Governor Deal called a Special Session to address the devastation caused by Hurricane Michael. In order to provide relief to the most devastated areas, legislators needed to meet and vote to approve an aid package.
The Senate convened Tuesday through Saturday, November 13-17, 2018, and passed three important pieces of legislation.
House Bill 1EX and 4EX: Hurricane Michael Relief
HB 1EX provides roughtly $270 million in emergency funding for state agencies and local governments in areas most heavily impacted by Hurricane Michael.
Our agriculture and timber industries were hit the hardest by Michael, sustaining roughly $25 billion in losses. HB 4EX creates a tax credit for certain taxpayers in these industries.
Both of these bills passed the Senate unanimously and the Governor signed them within minutes of their passage. Hopefully, this package will help our neighbors in Southwest Georgia get back on their feet.
House Bill 5EX: Delta Tax Break
You likely heard about this bill last year. It caused controversy when Delta decided to revoke special privileges for NRA members attending conferences and, in response, some Georgia legislators attempted to revoke Delta’s incentives. Namely, the jet fuel tax exemption. Governor Deal moved forward with passing the bill by enacting an executive order.
HB 5EX ratifies the executive order. The state’s 4 percent sales tax — used for jet fuel — will remain in place until June 2019 (end of the Fiscal Year). This means that during the next Legislative Session in January 2019 you will likely see a split vote on whether or not this jet fuel exemption will continue into the next few years.