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A summary of activities important to Georgia's forestry community from Week Eight of the 2017 session of the Georgia General Assembly.
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Capitol Forestry Report | March 3, 2017
Click the image above for a brief video with President and CEO Andres Villegas on the issues important to timberland owners in week eight of the 2017 session. 

The Legislative Landscape

As this report reaches your inbox, legislators are still deliberating bills on the 28th legislative day, Crossover Day. When the gavel drops later this evening, any legislation that has not yet passed at least one chamber of the Georgia General Assembly is not permitted to be heard in the opposite chamber during the 2017 Legislative Session.  

Fortunately, we are very pleased to report that both House Resolution 51 House Bill 85 passed a vote by the full House by an extremely wide 162-2 margin this week. The strong support and engagement of the forestry community definitely played a big role in educating the House on these two very important pieces of legislation. So, thank you so much for your efforts!

While House passage is no doubt an encouraging milestone, there is still a long road ahead in the Senate before our work is done and we appreciate your continued help and engagement. Please be on the lookout for more action alerts in the next couple of weeks that make it easy to reach out to your Senator about these two bills.  

Bill Tracker

Timber Tax

Forestland Protection Act & Timberland Taxation
House Resolution 51 & House Bill 85
Sponsor: Rep. Jay Powell, R-Camilla
This constitutional amendment (HR51) and enabling legislation (HB85) would change the Forest Land Protection Act (FLPA) to address inequities in the formula used to reimburse counties for losses in tax revenue from the FLPA program, empower the Dept. of Revenue to set fair market value based on the income approach, and create new property class for timberland while conserving the CUVA and FLPA programs. Status: Both measures passed the House and now await consideration in the Senate.  

Solar Generation on CUVA Lands
House Bill 238
Sponsor: Rep. Matt Hatchett, R-Dublin
Legislation allowing portions of the Conservation Use Valuation Assessment (CUVA) and FLPA lands to be removed from covenant for solar energy production without breach of the entire covenant passed the full House Ways and Means Committee. It will now move to the House Rules Committee for consideration of a full vote by the House of Representatives. Status: Passed the House and has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee for consideration.

No Fees on Property Tax
House Bill 204  
Bills Sponsor: Rep. Brett Harrell, R-Snellville
HB 204 passed the full House Ways and Means Committee. This legislation would prohibit the fees that tax commissioners can include on property tax bills. It also highlights the disparity between the tax base in urban and rural counties. It is concerning because of its potential to encourage increases in ad valorem taxes in rural counties. Status: Passed the House and has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee for consideration.

Natural Resources 

Water Buffers Joint Study Committee
Senate Resolution 152
Sponsored by: Sen. Frank Ginn, R-Danielsville
Status: This legislation failed to progress past crossover day, thereby ceasing action on this measure for the remainder of the 2017 Legislative Session.  

Water Buffers Joint Study Committee
House Resolution 362
Sponsored by: Rep. Lynn Smith, R- Newnan
This resolution would create a 17-member joint study committee to analyze the definition of stream buffers. With many of Georgia’s 68,000 miles of streams running through our state’s 24 million acres of forests, the definition of stream buffers has an enormous impact on the forestry, private property and water quality. GFA will be very involved in this legislation and the subsequent study committee. Status: Passed the House, and now awaits consideration in the Senate.  

Permitting and Eminent Domain Restrictions on Petroleum Pipelines
Senate Bill 191
Sponsored by: Sen. Rick Jeffares, R-McDonough
This bill attempts to address the recommendations from the 2016 Joint Study Committee on Petroleum Pipelines. The language clearly requires any petroleum pipeline company to secure a permit from the Environmental Protection Division and a certificate of need from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority for use of eminent domain. It also increases the voice of affected landowners in the petitioning process during the Environmental Protection Division’s permitting process. A substitute to the bill excluded language regarding a prohibition on pipelines Georgia’s Coastal Management zone, but a last minute amendment on the Senate floor added this probation language back in. As this legislation continues to progress through the legislative process on the House side, GFA will be engaged to ensure the private property rights of forestland owners are protected. Status: Passed the Senate with an amendment, and now awaits consideration in the House.

Other Bills of Interest

Deer Hunting Season Legislation
Senate Bill 122
Sponsor: Sen. Michael Williams, R-Cumming
Status: This legislation failed to progress past crossover day, thereby ceasing action on this measure for the remainder of the 2017 Legislative Session. 

