Which Macon bills made it past the legislature’s first big hurdle?

The deadline for legislation to pass one chamber of the General Assembly, otherwise known as Crossover Day, was Friday, leaving behind a handful of Macon-made proposals.

Lawmakers were in the capitol until early Saturday morning hashing out bills concerning everything from property tax reform to campaign finance law.

Bills have until April 2 to pass the other house in order to be sent to the governor and ratified. 

Several proposals sponsored by Macon lawmakers did not pass in either chamber Friday, including the property tax exemption for seniors and updated salary schedule for educators.

Representative Anissa Jones, D-Macon, told The Melody earlier this session she wanted to work on historic tax credits, which are made available to builders rehabilitating recognized historic places. 

The House passed Bill 376 on March 4, doubling the amount of credits available. Currently, the state’s $30 million worth of historic tax credits have been fully claimed through 2029.

Macon has three projects contingent on historic tax credits to move forward, Jones said, including a plot on First and Oglethorpe Street and the old Bibb Theatre. 

Jones also submitted a bill to reabsorb unused historic tax credits back into the state’s fund, but that proposal never reached the House floor.

“Preferrably as time goes by we can get that historic credit where it doesn’t have a cap on it at all,” she added.

A bill exempting tiny homes from local zoning laws also passed the House, backed by Jones as well as Reps. Dale Washburn, R-Macon, and Tangie Herring, D-Macon.

Jones and Herring had noted they wanted to address affordable housing. 

Herring’s bill to provide students with I.D. cards with the phone number of a mental health crisis hotline passed the House, while her bill to require the state to update the minimum salary schedule for educators every year never made it to committee.

Washburn’s proposal to sunset school zone speeding cameras remains on the table after the General Assembly adjourned without a decision last year. Because the General Assembly runs a two-year cycle, bills from last year’s session can be revisited without restarting the process.

Washburn’s senior tax exemption and two of his bills related to property taxes were unable to crossover. However, a bill to mandate a homestead exemption — which both Macon-Bibb County and the Bibb County School District opted out of — made it out of the Senate in February.

Washburn had previously told The Melody local governments and school districts shouldn’t have had the opportunity to opt-out in the first place.

After considering a slew of property tax reforms all session, the House ultimately passed a limit on property tax increases to 3% or the rate of inflation.

Representative Miriam Paris, D-Macon, voted against the measure and said after speaking with several appraisers that she believes smaller cities won’t be able to sustain a higher sales tax in place of those losses in property taxes.

Paris’ bill to provide a homestead exemption to public employees making below a certain figure failed to make it out of committee.

Her bill requiring financial literacy classes for fourth and fifth graders merged with another proposal to implement classes in Georgia high schools. 

House Bill 1114, which has been revised to add financial literacy standards for all grades, passed the House on Crossover Day behind the support of Paris and other House education committee members. 

“It was a big win,” Paris said. “I was elated we were able to get it across the line before crossover day ended.”

Senator David Lucas, D-Macon, focused on addressing the needs of the Macon Water Authority this year along with giving Mayor Lester Miller and Bibb County’s commissioners a third term. 

Because the mayor’s term bill and his water authority bill are only locally applicable, Lucas said he isn’t worried about them not crossing over before the deadline.

Lucas said he’s waiting for the Macon Water Authority to send a resolution in order to file a bill allowing them to enact a Municipal Option Sales Tax.

He said he plans on meeting with the Macon delegation to discuss moving forward with these local bills.

Reps. Herring and Washburn did not immediately respond to requests for comment. This story may be updated with further information.