--- title: HB 730. Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless; provide for membership collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb730 cite_as: HB 730, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb730 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb730.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb730/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71170 date: 2025-05-01 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb729.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb731.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 884 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb730.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 730 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-05-01 last_action: Effective Date 2025-05-01 sponsors: - Jesse Petrea - Ron Stephens - Bill Hitchens - Carl Gilliard - Edna Jackson text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB730/2025 upstream_id: 1991458 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - homelessness services - Chatham County government - Savannah local government - local authority boards --- # HB 730. Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless; provide for membership ## Text 25 LC 44 3113ER/AP House Bill 730 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives Petrea of the 166th, Stephens of the 164th, Hitchens of the 161st, Gilliard of the 162nd, and Jackson of the 165th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend an Act creating the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless, approved1 March 30, 1989 (Ga. L. 1989, p. 4701), as amended, so as to pro vide for membership; to2 provide for meetings; to provide for purposes; to provide for d efinitions; to provide for3 legislative findings; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other4 purposes.5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:6 SECTION 1.7 An Act creating the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless , approved March 30,8 1989 (Ga. L. 1989, p. 4701), as amended, is amended by revising subsection (d) of Section 29 as follows:10 "(d) It is further found that such a public authority should provide the operational duties11 of the CoC as required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and12 coordinate and assist public and private entities in implementing the homeless management13 information system, developing a comprehensive coordinated entr y system, leading the14 annual point in time count efforts, serving as the CoC collabor ative applicant, and15 managing and assisting with t he notice of f unding opportunity p rocess, including the16 H. B. 730 - 1 - 25 LC 44 3113ER/AP preparation and final submission of the community collaborative application. The17 authority is the collaborative applicant for the Interagency Council on Homelessness for18 Chatham-Savannah."19 SECTION 2.20 Said Act is further amended by revising Section 3 as follows:21 "SECTION 3.22 Definitions.23 Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, as used in this Act, the term:24 (1) 'Authority' means the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless created by this25 Act.26 (2) 'CoC' means the group of individuals and agencies that carry out the responsibility27 of planning a community's response to those persons experiencing homelessness.28 (3) 'Collaborative applicant' means that agency designated to meet all U.S. Department29 of Housing and Urban Development requirements under 24 C.F.R. Part 578.30 (4) 'Coordinated entry' means a systemwide process that quickl y and equitably31 coordinates the access, assessment, and prioritization and refe rrals to housing and32 emergency services for people experiencing or at imminent risk of homelessness. This33 centralized process transforms a CoC into a fully integrated crisis response system.34 (5) 'Homeless' means being without or expecting within 30 days to be without sleeping35 accommodations which meet health and safety standards and inclu des such factors as36 unemployment, underemployment, substance abuse, mental illness, or other conditions37 as determined by the authority which cause or contribute to cau sing the state of being38 homeless.39 H. B. 730 - 2 - 25 LC 44 3113ER/AP (6) 'Homeless management information system' means the platform or software that is40 used to collect jurisdictional data and report the same to the Department of Community41 Affairs.42 (7) 'Notice of funding opportunity' mean those notices provided to local governments and43 communities by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development."44 SECTION 3.45 Said Act is further amended by revising Section 5 as follows:46 "SECTION 5.47 Membership.48 (a)(1) The authority shall be governed by a board of directors that is composed of 1349 members as follows:50 (A) Two members shall be appointed by the City Council;51 (B) Two members shall be appointed by the County Commission; and52 (C) The remaining nine members shall be selected as provided for in subsection (a) of53 Section 6 of this Act.54 (2) One member shall presently be experiencing or in the past shall have experienced55 homelessness.56 (3) All members shall be appointed for a three-year term. In no event shall any member57 serve more than two consecutive, three-year terms of office.58 (b) All members shall be residents of Chatham County.59 (c) Members shall receive no compensation.60 (d) The board may remove any member by a majority vote of the full membership if the61 member fails to carry out the duties and responsibilities requi red of members by this Act. 62 Said process for removal shall be outlined in by-laws of the organization.63 H. B. 730 - 3 - 25 LC 44 3113ER/AP (e) There shall be a chair of the board whose duties shall be outlined in the bylaws of the64 authority. In addition to all other duties, powers, and responsibilities, the chair shall serve65 on the board of the Interagency Council on Homelessness for Chatham-Savannah."66 SECTION 4.67 Said Act is further amended by revising Section 6 as follows:68 "SECTION 6.69 Organization; meetings.70 (a) The chair of the board shall call an organizational meeting after the City of Savannah and71 Chatham County have each appointed its respective representatives, but no later than 45 days72 after this Act, as amended in 2025, becomes effective. At that meeting, the chair of the board73 along with the appointees of the County and City and the executive committee shall select74 the remaining board members. All directors other than the executive committee serving prior75 to the effective date of the 2025 amendment of this Act shall cease to be directors upon such76 amendment becoming effective. The chair shall continue to serve for two years as chair after77 the 2025 amendment of this Act becomes effective.78 (b) All acts of the board must be approved by a majority of the quorum of the board. The79 board shall require at least 40 percent membership to have a quorum.80 (c) The board shall meet no less than six times a year and sha ll also have an additional81 annual meeting.82 (d) The authority shall prepare and submit to the appointing b odies, including the City of83 Savannah, Chatham County, and the Interagency Council on Homele ssness for84 Chatham-Savannah, an annual report each year upon completion of the U.S. Department of85 Housing and Urban Development required annual point in time count. Such report shall make86 available the latest independent audit of the authority."87 H. B. 730 - 4 - 25 LC 44 3113ER/AP SECTION 5.88 Said Act is further amended by revising Section 7 as follows:89 "SECTION 7.90 Purposes.91 (a) To provide all data, insights, and other information to th e Interagency Council on92 Homelessness for Chatham-Savannah to use in developing, and amending from time to time,93 a comprehensive plan for public and private agencies to effecti vely provide services for94 persons experiencing homelessness.95 (b) To coordinate, evaluate, and provide the U.S. Department o f Housing and Urban96 Development required operations of the CoC and support the implementation and carrying97 out of the comprehensive plan developed by the Interagency Council on Homelessness for98 Chatham-Savannah.99 (c) To contract with public and private agencies for the purposes of subsections (a) and (b)100 of this section and for such public and private agencies to provide programs and services to101 persons experiencing homelessness in order to carry out the provisions of the comprehensive102 plan developed by the Interagency Council on Homelessness for Chatham-Savannah.103 (d) To offer services, including administration and implementa tion of a homeless104 management information system, coordinated entry, leading the U.S. Department of Housing105 and Urban Development required annual point in time count, subm ission of the U.S.106 Department of Housing and Urban Development notice of funding opportunity community107 application, coordination of the local notice of funding opport unity competition, street108 outreach, encampment engagement, case management, crisis interv ention and referral,109 housing, and other related services to persons experiencing homelessness."110 H. B. 730 - 5 - 25 LC 44 3113ER/AP SECTION 6.111 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.112 H. B. 730 - 6 - ## 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 House bill would restructure the governing board of the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless, setting a 13-member board with defined appointment rules, meeting requirements, and updated duties tied to federal homelessness programs. ### Plain-language summary The Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless was created by a 1989 state law to coordinate services for people experiencing homelessness in Savannah and Chatham County. This bill amends that law to update how the authority's board is formed and how it operates. The board would have 13 members: two appointed by the Savannah City Council, two by the Chatham County Commission, and nine selected under a separate process, with at least one member who has experienced homelessness. Members serve three-year terms, capped at two consecutive terms, and must live in Chatham County. The bill also updates definitions used in the law (such as 'homeless,' 'CoC,' and 'coordinated entry'), spells out the authority's purposes in coordinating federally required homelessness programs, sets quorum and meeting requirements (at least six meetings a year plus one more), and requires an annual report to the city, county, and the Interagency Council on Homelessness. All current board members except the executive committee would lose their seats once the changes take effect, and a new organizational meeting must happen within 45 days. ### What it does - Sets the authority's governing board at 13 members: 2 appointed by Savannah's City Council, 2 by the Chatham County Commission, and 9 selected under a separate process in Section 6. - Requires at least one board member to currently be or have previously been homeless, and caps other members to two consecutive three-year terms. - Requires all current board members except the executive committee to leave their seats once the 2025 amendment takes effect, followed by a new organizational meeting within 45 days. - Sets board operating rules, including a 40 percent quorum requirement and at least six meetings a year plus one additional annual meeting. - Requires the authority to submit an annual report to the City of Savannah, Chatham County, and the Interagency Council on Homelessness after the yearly point-in-time homeless count. - Updates the law's definitions and purposes section to describe the authority's role in managing federal Department of Housing and Urban Development homelessness programs, including coordinated entry and the homeless management information system. ### Who it affects The bill affects the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless and its board members, current and future appointees from the Savannah City Council and Chatham County Commission, the Interagency Council on Homelessness for Chatham-Savannah, and people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Chatham County who rely on services the authority coordinates. ### Why it matters The overhaul removes most sitting board members and replaces them under new appointment rules, changing who controls decisions about homelessness services in Chatham County. It also formalizes reporting and meeting requirements meant to keep the authority accountable to local government and federal housing officials. ### Key provisions - Section 1 revises Section 2(d) to specify the authority's role as the collaborative applicant for the Interagency Council on Homelessness for Chatham-Savannah and its duties under federal HUD requirements. - Section 2 rewrites Section 3's definitions, including 'CoC,' 'collaborative applicant,' 'coordinated entry,' 'homeless,' and 'notice of funding opportunity.' - Section 3 rewrites Section 5 on membership, setting the 13-member board, residency and term requirements, and removal procedures by majority board vote. - Section 4 rewrites Section 6, requiring an organizational meeting within 45 days of the amendment's effective date, removing prior directors except the executive committee, and setting quorum and meeting frequency rules. - Section 5 rewrites Section 7 on the authority's purposes, focusing on supporting the Interagency Council on Homelessness's comprehensive plan and administering HUD-related programs. - Section 6 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-05-01) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-05-01 (2025-05-01) - Sponsors: Jesse Petrea, Ron Stephens, Bill Hitchens, Carl Gilliard, Edna Jackson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71170 > The history, votes, and amendments (884 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb730.md?full=1