NEWS
The 2025 session of the Georgia General Assembly comes to an end this week, and a few of the Savannah Area Chamber’s top priorities are still alive.
However, the Chamber’s top priority for the last several years has been accomplished, as the legislature has passed both pieces of Governor Kemp’s tort reform package.
Final approval for Senate Bill 69 came on Monday. SB 69 allows the state to regulate third-party litigation financing practices in the state, aiming to increase transparency, protect consumers, and prevent foreign investment in legal proceedings. From our delegation, Representatives Ron Stephens, Jesse Petrea, and Bill Hitchens voted yes, while Edna Jackson and Anne Allen Westbrook voted no. Rep. Carl Gilliard was not on the House floor and was excused from voting. All three members of our Senate Delegation – Ben Watson, Derek Mallow, and Billy Hickman – supported SB 69.
The passage of SB 69 comes a week after a tense showdown over the first part of the Governor’s tort reform agenda, Senate Bill 68. After hours of hearings and testimony, the House approved the bill with the narrowest of margins, 91–82. Since a majority of the entire body is needed to pass legislation, 91 is the minimum number of votes in the 180-member House. While the vote mostly went along party lines, with Republicans voting yes and Democrats voting no, there were eight Republicans against the measure and three Democrats that supported the bill and provided the needed margin.
Savannah’s Rep. Carl Gilliard was one of the three Democrats to vote yes. Like with SB 69, Representatives Stephens, Petrea, and Hitchens voted yes, while Reps. Jackson and Westbrook voted no.
“As he has consistently during his service in the legislature, Rep. Gilliard made himself available to hear from his constituents and voted in a way that he felt best served his community,” Savannah Chamber President & CEO Bert Brantley said. “While we understand this was an issue that brought a lot of passion on both sides, our business community is incredibly grateful to Rep. Gilliard for his accessibility and hearing our concerns.”
The Chamber’s Government Affairs Council has put tort reform at the top of our legislative agenda. We hope to see some relief from rising insurance rates, generate more competition in the insurance marketplace, and reduce their risk from frivolous lawsuits. A report this week from Program Business indicated stabilization occurring in Florida’s market since that state enacted similar reforms a couple of years ago. See report HERE.
Other issues that we are watching this week include exempting military retirement income from state income taxes, two bills clarifying the roles of the Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless, and additions to the Chatham Area Transit board to reflect better the communities CAT serves.
Additionally, House Bill 579 received unanimous approval, streamlining the state’s occupational licensing practices and making it easier for hardworking Georgians to enter the workforce.
We are also waiting for final approval for House Bill 136, which has been amended to increase the amount of a tax credit based on the federal tax credit for certain child and dependent care, provides for a child income tax credit, as well as revises a tax credit for employers providing childcare, making it more open to children throughout their communities.
Finally, a couple of important workforce development bills have received final passage. House Bill 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.
House Bill 217 extends the Dual Achievement Program for another five years. The Dual Achievement Program has been an outstanding success in the communities that have implemented it. Allowing students to gain real-world experience and Technical College System credits while still in high school prepares a nimbler workforce for the future.
