---
title: HB 583. Motor vehicles; increase number of free license plates issued to certain veterans
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb583
cite_as: HB 583, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb583
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb583.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb583/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70671
date: 2026-03-27
status: engrossed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 1569
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb583.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 583
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-03-06
last_action: Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute
sponsors:
- Lydia Glaize
- Bill Hitchens
- Josh Bonner
- Charles Cannon
- Mark Newton
- Shawn Still
text_version: Comm Sub
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB583/2025
upstream_id: 1980027
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- transit funding
- sales taxes
- SPLOST
- public transportation
- county elections
---
# HB 583. Motor vehicles; increase number of free license plates issued to certain veterans
## Text
The Senate Committee on Ethics offered the following
substitute to HB 583:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 8 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to sales
and use taxes, so as to prohibit the use of special district mass transportation sales and use
taxes for the provision of free or reduced fares for public transit services; to provide for time
limits upon the recalling of an election for approval of special districts for transit purposes
sales and use tax (Transit SPLOST) within nonattainment areas upon failure to approve; to
provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 8 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to sales and use
taxes, is amended in Code Section 48-8-260, relating to definitions relative to special district
mass transportation sales and use tax, by revising paragraph (4) as follows:
"(4) 'Transportation purposes' means and includes:
(A) Roads, bridges, public transit, rails, airports, buses, seaports, including without
limitation road, street, and bridge purposes pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection (b)
of Code Section 48-8-121, and all accompanying infrastructure and services necessary
to provide access to these such transportation facilities, including new general
obligation debt and other multiyear obligations issued to finance such purposes but
excluding purposes of providing free or reduced fares for public transit services;
(B) The retirement of previously incurred general obligation debt with respect only to
such purposes as identified in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph;
(C) A capital outlay project or projects under subparagraph (a)(1)(M) of Code Section
48-8-111, with respect only to such purposes as identified in subparagraph (A) of this
paragraph; or
(D) Any combination of two or more of the foregoing."
SECTION 2.
Said chapter is further amended in Code Section 48-8-269.46, relating to ballot question,
expenses of election, resubmission of question, and general obligation debt for special
districts within nonattainment areas relative to special districts for transit purposes sales and
use tax (Transit SPLOST), by revising subsection (c) as follows:
"(c) Where such question is not approved by the voters, the county may resubmit such
question from time to time upon compliance with the requirements of this article and after
the passage of eight years from the date the special election was previously held."
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Senate committee substitute for HB 583 would stop counties from using special transit sales tax money to pay for free or reduced-fare public transit, and would require an eight-year wait before resubmitting a failed transit sales tax vote in certain areas.
### Plain-language summary
This bill started as a proposal about veterans' license plates, but the version shown here is a Senate committee substitute that replaces that subject entirely with changes to Georgia's special district transit sales tax law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 48-8), often called Transit SPLOST.
The bill changes the legal definition of 'transportation purposes' so that money raised through a Transit SPLOST can no longer be used to provide free or reduced fares for public transit riders. It also changes the rules for counties in federal air quality nonattainment areas that hold a Transit SPLOST election and lose: instead of being able to resubmit the tax question to voters at any time, those counties would have to wait eight years from the date of the failed election before trying again.
### What it does
- Rewrites the definition of 'transportation purposes' in Georgia's special district transit sales tax law to exclude funding free or reduced-fare public transit service.
- Removes the ability of nonattainment-area counties to resubmit a failed Transit SPLOST ballot question 'from time to time' and instead requires an eight-year waiting period.
- Leaves other uses of Transit SPLOST money, such as roads, bridges, rail, airports, buses, and seaports, untouched.
- Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with these two changes.
### Who it affects
County governments and transit authorities that levy or plan to levy special district transit sales taxes, transit agencies that might otherwise use that money for free or discounted fares, and residents of counties in federal air quality nonattainment areas who vote on these tax measures.
### Why it matters
Counties would lose the option to fund fare-free or discounted transit rides with this specific sales tax, which could affect low-income riders who rely on reduced fares. Counties that lose a transit tax vote would also face a much longer wait, eight years, before trying again.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 48-8-260(4) to add language excluding 'purposes of providing free or reduced fares for public transit services' from the definition of allowable transportation purposes.
- Section 1 also makes a technical wording change, replacing 'these' with 'such' when referring to transportation facilities.
- Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 48-8-269.46(c) to remove the phrase allowing resubmission of a failed ballot question 'from time to time' and instead requires waiting eight years after the failed election.
- Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard closing provision.
## Status
- Status: Engrossed (2025-03-06)
- Last action: Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (2026-03-27)
- Sponsors: Lydia Glaize, Bill Hitchens, Josh Bonner, Charles Cannon, Mark Newton, Shawn Still
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70671
> The history, votes, and amendments (1,569 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb583.md?full=1