The Georgia House on Feb. 26 passed a broad set of bills that lawmakers said touch public safety, rural economies and emerging transportation technology, while one measure to regulate private companies that help veterans pursue disability claims drew notable dissent and a minority report.

The most contested measure, House Bill 108 — the Safeguard American Veterans Empowerment Act (the SAFE Act) — was approved after extended debate and a recorded vote (yeas 58, nays 10). Sponsor Representative Bonner said the bill would “create a regulatory environment in Georgia that gives veterans an opportunity to obtain their benefits faster,” and the bill sets guardrails for private claims consultants: contingency-only fees, a fee cap tied to a veteran’s monthly gain, a prohibition on promises of guaranteed outcomes, background checks and limits on foreign call-center operations.

Other bills enacted during the floor session included measures to give state agencies new tools against abandoned vessels on Georgia waters (House Bill 115), allow limited operation and special tax treatment for imported ‘‘mini’’ trucks more than 25 years old on local roads (House Bill 308), authorize definitions and local siting authority for vertiports to support short air-taxi flights (House Bill 156), and expand a loan-forgiveness program aimed at attracting large-animal veterinarians to rural counties (House Bill 172).

Why it matters: collectively the votes touch residents’ daily lives — from waterfront cleanup and public-safety enforcement to rural workforce shortages, transportation options and how veterans access federal benefits. Several measures are primarily technical or symbolic but could have local economic impact, and the SAFE Act drew the session’s sharpest policy debate.

What lawmakers said and key details

• Abandoned vessels (House Bill 115): Representative Petrie, sponsor of the measure on behalf of the Game, Fish and Parks committee, said the state currently has “about a 59 abandoned vessels on the Georgia Coast” and about 38 on inland lakes; DNR lacks clear enforcement tools. The bill creates a path for identifying owners, verifies whether vessels are stolen, and creates misdemeanor penalties and administrative consequences (including potential revocation of vessel or fishing licenses) to deter abandonment. Petrie told the chamber that removal costs run “anywhere from $32,000 to $42,000,” costs that fall to taxpayers when vessels are left in state waters. The bill passed on a roll-call vote, yeas 164, nays 0.

• Veterans’ claim consultants (House Bill 108, SAFE Act): Representative Bonner, sponsor and chair of the Defense and Veterans Affairs Committee, framed HB108 as providing a “free market option” while protecting veterans from exploitative actors. The bill requires a written fee agreement that discloses free alternatives (VA and veterans service organizations), caps contingent fees (expressly capped at five times the monthly benefit gain), bars certain business practices (including promises of guaranteed outcomes and the use of overseas call centers), and subjects violations to the Fair Business Practices Act. Representative Sandra Scott urged a certification requirement for vendors; a minority report sought stronger vendor certification and vetting standards. Final vote: yeas 58, nays 10.

• Miniature on-road vehicles (House Bill 308): Representative Clifton described the measure as “the mini truck bill,” allowing imported trucks older than 25 years to operate on county and municipal roads (not interstates). The Department of Revenue will treat qualifying vehicles as antiques for tax purposes; owners would pay an annual $100 valuation assessment multiplied by the local millage rate. The bill passed, yeas 170, nays 1.

• Vertiports and air taxis (House Bill 156): Representative Todd Jones presented a code definition for ‘‘vertiports’’ to enable short point-to-point electric vertical takeoff/landing (eVTOL) air-taxi operations and to support state manufacturing and operations (Archer, a Georgia manufacturer, was present in the gallery). Sponsors said the measure simply places a definition in state law and anticipates Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversight of operations and airspace. Vote: yeas 162, nays 7.

• Veterinary loan-forgiveness expansion (House Bill 172): Representative David Huddleston said the change increases annual payment relief and broadens eligibility for mixed/large-animal vets to serve rural counties. The bill raises the annual loan repayment amount authorized from $20,000 to $30,000 per applicant, increases the program maximum (sponsor described an increase from $80,000 to $90,000 maximum total), expands eligible service counties to those with populations of 50,000 or less (2020 census basis, up from 30,000), requires enrollees to provide at least 20 hours per week in large-animal practice, and makes awards multi-year (three consecutive years) without annual reapplication while retaining annual compliance certification. The bill passed, yeas 164, nays 4.

• AI and obscene material (House Bill 171): Sponsor Representative Brad Thomas described the measure as targeting criminal uses of artificial intelligence, including creation and distribution of AI-generated obscene material depicting children. The bill criminalizes certain AI-enabled offenses and adjusts existing statutes to address harms enabled by realistic synthetic media. Vote: yeas 160, nays 0.

• Civil- and administrative-focused bills and symbolic measures: The House also passed a range of bills with technical, tax or symbolic effects — including a change expanding a sales-tax refund on converted manufactured homes (HB134, yeas 160–0), updates to self-storage lien advertising procedures (HB131, yeas 166–0), and ceremonial designations such as naming cornbread the state bread (HB14, yeas 157–4) and designating Brunswick stew the official state stew (HB233, yeas 152–2).

Votes at a glance (selected bills taken on the floor Feb. 26)

- HB 115 (abandoned vessels) — Passed, yeas 164, nays 0. Creates enforcement and misdemeanor penalties; gives DNR tools to identify/hold owners accountable; sponsor: Representative Petrie.
- HB 208 (new specialty license plates) — Passed, yeas 167, nays 0. Four new tags (state parks, bass, Shepherd Center, veterans) to support designated charities; sponsor: Representative Lynn Smith.
- HB 172 (veterinary loan forgiveness expansion) — Passed, yeas 164, nays 4. Raises annual repayment cap, expands eligible counties and multi-year award; sponsor: Representative David Huddleston.
- HB 222 (contact info on bonds) — Passed, yeas 169, nays 0. Adds legibility/contact requirements for bond principal and surety information; sponsor: Chairman Blackman.
- HB 308 (mini on-road vehicles) — Passed, yeas 170, nays 1. Allows imported mini trucks >25 years old to operate on county/municipal roads; antique tax treatment applied; sponsor: Representative Clifton.
- HB 108 (SAFE Act — veterans’ claim consultants) — Passed, yeas 58, nays 10. Caps fees, requires disclosures and vetting for private claims consultants; sponsor: Representative Bonner. Minority report urged certification scheme.
- HB 156 (vertiports/air taxis) — Passed, yeas 162, nays 7. Adds a vertiport definition and code language to facilitate eVTOL/air-taxi operations; sponsor: Representative Todd Jones. Archer (Georgia-based manufacturer) attended.
- HB 171 (AI and criminal law updates) — Passed, yeas 160, nays 0. Criminalizes distribution of AI-generated obscene material depicting children and updates statutes for AI-enabled harms; sponsor: Representative Brad Thomas.
- HB 131 (self-service storage advertising rules) — Passed, yeas 166, nays 0. Modernizes advertisement requirements for storage auctions; sponsor: Representative Matt Reeves.
- HB 134 (manufactured-home sales-tax parity) — Passed, yeas 160, nays 0. Extends sales-tax refund parity to include local tax when manufactured homes are converted to real property; sponsor: Representative Campbell.
- HB 14 (state bread: cornbread) — Passed, yeas 157, nays 4. Symbolic designation; sponsor: Representative Carpenter.
- HB 233 (state stew: Brunswick stew) — Passed, yeas 152, nays 2. Symbolic designation; sponsor: Representative Townsend.
- HB 392 (tax court timing corrections) — Passed, yeas 164, nays 0. Technical timing fixes implementing last year’s move of the tax tribunal into the judicial branch; sponsor: Chairman Martin.
- HB 444 (Georgia Native Plant Month) — Passed, yeas 158, nays 3. Designates April as Native Plant Month; sponsor: Representative Deborah Silcox.
- HB 414 (election-era jurisdictional clarification for ethics) — Passed, yeas 153, nays 9. Adjusts definition of “person” to include certain nonresidents so enforcement can reach out-of-state vendors involved in Georgia elections; sponsor: Representative Todd Jones.
- HB 410 (Department of Insurance technical updates) — Passed, yeas 164, nays 0; sponsor: Representative Deloach.

Discussion vs. action

Most measures were debated briefly on the floor and moved by committee reports; votes recorded above are final passage votes as announced by the clerk. The SAFE Act (HB108) produced the most sustained floor debate and a minority report calling for formal certification requirements for vendors. Representatives supporting technical or symbolic bills emphasized procedural fixes, economic promotion and local control. Questions from members focused on implementation details (e.g., how vertiports and FAA processes will interact, how Department of Revenue will classify antique vehicles, and how fee caps will be calculated for veterans’ claims consultants).

What’s next

Bills that passed the House will proceed to the Senate where outcomes are not guaranteed. Several items (notably the SAFE Act and the veterinary loan changes) have follow-up implementation details (administrative rulemaking, certification or compliance processes) that will require agency or committee attention if the Senate approves them. Other measures (symbolic designations) take effect on enactment. The House scheduled committee meetings and follow-up work; senators will consider House-passed measures in their committee process.

Speakers quoted in this article are drawn from floor remarks during the Feb. 26 House session.