HB248: HB248 Income tax; tax credit for certain expenses incurred by taxpayers for certain geothermal machinery installations at residential dwellings; provide

Although HB 248 was originally introduced to address geothermal equipment tax credits, the Senate Finance Committee substitute rewrites the bill entirely to create a new tax credit for firearm safety spending. Under the substitute, an individual Georgia taxpayer could claim a state income tax credit equal to their eligible expenses or $300, whichever is less, for buying a firearm secure storage device (like a gun safe, trigger lock, or cable lock) or taking an in-person firearm safe handling course of at least two hours. The total credits allowed statewide in any year cannot exceed $10 million, and taxpayers must apply to the Department of Revenue for preapproval before claiming the credit, on a first-come, first-served basis. Taxpayers must keep receipts for three years. The credit cannot exceed a taxpayer's tax liability, cannot carry forward or backward, and the law would automatically expire on December 31, 2031. It would take effect January 1, 2027, for taxable years beginning on or after that date.

• Creates a new Georgia income tax credit (O.C.G.A. § 48-7-29.11A) for buying firearm secure storage devices or taking a firearm safe handling course, capped at $300 per taxpayer.
• Sets a $10 million statewide annual cap on the total amount of this tax credit that can be claimed.
• Requires taxpayers to apply to the Department of Revenue for preapproval of the credit before claiming it, processed first-come, first-served.
• Requires taxpayers to keep receipts for eligible expenses for three years and make them available to the commissioner on request.
• Bars anyone from creating a list or database of people who applied for or received the credit, except as needed to administer it.
• Automatically repeals the credit on December 31, 2031, unless renewed.

Individual Georgia taxpayers who buy gun safes, trigger locks, cable locks, or similar storage devices, or who take a qualifying firearm safety course; the Georgia Department of Revenue, which must build a preapproval and review system; and firearm safety course providers and storage device retailers.

Georgians who buy secure gun storage or take a safety class could get up to $300 back on their state taxes, but only if they apply for preapproval before the statewide $10 million cap is used up each year, meaning some applicants could be turned away once funds run out.

• Section 1 names the measure the 'Firearm Safe Handling and Secure Storage Tax Credit Act.'
• Section 2 adds new Code Section 48-7-29.11A, defining 'eligible expenses,' 'firearm,' 'firearm safe handling instructional course,' and 'firearm secure storage device.'
• Subsection (b) sets the credit at the lesser of actual eligible expenses or $300, with a $10 million aggregate annual cap.
• Subsection (c) requires taxpayers to apply to the Department of Revenue for preapproval, processed within 30 days in the order received, until the annual cap is reached.
• Subsection (d) requires taxpayers to keep receipts for three years after filing the return claiming the credit.
• Subsection (e) bars carrying the credit forward or back and caps it at the taxpayer's tax liability for that year.
• Subsection (f) prohibits creating lists of applicants or recipients except for administering the credit.
• Subsection (h) repeals the credit automatically on December 31, 2031.

1. 2026-03-31Senate Tabled (Senate)
2. 2026-03-31Senate Engrossed (Senate)
3. 2026-03-27Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
4. 2026-03-27Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
5. 2025-03-10Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
6. 2025-03-06House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
7. 2025-03-06House Third Readers (House)
8. 2025-02-26House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)

• Rick Jasperse (R, HD-011)Primary sponsor
• Trey Kelley (R, HD-016)
• Alan Powell (R, HD-033)
• Noel Williams (R, HD-148)
• Beth Camp (R, HD-135)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2025

   170 yea, 3 nay (2 not voting, 5 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #219

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2026

   33 yea, 15 nay (2 not voting, 4 absent)

   Motion To Engross: Hb 52, Hb 248, Hb 963, Hb 964, Hb 1001, Hb 1077, Hb 1116, Hb 1129, Hb 1132, Hb 1209: Senate Vote #876

3. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2026

   39 yea, 10 nay (2 not voting, 3 absent)

   Motion To Table Remaining Legislation On The Rules Calendar: Senate Vote #912

• firearm safety
• gun storage
• income tax credit
• Georgia Department of Revenue