HB583: HB583 Motor vehicles; increase number of free license plates issued to certain veterans

Although HB 583 was originally introduced to address free license plates for veterans, the Senate Committee on Ethics substitute shown here replaces that content entirely and instead rewrites parts of Georgia's law on special district transit sales and use taxes, known as Transit SPLOST (O.C.G.A. Chapter 8 of Title 48). The bill changes the definition of 'transportation purposes' so that money raised through these local transit sales taxes can no longer be used to provide free or reduced fares for public transit riders, while still allowing the money to fund roads, bridges, transit, rail, airports, buses, seaports, and related debt. It also changes the rule for regions classified as air-quality nonattainment areas: if voters reject a Transit SPLOST ballot question, the county cannot ask voters again for eight years, replacing the previous 'from time to time' standard. The bill repeals any conflicting laws.

• Removes the ability to use special district mass transportation sales and use tax (Transit SPLOST) money to pay for free or reduced-fare public transit rides.
• Keeps Transit SPLOST money available for roads, bridges, public transit, rail, airports, buses, seaports, and related infrastructure and debt.
• Sets a mandatory eight-year waiting period before a county in a nonattainment area (an area with poor air quality under federal standards) can resubmit a failed Transit SPLOST ballot question to voters.
• Repeals any existing Georgia laws that conflict with these changes.

County governments and transit authorities that levy or seek to levy Transit SPLOST taxes, public transit riders in areas that might have received fare discounts or free rides funded by the tax, and voters in nonattainment counties who vote on transit sales tax ballot questions.

Transit systems in areas with a Transit SPLOST tax would lose one funding source for free or discounted fares, which could affect riders who rely on reduced-cost transit. Counties in nonattainment areas would also face a longer required wait before trying again after a failed tax vote, changing how quickly local transit funding plans can be revised.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 48-8-260's definition of 'transportation purposes' to explicitly exclude 'purposes of providing free or reduced fares for public transit services' from what Transit SPLOST money can fund.
• Section 1 continues to allow Transit SPLOST funds for roads, bridges, public transit, rail, airports, buses, seaports, related infrastructure, and associated general obligation debt.
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 48-8-269.46(c) so that a rejected Transit SPLOST ballot question in a nonattainment area cannot be resubmitted until eight years after the failed election.
• Section 3 repeals all laws and parts of laws that conflict with the Act.

1. 2026-03-27Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
2. 2026-03-27Senate Third Read (Senate)
3. 2026-03-27Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
4. 2026-03-27Senate Tabled (Senate)
5. 2026-03-27Senate Engrossed (Senate)
6. 2026-03-23Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
7. 2026-03-20Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
8. 2026-03-16Senate Withdrawn & Recommitted (Senate)

• Lydia Glaize (D, HD-067)Primary sponsor
• Bill Hitchens (R, HD-161)
• Josh Bonner (R, HD-073)
• Charles Cannon (R, HD-172)
• Mark Newton (R, HD-127)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2025

   171 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 6 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #205

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 16, 2026

   31 yea, 17 nay (3 not voting, 3 absent)

   Motion To Withdraw And Commit: Senate Vote #717

3. PassedSenate voteMarch 27, 2026

   31 yea, 18 nay (4 not voting, 1 absent)

   Motion To Engross: Hb 229, Hb 583, Hb 960, Hb 1070: Senate Vote #826

4. PassedSenate voteMarch 27, 2026

   26 yea, 22 nay (3 not voting, 3 absent)

   Motion To Table Remaining Legislation On The Rules Calendar: Senate Vote #835

5. PassedSenate voteMarch 27, 2026

   34 yea, 15 nay (0 not voting, 5 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #867

• transit funding
• sales taxes
• public transportation
• local ballot measures
• air quality nonattainment areas