---
title: HR 1650. House Study Committee on Local Government Emergency Disaster Relief Loans; create
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hr1650
cite_as: HR 1650, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1650
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1650.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1650/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73993
date: 2026-03-25
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: 185
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1650.md?full=1
bill_number: HR 1650
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2026-03-09
last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported
sponsors:
  - Josh Bonner
  - Clint Crowe
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1650/2025
upstream_id: 2131408
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - disaster relief
  - local government funding
  - FEMA reimbursement
  - emergency management
  - legislative study committees
---

# HR 1650. House Study Committee on Local Government Emergency Disaster Relief Loans; create

## Text

House Resolution 1650
By: Representatives Bonner of the 73rd and Crowe of the 118th
A RESOLUTION
Creating the House Study Committee on Local Government Emergency Disaster Relief
Loans; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS, local governments often require financial assistance when faced with federally
declared disasters, and it is important that such governments receive such assistance quickly;
and
WHEREAS, the federal government operates a funding program through the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide reimbursement to local governments
for eligible disaster-related expenses when there is a federally declared disaster and such
government is located in the disaster relief area designated by FEMA; and
WHEREAS, because the FEMA program is a reimbursement program, such local
governments must incur or pay eligible disaster-related expenses up front subject to later
reimbursement from FEMA; however, many local governments lack sufficient funding to
bridge the gap between initial emergency expenditures and the subsequent receipt of
reimbursements from FEMA; and
WHEREAS, some states have created bridge loan programs to provide financial assistance
to local governments when qualifying disasters occur so that such governments can pay for
disaster-related expenses up front and then repay the loan to the state once the local
government receives reimbursement from FEMA; and
WHEREAS, it would be beneficial to undertake a study to evaluate the feasibility of creating
a bridge loan program in this state to assist local governments with disaster relief while they
await reimbursement from FEMA, including review of similar programs in other states,
evaluation of how such a program could be funded and operated in this state, and
consideration of whether any changes to current law may be warranted.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
(1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee
on Local Government Emergency Disaster Relief Loans.
(2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of five members of the
House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives. The Speaker shall designate a 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 and funding. 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. 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.
(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 the state should set up a bridge loan program to help local governments cover disaster costs while awaiting federal reimbursement.

### Plain-language summary

When a disaster is federally declared, local governments in Georgia can get reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for eligible disaster expenses, but only after they pay those costs themselves first. Many local governments do not have enough cash on hand to cover this gap before FEMA money arrives.
This resolution creates the House Study Committee on Local Government Emergency Disaster Relief Loans, made up of five House members appointed by the Speaker, to study whether Georgia should create its own bridge loan program. The committee would look at similar programs in other states, how a Georgia program could be funded and run, and whether current law needs to change. It can hold meetings, receive standard legislative allowances, and must file any findings or recommended legislation before it is abolished on December 1, 2026.

### What it does

- Creates the House Study Committee on Local Government Emergency Disaster Relief Loans, made up of five House members appointed by the Speaker.
- Directs the committee to study whether Georgia should create a bridge loan program to help local governments cover disaster costs before FEMA reimbursement arrives.
- Authorizes the committee to hold meetings and requires the Speaker-appointed chairperson to call and organize them.
- Allows committee members to receive standard legislative daily allowances under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, capped at five days unless more are approved.
- Requires any approved findings or proposed legislation to be filed as a report with the Clerk of the House before the committee ends.
- Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2026.

### Who it affects

The five House members appointed to the committee, local city and county governments that respond to federally declared disasters, and state budget officials who would weigh in on funding a potential future loan program. FEMA's reimbursement process for local disaster expenses is the backdrop for the study.

### Why it matters

If the study leads to a real bridge loan program, local governments facing hurricanes, floods, or other disasters could get faster access to cash for cleanup and repairs instead of waiting on federal reimbursement, potentially easing budget strain during emergencies. For now, the resolution only sets up the research process, not the program itself.

### Key provisions

- Paragraph 1 creates the House Study Committee on Local Government Emergency Disaster Relief Loans.
- Paragraph 2 sets committee membership at five House members chosen by the Speaker, who also names the chairperson.
- Paragraph 3 directs the committee to study disaster loan needs and recommend legislation if warranted.
- Paragraph 5 ties member pay to existing legislative allowance rules (O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8) and funds the committee through the House of Representatives' existing budget.
- Paragraph 6 lays out reporting rules, requiring majority committee approval before any findings or proposed legislation can be filed with the Clerk of the House.
- Paragraph 7 abolishes the committee on December 1, 2026.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2026-03-09)
- Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported (2026-03-25)
- Sponsors: Josh Bonner, Clint Crowe
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73993

> The history, votes, and amendments (185 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1650.md?full=1