BILL YEARTA: House passes 30 bills during busy week [The Albany Herald, Ga.]

Mar. 1—Last week our work under the Gold Dome continued as we reconvened for the seventh week of the legislative session. The longer days in the chamber were well worth it as we were able to pass and send more than 30 House bills to the Senate for consideration.

Due to our fiscal conservatism, we are pleased to report that under House Bill 162 $1 billion in undesignated income tax revenue will be put back into the pockets of Georgia taxpayers for a second year in a row. Stipulations of the bill are:

—Provides a one-time tax refund through the Amended Fiscal Year 2023 budget to every eligible taxpayer for the 2022 tax year;

—Amounts range from $250 for single filers; $375 for heads-of-household filers; $500 for married couples.

—Given to taxpayers who filed income tax returns for both the 2021 and 2022 tax years.

—Not available to nonresident alien individuals.

Currently, Georgia law stipulates that parents who fail to pay their child support will have their driver's license suspended until receipt of the full outstanding payments. This presents an issue, as those who cannot drive to work have difficulty earning money to make payments. House Bill 167 would assist these parents by allowing those with a suspended, revoke, or canceled license eligible to apply for a limited driving permit.

We continued our efforts of expanding quality health care through the passage of House Bill 203. This bill would allow state-licensed optometrists or ophthalmologists to conduct vision exams, via telemedicine. The bill also allows for the renewal of contact lens prescriptions electronically for patients who are between 21-50 years old and do not have certain pre-existing health conditions. The bill also requires patients to have an in-person eye exam every two years to remain eligible for electronic prescriptions.

Public safety, a top priority, also took center stage through House Bill 207. Current law allows boating accidents to be reported within 48 hours of the accident, but this bill would close this loophole to ensure that boating accident laws mirror our motor vehicle accident laws. HB 207 increases responsibility placed on the operator of each boat involved in an incident and outlines criminal charges if an operator flees the scene of an accident resulting in death, disappearance or a serious injury that requires medical treatment. Fleeing the scene would be considered a felony and could result in a one- to five-year prison sentence.

The House also passed the following bills and resolutions this week:

— House Bill 36: Updates requirements for county boards of equalization, duties, review of assessments and appeals by allowing a taxpayer with tangible personal property valued at more than $200,000 to appeal directly to a hearing officer. This bill also would require the local assessment office to include information on the notice of assessment about how these taxpayers can appeal;

— House Bill 80: Authorizes unsworn declarations made outside of U.S. boundaries to have the same effect as sworn declarations under certain circumstances; False statements in an unsworn declaration would be considered perjury;

— House Bill 95: Amends income tax definitions to include provisions of the federal Inflation Reduction Act and Consolidated Appropriations Act;

— House Bill 121: Adds definitions for "wakeboarding" and "wakesurfing" to Georgia law; also requires life vests and places restrictions on these recreational sports at night;

— House Bill 138: Amends property tax exemptions by updating a homestead exemption for counties with populations between 23,500 and 23,675 on the 2010 U.S. Census to counties with populations between 25,400 and 25,500 on the 2020 U.S. Census;

— House Bill 142: Would allow colleges and universities to enter into agreements for shared unified police forces;

— House Bill 165: Exempts the Georgia Department of Natural Resources from public record disclosures that reveal the location or character information of a historic resource that could lead to harm;

— House Bill 186: Updates Georgia Code to utilize the "petition for review" appellate procedure when appealing from a lower judicatory to a Superior or State court;

— House Bill 221: Requires rates, rating plans, rating systems or underwriting rules to be effective 60 days after filing a personal motor vehicle insurance claim if the policy's limit is above the mandatory minimum;

— House Bill 222: Clarifies that property insurance service contracts could be sold or offered to consumers only. This bill would specifically extend the probationary insurance license period from 12 to 24 months and allow consumers to reapply between one and five years after denial;

— House Bill 242: Reinstates the additional penalty for a traffic violation under Joshua's Law, the teen learner's permit law, at 3% of the original fine;

— House Bill 279: Provides an insurance premium discount or reduction for a home or commercial property that is built to fortified standards to better resist catastrophic wind events, such as hurricanes or tornadoes;

— House Bill 280: Provides exclusions to unfair trade practices and unlawful inducements to allow insurance companies to supply products to policyholders that incentivize behavior changes that could improve their health;

— House Bill 285: Allows the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia to increase the percentage of assets in alternative investments from 5% to 10%;

— House Bill 294: Clarifies the rights and responsibilities of entities involved in the liquidation of reinsurance companies and allow the succeeding entity or the Georgia Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association to continue the contract.

As always, if you have questions or concerns, feel free to contact me anytime. Be on the lookout for my weekly updates for the remainder of the legislative session. My priority is to ensure I am representing our district's views appropriately, and the only way to do so is by hearing directly from you. Thank you for allowing me the honor and pleasure of serving our home under the Gold Dome. May God bless you and yours and may he continue to bless our district and the great state of Georgia.

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