HB578: HB578 Public utilities; $1.50 increase in monthly 9-1-1 charge assessed by local governments; provide

Georgia law lets local governments bill telephone subscribers a monthly fee to fund 9-1-1 emergency call systems, and lets counties and cities impose a similar charge on prepaid wireless purchases. House Bill 578 amends the section of state law governing these charges (O.C.G.A. § 46-5-134 and § 46-5-134.2) to raise each of these charges by $1.50 per month or per transaction. Under the bill, the monthly 9-1-1 charge billed to telephone subscribers and the monthly wireless enhanced 9-1-1 charge billed to wireless subscribers would each move to $3.00. The prepaid wireless 9-1-1 charge that counties and municipalities may impose on retail transactions would also rise to $3.00. The bill keeps existing exemptions, such as the exemption for telephone service billed to federal, state, or local governments, and existing collection and remittance rules for service suppliers. The changes are tied to a July 1, 2025 date referenced in the text, and the bill repeals any conflicting laws.

• Raises the monthly 9-1-1 charge that telephone subscribers are billed under O.C.G.A. § 46-5-134, moving the rate to $3.00 per month per telephone service.
• Raises the monthly wireless enhanced 9-1-1 charge that local governments may bill wireless subscribers, also setting it at $3.00 per month per wireless connection.
• Raises the prepaid wireless 9-1-1 charge that counties and municipalities may impose by ordinance or resolution on prepaid retail transactions, setting it at $3.00 per transaction.
• Keeps in place the existing exemption for telephone service billed to federal, state, or local governments.
• Preserves existing rules requiring service suppliers to collect and remit the charges and to maintain auditable billing records.
• Repeals any state laws that conflict with the new charge amounts.

Telephone and wireless subscribers across Georgia who pay monthly 9-1-1 fees on their bills, buyers of prepaid wireless service and minutes, local governments and 9-1-1 public safety answering points that rely on the fee revenue, and telephone and wireless service suppliers responsible for billing, collecting, and remitting the charges.

Most Georgians with a phone line, cell phone, or prepaid wireless plan already see a small 9-1-1 fee on their bill or purchase. This bill would raise that fee, giving local 9-1-1 emergency call centers more money to operate while increasing the monthly cost consumers pay for phone and prepaid wireless service.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 46-5-134(a) to set the monthly 9-1-1 charge billed to telephone subscribers and the monthly wireless enhanced 9-1-1 charge at $3.00 per month, tied to a July 1, 2025 date in the text.
• Section 1 keeps the exemption for telephone and wireless service billed to federal, state, or local governments from the 9-1-1 charge.
• Section 1 retains existing rules requiring service suppliers to collect the charge as part of normal billing and to maintain records accessible to auditors.
• Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 46-5-134.2(b) to raise the prepaid wireless 9-1-1 charge that counties and municipalities may impose by ordinance or resolution to $3.00 per retail transaction.
• Section 2 states that any prepaid wireless charge already imposed by local ordinance before July 1, 2025 becomes $3.00 as of that date.
• Section 3 repeals any state laws that conflict with the bill's changes.

1. 2025-02-26House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-02-24House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-21House Hopper (House)

• Mike Cheokas (R, HD-151)Primary sponsor
• Gerald Greene (R, HD-154)
• Charles Cannon (R, HD-172)
• Tyler Smith (R, HD-018)
• Danny Mathis (R, HD-133)
• Bill Hitchens (R, HD-161)

• 9-1-1 fees
• phone bills
• public safety funding
• local government fees
• wireless service