Georgia House approves package of Senate substitutes on final day of 40-day session

Atlanta — On April 4, 2025, the Georgia House of Representatives voted to approve a string of Senate substitutes and amendments on the final day of the chamber's 40-day session, taking recorded roll-call votes on more than a dozen measures in rapid succession.

The actions included changes to recording-tax rules, self-storage sale procedures, higher-education foreign funding reporting, provisions affecting vertiport authority, revisions to guardianship evaluation providers, and several public-safety and tax-related bills. Most measures passed with strong majorities, while a handful produced closer margins.

Why it matters: These votes finalize bills that will alter state statutory language across multiple policy areas (taxation, education, transportation, public safety and health) and send the agreed measures to the governor or to subsequent administrative steps outlined in the enacted statutes. Several measures reflect technical updates (for example, aligning Georgia procedures with other states) while others change reporting thresholds or taxes that affect state and local finances.

Key votes and outcomes (mover; brief description; recorded tally):

- House Bill 586 (mover: Representative Bruce Williamson): Agreed to the Senate substitute to revise the scope of the intangible recording tax (changes to Article 3, Chapter 6, Title 48, Official Code of Georgia Annotated). Vote: Yeas 161, Nays 0. (Approved.)

- House Bill 131 (mover: Representative Reeves): Agreed to the Senate substitute concerning self-service storage facilities (Article 5, Chapter 4, Title 10). The amendment updated advertisement/notice procedures and maintained protections around three-bidder sales. Vote: Yeas 163, Nays 1. (Approved.)

- House Bill 36 (mover: Representative Rob Leverett): Agreed to the Senate substitute to expand the list of professionals authorized to provide guardianship evaluations in adult guardianship proceedings (Title 29, guardianship provisions). Vote: Yeas 165, Nays 2. (Approved.)

- House Bill 37 (mover: Representative Rob Leverett): Agreed to the Senate substitute concerning school-district notice about Social Security withholding and related employment disclosure (Title 20). Vote: Yeas 163, Nays 0. (Approved.)

- House Bill 150 (mover: Representative Fleming): Agreed to the Senate substitute requiring reporting by University System and related institutions about certain funding received from foreign sources (quarterly reporting changed in the Senate amendment; reporting threshold set at $1,000 under the amendment). Vote: Yeas 98, Nays 64. (Approved.)

- House Bill 156 (mover: Chairman Todd Jones): Agreed to the Senate amendment adding language giving the local tax development authority broader use of certain taxes to expand air service (vertiport/airport-related authority; Title 6 aviation provisions). Vote: Yeas 159, Nays 3. (Approved.)

- House Bill 105 (mover: Representative Wade): Agreed to the Senate substitute making changes to indemnification/payment provisions related to deaths or disabilities (Code section 45-9-78); the Senate amendment added coordination/notice language between agencies. Vote: Yeas 164, Nays 0. (Approved.)

- House Bill 179 (mover: Representative Tyler Paul Smith): Agreed to the Senate substitute revising provisions for the digital recording of certain trial proceedings in appellate practice (Title 5). The substitute removed a provision allowing digital takedown of depositions. Vote: Yeas 167, Nays 0. (Approved.)

- House Bill 197 (mover: Chairman Hawkins): Agreed to the Senate substitute on certification and utilization of nationally recognized accreditation standards (health/administrative provisions); the Senate added prior-authorization language intended to increase access and reduce delay. Vote: Yeas 162, Nays 0. (Approved.)

- House Bill 217 (mover: Representative Hong): Agreed to the Senate amendment to the Dual Enrollment/Achievement program bill (Title 20); the Senate amendment adjusted immediate-family board provisions and information-sharing for education savings accounts. Vote: Yeas 143, Nays 22. (Approved.)

- House Bill 308 (mover: Representative Rob Clifton): Agreed to the Senate amendment addressing operation of certain miniature on-road vehicles and related enforcement provisions; the amendment included judge-discretion alternatives such as use of speed-limiting devices in place of permanent vehicle forfeiture. Vote: Yeas 104, Nays 60. (Approved.)

- House Bill 567 (mover: Representative Dempsey): Agreed to the Senate substitute regulating teledentistry and the practice of dental hygienists in specified settings; the house had previously amended committee language supporting public-health safety-net locations. Vote: Yeas 165, Nays 2. (Approved.)

- House Bill 582 (mover: Chairman Gunther): Agreed to the Senate substitute with criminal-procedure and evidence revisions (including rules for abuse-victim evidence and related clarifications). Vote: Yeas 164, Nays 0. (Approved.)

- House Resolution 7 (mover: Chairman Jaspers): Agreed to the Senate substitute (as amended by the House) honoring individuals and dedicating a road in memory of George C. Trulock Jr.; the House adopted a late amendment to include an additional road naming. Vote: Yeas 166, Nays 0. (Approved.)

- House Bill 266 (mover: Representative Sainz): Agreed to the Senate amendment to the House amendment to the Senate substitute addressing changes to income-tax statutes, including provisions affecting military retiree exemptions and police-foundation credits; the amendment adjusted a credit calculation back to 75 percent. Vote: Yeas 167, Nays 0. (Approved.)

Other procedural action: Representative Gullett moved to recommit Senate Bill 218 to the Rules Committee; the motion was ordered and the measure was recommitted to Rules (recommit to committee as recorded in the journal).

The House conducted these votes in series over the morning and early afternoon; many items were debated briefly on the floor before recorded votes. The chamber then recessed for lunch and planned to reconvene at 2 p.m.

Votes and captions reported here reflect the bill captions and recorded tallies read into the House journal during the April 4, 2025 session. Where the Senate or House amendment text was summarized on the floor, this article reports those floor summaries and the official vote tallies as read on the House floor.