Legislative briefs

One, House Bill 933, makes permanent a tax exemption on parts and equipment used to repair and maintain aircraft registered outside of Georgia.

The chamber also backed House Bill 958, which would provide income tax credits to video game production companies in hopes of spurring the business in Georgia.

The measure also would extend the popular sales tax holiday for back-to-school shoppers Aug. 1-2 and for energy- and water-efficient appliances Oct. 3-5. It would temporarily exempt from sales taxes any food purchased by food banks. And it would extend the sales tax exemption for materials used in construction designated by the state as a “project of regional significance.”

Minor changes made to the bills in the Senate mean they must return to the House for consideration.

— James Salzer

Senate committee approves South Fulton bill

A Senate committee Wednesday approved a bill that would allow south Fulton residents to vote on whether to form a city.

The State and Local Government Operations Committee amended House Bill 704 to move the referendum from the May 20 primary to the November general election. If voters approve the new city of South Fulton, they would elect a new mayor and City Council to lead it next March.

The committee also set a deadline of Aug. 1 for annexations of parts of unincorporated south Fulton by other cities. Some residents have said they would rather be annexed than form a new city.

The bill must still pass the full Senate and return to the House for final approval.

— David Wickert

Senate approves new degree offering for Georgia Military College

The Senate voted Wednesday to allow Georgia Military College to offer a four-year bachelor’s degree. The provision is now headed to the governor’s desk for signing.

House Bill 763, sponsored by Rep. James Epps, R-Dry Branch, would allow the two-year junior college to expand its offerings to include a Bachelor of Applied Science degree.

The bill was amended in the House to satisfy objections from the University System of Georgia about duplication of degree offerings. The bill now restricts offering the new applied science degree in any county where a University System institution already offers it. Georgia Military College is not part of the University System or the state’s Technical College System.

Georgia Military College has campuses in Augusta, Columbus, Fairburn, Milledgeville, Valdosta and Warner Robins.

If signed by the governor, the college would still need permission from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accrediting agency to offer the degree.

— Janel Davis

A year later, Flint River bill passes with little opposition

After more than a year of fighting among Republicans and Democrats, environmentalists and property rights activists, a bill designed to address the drawing of water from the Flint River basin appears to be near final approval in the Legislature.

But the version of Senate Bill 213 that the House voted 164-3 to approve Wednesday is a far cry from the wide-reaching bill that would have allowed the state to push more water to Florida in an effort to end a long-running feud with the Sunshine State.

The Senate must now approve the most recent changes to the bill.

As introduced, the legislation would have given the state power to restrict farmers from drawing water from the basin during dry spells. Environmental groups saw it as a threat to long-standing Georgia water law and an intrusion of private property rights. They also feared the bill’s true intent was to allow the construction of a new network of pumps to store water in underground aquifers and siphon downstream during drought.

SB 213 now would affect only four streams in southwest Georgia where water is occasionally added to protect threatened wildlife. It would allow government to prevent individuals from siphoning water from those streams if water was added to protect aquatic life.

— Aaron Gould Sheinin