New Controversial Laws in Georgia and Atlanta
2021 Georgia Laws
HB 888
Unexplained and unexpected bills from an insurer, also known as “surprise billing,” can be devastatingly expensive for patients. Surprise billing often happens when a person either accidently uses or is forced to use an out-of-network health care provider. HB 888 is intended to curtail the practice and reduce the penalties for people who need to use a healthcare provide outside of their network.
HB 983
One of the newest controversial laws has to do with information reporting requirements for sexual offenders if they move into a residential health care facility, hospice care or a nursing home. HB 983 loosens the annual registration requirements with approval of the local county’s sheriff on an offender-by-offender basis.
HB 838
The non-controversial part of this bill is changing the name of Office of Public Safety Officer Support to the Office of Public Safety Support. The more controversial aspect of the bill is making it a bias-motivated crime (hate crime) to intimidate, harass or terrorize law enforcement officers for being law enforcement officers.
HB 1039
Have you ever had trouble cancelling a membership or subscription? Continuing to get billed for a service you’ve tried to cancel can be frustrating, and this new law is intended to add new consumer protections for contracts with lengthy automatic renewal provisions.
SB 28
It’s now illegal, in certain situations, for insurers to charge copayment, coinsurance or office visit fees that exceed what a physician, physical therapist, occupational therapist or chiropractor would normally charge for the same visit. Yes – there were actually cases were patients paid more in copayment or coinsurance fees than they would have had they not been insured.
SB 288
Another law that rubs some people the wrong way is the restriction of criminal history and arrest information if the offender meets specific conditions since their conviction. On the whole this law is good for people who have gotten their life back on track, but some employers still want to know about an applicant’s criminal history, even if it’s long in the past and they’ve paid for their mistakes.
SB 310
Licensing reform is a hot button issue these days. When people think of licensing reform, certifications for professional plumbers or hairdressers often come to mind, but this law pertains specifically to boxing, wrestling and martial arts associations and federations. SB 310 requires specific types of continuing education, defines unlawful practices and has made a formal process for the issuance of certification for professionals in this industry.
SB 358
Does Georgia need an official state grape? That’s not just a rhetorical question anymore, because now we have one – muscadine grape… Thanks SB 358…
SB 443
Wage garnishment is undeniably controversial. How society feels about wage garnishment depends largely on why wages are being garnished. People generally approve of garnishing wages on things like back child support, but less so on something like student loans. SB 443 limits how much disposable income can be garnished for people who are behind on educational and student loan payments.
2020 Georgia Laws
SB65 – Title Ad Valorem Tax: Used Cars and Tax Rate
This law, that went into effect on January 1, 2020, lowers the tax rate on new vehicles from 7 percent to 6.6 percent while essentially raising the tax on used vehicles.
Before the law, the sale tax on used vehicle was calculated based on the book value. After the law went into effect in 2020, all sales tax for used vehicles is based on the actual retail sales price. That means if you pay less than book value for a used car, you’ll end up paying less, but if you pay more than the book value, you’ll be taxed more than you would have in 2019.
The law is set to expire in June 2023.
HB 63
Insurance companies often require people who are injured, sick or afflicted by some type of condition or disease to undergo “step therapy” before doctors could prescribe the more expensive treatment they would like to recommend. Essentially, doctors had to exhaust every less expensive, and potentially less effective alternative before they could prescribe medications or treatments that would be ideal for the patient.
This law enables Georgia doctors to apply for an exemption from the step therapy process.
HB 166
The world has been inundated with new technologies over the past decade. One of those has been genetic counseling and treatment plans customized for people based on their genetic tests. For example, if a genetic counselor identifies you have the genes for a particular genetic disorder, they can prescribe preventative measures or advise on diagnostic testing to see if those conditions have or are likely to manifest.
The problem with these types of new technologies and treatment methods is lack of regulation. HB 166 requires people offering genetic counseling services to become licensed with the state and undergo continuing education in the field. Georgia was the 28th state to pass this type of legislation.
HB 478
One of the particularly controversial laws that went into effect in 2020 was a change to Georgia’s child abuse registry. Prior to the law, abusers as young as 13 could be listed. Since the law went into effect only adults, 18 and older, could be listed on the child abuser registry in Georgia.
HB 266
Parents who invest in 529 college savings plans for their children got some good news in 2020. The state’s tax deduction for 529 Plan investments jumped from $2,000 per child to $4,000 per child, or $4,000 to $8,000 for couples filing jointly.
HB 239
One of the big changes in the justice side of the law was the creation of a Georgia business court that is now specifically tasked with handing various copyright or contract disputes.
HB 314
The purchase and sale of boats is different from cars in that cars have titles to prove ownership and act as proof that the car is actually a person’s asset (and potentially making it a target of liens or liquidation for bankruptcy or to pay for damages in personal injury lawsuits).
Boats in Georgia never had titles until 2020. HB 314 now requires boats and watercraft have titles, ostensibly to deter boat theft but also to make it easier to transfer ownership legally and to obtain financing for boat purchases.
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