief executive officer, to include a description of how qualified contributions were utilized. HB 136 would become effective on July 1, 2025, and would be applicable to all taxable years beginning on January 1, 2026; 

• House Bill 143, which relates to water permits for agricultural use and would remove language from state law that requires permittees to have an acceptable type of water measuring device within one year of the updated effective date on a revised permit. The bill would also remove other language that requires the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) of the Department of Natural Resources to document the withdrawal or lack of irrigation infrastructure at a given site and would further allow trained and certified EPD staff to install water-measuring devices at no charge to the permittee. EPD would also be allowed to undertake other repairs and replacements of these devices when necessary;

• House Bill 153, which would amend state law relating to sales and use tax exemptions for certain manufacturing equipment by extending the sunset date for an exemption on maintenance and replacement parts of machinery or equipment used with mixed concrete from June 30, 2026, to June 30, 2031;

• House Bill 156, which would define the term “vertiport” and include vertiports in the definition of “landing field.” The bill would also grant the Department of Transportation authority over vertiports;

• House Bill 163, which would require food service establishments to clearly denote items on their menus that contain cell cultured meat, such as food products designed to share characteristics with actual meat products, plant-based meat alternatives or both;

• House Bill 164, which would repeal the sunset on the allowable 10 percent variance on weight limitations upon a vehicle or load hauling certain commodities within certain areas of the state. The legislation would allow for enforcement of dimensions and weight of vehicles by local law enforcement officers trained to do so. HB 164 would require that any violation found during enforcement of weight and load provisions related to licensing or fuel tax registration and identification requirements be reported to the Georgia Department of Revenue by the officer or employee observing the violation;

• House Bill 169, which would amend current law relating to preferential assessment for bona fide conservation use property and forest land conservation use property to sunset a provision that would allow for solar energy generation to be a permissible use of property that would be subject to a conservation use covenant on July 1, 2036. Any related contracts, including contracts that contain an option contract for the lease of solar energy generation for the purpose of heat or electricity, entered into prior to July 1, 2026, would continue until the sunset date;

• House Bill 172, which would 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. The maximum award amount for repayment would be increased from $80,000 to $90,000, to be paid in increments of $30,000 per 12 months of service;

• House Bill 176, which mirrors legislation previously introduced, would define the term “final judgement” to include cases in which some counts would be ordered “dead docketed” so that the case would not remain pending and unable to be appealed. This would be a response to the Supreme Court of Georgia’s decision in Seals v. Georgia (2021). The bill would provide that statutory authority for the applicable appellate courts hear direct appeals from guilty pleas on appeal. The bill would allow a defendant who missed the deadline for filing a motion for a new trial or notice of appeal, but is still within 100 days of that deadline, to file an out-of-time motion for that new trial or notice of appeal, if they could meet certain requirements. The requirements would be: 1) the defendant must file an initial motion that would later allow for the out-of-time motion, if approved; 2) the defendant must show the court one of the following rationales for missing the deadline: A) has the consent of the state, B) can show excusable neglect, C) can show that failure to timely file the motion for new trial or notice of appeal was due to the deficient performance of their counsel or D) can show other good cause; and 3) if the judge grants the initial motion, then the defendant would have 30 days to file the out-of-time motion for new trial or notice of appeal with that judge. The judge would have the discretion to allow for extensions of time on this motion. Further, those who had their original out-of-time appeal dismissed due to the Supreme Court of Georgia’s decision in Cook v. State (2022), or a case following its precedent, for leave to file another motion until June 30, 2026. An indigent defendant would be entitled to representation for both the original motion and, if approved, the subsequent out-of-time motion for new trial or notice of appeal. The bill would clarify that when a defendant substantially amends their motion for a new trial, then the prosecution would be given 10 days to respond and present evidence, although the court would have discretion to provide a longer amount of time. The bill would allow a person to withdraw their guilty plea that results in a conviction after the term of the court ends, so long as it would still be within 30 days of the entry of the judgment, to address caselaw that said the defendant lacked jurisdiction to allow the defendant to withdraw their guilty plea when the term of court in which that defendant was sentenced expired;

• House Bill 182, which would prohibit group life insurance policies in Georgia from excluding or restricting liability for the death of an insured individual who is an active-duty service member unless the death is directly or indirectly caused by war or a related act or hazard;

