NEWS
The 2025 Georgia General Assembly legislative session ended on Friday, and the Savannah Chamber is proud to report that most of our priorities were addressed. Thanks to our friends at the Georgia Chamber and a couple of local additions included in our agenda, read below for an update on what passed and is headed to the Governor’s Desk for his signature.
SB 68 – Tort Reform Omnibus Package
SB 68 proposes several prudent changes to civil practice in Georgia to create balance in the civil justice system. It addresses a number of provisions, including anchoring, motion to dismiss, double dipping of attorney fees, seatbelt admissibility, premises liability, phantom damages, and trial bifurcation. SB 68 passed the Senate on Friday, February 21, and passed the House on Thursday, March 20, and received full passage on Friday, March 21.
SB 69 – Third Party Litigation Funding
SB 69 addresses the need for transparency in third-party litigation funding, banning hostile foreign powers from taking advantage of consumers and legal proceedings. SB 69 passed the Senate on Thursday, February 27, passed the House on Thursday, March 27, and received full passage on Monday, March 31.
SB 12 – Open Records Act
SB 12 aims to clarify the legislative intent behind Georgia’s Open Records Act. It specifies that any open records request must go through a public entity or agency rather than said entity’s private contractor. It does not limit the scope of the records that can be retrieved, only who the request must go through. SB 12 passed the Senate on Friday, February 21, and the House on Friday, April 4.
HB 756 – Chatham Area Transit Board membership
HB 756 changes the membership of the Chatham Area Transit Board to better reflect the communities that the transit system serves. The new board will have representatives from Chatham County, Savannah, Garden City, and Port Wentworth, in addition to members representing the Convention Center, the tourism industry, and business organizations.
HB 730 and HB 797 – Create ICH, Clarify Role of CSAH
HB 756 and HB 797 were passed to create the Interagency Council on Homelessness for our community and clarify the role of the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless. These changes were called for in the five-year strategic plan that the city and county adopted, with strong support from the Savannah Area Chamber.
SB 89 (now HB 136) – Child Care Tax Credit
SB 89 introduces a new $250 tax credit per qualifying child under age six while also increasing the state tax credit for child and dependent care expenses to 40% of the federal tax credit. It also increases credits and pathways for businesses to provide childcare for their employees.SB 89 passed the Senate on Wednesday, February 19, and was later combined with HB 136 to ensure this revenue measure was connected to a bill that originated in the House. HB 136, including SB 89’s language, received final passage on April 4.
HB 111 – Personal Income Tax Reduction
HB 111 accelerates the state income tax reduction by twenty basis points to 5.19%, effective for the 2025 tax year. It passed the House on Thursday, March 6, and the Senate on Thursday, March 20.
HB 112 – One-Time Taxpayer Rebate
HB 112 provides a one-time tax credit for eligible Georgia taxpayers who filed returns in 2023 and 2024, with the amount based on their 2023 tax liability or a fixed amount determined by filing status, whichever is less. Joint filers would receive $500, heads of household would receive $375, and single filers would receive $250. HB 112 passed the House on Thursday, March 6 and passed the Senate on Thursday, March 20.
HB 224 – Georgia DOT / DOD
HB 224 allows the Georgia Department of Transportation to contract with the U.S. Department of Defense for the construction or maintenance of roads on military bases or installations, with the work paid for by the Department of Defense.
B 266 – Military Retirement Income Exclusion
HB 266 is a compromise between different versions of military retirement income exclusion bills in the House and Senate. The compromise excludes military retirement income from state income tax up to $65,000. Although this is not the 100 percent full exclusion we hoped for, it is a great step forward. It will cover most military retirees, hopefully encouraging them to stay in Georgia and remain an important part of our community.
HB 192 – Top State for Talent Act
HB 192 updates the focused programs of study for grades 6-12 to align with the High-Demand Career List published by the State Workforce Development Board and develops individual college and career plans for students in grades 6-12. HB 192 received its final passage on March 28.
HB 217 – Dual Achievement Program
HB 217 seeks to extend the Dual Achievement Program for another five years in Georgia while making some administrative changes to reporting and oversight. It received final passage on the amended substitute on March 4.
HB 475 – Film Tax Credit Administrative Cleanup
HB 475 modernizes the film tax credit language to reflect industry changes since the original bill was passed 20 years ago. It provides the Georgia Department of Economic Development(GDEcD) with legal protections against frivolous lawsuits, enables GDEcD to charge reasonable fees for missed applications and/or deadlines, clarifies GDEcD’s rulemaking abilities, and updates the 2005 definition of “multimarket commercial distribution” to reflect current distribution models, such as streaming services and ad-supported television. HB 475 passed the House on Friday, February 28, passed the Senate by substitute on Tuesday, March 25, and received final passage on Thursday, March 27.
HB 579 – Occupational Licensing
HB 579 streamlines the occupational licensing process in the state by granting the director of the professional licensing boards division the ability to review and approve applications, expediting licensing decisions and improving operational efficiency. It passed the House on Thursday, March 6, and the Senate on Thursday, March 27.
