Georgia Legislature Today: Who wants a tax cut?
The Georgia General Assembly at a glance for Thursday, Day 25 of the 2018 legislative session:
Speedy cut: Just two days after Gov. Nathan Deal announced a major tax cut plan, the Georgia House of Representatives will vote on it. The legislation, House Bill 918, rocketed through committees this week as lawmakers look to prevent an impending increase in state income taxes triggered by last December's federal tax overhaul. The measure would gradually lower the state's top income tax rate from 6 percent to 5.5 percent and double the standard deduction.
Bill crush: The fate of many bills will be decided in the next few days. The deadline for bills to clear at least one chamber is Wednesday, so legislators are working to push through dozens of measures. Fourteen bills are up for votes in the House from the House Rules Calendar for Thursday; two bills are scheduled in the Senate.
Specialty plates: Don't look for many more specialty license plates to be approved this year. The state already has 221 different plates, and Rep. John Meadows on Wednesday called for a study committee to evaluate how plate fees are distributed between organizations and the state. But two specialty plates already passed the Georgia House this year: One for the Georgia Beekeepers Association and another for the Georgia Forestry Foundation.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
