Committee adopts technical fixes and backs doubling cap on historic rehabilitation tax credits

Representative Hilton presented House Bill 376 to the committee as a vehicle to revive Georgia's historic rehabilitation tax credit program, which is effectively paused because the program cap has been reached. "This aims to address some of the historic treasures that we really have all over the state," he said, urging the committee to reinvigorate investment in historic downtowns and rural communities.

The bill seeks to double the program cap from $30,000,000 to $60,000,000 and to adjust credit percentages to favor certain rural rehabilitations (the sponsor described keeping 25% for credits issued prior to this year, increasing to 30% for some rural structures and lowering to 20% in denser areas for new awards). Wright Mitchell, president and CEO of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, told the committee the program "is effectively dead" without the cap increase and argued the credit yields significant economic activity for each dollar invested.

Senators asked about distributional fairness, noting a first‑come, first‑served system can allow a single large developer to consume available credits. The sponsor replied the bill includes per‑project caps and thresholds tied to job creation or payroll that limit very large claims and favor smaller projects more typical in many communities.

The Department of Revenue asked for two administrative cleanups to clarify how credits would be treated across tax years and to change imprecise language: the department requested replacing "issued" with "approved" for credits and reconciling several dates so the effective tax year is clear. The committee accepted an omnibus "Johns Creek" amendment that made the requested wording and date changes.

After the amendment was adopted, a motion to pass the bill as amended carried by voice vote. The committee staff noted further packet materials listing past claim examples were available for members who wanted project‑level context.