HR 755: House Study Committee on Electric Franchise Fees for Unincorporated Areas; create

Cities in Georgia can charge electric utilities franchise fees for using municipal rights-of-way, and those costs get folded into customers' base power rates statewide, including for people who live in unincorporated county areas and don't get any city services in return. This resolution responds to the rapid growth of large-load electricity customers (such as big industrial or data-center users) in unincorporated areas by creating the House Study Committee on Electric Franchise Fees for Unincorporated Areas. The committee would have 11 members: seven House members, two county commissioners, and two mayors or city council members, all appointed by the Speaker of the House. It would study how franchise fees are assessed and allocated and could recommend legislation. Legislative members get standard daily allowances for up to five days of meetings, paid from House funds. The committee must file any report before it is abolished on December 1, 2025.

• Creates an 11 member House study committee to examine electric franchise fees affecting unincorporated county areas.
• Directs the Speaker of the House to appoint seven House members, two county commissioners, and two mayors or city council members to the committee.
• Authorizes the committee to study the issue and recommend legislation or other action it considers necessary.
• Sets legislative member pay using the standard state allowance rules (O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8), capped at five days unless extended.
• Requires any approved findings or recommendations to be filed with the Clerk of the House before the committee is abolished.
• Abolishes the committee on December 1, 2025.

County governments and residents of unincorporated areas, municipal officials, electric utilities, and large-load electricity customers such as major industrial or data-center operations that use rights-of-way to deliver power in those areas.

If the committee's work leads to future legislation, unincorporated county residents and large electricity users could end up paying new fees or see changes to how existing franchise costs are spread across power bills, a cost currently set through city-utility agreements they have no vote in.

• Paragraph (1) formally creates the House Study Committee on Electric Franchise Fees for Unincorporated Areas.
• Paragraph (2) sets membership at seven House members, two county commissioners or board chairs, and two mayors or council members, all Speaker-appointed.
• Paragraph (3) charges the committee with studying franchise fee assessment and allocation issues and recommending legislation.
• Paragraph (5) ties legislative member pay to O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8 and limits paid days to five unless more are authorized, funded through House appropriations.
• Paragraph (6) requires any approved report or recommendations to be filed with the Clerk of the House before abolishment.
• Paragraph (7) sets the committee's abolishment date as December 1, 2025.

1. 2025-03-31House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-03-28House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-03-27House Hopper (House)

• Mitchell Scoggins (R, HD-14)Primary sponsor
• Matthew Gambill (R, HD-15)
• Trey Kelley (R, HD-16)
• Chas Cannon (R, HD-172)
• Brian Prince (D, HD-132)
• Tim Fleming (R, HD-114)

• electric utilities
• franchise fees
• county government
• unincorporated areas
• legislative study committees