---
title: HR 1608. House Study Committee on Municipal Electric Franchise Fees; create
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hr1608
cite_as: HR 1608, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1608
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1608.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1608/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73925
date: 2026-03-18
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: 189
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1608.md?full=1
bill_number: HR 1608
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2026-03-06
last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported
sponsors:
  - Mitchell Scoggins
  - Charles Cannon
  - Lauren McDonald
  - Trey Kelley
  - Joseph Gullett
  - Steve Tarvin
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1608/2025
upstream_id: 2130684
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - electric franchise fees
  - municipal utilities
  - county government
  - legislative study committees
---

# HR 1608. House Study Committee on Municipal Electric Franchise Fees; create

## Text

House Resolution 1608
By: Representatives Scoggins of the 14th, Cannon of the 172nd, McDonald III of the 26th,
Kelley of the 16th, Gullett of the 19th, and others
A RESOLUTION
Creating the House Study Committee on Municipal Electric Franchise Fees; and for other
purposes.
WHEREAS, municipalities alone are allowed to contract with electric light and power
companies to receive franchise fees for the use of municipal electric infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, residents of the unincorporated portions of counties are paying for the franchise
fees the municipalities are receiving through such franchise fee contracts; and
WHEREAS, this arrangement is based on outdated ideas about county and municipal
ownership of property; and
WHEREAS, it is imperative that county residents not be forced to subsidize municipalities
and a solution be reached that better represents each party's contributions to the electric grid.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
(1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee
on Municipal Electric Franchise Fees.
(2) Members and officers. The committee shall comprise five members of the House
of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives with
one of such number designated 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) 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 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, 2026.

## 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 a study committee to examine whether municipalities should keep collecting electric franchise fees that unincorporated county residents also help pay for.

### Plain-language summary

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 it 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.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2026-03-06)
- Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported (2026-03-18)
- Sponsors: Mitchell Scoggins, Charles Cannon, Lauren McDonald, Trey Kelley, Joseph Gullett, Steve Tarvin
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73925

> The history, votes, and amendments (189 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1608.md?full=1