HR 1832: House Study Committee on the Assessment and Collection of Fees by Local Governments; create

Georgia counties and municipalities are allowed under the state constitution and state law to collect taxes and fees to pay for local services, and they have set up many different kinds of fees for different services. This resolution notes that some local governments have recently faced lawsuits over their fee practices, and it creates a House Study Committee on the Assessment and Collection of Fees by Local Governments to look into the issue. The Speaker of the House would appoint five House members to the committee and name one as chairperson. The committee could hold meetings, study the laws and practices around local fee collection, and recommend legislation. Members would receive standard legislative allowances for up to five meeting days unless more are approved, paid from the House's existing budget. The committee would have to file any approved findings before it is abolished on December 15, 2026.

• Creates the House Study Committee on the Assessment and Collection of Fees by Local Governments, made up of five House members appointed by the Speaker.
• Directs the committee to study laws, policies, and procedures local governments use to assess and collect fees and to recommend legislation if needed.
• Allows the chairperson to call meetings anywhere and at any time needed to carry out the study.
• Sets member pay using the standard legislative allowance rate (O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8), capped at five days unless more days are approved.
• Requires committee funding to come from money already appropriated to the House of Representatives.
• Abolishes the committee on December 15, 2026, after which any approved report must be filed with the Clerk of the House.

The five House members appointed to the committee, the Speaker of the House who appoints them, county and municipal governments whose fee practices would be studied, and residents or businesses who pay local government fees and could be affected by any future legislation the study recommends.

Local fees fund services like water, sanitation, and permitting, and disputes over how they are assessed have led to lawsuits against some Georgia local governments. This committee's findings could shape future legislation on how cities and counties are allowed to charge and collect such fees.

• Paragraph (1) creates the House Study Committee on the Assessment and Collection of Fees by Local Governments.
• Paragraph (2) sets the committee at five House members appointed by the Speaker, who also names the chairperson.
• Paragraph (3) charges the committee with studying local fee assessment and collection issues and recommending legislation.
• Paragraph (5) ties member pay to O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8 allowances, limited to five days absent additional authorization, funded from the House's existing budget.
• Paragraph (6) requires any approved findings or recommendations to be filed as a report with the Clerk of the House before abolishment.
• Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 15, 2026.

1. 2026-03-27House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
2. 2026-03-25House Second Readers (House)
3. 2026-03-23House First Readers (House)
4. 2026-03-20House Hopper (House)

• Trey Kelley (R, HD-016)Primary sponsor
• Mike Cheokas (R, HD-151)
• Victor Anderson (R, HD-010)

• local government fees
• study committee
• municipal law
• county government