Here are some new Georgia laws taking effect in July

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A host of new Georgia laws will take effect on July 1.

Here are some of the most interesting and notable.

SB 244: Establishes a system for compensating individuals who were wrongfully convicted and incarcerated in the state. It also includes provisions allowing defendants to recover attorney’s fees and costs if they are successful in disqualifying a prosecuting attorney for misconduct. The bill, originally inspired by the Georgia election interference case involving Donald Trump, was later amended to include the Wrongful Conviction Compensation Act.

HB 175: Provides for a more comprehensive background check for early care and education programs and Head Start programs, which include fingerprint check and a search of child abuse and sex offender registries.

HB 208: Disabled veterans can now apply for two additional free license plates, while other Georgia motorists can purchase special license plates honoring the Shepherd Center; the Georgia Veterans Service Foundation; Southern University; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority; Alabama State University; the state parks and historic sites division of the Department of Natural Resources; and a plate promoting conservation and enhancement of black bass populations.

HB 131: Owners of self-storage service facilities who wanted to place a lien on a unit’s properties were required to their intention once a week for two straight weeks in their respective county’s legal publication. As of July 1, they only have to do so once.

HB 85: Changes the salary provisions of superior court judges in Georgia.

SB 79: The Fentanyl Eradication and Removal Act raises the jail sentencing and fines for anyone convicted of fentanyl trafficking in Georgia.

HB 371: In their seemingly never-ending efforts to improve Georgia’s nationally low public education statistics, lawmakers increased the state’s annual capital outlay for the decades-old Quality Basic Education Act from $300 million to $375 million.

SB 241: New standards and definitions have been established for funeral directors to classify organic human reduction as a means of disposing of deceased human bodies. Organic human reduction is a process that transforms human remains into soil through aerobic decomposition.

SB 55: The Dignity and Pay Act prohibits any employer to pay a person with a disability less than the federal minimum wage.

SB 123: The Compulsory Attendance Act prohibits students from being expelled from school solely because of absenteeism. The bill’s sponsors also said it provides more localized approaches to reviewing chronic absenteeism cases and requires local school boards to adopt policies to help students who are chronically absent.

Georgia’s income tax rate incrementally to 4.99 percent through January 2026.

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