Understandably, considering the ensuing uproar, much of the coverage of this year’s legislative session has focused on the election law reforms passed by the General Assembly. The Citizen’s Arrest law also got a widely praised update – following the tragic shooting of Ahmaud Arbery.
InsiderAdvantage has previously covered some of the other legislation that made it through on Sine Die, including the new Chief Labor Officer position in the Department of Labor, extending Covid-19 liability protections and stopping pay for officials who are suspended while under indictment.
Some other things did pass (or didn’t) that have not gotten as much coverage, including a range of issues followed by the Georgia Conservancy’s legislative team. Obviously many of those involve conservation issues but many are also straightforward good government issues, such as the Dedicated Fee Requirements bill, HB 511, which ensures that fees collected by the state for a specific purpose are actually dedicated to that purpose. The amendment allowing these rules was on the ballot last November and passed with a whopping 82% of voters.
The General Assembly also passed HB 355 with near unanimous support, 52-0 in the Senate and 169-3 in the House, which establishes a Carbon Sequestration Registry. The registry enables the creation and tracking of carbon credits that can be accrued and sold by developers to companies hoping to offset their carbon footprint. The registry would include credits for a range of sustainable building products, including CO2-infused concrete, mass timber, carbon-neutral flooring, and all wood products, in statewide construction projects. Participation in the registry would be voluntary but if there is money to be made, volunteers might start flocking.
In a bill that would restrict cities from regulating energy choices for residents, HB 150, bans governments from prohibiting the connection or reconnection of a public utility based upon the type of fuel or energy source. The Georgia Conservancy opposed the bill, supporting local communities’ authority to regulate or mandate the expansion and adoption of alternative energy sources. Interestingly, the Georgia Municipal Association, normally a hawk on home rule or municipal authority, did not take a position on the bill – noting that the bill does not apply to properties owned by the municipal government.
Lastly, the House passed HR 185 which reauthorizes the House Rural Development Council, established In 2017 to give rural Georgia a boost as it is at risk of getting left behind the booming metro Atlanta region. Issues like broadband availability – or even just reliable internet of any type, workforce development and education are all part of the mandate for the council. The Georgia Conservancy is particularly interested due to its Georgia Now and Forever Initiative which focuses on the undeveloped land across the state and how to best manage these resources amid a growing and changing economy.
