NFIB State Director Hunter Loggins said today that crossover, the midway point of this year’s legislative session, clarifies what’s at stake for Georgia’s small businesses.

“Thursday night marked the deadline for each chamber of the General Assembly to pass legislation and send it over to the other chamber for a final vote,” Loggins said. “Some of the bills to reach crossover would be great for Main Street businesses.”

Here’s a list of some of the surviving bills that would have the greatest impact on Georgia’s job creators:

• Senate Bill 429, the Small Business Protection Act. Part of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ Red Tap Rollback Initiative, the measure would permit the governor or any member of the General Assembly ask the Office of Planning and Budget and the Department of Audits and Accounts to produce a report on the impact any piece of legislation might have on Georgia’s small businesses. The measure is one of NFIB’s top priorities in this year’s legislative session.
• House Bill 808, legislation that would reduce the tangible personal property tax burden on small businesses.
• House Bill 1339, a plan to increase access to health care by allowing rural acute care centers to open without a certificate of need (CON) from the state if they are trauma hospitals that also do medical education.
• Senate Bill 542 and House Bill 1172, which would remove the public trust doctrine for water rights and address the concerns of small businesses and other private property owners.
• House Bill 880, a bill that would help employers fill vacant positions by allowing the spouses of members of the armed forces to use an existing license from another state to work in Georgia.

“Over the remaining weeks of this year’s regular session, our members will be reaching out to their legislators and Governor Kemp to help them understand what each of these bills would mean to their small businesses and Georgia’s economic wellbeing.”