Environment

A RESOLUTION urging the Department of Community Affairs to refrain from adopting the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code in order to protect housing affordability and maintain the current energy code framework of this state; and for other purposes.

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 23 of Title 50, Code Section 36-91-100, and Code Section 48-8-200 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, definitions regarding bidding for government works projects, and definitions regarding water and sewer projects and costs tax, respectively, so as to authorize the authority to finance and perform certain duties in connection with projects related to facilitating solar installations on closed landfills; to provide for limited liability; to provide for definitions; to make conforming changes; to provide for related matters; to provide for contingent effectiveness upon appropriation of funds; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Part 1 of Article 2 of Chapter 8 of Title 12 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions relative to solid waste management, so as to require the recycling of solar panels; to prohibit the discarding or disposing of solar panels by any manner other than by delivery to a collection or recovered materials processing facility or other recycling center that accepts solar panels for recycling; to provide for definitions; to provide for penalties; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Article 6 of Chapter 7 of Title 2 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to liability for use of fertilizers, plant growth regulators, or pesticides, so as to clarify that a manufacturer cannot be held liable for failing to warn consumers of health risks above those required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency with respect to pesticides; to provide for legislative findings; to provide for related matters; to provide for applicability; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

HB 90 amends Georgia's tax code to raise the maximum acreage limit for land to qualify for preferential tax assessment as conservation property. This change directly affects landowners who manage large tracts of land for conservation purposes, allowing properties exceeding the previous size threshold to maintain lower tax rates. The key provision increases the acreage cap under Code Section 48-5-7.4, ensuring more conservation land qualifies for reduced taxation. The bill takes effect January 1, 2027, and repeals conflicting tax laws.

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Code Section 48-5-7.4 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to preferential assessment for bona fide conservation use property and bona fide residential transitional property, so as to increase the maximum acreage to qualify for assessment and taxation as a bona fide conservation use property; to provide for related matters; to provide for a contingent effective date and automatic repeal; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.