2021 Signed Legislation
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| Revenue and taxation; water and sewer projects and costs tax (MOST); provide for audits of tax by state auditor under certain conditions | |
| Retirement and pensions; eligible large retirement system's assets that may be invested in alternative investments; increase percentage | |
| Motor vehicles; recording of odometer readings upon certificates of title; exempt certain vehicles | |
| Crimes and offenses; victims of stalking; expand applicability of protective orders | |
| The Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact Act; enact | |
| Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact Act; enact | |
| Controlled substances; Schedules I, II, III, IV, and V; change certain provisions | |
| Health; term limits for members of joint hospital authorities; provide | |
| The Professional Counselors Licensure Compact Act; enact | |
| Torts; transfer of structured settlement payment rights; provide new requirements | |
| South Fulton, City of; change corporate boundaries | |
| Georgia Composite Medical Board; require certain training relating to sexual misconduct for members | |
| Local government; prohibit annexations of county operated airport property | |
| Criminal procedure; revise certain arrest powers; provisions | |
| Property; creation, declaration and priority of liens for labor, services, or materials performed or furnished by registered interior designers; provide | |
| Code Revision Commission; revise, modernize and correct errors or omissions | |
| State treasury; establishment or revision of certain Trust Funds; provide | |
| Labor, Department of; employment security; change certain provisions |
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| Animals; Companion Local Government Animal Trust Fund for reimbursement of impoundment expenses incurred by local governments; provide | |
| Public Safety and Judicial Facilities Act; enact | |
| Mental health; marriage and family therapists to perform certain acts which physicians and others are authorized to perform; authorize | |
| Cohutta, City of; provide new charter | |
| General appropriations; State Fiscal Year July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022 | |
| Crimes and offenses; provide for the crime of theft by possession of stolen mail | |
| Board of Community Affairs; approving transfer of Forsyth County from Georgia Mountains Regional Commission to Atlanta Regional Commission; ratify action | |
| Property; conveyance of certain state owned property; authorize |
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| Property; granting of non-exclusive easements; authorize | |
| Katie Poff Memorial Interchange; Baldwin County; dedicate | |
| Lucci, Dominic Brian; compensate | |
| Savannah Logistics Technology Innovation Corridor; designate | |
| Jones, Mark Jason; compensate | |
| Gardiner, Kenneth Eric; compensate | |
| Revenue and Taxation; financial institutions to provide certain information related to delinquent taxpayers to the Department of Revenue under certain conditions; require | |
| DeKalb County School Districts; boundaries of the City of Atlanta independent school systems are not extended by annexation; provide |
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| "Georgia Uniform Mediation Act"; enact | |
| Code Of Georgia; enactment of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated; revise provisions | |
| DeKalb County; conditions upon the expansion of the boundaries of the City of Decatur independent school systems; provide | |
| Early County; school district ad valorem taxes; educational purposes; provide homestead exemption | |
| Health; certain medical personnel to administer vaccines during public health emergencies under certain conditions; authorize | |
| Professions and Businesses; patient protection measures for patients undergoing sedation in certain settings; provide | |
| "Ensuring Transparency in Prior Authorization Act"; enact | |
| Georgia Commission on E-Commerce and Freight Infrastructure Funding; create | |
| Public Officers; suspension of compensation; felony; provide -CA | |
| Charlotte Nash Intersection; Gwinnett County; dedicate | |
| Airport Infrastructure and Improvements; create Joint Study Committee | |
| Ad valorem tax; qualified timberland property; add a definition | |
| Agriculture; hemp farming; compliance with federal laws and regulations; provide | |
| Georgia Carbon Sequestration Registry; inclusion of building products in construction; provisions | |
| Ad valorem tax; property; expand an exemption for agricultural equipment and certain farm products | |
| Heritage trust program; sale of Patrick's Fishing Paradise to a private entity; authorize | |
| Torts; certain persons, firms, or corporations who are buyers of land for conversion of timber shall be exempt from certain liabilities; provide | |
