HR 9: General Assembly; create Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Fund; authorize - CA

Right now, most money the state collects generally flows into Georgia's general fund, where lawmakers decide each year how to spend it, and state constitutional rules normally limit how long unspent dollars can be carried forward. This resolution proposes a constitutional amendment letting the General Assembly set up a separate fund, called the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Fund, dedicated to paying for enforcement of laws that protect people from cancer-causing chemicals and toxic substances in drinking water and from toxic exposure caused by businesses. The amendment would let lawmakers direct specific revenue sources into this fund and add other state money to it as well, and would exempt the fund from normal constitutional rules that otherwise require money to lapse back to the general fund or limit dedicated funds. Because this is a constitutional amendment, it must be approved by Georgia voters in a statewide referendum before it can take effect.

• Proposes a Georgia constitutional amendment authorizing the General Assembly to create a new dedicated fund for drinking water and toxic substance enforcement.
• Allows lawmakers to direct specific state revenue sources and other appropriated money into this new fund rather than the general fund.
• Exempts the fund from standard constitutional provisions that otherwise require money to lapse or restrict dedicated funds (citing Article VII, Section III, Paragraph II and related sections).
• Sends the proposed amendment to Georgia voters for ratification or rejection in a statewide vote.

Georgia voters, who must approve or reject the amendment at the ballot box; the General Assembly, which would gain new budgeting authority; state agencies enforcing drinking water and toxic substance laws; and businesses whose activities involve carcinogens or toxic substances.

If approved, this change would let Georgia set aside dedicated, non-lapsing money specifically for protecting drinking water and limiting toxic exposure, rather than relying on year-to-year general fund budget decisions, potentially giving that enforcement work more stable and predictable funding.

• Section 1 amends Article III, Section IX, Paragraph VI of the Georgia Constitution to add a new subparagraph authorizing the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Fund.
• The fund would pay for enforcement of laws protecting citizens from carcinogens and toxic substances in drinking water and from toxic exposure caused by businesses.
• The General Assembly may dedicate specific revenue sources to the fund and also appropriate additional funds to it.
• The fund is exempted from Article VII, Section III, Paragraph II and from Article III, Section IX, Paragraph VI(a) and Paragraph IV(c), which normally govern lapsing and dedicated funds.
• Section 2 requires the proposed amendment to be submitted to voters as a ballot referendum, with the exact ballot question text specified in the resolution.

1. 2025-01-15House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-01-14House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-01-13House Hopper (House)

• Angela Moore (D, HD-091)Primary sponsor

• drinking water safety
• toxic substances
• state budget
• constitutional amendment
• environmental enforcement