Rep. Alan Powell: 2022 Legislative Newsletter – Week Nine

By State Representative Alan Powell

Last week was qualifying week for the 2022 election cycle and the May 24, 2022, General Primary.  I qualified to run for House District 33, which will cover the areas I currently serve.

Crossover Day was March 15 and last week we spent three long days in the House Chamber voting on a multitude of bills.

House Bill 911: FY 2023 budget (July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023) is set at a revenue estimate of $30.2 billion and permanently restores nearly $640 million eliminated during the economic uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic in FY 2021.

House Bill 1013: Georgia Mental Health Parity Act will provide comprehensive reforms for our state’s mental health care system.

• Requires health insurance plans to provide parity for mental health and substance use disorders.
• Establishes procedures to ensure compliance with parity requirements;
• Develops mental health care workforce.
• Creates a statewide technical assistance center to share information across counties.
• Allows the Office of Health Strategy and Coordination (OHSC) to partner with our state’s correctional and juvenile justice agencies to evaluate mental health wraparound services for the state reentry plan;
• Partners with the Department of Community Supervision to share mental health data between agencies treating people under community supervision who receive community-based services.
• Includes provisions to improve access to child and adolescent behavioral health care.

House Bill 1437: Georgia Tax Reduction and Reform Act of 2022:

• Eliminates personal income tax brackets and replaces them with a single, flat rate of 5.25%.
• Creates a standard exemption of $12,000 for single or head-of-household filers and a $24,000 exemption for married couples who file jointly.
• Allows taxpayers to elect to apply the sum of the taxpayer’s charitable donations used in computing the taxpayer’s federal taxable income in lieu of the personal exemption.

House Bill 304: Revenue and taxation: Allows the governor to suspend the state motor fuel excise tax through the end of May 2022.

House Bill 1358: Chairman John Meadows Act; “Constitutional Carry”:  Allows permitless carry to any eligible citizen who otherwise would pass a background check for concealed permit to carry a weapon. It is advised those currently holding a concealed carry permit continue, due to reciprocity with other states, and for use in lieu of Federal background checks for the purchase of firearms.

House Bill 1224: Ad valorem tax: Language to be required to be included in notices of current assessment:

• Updates laws relating to the creation of county boards of equalization by allowing a taxpayer with tangible personal property having a fair market value greater than $200,000 to appeal directly to a hearing officer.

House Resolution 594: County and municipal governing authorities; temporary tax relief:

• Authorizes the governing authority of each county, municipality, and board of education to grant temporary tax relief to properties that are severely damaged or destroyed as a result of a natural disaster located within a declared disaster area.

House Bill 884: Professions and businesses; expedited licenses for military spouses:

• Requires the state’s professional licensing boards to provide expedited licenses within 30 days of receiving an application from spouses of military service members in Georgia if the spouse has an equivalent license in another state.

Please continue to reach out to me with any questions or concerns you have about legislation, policies, or issues that impact our community. My Capitol office number is 404-463-3793 and my email is [email protected].

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