Alan Powell
State Rep.
Last Tuesday, Governor Kemp signed House Bill 111 and House Bill 112 into law.
House Bill 111 builds on our efforts to reduce the tax burden on hardworking Georgians by accelerating the largest state income tax cut in Georgia history by another 20 basis points. This brings the state income tax rate down to 5.19 percent, saving Georgians over $880 million on next year’s tax returns.
House Bill 112 delivers another $1 billion tax rebate to Georgia taxpayers. This year, Georgians who filed jointly will receive $500, single filers will receive $250, and heads of household will get $375.
Georgia taxpayers are enjoying a few more weeks to get their tax returns in because of Hurricane Helene. But the extra time likely doesn’t apply to the roughly $33.5 million in unclaimed tax refunds Uncle Sam has been holding onto for safekeeping.
There’s no penalty for not filing a tax return if the government owes you money. But the IRS won’t hold that money forever. If you don’t file a tax return after three years, the government keeps it. That means this year was the last chance to claim refunds from 2021. The deadline to file a 2021 tax return was April 15. But Georgia’s 2024 tax filing deadline got extended to May 1 because of Hurricane Helene.
From healthcare and infrastructure to engineering and logistics, Georgia’s universities and technical colleges are leading the way in educating the next generation of our state’s leaders. Our students have the ability to pursue countless educational opportunities in some of our state’s highest-demand career fields.
For the seventh time in ten years, the Board of Regents voted in favor of zero tuition increases for the majority of in-state students, keeping opportunities affordable and accessible for Georgia families across the state.
We passed a lot of legislation this session, and session reports are lengthy. You can review all legislation that was passed, as well as other resources on our House Budget and Research Office webpage:
• Visit: https://www.legis.ga.gov/house/budget-research-office
• Click on Resources
• Go to News and Highlights
A 2025 end of session report, as well as end of session reports by committee, is available.
Gov. Brian Kemp has 22 days left to either sign or veto bills passed by the state Legislature this year. He’s signed 10 bills into law so far and hasn’t vetoed anything yet.
On Monday, Governor Kemp signed his two tort reform bills into law that will change some rules around civil lawsuits in Georgia. Senate Bill 68 limits Georgians’ ability to sue businesses for crimes that occur on their property, stops attorneys from recovering fees twice for the same case, and allows separate trials for assigning responsibility and damages. It also allows the jury to consider if the plaintiff was wearing a seatbelt or not for lawsuits involving car accident injuries. The final version of the bill allows some carveouts for sex trafficking victims to avoid having to go through two trials.
Senate Bill 69 regulates third-party litigation financing practices in this state by laying out rules. Now that these bills have been signed, SB 68 goes into effect immediately, while SB 69 goes into effect in 2026. Whether the Governor signs legislation into law or not, unless the legislation specifies the effective date, all passed legislation becomes effective July 1, 2025.
My colleagues and I have now returned to our home districts, and will await the beginning of study committees and other ad hoc committees needed to prepare for the 2026 legislative session.
Should you have an issue or concern with a state agency, or wish more information in general, please feel free to call my Capitol office at 404-463-3793 or email alan.powell@house.ga.gov or alanpowell23@hotmail.com.
As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative.