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Georgia House passes disaster-relief tax package for farmers hit by Hurricane Helene
Summary
The Georgia House passed House Bill 223 on Feb. 18, a three-part state tax package intended to help farmers and timber owners recover from Hurricane Helene by exempting disaster-relief payments from state income tax, creating a replanting-conditioned timber-loss tax credit, and exempting sales tax on building materials for livestock buildings.
The Georgia House on Feb. 18 passed House Bill 223, a three-part package to provide state-level relief to farmers and timber owners after damage from Hurricane Helene.
Representative Will Burchette presented the bill, describing it as modeled on relief enacted after Hurricane Michael in 2018. "What the bill seeks to do is essentially what we did in Hurricane Michael," Burchette said. He outlined three primary components: exempt disaster-relief payments, including crop-insurance proceeds, from state income tax; provide a tax credit to timber owners for losses if they replant; and exempt sales tax on building materials used to rebuild livestock or poultry housing.
Members questioned the measure on several points during floor discussion. Representative Derek Jackson asked whether the bill was needed because a FEMA request had been declined; Burchette said he could not attribute the need solely to that reason but emphasized the state's role in assisting recovery. Representative Jasmine Clark asked whether the bill would aid non-agricultural Georgians affected by the storm; Burchette said the package focused on agriculture and timber but noted additional measures were being discussed to help other residents.
Burchette and other speakers stressed the scale of agricultural damage discussed in the chamber. The sponsor cited an estimated $5.6 billion in agricultural losses from the Florida line to the South Carolina line and said the bill includes roughly $200 million in aggregate tax-credit authority (as described on the floor) to help recovery efforts. Chairman Hatchett recounted the storm's destruction in his district and urged members to support the measure.
After debate, the House adopted the committee substitute and passed House Bill 223 by a recorded vote of 173 yeas and 0 nays. The bill's provisions are directed at agricultural producers and timber owners; sponsors said additional state and federal resources would still be needed for full recovery.
