People who raise chickens in their backyards won’t have to “candle” their eggs. Restaurants that serve shrimp will have to let diners know if it is from abroad. And forest products manufacturers will get a tax break.
Those are among the effects of 10 bills that Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law this week.
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The state’s agricultural industry has been hammered by wildfires, hurricanes and trade wars. Lawmakers reacted by passing numerous bills to help farmers, timber owners and others in the industry.
“Georgia’s farming and foresting families are some of the toughest people in our state who, despite the challenges of the past several years, have persevered and continue to put food on our tables, clothes on our backs, and provide the material for structures like our very homes,” Kemp said in a statement after signing the bills at the Georgia Forestry Association’s headquarters in Forsyth Wednesday.
The association was most pleased with House Bill 134, which makes the state’s existing Jobs and Investment Tax Credits transferable for forestry manufacturers over a five-year period.
That will allow companies more flexibility when they invest their capital, which the association said would, in turn, lead to more jobs and economic returns for rural areas.
The association also highlighted House Bill 983, which clarifies when prescribed burning is exempt from notice and permit requirements for forest management. Landowners use these burns to clear vegetation that can cause big wildfires like those that have raged in South Georgia.
Senate Bill 306 amends a tax incentive program that allows owners of agricultural land, timberland, or environmentally sensitive property to reduce their property taxes if they pledge to keep their land undeveloped for a decade. The bill confirms that landowners with a Conservation Use Valuation Assessment can enroll in carbon credit programs and earn revenue on the open private market without breaching their covenant.
House Resolution 1008 revises membership rules and interagency agreements for the Regional Water Planning Councils. It ratifies amendments to Georgia’s statewide water management plan in a way that ensures representation from the state’s major water-use sectors, including forestry and agriculture, according to the state forestry association.
“From new investment in forestry manufacturing to critical protections for the landowners and land managers who do the work on the ground, this is a package built around what our industry needs to grow,” Tim Lowrimore, president and CEO of the association, said in a statement.
HR 1008 was a priority for Kemp, as was House Bill 1159, which exempts from state income tax any payments received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmer Bridge Assistance Program and Specialty Crop Farmers Program.
Kemp also signed a handful of bills for targeted industries, including those in backyards.
Senate Bill 551 deletes the egg “candling” section of Georgia law, which requires those with backyard flocks to inspect egg yolks in a dark room with a bright light.
Coastal shrimpers will appreciate House Bill 117, which requires restaurants that serve shrimp from foreign countries to notify diners with notices on menus or signs.
House Bill 1310 settles a question that has apparently lingered for hundreds of years: it designates that cotton is, indeed, the official state fabric.