| Permit Required for Burning Woods, Lands, and Marshes or Other Flammable Vegetation; except certain yard waste from permitting | |
| Agricultural Commodity Commissions; public hearings with online public comment opportunities; replace | |
| Health; prohibit providers from discriminating against potential organ transplant recipients due solely to the physical or mental disability of the potential recipient | |
| Criminal procedure; requirements for awards made from Georgia Crime Victims Emergency Fund to medical service providers; provide | |
| Public utilities and public transportation; prohibit governmental entities from adopting any policy that prohibits the connection or reconnection of any utility service based upon the type or source of energy or fuel | |
| Postsecondary education; exemption applicable to certain institutions operating on military installations or bases; revise provisions | |
| Fair Business Practices Act of 1975; solicitations of services for corporate filings required by the Secretary of State; provide for requirements | |
| Motor vehicles; federal regulations regarding safe operation of motor carriers and commercial motor vehicles; update reference date | |
| Special license plates; support breast cancer related programs; amend logo design | |
| Sexual Assault Reform Act of 2021; enact | |
| Sales and use tax; local authorities providing public water or sewer service; exempt | |
| Insurance; require certain insurers to make at least one reasonably priced comprehensive major medical health insurance policy available | |
| Highways, bridges, and ferries; proposal guaranty for bids upon certain projects; provide | |
| Postsecondary education; student athletes may receive compensation for use of name, image, or likeness; provide | |
| Georgia Pharmacy Practice Act; pharmacy care; revise definition | |
| Jasper, City of; reincorporate and provide new charter | |
| Senator Johnny Isakson Bridge; Chatham County; dedicate | |
| Department of Human Services; offenses of improper sexual contact by employee or agent in the first and second degrees; revise | |
| HOPE Scholarship; procedure for students with disability as defined by the American with Disabilities Act to apply for a waiver; establish | |
| Ad Valorem Taxation of Property; requiring that mobile homes procure and display decals; grant counties the option | |
| Education; State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia to award high school diplomas; provide | |
| "The Learning Pod Protection Act"; exemptions applicable to learning pods, student attendance, administrative and judicial proceedings; provide | |
| "OneGeorgia Authority Act"; grant program to support border region retail and tourism projects; provide | |
| Public Disclosure; certain personal records of state and federal employees; exempt | |
| Education; school climate rating does not include discipline data; provide | |
| "Noncovered Eye Care Services Act"; enact | |
| Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Act; revise prior school year requirement | |
| Termination of Residential Lease; victims of stalking; provide | |
| Office of College and Career Transitions; change name to the Office of College and Career Academies | |
| Public officers and employees; paid parental leave for eligible state employees and eligible local board of education employees; provide | |
| Distilled spirits; initiate a referendum election for the authorization of the issuance of licenses; provide additional method | |
| Transportation; eligible expenditures; Georgia Freight Railroad Program; provisions | |
| Health; eliminate duplicative state licensure and regulation of clinical laboratories; provisions | |
| Alcoholic Beverages; food service establishments to sell mixed drinks for off-premises consumption in approved containers under certain conditions; allow | |
| License Plates; specialty license plate supporting members of the United States Army Rangers; establish | |
| Military; pay for certain active duty by the organized militia; authorize | |
| Georgia State Indemnification Fund; replace the term National Guard with the term organized militia | |
| Financial institutions; clarify and remove superfluous language; provisions | |
| Torts; provide certain immunities from liability claims regarding COVID-19; extend applicability for one year | |
| Funeral directors and embalmers; multiple cremation devices; provide | |
| Income tax; certain elections to be made by Subchapter "S" corporations and partnerships for the filing of tax returns and imposition of taxes; allow | |
| Local government; downtown development authorities; remove provision providing perpetual existence to such authorities | |
| Community Health, Department of; submit state plan amendment to implement express lane enrollment in Medicaid; direct | |
| Motor vehicles; use of mounts on windshields for the support of wireless telecommunications devices and stand-alone electronic devices under certain circumstances; allow | |