• House Bill 187, which would be a modernization update to the licensing code for electrical contractors, plumbers, conditioned air contractors, low voltage contractors and utility contractors. The bill would make the following changes: 1) revise requirements for State Construction Industry Licensing Board members; 2) revise what plumber classifications can install, maintain, alter or repair medical gas piping systems; 3) exempt any licensed conditioned air contractor who also is a registered professional engineer from certain continuing education requirements; 4) remove the cap on continuing education that both the Division of Electrical Contractors and the Division of Master Plumbers and Journeyman Plumbers can require; 5) require each division to make all reasonable efforts to provide continuing education online or through home study courses; 6) clarify that any licensed master plumber or company that holds a valid utility contractor license can construct, alter or repair any plumbing system that extends from the property line up to five feet of any building; and 7) allow for applicable licensee’s partners, officers and employees to continue operating for 60 days after the death of a licensee, in addition to allowing the applicable division to provide one additional 60-day grace period. The bill would also revise dates and timelines, add references to Internet advertising and would revise fine amounts;

• House Bill 208, which would create four specialty license plates. The first would honor the Shepherd Center, with funds raised disbursed to Shepherd Center, Inc.; the second would honor Georgia veterans and their families, with funds raised disbursed to the Georgia Veterans Service Foundation; the third would support the Department of Natural Resources State Parks and Historic Sites Division, with funds raised allocated to the same division; and the fourth would promote the conservation and enhancement of black bass populations, with funds raised allocated to the Georgia Natural Resources Foundation;

• House Bill 222, which would require a bond to include the full name, email address and phone number of the principal and each surety;

• House Bill 227, which would rename low THC oil as medical cannabis throughout Georgia law. It would also allow for information to be distributed to physicians and current card holders. Additionally, the bill would remove the end-stage requirement from the allowed conditions;

• House Bill 232, which would enter Georgia into the Interstate Massage Compact. The Georgia Board of Massage Therapy would administer the compact, which would become effective upon passage by the seventh member state and would allow those who are licensed in a member state to practice in other member states;

• House Bill 233, which would designate Brunswick stew as the official state stew of Georgia;

• House Bill 240, which would prohibit engaging in unfair or deceptive acts or practices when using a mortgage trigger lead, or a consumer report whose issuance is triggered by a credit inquiry, to solicit a consumer who has applied for a loan with another mortgage lender or broker. Those acts or practices would include: failing to state in the initial solicitation that the person is not affiliated with the mortgage lender with which the consumer initially applied; failing to conform to applicable law relating to prescreened solicitations using consumer reports; using the information of consumers who have opted out of prescreened offers of credit or who are on the federal do-not-call registry or soliciting a consumer with an offer of certain rates and terms while knowing that those rates and terms would subsequently change to the consumer’s detriment;

• House Bill 241, which would revise law related to convenience fees by authorizing a lender or merchant to collect, in lieu of the actual cost, a fee which would not exceed the average of the actual cost incurred for a specific type of electronic payment, or a fee of up to five dollars, whichever is greater;

• House Bill 254, which would allow a marker to be placed on State Capitol building grounds and state archives building grounds that would commemorate the patriots of the Revolutionary War. The placement location would be subject to approval by the Capitol Arts Standards Commission for placement on Capitol grounds and by the Board of Regents for archives building grounds. No public funds would be used for the design and procurement of the markers;

• House Bill 267, known as the Riley Gaines Act, which would amend current law to provide for separate restrooms and changing areas for males and females during athletic events in schools and post-secondary institutions. Schools and post-secondary institutions would be required to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals unwilling or unable to use a restroom or changing area designated for such individual’s sex. The bill would also provide for separation according to sex for sleeping arrangements on school trips. All public schools, local school systems and post-secondary education institutions participating in competitions or athletic events would be required to designate each team, competition or athletic event as for males, females, co-educational or mixed sex. The bill would also provide for legislative findings on the importance of certain distinctions between the sexes and would require any collector of vital statistics throughout Georgia to identify each individual as either male or female and to replace the term “gender” throughout Georgia law with “sex;” 

• House Bill 287, which would update multiple sunset dates and authorize the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to issue free courtesy hunting or fishing licenses to paralyzed or disabled individuals participating in approved organized events. HB 287 would also introduce a new fee structure for resident shellfish crew licenses. It would create two categories: one for up to 10 harvesters at an annual fee of $200 and another for unlimited harvesters at an annual fee of $400; 

• House Bill 303, which would create the Original 33 Memorial Act, which would allow a monument honoring the Original 33, the Black legislators expelled from the General Assembly after the end of Reconstruction, to be placed on Capitol grounds or in another prominent place. This would be subject to the availability of private funds;

