Several Laws passed by the Georgia General Assembly now in effect

July 1^st was the start of Fiscal Year 2023 and was also the day when most new laws passed by the Georgia General Assembly went into effect.

However, this year, many of the measures either became law as soon as Republican Governor Brian Kemp signed them, while a few of the General Assembly’s still won’t take effect until January. But there are some notable changes that started last Friday, including a raft of school legislation, and higher lawmaker pensions.

Georgians are already living in a state where state motor fuel taxes are suspended under House Bill 304, and where many households have pocketed $250 or $500 from a $1.1 billion one-time state income tax refund under House Bill 1302.

Permits are no longer required to carry concealed handguns in public under Senate Bill 319, and parents can opt students out of school mask mandates through mid-2027 under Senate Bill 514.

One bill that won’t go into effect until January 2023, House Bill 1013 which provides an overhaul of mental health, and portions of that bill won’t go into effect until even later.

Senate Bill 226, requiring school districts to respond to challenges of materials that parents consider obscene doesn’t fully begin until January 1, giving districts time to develop policies.

House Bill 1084, went into effect this past Friday, bans the teaching of certain racial concepts that Republicans say are divisive.

House Bill 1178 also started on Friday, puts into one law a number of parental rights that already exist. It says parents have the right to review all classroom materials, to access their child’s records, to opt their child out of all sex education, and to prevent the creation of photos, videos and voice recordings of their children except for security purposes.

House Bill 1283 requires daily recess for all public-school children in grades K-5.

Senate Bill 345 prevents state agencies and local governments from requiring COVID-19 vaccines, mostly by banning them from requiring proof that anyone has been vaccinated to receive government services. The law excludes government-owned health facilities and doesn’t effect private business.

House Bill 1150 enhances protections for farmers against nuisance lawsuits by neighbors over problems such as odors, giving them protection from most suits after two years of operation.

House Bill 824 increases lawmaker pensions by about 40 percent.

And House Bill 1 bars public universities and technical colleges from setting areas of campus as free speech zones, instead allowing speech in all generally accessible areas. Administrators could still regulate the time, place and manner of speech.

To review the full list of new laws visit gov.georgia.gov.