---
title: HR 100. House Study Committee on the Cumulative Impact of Pollution on Economic Development and Growth; create
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hr100
cite_as: HR 100, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr100
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr100.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr100/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69675
date: 2025-02-03
status: introduced
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: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr100.md?full=1
bill_number: HR 100
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2025-01-29
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
  - Kim Schofield
  - Karla Drenner
  - Viola Davis
  - Sandra Scott
  - Long Tran
  - Marvin Lim
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR100/2025
upstream_id: 1947652
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - pollution
  - economic development
  - environmental health
  - legislative study committee
  - industrial impact
---

# HR 100. House Study Committee on the Cumulative Impact of Pollution on Economic Development and Growth; create

## Text

House Resolution 100
By: Representatives Schofield of the 63rd, Townsend of the 179th, Drenner of the 85th, Davis
of the 87th, Scott of the 76th, and others
A RESOLUTION
Creating the House Study Committee on the Cumulative Impact of Pollution on Economic
Development and Growth; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS, pollution negatively impacts the health of a community and its economic
prospects, thus furthering cycles of poverty; and
WHEREAS, a concentration of industrial facilities in a community leads to blight and limited
amenities that contribute to lower property values and less funding for public schools, also
furthering cycles of poverty; and
WHEREAS, proximity to a facility that needs a risk management plan is associated with
significantly lower home values; and
WHEREAS, employers and businesses such as grocery stores, food services, healthcare
providers, hotels, and professional service centers prefer to not be located near industrial
centers, thus limiting the job prospects for community residents and furthering cycles of
poverty; and
WHEREAS, Georgia's leading economic engine, agriculture, is put at risk by air, soil, and
water pollution that can potentially stunt crop growth and affect both Georgia's economy and
the food security of all Georgians; and
WHEREAS, in Georgia there are more than 1 million resident anglers who collectively spend
8.7 million days a year on the water, and more than 650,000 hunters who collectively spend
8.9 million days a year in the field. The combination of these activities accounts for over $2
billion in retail sales, $3 billion in ripple effects, and more than 38,000 jobs; this vital
economic engine is also put at risk by pollution; and
WHEREAS, conditions such as severe asthma, nervous system damage, cardiovascular
disease, dangerous pregnancy outcomes, heart disease, and various forms of cancer can
cluster in polluted areas, areas near highways, and areas near industrial plants; addressing the
environmental causes of disease is important for the health of communities, but also for the
economic prosperity of the state; and
WHEREAS, in 2020 the average life expectancy in the United States was 77 years of age,
but in Georgia, the average life expectancy was 75.6 years of age, which constitutes the
fifteenth worst life expectancy of any state in the nation; and
WHEREAS, Georgia tied for second among states with the highest prevalence of childhood
asthma in 2021, with 9.7 percent of Georgia's children suffering from the condition, and the
total cost of asthma related hospitalizations among Georgia children totaled $41.6 million;
and
WHEREAS, studies have shown that simply reducing heavy-duty truck traffic by half could
decrease air quality warning days, thus allowing 16,000 more Georgians to play outside,
eliminate 2,700 sick days, and overall provide $200 million in annual economic benefit; and
WHEREAS, flooding of infrastructure such as concrete and overburdened storm-water and
waste-water systems, which are typically found in highly industrialized areas, is another
source of pollution and negative economic impact on communities; and
WHEREAS, all citizens of this state should have access to clean air, water, and sustainable
infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, careful study is necessary to determine policy and legislative solutions for
sustainable, economically viable, and healthy communities.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
(1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee
on the Cumulative Impact of Pollution on Economic Development and Growth.
(2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of 11 members to be
appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives:
(A) Five members of the House of Representatives;
(B) One representative of the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of
Natural Resources;
(C) One representative of the Department of Agriculture;
(D) One representative of the Department of Human Services;
(E) One representative of academia or the nonprofit or scientific community who
specializes in the study of pollution;
(F) One individual who represents a nonprofit entity with knowledge relative to
Georgia pollution impacts; and
(G) One community member who sits at the intersection of pollution and economic
development.
The Speaker shall designate a legislative member of the committee as chairperson of the
committee.
(3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs,
issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or
legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.
(4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee
may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or
convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and
accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.
(5) Allowances, expenses, and funding.
(A) The legislative members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided
for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.
(B) Members of the committee who are state officials, other than legislative members,
or who are state employees shall receive no compensation for their services on the
committee, but they may be reimbursed for expenses incurred by them in the
performance of their duties as members of the committee in the same manner as they
are reimbursed for expenses in their capacities as state officials or employees.
(C) Members of the committee who are not legislators, state officials, or state
employees shall receive a daily expense allowance in an amount the same as that
specified in subsection (b) of Code Section 45-7-21 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, as well as the mileage or transportation allowance authorized for state
employees.
(D) The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member
of the committee for more than five days unless additional days are authorized. Funds
necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds
appropriated to the House of Representatives; except that funds for the reimbursement
of the expenses of state officials, other than legislative members, and for the
reimbursement of the expenses of state employees shall come from funds appropriated
to or otherwise available to their respective agencies.
(6) Report.
(A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that
include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the
same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution, subject to
subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.
(B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not include suggestions for
proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C)
of this paragraph.
(C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of
abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee.
A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with
the Clerk of the House of Representatives.
(D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Clerk of the
House of Representatives a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu
thereof.
(7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2025.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary.