| Motor vehicles; commercial driver's license; provide requirements for issuance | |
| Insurance; framework for regulating the offering or issuance of travel insurance; provide | |
| Motor vehicles; electronic submission of certain documentation required of manufacturers, distributors, dealers, secondary metals recyclers, used motor vehicle parts dealers, and scrap metal processors by the Department of Revenue; provide | |
| Domestic relations; additional monitoring of victim after granting of a temporary protective order; provide | |
| Professions and businesses; podiatry; amend a provision relating to fingerprint and criminal background checks | |
| Insurance; Commissioner's enforcement authority with regard to adjusters; increase | |
| Community Health, Department of; assess one or more provider matching payments on ambulance services; authorize | |
| Ad valorem tax; property; remove certain training requirements for members of county boards of equalization following their initial training for their first term | |
| Georgia Telehealth Act; revise | |
| Motor vehicles; clarify what constitutes an obstruction for purposes of exceptions to when a vehicle is to drive on the right side of roadway | |
| State Board of Cemeterians and Funeral Service; report suspected unlawful activity to the sheriff's office and the Attorney General; require | |
| Crimes and offenses; protection of elder persons; revise definitions | |
| Alcoholic beverages; licenses for retail sale packages of alcoholic beverages for consumption off premises shall be subject to regulation as to distance from schools as determined by the local governing authority; provide | |
| Bingo; transfer regulatory authority from Georgia Bureau of Investigation to Secretary of State | |
| Ad valorem tax; property; fair market value applicable to inventor; provisions | |
| Special license plates; certified, volunteer, and retired firefighters; provide standards for proof of eligibility | |
| Insurance; certain coverage requirements concerning providers that become out-of-network during a plan year; provide | |
| Motor vehicles; number of required hours in the intervention component of DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Programs; reduce | |
| Property; no plans are required when units are not designated by physical structures; provide | |
| Courts; increase minimum compensation for chief magistrates and others; provide | |
| Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Sexual Offender Registration Review Board; revise duties | |
| Newborn Screening and Genetics Advisory Committee; create | |
| Ad valorem tax; authorize on premises processing and marketing of agricultural products as a qualifying conservation use | |
| HOPE scholarships; add Georgia Independent School Association to the list of accrediting agencies | |
| State government; definition of small business; change | |
| Alternative ad valorem tax; motor vehicles; revise definition of fair market value | |
| Courts; each judge of the superior court, state court, and probate court and each magistrate shall have authority to perform any lawful judicial act; provide | |
| Georgia Farmers' Market and Produce Terminal Development Authority Act; enact | |
| Georgia Civil Practice Act; revise and provide for new requirements | |
| Courts; oath for certain clerks of the probate court; require and provide | |
| State government; conditions for meetings and public hearings to be held by teleconference in emergency conditions; provide | |
| Professions and Businesses; grounds for refusing to grant or revoking a license; revise | |
| Flag, Seal, and Other Symbols; placement of a monument in honor of the Honorable Zell Bryan Miller upon the capitol grounds of the state capitol building; provide | |
| Mechanics and Materialmen; waiver of lien and labor or material bond rights; conform a reference within a statutory form | |
| Housing Authorities; ability of city housing authorities to operate outside municipal boundaries without authorization; limit | |
| Distilled Spirits; initiating a referendum election for the authorization of the issuance of licenses for the package sale of distilled spirits; modify the petition requirements | |
| "Graduation Opportunities and Advanced Learning (GOAL) Act"; enact | |
| Elementary and Secondary Education; provision relating to student transportation; revise | |
| Judicial Emergency; suspension of statutory speedy trial requirements; provide | |
| Motor Vehicles; autonomous vehicles from certain vehicle equipment requirements; exempt | |
| Bonds; acceptance of electronic signatures and electronic corporate seals on bonds; provide | |
| Bonds and Recognizances; appointed judges who are fulfilling a vacancy of an elected judge to issue an unsecured judicial release under certain circumstances; authorize | |
| Department of Public Safety; subsistence and per diem allowances; receipt of badge and duty weapon upon retirement; provide | |
