Rep. Davis proposes $7,000 member allowance, centralized CRM in bid to modernize constituent services

Rep. Viola Davis introduced House Bill 1068 on behalf of the Georgia House, saying the measure would create a $7,000 annual operational allowance and a $1,000 delegation option to fund constituent‑services work and a centralized customer‑relations management (CRM) system.

"This legislation addresses a structural inequity in the current constituent services framework under which members must expend personal funds before seeking reimbursement," Davis said in committee. She told members the bill includes mandatory public reporting and ethics‑commission audits to ensure accountability and stressed the measure "does not alter salaries."

Davis said the House could adopt a CRM already in use in the Senate, a program she identified as "Fireside," which she said tracks constituent contacts by category and would let members demonstrate the work they have done for constituents. "If we had that program available for the House, hopefully, we could end up decreasing the overall cost because more people would be using it," she said.

Committee members pressed for details about how the Senate finances its system and whether the House provision would create a gratuity or ethics problem. A member asked whether the Senate had already added the idea to its budget; Davis replied she had not been informed the House bill had been added in the Senate.

On oversight, Davis said spending would be disclosed in the same manner as existing campaign disclosures and that the bill builds ethics and reporting safeguards into the program. "The constitutional analysis says a payment does not violate the gratuity clause if it serves a public purpose, the state receives adequate consideration, and accountability safeguards exist," she told the committee.

Several members described heavy administrative burdens in their offices and voiced support. One member said she lost $2,500 of personal funds this year performing constituent work; another said many incoming emails are duplicates that consume staff time. Supporters argued the allowance and a CRM would free time for substantive constituent work and help smaller offices keep up.

The chair concluded the hearing without taking a vote and said committee members would review the submitted materials and videos before deciding whether to move the bill forward.