Most Georgia laws go into effect on July 1 unless otherwise specified. Governor Brian Kemp signed several bills during the 2023-2024 legislative session, covering various areas such as healthcare, education, and public safety. Here’s a breakdown of the key laws taking effect on July 1:
Tax Cuts
• House Bill 1015: Accelerates the reduction of the state income tax rate from the current 5.49% to 4.99%, decreasing by 0.1% each year if state revenues permit.
• House Bill 1021: Increases the state’s income tax dependent exemption from $3,000 to $4,000 per dependent.
• House Bill 1023: Lowers the corporate income tax rate from 5.75% to 5.39%.
Healthcare
• House Bill 872: Provides service-cancelable loans to dental and other healthcare students who agree to practice in rural areas, prioritizing roles experiencing shortages.
• Senate Bill 480: Creates a student loan repayment program for mental health and substance use professionals.
• House Bill 874: Requires all Georgia schools to have automated external defibrillators outside buildings.
Education
• House Bill 409: Known as Addy’s Law, it allows school systems to design bus routes that do not require stops where students need to cross the street.
• Senate Bill 395: Provides overdose-reversal drugs like Narcan to schools and bans the use of puberty blockers for minors.
• House Bill 970: Makes victims of human trafficking eligible for higher education scholarships.
Public Safety
• Senate Bill 159: Increases penalties for providing contraband to inmates and for facility workers involved in such activities.
• House Bill 1193: Requires tow trucks and other emergency vehicles to have flashing or revolving amber lights.
• Senate Bill 421: Strengthens penalties against false reports of shootings and bomb threats, known as swatting.
• Senate Bill 10: Makes attending and facilitating drag racing a misdemeanor and increases fines for illegal street racing.
Other Laws
• House Bill 404: Known as the Safe at Home Act, it focuses on the habitability of rental properties and limits security deposits to no more than two months’ rent.
• Senate Bill 189: Creates new rules for challenging voter qualifications, potentially impacts candidate qualifications for Georgia’s presidential ballot, and bans the use of QR codes to count ballots after 2026.
• House Bill 1207: Allows a reduced number of voting machines and gives election supervisors flexibility in changing the number of voting booths in precincts.
Immediate Effect Laws
Some laws took effect immediately upon signing, such as:
• Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report Act of 2024: Signed after the murder of Augusta University nursing student Laken Riley by an undocumented individual.
• Squatter Reform Act: Provides more rights to property owners dealing with squatters.
These new laws reflect Georgia’s legislative focus on public safety, healthcare, education, and tax reforms, aiming to address various state issues and improve the quality of life for its residents.