Lawmaker seeks Freeport exemption for electrical utilities to ease ratepayer costs

A committee hearing on HB 1261 on the Georgia House floor heard from the bill’s sponsor who said the proposal would add electrical utilities to the level-1 Freeport exemption and allow local governments and utilities to negotiate the exempt percentage.

The sponsor, a lawmaker (speaker 3), told the committee the measure (LC560550) is aimed at clarifying how inventories for manufacturing and production — specifically materials stored on utility yards — are treated for taxation when moved from year to year. "What we're asking to do today…is add the language in here to allow the electrical utilities to get with their local municipalities and governments to determine the percentage of exemption on that level of inventories," the sponsor said.

Committee members had no substantive questions. Chair (speaker 1) asked for the committee's will, a motion to "do pass" was made and seconded, and the measure was approved by voice vote. The chair closed the matter and thanked the sponsor.

The committee did not record an explicit roll-call tally in the transcript; the record shows a voice vote with members answering "aye" and no named dissent recorded in the hearing transcript. The committee forwarded HB 1261 to the next legislative step.