ACCG's 2024 Final Legislative Report
County officials may now access the 2024 ACCG Final Legislative Report by clicking here. This report is designed to serve as a guide to legislation from the 2024 session of the Georgia General Assembly and includes brief summaries, effective dates, and the county impact(s) of each bill and resolution. A recording of the Final Virtual Legislative Update hosted on May 10, 2024, can be viewed here.
ACCG Launches Mental Health and Substance Abuse Committee Webpage
The ACCG Standing Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse was established in 2023 by ACCG Immediate Past President and Baldwin County Commissioner Henry Craig. He appointed Forsyth County Commissioner Cindy Mills to serve as chair of the committee and tasked its members with generating a list of best practices that counties can adopt to improve the mental health services in their communities.
The Mental Health and Substance Abuse Committee, with support from the ACCG staff, collaborated to produce a dedicated webpage containing the list of best practices. The webpage also includes a brief overview of recent mental health legislative efforts; federal, state, and community resources; and examples of how counties have implemented impactful policies and practices to address the mental health crisis in their communities. To visit the website, click here.
ACCG Honors 2024 Legislative Advocates of the Year
During the Association's annual conference in Chatham County, ACCG honored Lumpkin County Chairman Chris Dockery and Henry County Chairwoman Carlotta Harrell as the 2024 Legislative Advocates of the Year. Both Dockery and Harrell are ACCG Policy Council members and were actively and extensively engaged on legislative issues such as housing, service delivery, and others on behalf of counties during the 2023-2024 session. Dockery and Harrell are to be commended and congratulated for making a significant impact in formulating sound public policy for the citizens of Georgia.
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Left to right: Henry County Chairwoman Carlotta Harrell, ACCG Director of Governmental Affairs Clint Mueller, and Lumpkin County Chairman Chris Dockery. |
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ACCG Announces 2024 Legislative Service Award Recipients
ACCG is happy to announce the recipients of its 2024 Legislative Service Award program for their hard work and dedication in working with the Association on behalf of Georgia counties during the 2024 legislative session. Each of these distinguished legislators played a key role in the passage of ACCG Policy Agenda items and other supported legislation. A full write up of these award recipients and legislation can be found here.
ACCG Governmental Affairs Team Presents 2024 Legislative Service Awards
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ACCG presented Sen. Frank Ginn with a 2024 Legislative Service Award at the recent Jackson County Board of Commissioners meeting on May 6. Ginn co-chaired the 2023 Joint Study Committee on Service Delivery Strategy (SDS) and co-sponsored House Bill 1407 during the 2024 legislative session, making several procedural enhancements to aid cities and counties in SDS negotiations. Sen. Ginn also introduced Senate Bill 403, to remove the tax estimate from the assessment notice. Both these issues were 2024 ACCG Policy Agenda items.
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Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick was recognized during the May 14 Cobb County Board of Commissioners’ meeting. Kirkpatrick sponsored Senate Bill 19 and worked diligently over the past two legislative sessions to get it passed. This legislation requires clerks of Superior Court and probate judges to disclose, quarterly, the amount of fees they receive processing U.S. passport applications to the county governing authority.
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Rep. John LaHood was also presented with a 2024 Legislative Service Award on May 14. ACCG Deputy Director of Governmental Affairs Todd Edwards recognized Rep. LaHood during the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners meeting. LaHood co-chaired the 2023 Joint Study Committee on Service Delivery Strategy (SDS) and sponsored House Bill 1407 during the 2024 legislative session, making several procedural enhancements to aid cities and counties in SDS negotiations. This was a 2024 ACCG Policy Agenda item. LaHood also worked closely with ACCG on several key bills in the House Governmental Affairs Committee, on which he serves as chairman.
ACCG Policy Committee Leadership Selected for 2024-2025
ACCG President and Toombs County Chairman David Sikes recently selected the chairs and vice chairs of ACCG’s seven standing Policy Committees, which comprise part of the Policy Council membership. The backbone of ACCG’s policy development process, these committees will meet twice in August this year to make recommendations for the Association’s 2025 Policy Agenda. Click here to view the leadership appointments.
