ATLANTA — With the beginning of a new decade, 2020 brings new laws in Georgia that take effect of January 1. Here’s what you need to know.
This has been a busy year for new Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who faced controversy from the onset due to allegations of voter fraud, his support of the Heartbeat Bill regarding abortion laws which threatened Georgia’s tight bond with the film industry, and most recently standing firm against President Trump by appointing business woman Kelly Loeffler to outgoing Senator Johnny Isaakson’s seat.
Kemp managed to stay moving and promote Georgia, building relationships and coaxing new industry to come to the state. He also signed more than 300 bills into law in 2019. Some have already taken effect, and the remaining ones will take effect with the ring of the new decade.
The most controversial of the bills was undoubtedly HB 481, dubbed the “Heartbeat bill” that would ban abortions after a heartbeat can be detected, has been placed on hold after a federal ruling in October, 11 Alive reported.
Here is the list of laws you as Georgians will now be required to abide by:
HB 63 is a law that will give physicians a way to get around “step therapy,” which is when an insurance company requires a patient to exhaust other preferred medications before receiving the ones their doctor wants to prescribe them. Take a few seconds and think about that.
HB 166 will require genetic counselors to be licensed with the state. According to the Georgia Association of Genetic Counselors, Georgia is the 28th state to have this requirement, 11 Alive reported.
HB 478 creates stricter state requirements to list someone on the state’s child abuse registry and requires abusers be at least 18 to be listed instead of 13.
HB 266 allows for those who use a 529 Plan to save for college to take a state tax deduction which will double from $2,000 to $4,000 per child if you’re a single taxpayer, and jump from $4,000 to $8,000 per year if you file jointly with a spouse.
HB 239 establishes a business court that handles contract disputes, copyright disagreements and arguments over who came up with a money-making idea.
HB 314 requires titling of boats and watercraft (similar to vehicles), and provides the rules for the titling system, designed to “deter and impede theft”, “facilitate the ownership, transfer and financing” of boats and watercraft, and “create equity and fairness for the selling of vessels by dealers, brokers, agents, private parties and manufacturers.”
HB 458 prohibits the use of firefighting foam that contains PFAS chemicals (defined as a “class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom” and provides two exceptions.
HB 28 adds an additional judge to the superior courts of the Griffin Judicial Circuit.
HB 21 adds an additional judge to the superior courts of the Gwinnett Judicial Circuit
HB 288 revises fees that superior court clerks can charge to file real estate and personal property documents.
HB 507 revises the criteria used by tax assessors to determine the fair market value of real property.
These have an impact on everyone at some point.
SOURCE: 11 Alive
