Georgia CommonsHouse · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HR 1608: House Study Committee on Municipal Electric Franchise Fees; create
Last action March 18, 2026 · House Committee Favorably Reported
A Georgia House resolution would create a study committee to examine whether municipalities should keep collecting electric franchise fees that unincorporated county residents also help pay for.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the resolution and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Under current Georgia practice, only municipalities can contract with electric light and power companies to collect franchise fees for the use of electric infrastructure within their borders. This resolution says that residents in unincorporated parts of counties end up paying part of those fees too, even though counties get none of the revenue, and calls that arrangement outdated. The resolution creates the House Study Committee on Municipal Electric Franchise Fees, made up of five House members appointed by the Speaker, with one serving as chairperson. The committee would study the issue and could recommend legislation. It can meet as needed, members get standard legislative travel and expense allowances for up to five days unless more are approved, and funding comes from the House's existing budget. The committee must file any report before it is abolished on December 1, 2026.
What the bill does
- Creates the House Study Committee on Municipal Electric Franchise Fees, made up of five House members appointed by the Speaker.
- Directs the committee to study whether unincorporated county residents are unfairly subsidizing municipal electric franchise fee revenue.
- Authorizes the committee to recommend legislation or other action based on its findings.
- Sets standard legislative expense allowances (O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8) for members, capped at five days unless more are authorized, funded through the House's budget.
- Requires any approved report or recommended legislation to be filed with the Clerk of the House before the committee is abolished.
- Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2026.
Who it affects
County residents living in unincorporated areas who pay electricity costs tied to franchise fees, municipalities that currently collect those fees from electric companies, county governments, electric light and power companies, and the five House members who would serve on the study committee.
Why it matters
If the committee's work leads to legislation, it could change who collects revenue tied to electric infrastructure use, potentially shifting money between municipalities and counties or altering costs for residents outside city limits. For now, the resolution only authorizes study and possible recommendations, not any immediate change to fees.
Key provisions
- Paragraph (1) creates the House Study Committee on Municipal Electric Franchise Fees.
- Paragraph (2) sets membership at five House members appointed by the Speaker, one designated chairperson.
- Paragraph (3) charges the committee with studying the franchise fee issue and recommending legislation if warranted.
- Paragraph (5) sets member allowances under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, capped at five days absent additional authorization, funded from the House's appropriated funds.
- Paragraph (6) requires any approved findings or legislative recommendations to be filed with the Clerk of the House before abolishment, or minutes filed if no report is approved.
- Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 1, 2026.
From the bill
“residents of the unincorporated portions of counties are paying for the franchise fees the municipalities are receiving through such franchise fee contracts”
“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.”
Discussed in meetings (5)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
House Special Rules Committee, March 16, 2026
From 0:29:15 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HR 1608 would create a study committee on electric franchise fees and how the revenue is divided between cities and counties. A witness for the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia supported the proposal and said franchise fees were among the organization’s top three legislative priorities that year. Asked about utility opposition, the sponsor said utilities had been consulted and characterized their role as collecting the fee rather than deciding its distribution. A committee member asked whether the proposal would eliminate the fee and what authority lawmakers had to change its distribution. The sponsor said the study concerned distribution, not elimination, and described charges of up to 4%, including 3% for city customers and 1% for county customers. The sponsor said all the revenue went to cities and none to counties, arguing that county residents did not benefit from their payments. The committee approved the resolution by voice vote.
House Rules Committee, March 20, 2026
From 0:36:16 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor presented HR 1608 as a request to create a House study committee on municipal franchise fees. There were no questions or recorded vote.
Status timeline
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Mitchell Scoggins (R, HD-14)
- Chas Cannon (R, HD-172)
- Lauren McDonald III (R, HD-26)
- Trey Kelley (R, HD-16)
- Joseph Gullett (R, HD-19)
- Steve Tarvin (R, HD-2)
Topics
- electric franchise fees
- municipal utilities
- county government
- legislative study committees