---
title: SR 282. Joint Study Committee on Funding for Next Generation 9-1-1 Sustainability; create
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sr282
cite_as: SR 282, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr282
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr282.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr282/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70896
date: 2026-01-12
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: 322
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr282.md?full=1
bill_number: SR 282
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2025-02-26
last_action: Senate Recommitted
sponsors:
  - Timothy Bearden
  - John Albers
  - Mike Hodges
  - Ricky Williams
  - Kay Kirkpatrick
  - Randy Robertson
  - Bill Cowsert
  - Matt Brass
  - Ben Watson
  - Bo Hatchett
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR282/2025
upstream_id: 1986098
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - 9-1-1 funding
  - emergency services
  - telecommunications policy
  - public safety
  - legislative study committees
---

# SR 282. Joint Study Committee on Funding for Next Generation 9-1-1 Sustainability; create

## Text

Senate Resolution 282
By: Senators Bearden of the 30th, Albers of the 56th, Hodges of the 3rd, Williams of the
25th, Kirkpatrick of the 32nd and others
A RESOLUTION
Creating the Joint Study Committee on Funding for Next Generation 9-1-1 Sustainability;
and for other purposes.
WHEREAS, the State of Georgia's current 9-1-1 funding model was created and authorized
by the Georgia General Assembly in 1977, at a time when almost every home and business
had landline telephone service; and
WHEREAS, the current telecommunications landscape has changed substantially since 1977
and now the number of mobile phones and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) accounts
outnumber the landline telephones in service in this state; and
WHEREAS, in 1977, the General Assembly established a maximum fee of $1.50 per landline
telephone to be used for funding 9-1-1 centers; and
WHEREAS, the number of telephones in use statewide, regardless of the technology utilized,
has increased significantly since 1977; and
WHEREAS, technologies are on the horizon that will allow 9-1-1 centers to be contacted by
data sessions and text messages originating from mobile telephones and other devices; and
WHEREAS, Part 4 of Article 2 of Chapter 5 of Title 46 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, the "Georgia Emergency Telephone Number 9-1-1 Service Act of 1977," which
provides for 9-1-1 funding, has been amended several times since 1977 in an attempt to keep
up with changes in technology; and
WHEREAS, most of the calls to 9-1-1 centers today originate from mobile telephones and
other devices; and
WHEREAS, the funding mechanism for 9-1-1 centers may need to be updated to reflect
today's environment; and
WHEREAS, a comprehensive review of this state's 9-1-1 funding provisions is needed in
order to study and identify any reforms necessary to provide adequate funding for
maintaining effective and efficient 9-1-1 centers in order to ensure the public safety of all
citizens of Georgia.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
GEORGIA:
(1) Creation of joint study committee. There is created the Joint Study Committee on
Funding for Next Generation 9-1-1 Sustainability.
(2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of the following
members:
(A) The President of the Senate shall appoint five members of the Senate as members
of the committee, one of whom shall be a member of the Senate Regulated Industries
and Utilities Committee and one of whom shall be a member of the Senate Public
Safety Committee. The President of the Senate shall also designate one of such
members as cochairperson;
(B) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint five members of the
House of Representatives as members of the committee, one of whom shall be a
member of the House Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications and
one of whom shall be a member of the House Committee on Public Safety and
Homeland Security. The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall also designate
one of such members as cochairperson;
(C) The executive director of the Georgia Emergency Communications Authority, or
his or her designee;
(D) The director of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Agency, or his or her designee;
(E) The commissioner of the Department of Revenue, or his or her designee;
(F) The president of the Georgia Municipal Association, or his or her designee; and
(E) The president of the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, or his or her
designee.
(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 cochairpersons 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) Members of the committee who are state officials, other than legislative members,
or state employees shall receive no compensation for their services on the committee,
but they may be reimbursed for expenses incurred by them in the performance of their
duties as members of the committee in the same manner as they are reimbursed for
expenses in their capacities as state officials or employees.
(C) Members of the committee who are not legislators, state officials, or state
employees shall receive a daily expense allowance in an amount the same as that
specified in subsection (b) of Code Section 45-7-21 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, as well as the mileage or transportation allowance authorized for state
employees.
(D) The allowances and expenses 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 and Senate; except that funds
for the reimbursement of the expenses of state officials, other than legislative members,
and 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 cochairpersons 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 cochairpersons 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 cochairpersons of the committee and filed
with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives.
(D) In the absence of an approved report, the cochairpersons may file with the
Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives copies of the
minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu thereof.
(7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2025.

## 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 Senate resolution would create a joint legislative study committee to examine how the state funds 9-1-1 emergency call centers and whether the funding model needs updating for modern phone technology.

### Plain-language summary

Georgia's 9-1-1 funding system dates to 1977, when landline phones were dominant and the state set a maximum fee of $1.50 per landline to fund 9-1-1 centers. Today most calls come from mobile phones and internet-based services, and the resolution says the funding mechanism may no longer match how people actually contact 9-1-1.
This resolution creates the Joint Study Committee on Funding for Next Generation 9-1-1 Sustainability, made up of legislators, state agency leaders, and local government association representatives. The committee would study Georgia's 9-1-1 funding laws and problems related to them, and could recommend legislation. It must file any report before the committee is abolished on December 1, 2025. Legislative members get standard travel and expense allowances, and non-legislative members get expense reimbursement, funded through existing legislative and agency budgets.

### What it does

- Creates the Joint Study Committee on Funding for Next Generation 9-1-1 Sustainability to review Georgia's 9-1-1 funding laws.
- Sets committee membership at ten legislators (five from each chamber) plus representatives from state agencies and local government associations.
- Directs the committee to study problems with current 9-1-1 funding and recommend legislation if needed.
- Provides standard legislative expense allowances (O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8) for lawmakers and reimbursement for other appointed members.
- Requires any approved report to be filed with the Secretary of the Senate and Clerk of the House before the committee ends.
- Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2025.

### Who it affects

State senators and representatives appointed to the committee, the Georgia Emergency Communications Authority, the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, the Department of Revenue, the Georgia Municipal Association, the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, and by extension local 9-1-1 centers and Georgia phone users.

### Why it matters

9-1-1 funding today relies on a fee structure built for 1977-era landlines, even though most emergency calls now come from cellphones and internet-based services. This committee's findings could shape future legislation on how Georgia pays for and sustains 9-1-1 emergency response systems statewide.

### Key provisions

- Paragraph (1) formally creates the joint study committee focused on next generation 9-1-1 funding.
- Paragraph (2) sets membership: five Senate and five House appointees including specific committee members, plus designees from four state agencies and two local government associations.
- Paragraph (3) gives the committee authority to study 9-1-1 funding issues and recommend action or legislation.
- Paragraph (4) lets cochairpersons call and schedule meetings as needed.
- Paragraph (5) details allowances: legislators receive standard allowances under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, state officials get expense reimbursement, and other members get a daily allowance matching O.C.G.A. § 45-7-21(b), capped at five days unless extended.
- Paragraph (6) requires any adopted report or recommendations to be filed with the Secretary of the Senate and Clerk of the House before the committee's abolishment, signed by the cochairpersons.
- Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 1, 2025.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2025-02-26)
- Last action: Senate Recommitted (2026-01-12)
- Sponsors: Timothy Bearden, John Albers, Mike Hodges, Ricky Williams, Kay Kirkpatrick, Randy Robertson, Bill Cowsert, Matt Brass, Ben Watson, Bo Hatchett
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70896

> The history, votes, and amendments (322 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr282.md?full=1