2025 ACCG Salary Guide Update
Each year, ACCG produces a Salary Guide for County Officials which assists with the calculation of salaries for certain county officials, as well as state officials who receive supplements to their salaries from counties. The 2025 Guide, which applies to salary calculations as of January 1, 2025, is in process and is scheduled for release by late June. For the new budget year, the state awarded a 4% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for state employees but capped that COLA at $3,000 (a cap which would apply to state employees making $75,000 or more). Many county officials (county commissioners, constitutional officers, magistrate judges, and most coroners) generally are entitled to the same COLAs as received by state employees. ACCG will be working to determine how this year’s COLA should apply to those county officials, in consultation with the Constitutional Officers Association of Georgia as well as the Magistrate Judges Council. Additional updates are forthcoming.
ACCG Policy Committee Issues Survey
Your Input is Needed!
As one session of the Georgia General Assembly ends, preparation for the next begins. ACCG would like to gauge what issues your county is facing that need state or federal assistance, a change to state or federal law, or a modification to state or federal agency rules and regulations. To capture the policy issues affecting your county, we ask that you take the brief survey found here.
Save the Date: Summer Policy Committee Meetings
Registration for the summer Policy Committee Meetings will open soon. ACCG's seven standing Policy Committees will meet this summer to discuss key issues and to recommend policy objectives for the 2025 ACCG Policy Agenda. The issues will guide the Association's efforts before the Georgia General Assembly, Congress, and federal and state agencies. Click here for more information.
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Save the Date: Next Generation 911 Webinar
A well-functioning 911 system is a critical piece of helping to ensure the public safety of all Georgians. ACCG is partnering with the Georgia Emergency Communication Authority, the statewide regulatory agency for 911 systems, to host a webinar on the need for Next Generation 911, also known as NextGen 911, and how the state and counties can work together to implement this new system. The webinar will take place on Tuesday, June 18 at 10:00 AM. Click here to register.
Georgia Department of Natural Resources Grant Workshops
In-Person - Thursday, June 6, 2024, 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Webinar - Wednesday, June 12, 2024, 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
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SS4A Application Deadline is Thursday, May 16
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) application deadline is this Thursday, May 16 at 5:00 p.m. This is the sole application deadline for Implementation Grant applications for the FY24 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), and the second application deadline for Planning and Demonstration Grant applications which will close on Thursday, August 29 at 5:00 p.m.
Late applications will not be accepted. Applications must be submitted through Valid Eval. Details on the application process can be found on the How to Apply page of the SS4A website. Review the NOFO amendment for the latest updates on the SS4A FY24 funding opportunity.
U.S. Department of Labor Revises Overtime Regulations
The U.S. Department of Labor has announced revisions to overtime regulations under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). FLSA states that salaried employees performing executive, administrative, or professional duties are exempt from overtime payment requirements, provided such employees earn more than a specified amount. Effective July 1, 2024, that salary threshold will increase from $35,568 per year to $43,888 per year; that threshold will again increase to $58,656 per year on January 1, 2025 – meaning that employees earning less than those amounts will be eligible for overtime payments. More information about this rule change can be found here.
USDOT Now Accepting SMART Grant Applications
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is currently accepting Stage 1 applications for its Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program. During Stage 1, the SMART program will fund technology demonstrations and prototypes that solve real-world transportation problems and build data and technology capacity for local governments. Stage 1 grant recipients will be eligible to expand their projects during Stage 2 later this year. Applications must be submitted through Valid Eval by Friday, July 12 at 5:00 PM ET.
Learn more about the application process by attending a "How to Apply" webinar on Tuesday, May 28. Click here to register.
EPA 2024 Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently accepting applications for the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program. The EPA anticipates awarding up to $932 million in competitive grant funding to replace existing non-zero-emission Class 6 and 7 heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission Class 6 and 7 heavy-duty vehicles. All application packages must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov by Wednesday, July 25, 2024. More details on the Clean Heavy Duty Vehicles Program can be found here.
2024 NACo Annual Conference - Register Now
The 2024 NACo Annual Conference & Exposition will take place this year in Hillsborough County, Florida from July 12-15. Attend this conference to ensure all Georgia county voices are considered in NACo’s policy development process. Added benefits include educational sessions and workshops on trending federal policy issues, a plethora of opportunities to connect with county officials from across the nation, and time dedicated to the exchanging of ideas which contribute to the overall success of America’s 3,069 counties. Click here to register.
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Questions? Email the
ACCG Legislative team:
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Review the ACCG 2024 Final Legislative Report |
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ACCG is YOUR county association. We are here to advance all 159 Georgia county governments. Please feel free to contact a member of the Governmental Affairs Team if they can assist in any way.
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