| Contracts and Purchases by Public Schools; payment on guaranteed energy saving contracts; proceeds from local option sales taxes collected for educational purposes; provide | |
| Regulation of Hospitals; certified medication aides to administer certain medications to nursing home residents; authorize | |
| Ethics in Government; leadership committees; chairpersons; such committees may receive contributions and make expenditures; provide | |
| Soil Amendments; exclude from regulation | |
| Professional Licenses; extend the time a member of the military has to qualify for the issuance of a license; electrical contractor, plumber; | |
| Drug Abuse Treatment and Education Programs; patient brokering; prohibit; definitions; exceptions; penalties; provide | |
| Buildings and Housing; procedures for alternative plan review, permitting, and inspection by private professional providers; provide | |
| Education; additional QBE funding for each full-time equivalent student within a local charter school; provide | |
| "Tax Credit Return on Investment Act of 2021"; enact | |
| Georgia State Indemnification Fund; shall be paid in instances of a heart attack, stroke; public safety officer; revise | |
| Georgia Foundation for Public Education; a nonprofit corporation created by the foundation to receive private donations to be used for grants to public schools; authorize | |
| Invasion of Privacy; prohibition on electronically transmitting or posting nude or sexually explicit photographs or videos for purposes of harassing the depicted person; revise | |
| Education; Georgia Teacher of the Year shall be invited to serve as advisor ex officio to the State Board of Education; provide | |
| Baldwin County; Board of Education; revise compensation of members | |
| Domestic relations; protection of children; strengthen, clarify, and update provisions | |
| Morgan County; board of elections; revise provisions | |
| Culloden, City of; reduce city council to five members | |
| Terrell County; Board of Education; change compensation of members | |
| State holidays; second Wednesday of February of each year as National Swearing-in Day in Georgia; provide | |
| Arabi, Town of; provide new charter | |
| Jackson County; authority of the board of elections and registration to act in certain situations; provide | |
| Wrens, City of; provide new charter | |
| Insurance; revise meaning of property insurance; change parameters under which certain contracts or agreements may be canceled | |
| Americus, City of; requirement for city manager; remove | |
| Clayton County; Board of Education; change compensation of members | |
| Jones County Public Facilities Authority Act; enact | |
| Sardis, City of; provide new charter | |
| Jarom's Act; enact | |
| Pelham, City of; reduce size of city council; revise powers of mayor | |
| Edison, City of; provide new charter | |
| Professions and businesses; exempt persons having completed Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training from required fingerprint submission for application to be licensed as a private guard, watchman, or patrolman | |
| Bremen, City of; levy an excise tax | |
| Bacon County; Board of Education; modify compensation of members | |
| South Georgia Regional Information Technology Authority; repeal Act | |
| Motor vehicles; require registration application forms to include optional information regarding certain conditions which may interfere with a registrant's ability to communicate | |
| Carroll County; Board of Elections; expand board from three to five members | |
| Local government; imposing civil penalties upon an alarm systems contractor for a false alarm that occurs through no fault of alarm systems contractor; prohibit | |
| Catoosa County; certain purchases made; remove certain bidding requirements | |
| City of Sylvester Public Facilities Authority Act; enact | |
| Crimes and offenses; promoting illegal drag racing and laying drags; provide for offense | |
| Sylvester, City of; provide extraterritorial utility services; authorize | |
| Richmond Hill, City of; provide new charter | |
| Social services; reasonable access to records concerning reports of child abuse to the Administrative Office of the Courts; provide | |
| Thomas County; Board of Commissioners; modify compensation | |
| Criminal procedure; add DFCS case managers to people for whom arrest warrants may be issued only by certain judicial officers | |
| Cherokee County; probate judge; provide nonpartisan elections | |
| Clay County; Board of Education; change compensation of members | |
| Hapeville, City of; quorums of mayor and council; revise provisions | |
| Brantley County; Board of Commissioners; authorize chairperson to make and second motions and vote on all matters | |
| Macon, City of; City of Payne; Bibb County; eligibility for office of mayor; revise provisions | |
| Perry, City of; levy an excise tax | |
| Tri-County Natural Gas Authority Act; enact | |
| Georgia Crime Information Center; develop a system to collect information on an individual's ability to communicate with law enforcement or emergency responders; provisions | |
| Wilkinson County; Magistrate Court; provide one-year terms of office for magistrates | |
| Brookhaven, City of; filling of vacancies in the offices of mayor and councilmembers; provisions | |
| Franklin-Hart Airport Authority; members and employees; revise provisions | |
| Stewart County; Board of Commissioners; revise provisions relating to purchases and bids | |
| Pickens County; board of elections and registration; reconstitute and reestablish | |
| Pickens County board of elections and registration; provide abolition of board on a date certain | |
| Troup County; board of elections and registration; provide new five member board | |
| Bleckley County; probate judge; provide nonpartisan elections | |
| Bleckley County; Magistrate Court chief judge; provide nonpartisan elections | |
| Bleckley County; Probate Court; charge technology fee | |
| Coolidge, City of; provide new charter | |
| City of Hapeville Public Facilities Authority Act; enact | |
| Waycross Judicial Circuit; Superior Court judges; increase salary supplement | |
| Sylvester, City of; ward residence requirements for city councilmembers; provide | |
| Cobb County; Board of Commissioners; change provisions of compensation of the chairperson and members | |
| Whitfield County Public Facilities Authority Act; enact | |
| Atlanta, City of; Independent School District ad valorem tax exemption; remove sunset date | |
| Euharlee, City of; revise corporate limits | |
| Blue Ridge, City of; staggered terms of mayor and councilmembers; provide | |
| Pendergrass, City of; add two new members to city council | |
| Gainesville City School District; continue existence; provide powers of the board of education | |
| Fort Valley, City of; Utility Commission; add three appointed members | |
| Smyrna, City of; annexation of certain territory into the boundaries of the city; provide | |
| Coweta County Public Facilities Authority Act; enact | |
| Hoschton, City of; new governmental structure; provide | |
| Atlanta, City of; urban enterprise zones; provide for findings and purpose | |
| Lithonia, City of; change corporate limits | |
| Fulton Technology and Energy Enhancement Authority; create | |
| Catoosa County; compensation of governing authority; revise provisions | |
| Fort Oglethorpe, City of; Redevelopment Powers Law; provide for a referendum | |
| Catoosa County Public Facilities Authority Act; enact | |
| Catoosa County; Redevelopment Powers Law; provide for a referendum | |
| Lee County; Magistrate Court; law library fee; revise permitted uses of funds raised | |
| Royston, City of; city council posts; provide | |
| Gilmer County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee | |
| DeKalb County; State Court; provide definitions | |
| Ringgold, City of; Redevelopment Powers Law; provide for a referendum | |
| City of Chickamauga Public Facilities Authority Act; enact | |
| Powder Springs, City of; update boundaries | |
| Wayne County Altamaha River and Leisure Services Authority Act; enact | |
| Wayne County Public Facilities Authority Act; enact | |
| Richmond County; Board of Education; modify compensation of members | |
| Glascock County; Probate Court Judge; repeal Act providing for supplement to compensation; provide for an applicability date | |
| Clarkston Development Authority Act; repeal | |
| Ben Hill County; Probate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee | |
| Fannin County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee | |
| Hull, City of; provide new charter | |
| State-Wide Probation System; conditions and procedures under which probation may be terminated early; revise | |
| Postsecondary Education Grants; waiver of tuition and all fees, for qualifying foster and adopted students by units of the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia; provide | |
| Counties and Municipal Corporations; "fence detection system"; define the term; counties, consolidated governments, and municipalities regulate or prohibit such system; limit the ability | |
| Hemp Farming; definition; revise | |
| Child Advocate Advisory Committee; composition; revise | |
| Motor Vehicles and Traffic; definitions relative to registration and licensing of motor vehicles; provide | |
| License Plates; individuals who served in the armed forces for an ally of the United States during active military combat; provide a veteran's license plate | |
| Juvenile Code and Domestic Relations; provisions relating to the protection of children; strengthen, clarify and update | |
| Lumpkin County; board of commissioners; qualifications for the county manager; revise | |
| Lincoln County; board of elections and registration; abolition of the board on a date certain; provide | |
| Lincoln County; board of elections and registration; reconstitute and reestablish |