Bizarre bills obscure Legislature’s quest to address unaffordability

It is easy for some Georgians to look at the General Assembly and wonder, what on Earth is going on under the Gold Dome? While legislators engage in meaningful work, it is often overshadowed. After all, media outlets love covering more outlandish pieces of legislation. It’s fun for pundits to cover them, and there are plenty of examples of wacky initiatives.

Rep. David Clark, R-Buford, filed legislation urging locals to consider changing Sawnee Mountain’s name to Trump Mountain. “The mountain is named for a local Cherokee leader named Sawnee who was forcibly moved to Oklahoma in the Trail of Tears,” reports WSB-TV. “He was known to work with early settlers of Forsyth County to build their homes.” In short, erasing Sawnee’s name seems misguided.

Meanwhile, Rep. Eric Bell, D-Jonesboro, introduced a bill to make lemon pepper Georgia’s official state chicken wing flavor. This may not get you shaking with rage, but I need to put my foot down. Lemon pepper isn’t that great. While the original dry lemon pepper flavor wasn’t even invented on this side of the Mississippi, the wet lemon pepper sauce does have Georgia connections. It has deep roots to one of Atlanta’s strip clubs—perhaps not something Georgians should publicize.

These bills—among others—have received ample attention and could loom large over this legislative session. However, a number of lawmakers are working on serious endeavors, and as session progresses, legislative priorities are coming to light—with a keen focus on dollars and cents. In an effort to save taxpayers some money and make housing more affordable, House Republicans unveiled a stepped plan to gradually phase out and eliminate homestead property taxes by 2032.

While Rep. Shaw Blackmon, R-Bonaire, is the bill’s primary sponsor, he enjoys powerful backing from Speaker Jon Burns. At a press conference on the homestead property tax elimination, he announced, “This historic tax relief would be delivering on our commitment to making life more affordable for our neighbors across this entire state of Georgia, starting where it matters most—at home.”

Within his budget, Gov. Brian Kemp is also pushing for additional tax relief. “My budget proposal will include a fourth, one-time, 1-billion-dollar tax rebate this year that will return or save the average filer 250 dollars and a married couple up to 500 dollars. With this rebate, my administration and this General Assembly will have returned over 7.5 billion dollars in surplus revenue to the taxpayers of our state over the last four years!” he explained at the State of the State address.

This comes on top of a years-long effort to gradually reduce the income tax to 4.99 percent, although the Senate is pushing for the complete elimination of the income tax. While that sounds nice in theory, the proposal faces strong political headwinds and policy challenges. Income taxes account for around half of the state’s revenues, which would be difficult to replace without making drastic changes.

With some of these proposals making their way through the legislative process, Rep. Todd Jones, R-Cumming, is looking to deliver a different kind of relief. If passed, his Voluntary Portable Benefits Act could help independent contractors afford benefits, like health, dental and vision insurance and retirement. This is long overdue—especially considering that over 1 million Georgians are involved in some form of self-employment and around 1.2 million Georgians are uninsured—and would help align Georgia’s code with the modern economy that relies heavily on gig work.

“Independent workers deserve flexibility, choice and access to benefits that fit the way they work,” Jones said in a press release. “The Voluntary Portable Benefit Plan Act would empower contractors to voluntarily build portable benefits without threatening their independence, while ensuring transparency, consent and the ability to opt in or out at any time. This legislation strikes the right balance between innovation, worker freedom and responsible safeguards as our workforce continues to evolve.” If passed, Georgia would join the ranks of Utah, Tennessee and Alabama that provide a wholly voluntary path toward benefits for independent contractors.

“Independent workers deserve flexibility, choice and access to benefits that fit the way they work,” Jones said in a press release. “The Voluntary Portable Benefit Plan Act would empower contractors to voluntarily build portable benefits without threatening their independence, while ensuring transparency, consent and the ability to opt in or out at any time. This legislation strikes the right balance between innovation, worker freedom and responsible safeguards as our workforce continues to evolve.” If passed, Georgia would join the ranks of Utah, Tennessee and Alabama that provide a wholly voluntary path toward benefits for independent contractors.