ATLANTA — It’s summer in Georgia and months after Sine Die, when the state legislature finished sending bills to Gov. Brian Kemp for approval or rejecting them, multiple new laws went into effect at midnight Tuesday.
Starting July 1, there are dozens of laws that will be officially on the books, including changes to Georgia’s tax rates, how you can dispose of human remains for burial, funding for historic battlefield preservation and much more.
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A spokesperson for Kemp highlighted some of the legislation, including the budget. It included $290 million for statewide transportation projects and $200 million for the Department of Corrections to raise salaries, operational needs and to support private prisons.
“From cutting taxes and improving our workforce pipeline to a state budget that prioritizes public safety and strengthens our critical infrastructure, measures we championed during this year’s legislative session go into effect today – measures that will help us keep Georgia the best place to live, work, and raise a family," the spokesperson said.
Here’s a list of some of the bills that will take effect, starting Tuesday.
BILLS TAKING EFFECT JULY 1:
- SB 1: the ‘Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act’ aka the Riley Gaines Act, bars transgender athletes in K-12 sports from participating in competitions opposite their biological sex
- SB 55: The Dignity and Pay Act, ensures equal pay to Georgia’s disabled workers
- SB 72: Hope For Georgia Patients Act, allows terminal patients access to investigative treatments
- SB 79: Fentanyl Eradication and Removal Act
- HB 111: Lowering Georgia’s income tax rate to 5.19%
- SB 144: Liability protections for fertilizer, pesticide manufacturers
- HB 167: Pink vests for hunting
- HB 172: Student loan forgiveness for veterinarians
- HB 177: Domestic relations; protection for household pets in both family violence and dating violence protective orders
- SB 241: Human Composting legalized
- HB 266: No tax on military retirement income
- HB 296: Digital licenses
- HB 340: Distraction-Free Education Act, ban on cellphones in schools for K-8 students
- HB 428: IVF Protections
- HB 454: Vince Dooley Battlefield Trust Fund
- HB 582: Georgia Survivor Justice Act
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