Rep. Alan Powell: 2024 Legislative Newsletter – Week Thirteen 

By State Representative Alan Powell, HD 33

 

The Georgia General Assembly returned to the State Capitol for the final week of the 2024 legislative session on Monday, March 25 for a busy committee workday to finalize legislation.

We convened for Legislative Day 39 on March 26, with the session ending “Sine Die,” on Legislative Day 40, March 28.

It was a very busy week as we worked late into the night carrying out the people’s business and making progress for Georgians statewide. Highlighted legislation that
received final passage in the General Assembly:

House Bill 916: Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 2025) budget, effective July 1, 2024, fulfills our sole constitutional obligation of the session. I will detail the budget in next week’s newsletter. You can review the budget on the House website under the House Budget Research Office.

House Bill 404: The “Safe at Home Act,” mandates rental properties must meet certain standards for human habitation; prohibits landlords from shutting off a rental home’s air conditioning utilities prior to an eviction; limits security deposits to no more than two months’ rent; requires landlords to provide a three-business day notice before initiating eviction proceedings for unpaid rent or charges; eviction notices are required to be visibly posted on the renter’s door in a sealed envelope;

House Bill 663: The “No Patient Left Alone Act,” for both minors and adults, requires the presence of designated essential caregivers with patients in long-term care facilities during treatment at all times while that patient remains in the hospital or facility, and
these caregiver rights could not be terminated, suspended, or waived by the hospital or long-term care facility, the Department of Public Health or any governmental entity, regardless of emergency declarations by the governor;

House Bill 993: Imposes criminal consequences on individuals who knowingly and intentionally use electronic means to groom minors, persuading, inducing, enticing, or coercing them into committing sexual offenses or acts of human trafficking; perpetrators would face felony imprisonment ranging from one to five years, regardless of whether the crime(s) occur within or outside of Georgia, as long as it involves a minor residing in Georgia;

House Bill 1010: Increases the number of hours of annual paid parental leave for state employees from 120 to 240 hours, or six weeks, doubling the amount of paid leave these workers currently receive; House Bill 451: Requires a public entity to provide supplemental, illness- specific insurance to certain first responders diagnosed with occupational post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), once per an individual’s lifetime, and includes a $3,000 cash benefit and an income replacement disability benefit provided 90
days after diagnosis, if needed;

House Bill 1019: Increases the statewide homestead exemption for all ad valorem
taxation for state, county, and school purposes from $2,000 to $4,000 for individuals who reside in the home as their primary residence;

House Bill 1021: Allows each taxpayer to deduct $4,000 from their Georgia taxable income for each dependent;

Senate Bill 395; “Wesley’s Law,” makes opioid antagonists, like Narcan, exempt from classification as a dangerous drug when used for overdose prevention allows visitors and school employees to possess and administer an opioid antagonist if the person believes someone is suffering from a drug overdose on school property or at a school-
sponsored activity;

Senate Bill 384: Creates the “Georgia as a Model Employer (GAME) Program,” developed and implemented by the state’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordinator, includes technical assistance and training for state agency human resources personnel and hiring managers for the recruitment, hiring, advancement, and retention of qualified individuals with disabilities; assistance with implementing plans for reasonable accommodations by state agencies under the ADA, and for other purposes.

Governor Kemp will have 40 days to sign or veto legislation that received final passage by the House and Senate and will become state law upon his signature.

Legislation not signed or vetoed within 40 days of Sine Die will automatically become state law. This 40-day session was like chaos in search of frenzy, with good and bad propositions that passed and a lot of unfinished business.

During the interim, my legislative colleagues and I will continue to examine current and emerging issues facing Georgians that may need addressing next year.

I hope you will let me know how I can continue to support our district and what issues are important to you and your family in the months ahead. I am looking forward to spending the remainder of the year back home in House District 33 and will be adding weekly a detailed breakdown on the Budget and all Bills signed and vetoed.

Please feel free to reach out to me anytime at my Capitol office at 404-463-3793 or by email at [email protected] or [email protected].

As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative.