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Friday, 01 April 2022 19:11

2022 Legislative Session: Week Twelve

There is now only one day left in the 2022 Session. Week Twelve saw movement on very important bills including legislation sponsored by Speaker David Ralston reforming mental health care in the state. That bill was passed by the Senate and Agreed to by the House. This action allowed numerous other bills that were being held by the two chambers to move forward.

There are still a number of bills left to be decided on including legislation to allow sports betting (and possibly other forms of gambling) in Georgia, Freedom to Farm legislation and more. The Senate and House are also wrangling over how large of an income tax cut to pass following a record year for state tax collections. The next few days will see long nights and lots of deals getting cut as legislators look to get these bills over the finish line.

SB 332-The Georgia Inform Consumers Act Passes by Overwhelming Margin
The Georgia Retailers' top priority during the 2022 Session, the Georgia Inform Consumers Act, was passed by the House on Monday of this week by a vote of 155-4. The Senate followed that action by agreeing to the House version on Wednesday.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. John Albers of Roswell, will require online marketplaces to collect certain basic information from third-party sellers of new, unused items who make at least $5,000 in sales. SB 332 also requires third party sellers with $20,000 or more in annual sales to provide a phone number, email or other form of direct contact between the buyer and seller. 

The legislation will give consumers access to more information about the third-party sellers they are buying from. Many third party sellers take advantage of the anonymity currently offered by online platforms hiding behind trusted brands like Amazon and ebay to sell stolen merchandise to unknowing consumers. In addition, the new law gives law enforcement another tool to track and fight organized retail crime. 

The GA Retailers would like to thank the members who came to the Capitol to help lobby the bill and speak in favor of it during committee hearings. We also need to thank the members of the Senate and House who supported the legislation. Members can see how legislators from their district voted on the bill by clicking on the Votes section at the bottom of this page.

Legislative Schedule
The General Assembly has now completed 39 Legislative Days of the 40 Day Session.
Next week’s schedule is as follows:

  • Saturday (4/2) – Committee Day
  • Sunday (4/3) – Committee Day
  • Monday (4/4) – Legislative Day 40/Sine Die!

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