A Georgia House resolution would create an 11-member study committee to examine how pollution affects economic development, health, and community growth across the state, with a report due by December 1, 2025.

### Plain-language summary

This resolution does not change any Georgia law directly. Instead, it creates the House Study Committee on the Cumulative Impact of Pollution on Economic Development and Growth, made up of five House members plus representatives from state agencies, academia, nonprofits, and an affected community member, all appointed by the Speaker of the House.
The committee is directed to study how pollution affects property values, public health, agriculture, hunting and fishing revenue, and job prospects in Georgia communities, and to recommend legislation if it sees fit. Legislative members get standard legislative allowances, while other members can be reimbursed for expenses under existing state rules. The committee must file any approved findings or recommendations with the Clerk of the House before it is abolished on December 1, 2025.

### What it does

- Creates the House Study Committee on the Cumulative Impact of Pollution on Economic Development and Growth, made up of 11 appointed members.
- Assigns five House members and six representatives from state agencies, academia, nonprofits, and an affected community to the committee.
- Directs the committee to study pollution's effects on health, property values, agriculture, and job growth and recommend possible legislation.
- Sets expense and mileage allowances for committee members under existing Georgia code sections covering legislative and state employee reimbursement.
- Requires any approved findings to be filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives before the committee is abolished.
- Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2025.

### Who it affects

Members of the Georgia House of Representatives appointed to the committee, staff at the Environmental Protection Division, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Human Services, academic and nonprofit pollution experts, and community members living near industrial or polluted areas whose experiences the committee would study.

### Why it matters

The resolution does not change any regulation or spending on pollution itself, but it sets up a formal process for lawmakers to gather information on how pollution affects health, property values, and jobs in Georgia, which could shape future legislation on environmental and economic policy.

### Key provisions

- Paragraph (1) formally creates the House Study Committee on the Cumulative Impact of Pollution on Economic Development and Growth.
- Paragraph (2) sets the committee's membership at 11 people, five legislators plus six specified agency, academic, nonprofit, and community representatives appointed by the Speaker.
- Paragraph (3) directs the committee to study pollution's effects on communities and recommend legislation it considers necessary.
- Paragraph (5) sets member allowances, capping paid allowances at five days unless additional days are authorized, funded through the House of Representatives' appropriated funds.
- Paragraph (6) requires any approved report or recommendations to be filed with the Clerk of the House before the abolishment date, or committee meeting minutes filed in lieu of a report.
- Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 1, 2025.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2025-01-29)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-02-03)
- Sponsors: Kim Schofield, Karla Drenner, Viola Davis, Sandra Scott, Long Tran, Marvin Lim
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69675

> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr100.md?full=1