Committee clears bill to bar sale of taxpayer phone numbers from property tax records
Loading...
Summary
House Bill 874, described as the Georgia Taxpayers Privacy Protection Act, was passed by the Ways & Means Committee; the bill would prohibit disclosure of taxpayer telephone numbers when property tax records are shared or sold to third parties and impose civil penalties for violations.
The committee passed House Bill 874, known in the hearing as the Georgia Taxpayers Privacy Protection Act, which would prohibit the disclosure of taxpayers’ telephone numbers when property tax records are sold, transferred or shared with third parties. The sponsor said the measure is intended to protect personal contact information from being publicly exposed or misused while preserving government agencies’ internal use of the data for tax administration.
Chairman Hilton asked whether the bill’s intent included reducing spam calls; the sponsor said that reducing fraudulent and nuisance calls was an intended effect but emphasized the bill’s main purpose is privacy protection. The sponsor described potential civil penalties for anyone who improperly discloses a taxpayer’s phone number in violation of the proposed law.
The committee recorded a motion and second and passed the bill by voice vote; the transcript records the chair announcing 'Bill passes.' The transcription does not show a roll-call tally or any formal recorded opposition.
Provenance: Presentation and Q&A on HB874, followed by voice vote and chair announcement that the bill passed.
