Legislation ending Georgia’s lucrative tax credit for the purchase of electric vehicles was resurrected Tuesday in a House subcommittee under curious circumstances.
House Bill 122, sponsored by Rep. Chuck Martin, R-Alpharetta, was voted down in the same Ways and Means subcommittee last week. But when the panel convened again Tuesday, it was announced that HB 122 had only been "tabled" last time, which is legislative-ese for being postponed.
After the bill was un-tabled it quickly passed by unanimous voice vote. No Democrats were present.
A House spokesman later said that when a bill fails to receive a “do pass” recommendation in subcommittee, House rules treat it the same as if it had been tabled. That means, the panel was allowed to vote on the same bill again.
The $5,000 tax credit that goes to consumers who buy or lease an electric car will cost the state $628 million from 2016 through 2020, according to an official state estimate.
HB 122 is not the only piece of legislation to target the tax credit. The same language was added to HB 170, the bill that House leaders hope will raise more than $1 billion a year in new revenue for transportation projects. The success of HB 122 Tuesday is seen as a boost for the transportation bill.
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