Tax break for aircraft parts extended
The Georgia House on Tuesday voted to continue a sales tax break for parts and equipment used to repair and maintain aircraft registered outside the state.
House Bill 164, sponsored by Rep. Alex Atwood, R-Brunswick, would primarily benefit Gulfstream, the luxury aircraft maker in Savannah. The bill would extend the tax break for two more years. It was set to expire this year. The bill passed 169-3.
The bill originally would have made the tax break permanent, but the House Ways and Means Committee limited it to two more years. It is expected to cost state and local governments $8.9 million next year.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
Extension of pollution cleanup funds wins House backing
Nearly $20 million in environmental fees would be rededicated for their original uses under legislation approved in the state House on Tuesday.
House Bill 276, sponsored by Rep. Chad Nimmer, R-Blackshear, would reauthorize the Hazardous Waste Trust Fund and the Solid Waste Trust Fund for five more years. Both were to sunset this year.
The funds are used to clean up polluted sites and pay for state environmental programs. The Hazardous Waste Trust Fund raises about $14 million per year, while the Solid Waste Trust Fund raises about $6 million, Nimmer said.
In years past, lawmakers have siphoned much of the money those funds raise to plug other holes in the state budget. HB 276, however, makes clear those fees are to be used for their intended purposes.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
House supports transfer of Georgia Archives
The state House on Tuesday unanimously approved moving the Georgia Archives from the Secretary of State’s Office to the University System of Georgia.
The 170-0 vote on House Bill 287 follows Gov. Nathan Deal’s pledge to move the archives after the program bore the brunt of budget cuts in the Secretary of State’s Office.
Under the bill, which now goes to the Senate, the Archives would remain in its facility in Morrow and would not have its hours cut.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
Bill would expand water agency’s reach
The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority would be allowed to help local governments make repairs and conserve water under legislation approved Monday in the state House.
House Bill 199, sponsored by Majority Whip Edward Lindsey, R-Atlanta, would allow the GEFA to expand its efforts beyond reservoirs. The bill passed 169-0 and now goes to the Senate.
Lindsey said he is often asked whether the state should focus its water efforts on “capacity or conservation.”
“The answer is simple,” he said. “Yes, we should focus on both.”
The bill would allow the GEFA to help local water systems to spot leaks, make repairs and “make maximum use of water,” Lindsey said.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
House OKs protection for state’s saltwater fish
The red fish, or red drum, Georgia’s state saltwater fish, would be protected from commercial fishing under legislation approved Monday in the state House.
House Bill 36, sponsored by Rep. Ben Watson, R-Savannah, passed 168-0 and now goes to the Senate.
It would protect the red fish for recreational fishing by designating it a game fish.
“It does not take the red fish off your dinner plate,” Watson said. “You’ll still be able to catch the limit.”
Watson said the fish is farmed commercially in North Carolina and Texas, so it should still be available to restaurants.
— Aaron Gould Sheinin
Nursing home arbitration bill pulled for session
State Sen. Renee Unterman, R-Buford, on Monday tabled a bill that would have created standards for agreements used by nursing homes that ask residents to agree to accept arbitration to settle complaints.
Advocates for elderly Georgians testified last week before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee that they feared patients and their families would be pressured into signing away their constitutional right to a jury trial during the often painful and confusing admission process. For nursing homes, Senate Bill 202 would have helped prevent family members who sign an arbitration agreement from later trying to dispute it in court.
Heated debate continued Monday with the committee ultimately unable to reach a compromise. Unterman, who sponsored SB 202, set the bill aside until the Legislature’s next session.
— Misty Williams
