A bill that would double the Fulton County property tax homestead exemption passed the Georgia House on Wednesday with no room to spare.
House Bill 541 received 120 votes, the exact number it had to have to pass. Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, who typically does not vote on bills, gave HB 541 its 120th “yes” vote.
The bill would increase the exemption to $60,000 and became embroiled over the past week in internal Fulton County politics. The new Republican majority on the county’s legislative delegation has sought to make major changes in Fulton’s governance.
The bill, which required a two-thirds majority, received 119 votes last week but the House reconsidered that vote on Monday when Rep. Edward Lindsey, R-Atlanta, used a procedural move to block a series of bills sponsored by Democrats. Lindsey said those bills would stay blocked unless Democrats helped pass HB 541.
All those bills passed Wednesday and now go to the Senate.
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