Resolution Urging Congress to Remove Eminent Domain for Gas Pipelines
House Resolution 289
Sponsor: Rep. Emory Dunahoo, R-Gainesville
Status: This legislation failed to progress past crossover day, thereby ceasing action on this measure for the remainder of the 2017 Legislative Session. 

Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Act
House Bill 332
Sponsor: Rep. Sam Watson, R- Moultrie
This legislation would mandate that 75 percent of sales and use taxes on recreation equipment be diverted into an “Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund” that will be used for the “the protection and preservation of conservation land.”  Status: Reported favorably by the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee, awaiting vote by the full house at the time of this sending. 

Trespassing and Purple Paint
Senate Bill 159
Sponsor: Sen. Lee Anderson, R-Grovetown
This legislation would amend Georgia’s trespassing laws to include purple paint marks on forested land placed at 100 foot intervals to be adequate marking for trespassing. GFA has heard from many members with concerns regarding this bill, and we are working to address those concerns. Status: Passed the Senate, and now awaits consideration by the House.

The “FAST Act” – Changes to Permitting and Licensing Rules
Senate Bill 2
Sponsor: Sen. Mike Dugan, R-Carrollton
This legislation seeks to make the permitting and licensing process more efficient for Georgia businesses. Some actions this legislation would take include capping the fees state agencies can charge for expediting license and permit applications as well as reducing the cost of these fees when there are delays in approval or denial of application decisions. While well-intentioned, GFA has heard from members of the Georgia Board of Registered Foresters, which has concerns that this legislation is cumbersome and will create unrealistic burdens on their ability to be an effective licensing board. Status: Passed the Senate, and is assigned to the House Committee on Small Business Development.

Georgia Agribusiness and Rural Jobs Act
House Bill 314
Sponsor: Rep. Jason Shaw, R-Lakeland
This legislation would create a tax credit with the goal of bringing more capital investments in businesses in rural Georgia. It seeks to address one issue for rural Georgia businesses, which is a lack of access to capital. This legislation is modeled after a similar law that the State of Pennsylvania recently enacted. Status: Passed the House, and now awaits consideration by the Senate. 

Term Limits for Professional License Boards
House Bill 55
Sponsor: Rep. Rick Williams, R-Milledgeville
Status: This legislation failed to progress past crossover day, thereby ceasing action on this measure for the remainder of the 2017 Legislative Session. 

Requirements for Land Surveys
House Bill 76 
Sponsor: Rep. Rick Jasperse, R-Jasper
This bill has passed the House and still awaits consideration in the Senate. The bill changes provisions relating to the information and certifications provided by land surveyors on certain documents and allows for electronic submission and signature of plat documents. Status: Passed the House, and has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration. 

River Trails Resolution
House Resolution 281
Sponsor: Rep. Spencer Frye, D-Athens
This is a resolution with no force of law the supports the use and enjoyment of river trails in the State of Georgia. GFA has engaged with the bill’s author, Rep. Spencer Frye, who is very supportive of private property rights for forest landowners in Georgia. Status: Favorably Reported by the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee, awaiting consideration by House Rules Committee.

Survey Requirements for Residential Property in CUVA
House Bill 373
Sponsor: David Knight, R-Griffin
Status: This legislation failed to progress past crossover day, thereby ceasing action on this measure for the remainder of the 2017 Legislative Session. 

Trump Executive Order Rolls Back WOTUS Rule

While there has been a flurry of activity in the State Capitol in Atlanta, there is some encouraging news to share coming out of Washington as well.  This week, the Trump Administration signed an executive order that initiates the process of rolling back the Obama Administration’s dangerous “Waters of the U.S.” rule that would dramatically expand federal control over smaller bodies of water. We look forward to continuing to follow this and other developments coming out of Washington in the coming weeks. 

READ MORE

Forestry Featured in Georgia Trend Magazine

The Georgia Forestry Commission, Georgia Forestry Foundation and Georgia Forestry Association were recently featured in the March issue of Georgia Trend magazine. 

The feature, written by staff writer Jennifer Hafer, focuses on the economic impact of the forestry community in Georgia, providing background on the importance of markets to economic and environmental benefits. 2013 Southeast Regional Tree Farmer of the Year and GFA Executive Committee Member Johnny Bembry and GFA Board Member Tim Lowrimore were also interviewed for the story.  

READ MORE
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