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Committee backs constitutional amendment to create dedicated Georgia 9‑1‑1 fund

Public Safety and Homeland Security · February 11, 2026

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Summary

The Public Safety and Homeland Security committee approved House Resolution 1243, which would amend the state constitution to create a dedicated, non‑lapsing Georgia 9‑1‑1 fund to pay for expansion, maintenance and transition to next‑generation 9‑1‑1 systems; sponsors said it would not raise the current fee and would be followed by a working group to set distribution rules.

House Resolution 1243, presented to the Public Safety and Homeland Security committee, would add a constitutional provision authorizing a dedicated, non‑lapsing Georgia 9‑1‑1 fund to finance statewide expansion, maintenance and the transition to next‑generation 9‑1‑1 services.

Representative Chuck Martin, the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure "authorizes the creation of a dedicated non‑lapsing Georgia 9‑1‑1 fund" and stressed that the proposal is intended to be "funding in a lockbox." Martin said the resolution does not increase the 9‑1‑1 fee charged to Georgians; instead it would allow revenue currently collected on phone bills to be pooled and allocated by general law so centers statewide can be supported regardless of where a device is billed.

The resolution would limit the fund’s use to 9‑1‑1 system expansion, maintenance and operation, including the transition to next‑generation 9‑1‑1, and would render any improper appropriation void. Martin said a working group composed of 9‑1‑1 center operators and stakeholders would later recommend distribution formulas based on call volume and staffing so no center is left without a runway to transition.

Committee members asked no substantive questions about the measure. The committee moved to pass the resolution and approved it by voice vote.

The committee’s favorable recommendation sends the resolution forward for further consideration; sponsors said enabling legislation to allocate revenue and set distribution rules would follow and that passing the constitutional amendment at the ballot box would not immediately change fees or transfers until statutory implementation occurs.