• House Bill 308, which would add a definition for “miniature on-road vehicle” and would list its characteristics including: can transport people; operates between 25 and 45 miles per hour; has an overall width of 80 inches or less; is designed to travel on four plus wheels; uses a steering wheel; contains a non-straddle seat; has a gross vehicle weight of less than 4,000 pounds and is not designed to be a golf cart, multi-purpose off-highway vehicle or all-terrain vehicle. The bill would exclude miniature on-road vehicles manufactured 25 years prior to a registration application from having to comply with federal emission standards unless the vehicle has been modified by an importer registered with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Further Code sections pertaining to license plates, license fees, registration, taxation returns and vehicle operations would be revised to include miniature on-road vehicles;

• House Bill 329, which would authorize certified nurse practitioners and physician assistants to perform artificial insemination as delegated by a physician or surgeon;

• House Bill 352, also known as the Georgia Gestational Diabetes Management Act, which would include patients with gestational diabetes on the list of those eligible for Medicaid covered by continuous glucose monitors. HB 352 would also remove the eligibility requirement for daily insulin administration; 

• House Bill 377, which would revise provisions regarding when manufactured homes become real property, specifically through a certificate of permanent location. When a certificate of permanent location is filed, the commissioner would notify the holders of all listed security interests that a certificate has been filed and the certificate of title has been surrendered. The filing of a certificate of permanent location and the surrender of a certificate of title would not impair the rights and remedies of a prior interest holder until the interest has been satisfied. Additionally, the filing of a certificate of permanent location and the surrender of a certificate of title would not impose additional licensing or conduct requirements on the lien or security interest holder;

• House Bill 392, which would revise dates related to the establishment of the Georgia Tax Court with the initial chief judge serving an initial term beginning on April 1, 2026, and persons would be able to petition the court for relief beginning on and after July 1, 2026. All contested cases pending before the Georgia Tax Tribunal as of June 30, 2026, would be automatically transferred to the court as of July 1, 2026. Any petitioner with a case pending before the tribunal that does not wish for the case to be transferred to the court would make a written demand to the tribunal on or before December 31, 2025, with proceedings to conclude prior to June 30, 2026;

• House Bill 410, which would remove language from state law related to administrative processes and regulatory oversight within the Georgia Department of Insurance. The bill would also move agency license renewals from an annual schedule to a biennial schedule;

• House Bill 414, which would allow the State Ethics Commission to request documentation or information from a person located out of state. The commission would be authorized to petition the superior court to obtain such documentation or information if said person refuses to comply;

• House Bill 422, which would require the state employees’ health insurance plan to include at least two high deductible health plans. The bill would allow enrolled employees to make pretax contributions to their health savings accounts. Government entities outside the scope of this bill would be encouraged to offer similar pretax contribution options for their employees;

• House Bill 423, which would provide for Next Generation 9-1-1 systems and services and would require all new 9-1-1 systems to conform to wireless enhanced 9-1-1 standards. The bill would revise the duties and responsibilities of the Georgia Emergency Communications Authority, would add members to the board of directors and would revise the role of the executive director of the authority;

• House Bill 444, which would designate the month of April of each year as Georgia Native Plant Month; 

• House Bill 475, which would refine Georgia’s film tax credit program by further specifying the “qualified production activities” that are eligible for tax incentives. The bill would also authorize the Department of Economic Development to charge fees associated with the project certification process;

• House Bill 495, which would transfer authority of the Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation from the University System of Georgia to the Georgia Department of Agriculture. The center’s director would be appointed by the Department of Agriculture commissioner. It would have a Georgia Rural Development Council composed of 12 members, six of which would be appointed by the governor, three of which who live in different geographic areas of the state and would be appointed by the speaker of the House and three of which who live in different geographic areas of the state and would be appointed by the president of the Senate. The bill would further outline duties of the center, including producing an annual report, providing information and research and conducting meetings at least once per quarter;

• House Resolution 121, which would dedicate the Georgia Forestry Commission building located in Dry Branch Georgia as the John W. Mixon Georgia Forestry Building;

• Senate Resolution 7, which is a Senate road dedication package held over from the 2024 legislative session.

The Georgia House of Representatives will reconvene on Monday, March 3rd, marking the start of our eighth week of the legislative session. On Thursday, March 6th , my fellow House members and I will convene for Legislative Day 28, also known as Crossover Day. This is the critical deadline for bills and resolutions to pass out of their chamber of origin in order to remain eligible for final passage before the conclusion of the session on Legislative Day 40, or Sine Die.



I encourage you to reach out with any questions or concerns regarding the bills being considered by visiting my Capitol office, calling 404-656-0213, or emailing karen.mathiak@house.ga.gov.

As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative.