Georgia’s 2020 legislative session is in full swing and we want to keep you in the know on CRBI’s legislative priorities. You can keep up with the following bills as well as new legislation being introduced by following along with the bill tracker.
HB 545: Attack On Rural Property Rights
Position: Strongly OPPOSE
If the lot next to your property was bought up with plans to be turned into a large scale, industrial chicken farm, would you want some say in the future of your property value?
House Bill 545 is trying to strip farmers and other rural property owners of that right by rewriting the longstanding Right to Farm Act in a manner that reduces the rights of small farms and other rural landowners.
You can contact your Senator today and ask them to vote no on HB 545
HR 164: Trust Fund Honesty
Position: SUPPORT
When you purchase new tires for your car or pay to dispose of old tires, you have to pay a fee. That fee is meant to be used to clean up hazardous waste sites, eliminate illegal tire dumps, and support clean community projects.
However, about 40% of the funds collected have been used to fund other parts of the state budget.
We believe funds that are meant to be allocated a certain way should do just that. If you agree, contact your State Senator and ask them to vote yes on HR 164.
SB 123: Don’t Let Georgia Become A Coal Ash Dumping Ground
Position: SUPPORT
As it currently stands in Georgia, the price to dump a ton of household trash is $2.50 while the cost to dump a ton of coal ash waste is only $1. This cheaper rate creates an economic incentive for energy companies in other states to send their coal ash to Georgia’s municipal landfills, making Georgia the coal ash dumping ground of the Southeast.
SB 123 aims to level the playing field by increasing the rate to dump coal ash to equal the rate to dump household trash.
Email your Senator and ask them to vote yes on SB 123.
HB 756 & SB 297: The Safe Storage Of Coal Ash
Position: SUPPORT
HB 756 and SB 297 would require coal ash to be disposed of in landfills with lined bottoms and collection systems that would keep waste water from seeping into groundwater.
The same disposal criteria are currently in place for household waste in landfills (such as banana peels), so why shouldn’t it be the same for waste that is known to contain heavy metals and carcinogens?
If you believe the criteria for the disposal of coal ash should be just as stringent as the disposal of banana peels, email your State Representatives and State Senators and ask them to vote yes on HB 756 and SB 297.