New laws that go into effect Sunday in Georgia include a review of mental health insurance coverage, a new method for parents of materials used in schools, and tax credits for donations to the police.
Most Georgia laws take effect on July 1st, but the General Assembly has postponed some laws or portions of laws until January 1st. This is especially true for some tax provisions relating to taxes collected annually.
Measures implemented in early 2022 include: Abolishing permit requirements Carrying a concealed handgun in public, Prohibition of Teaching Certain Racial Concepts What Republicans say is divisive, $1.1 billion state income tax refund We sent $250-$500 to many households.
Below are some of the new laws and regulations that will come into effect from January 1st.
mental health
Health insurance companies must begin reporting to state insurance agencies. House Bill 1013This is a state effort to ensure compliance with federal law requiring insurance companies to cover mental health care in the same manner as physical health care. Insurance Commissioner John King has until May 15th to collect data for compliance investigations and has until August 15th to submit a report on the results. Grants to support court-ordered mental health treatment in the community will also begin on January 1. Other requirements will start in late 2023 and he in 2024.
school teaching material assignments
School districts should begin accepting complaints from books, websites, and other materials that parents believe are obscene or harmful to minors. Senate Bill 226The bill was part of the Culturally Conservative Schools Bill that was approved by Congress in 2022. The new law requires the principal or its designee to investigate within her seven business days to determine whether to ban or restrict access to the material, and ten business days to consult with the complaining parent. . A disgruntled parent may file an appeal with the local school board, which shall decide within 30 days of receiving the appeal, but the parent may submit the complaint to the board during a public meeting. You are given the legal right to speak to The school district must publish the titles of materials related to the complaint on her website for one year, and the parent must be provided access to such materials.
police tax credit
People can get a state income tax credit by donating to law enforcement that supports local law enforcement agencies. Senate Bill 361 It provides tax credits of $75 million annually, up to $3 million per police or sheriff department. The funds can be used to pay for higher salaries for officers, additional training, purchase or maintenance of equipment, and programs that send social workers and health workers to help with mental health emergencies.
hospital tax credit
The tax credit for donations to local hospitals will increase from $60 million today to $75 million. House Bill 1041Both individuals and businesses can make donations up to certain limits to 56 hospitals designated by the Community Health Department. Each hospital can raise up to $4 million annually. The hospital has raised a total of $59.4 million in 2021, close to the previous limit. A state auditor found that the average hospital raised less than $1 million in his 2021, even though 17 hospitals raised more than $1 million.
food truck permit
Instead of seeking permits in multiple counties, food trucks can now operate statewide with a health permit from their county’s health department. House Bill 1443The legislation aims to reduce paperwork and costs for food trucks. Businesses must submit health permits to other counties in which they plan to operate and wait until those counties confirm that the permits are valid. Other counties can inspect mobile food trucks and either quote them or shut them down if they fail inspection.
online seller
More online sellers should publish their contact information. Senate Bill 332Proponents say the law will make it harder to sell stolen or counterfeit goods online. His online marketplaces such as eBay, Etsy, and Amazon must provide consumers with the full names of third-party companies or individuals with more than his $20,000 annual turnover on the platform. Platforms must also provide merchant addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, or other electronic message links, with some exceptions. The platform is supposed to suspend non-compliant businesses and provide phone numbers and email addresses for customers to report suspicious activity to the platform.
