The state Environmental Protection Division would be barred from enacting new regulations without legislative approval under a bill to be introduced Thursday.

House Bill 225, sponsored by Rep. Tom Kirby, R-Loganville, would essentially reverse the current system. Any rule or regulation adopted by a state agency may be overridden by the General Assembly, but Kirby’s bill would require prior legislative review for the EPD.

About the Author

Keep Reading

With the closure of the labor and delivery unit in St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia, expectant mothers will instead be directed to deliver at St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens, about 45 miles away.  (Photo Illustration / Getty Images)

Credit: Getty Images

Featured

Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com