HB956: HB956 Solid Waste Trust Fund; authorize use of funds for implementation of provisions of a solid waste management program

Georgia's Solid Waste Trust Fund (O.C.G.A. § 12-8-27.1) currently can only be spent on specific things: emergency responses to contamination releases, cleanup when a landfill owner cannot or will not act, long-term monitoring of closed disposal facilities, and the state's scrap tire management program. This bill adds a new allowed use. It lets the fund pay for implementing Georgia's broader solid waste management program itself, covering activities like permitting landfills and facilities, monitoring, developing regulations or guidance, inspections, and enforcement. The bill does this by rewriting subsection (c) of the code section to add a new paragraph (6) alongside the existing purposes. It does not change how money gets into the fund, only what the money already in it can be spent on.

• Adds a new allowed use for the Solid Waste Trust Fund: implementing the provisions of a solid waste management program in Georgia.
• Specifically authorizes fund spending on permitting, monitoring, regulation or guidance development, inspections, and enforcement related to solid waste.
• Leaves the fund's existing allowed uses in place, including emergency response, cleanup when an owner is unidentified or unwilling, postclosure monitoring, and the scrap tire program.
• Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with this change.

The bill affects the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, which administers the solid waste program; landfill and disposal facility owners and operators subject to permitting and enforcement; and local governments and the public who rely on solid waste regulation and cleanup funded by the trust fund.

State regulators would gain a dedicated funding source for the day-to-day work of running the solid waste program, such as issuing permits, inspecting facilities, and enforcing rules, rather than relying solely on other funding for those activities while the trust fund covers only cleanups and emergencies.

• Section 1 amends subsection (c) of O.C.G.A. § 12-8-27.1 to add paragraph (6), authorizing fund use for implementing a solid waste management program.
• The new paragraph (6) specifically covers permitting, monitoring, regulation or guidance development, inspections, and enforcement.
• Existing paragraphs (1) through (5), covering emergency action, corrective action, postclosure monitoring, scrap tire programs, and related fund purposes, remain unchanged.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard provision with no substantive effect beyond the amendment itself.

1. 2026-05-06Effective Date 2026-07-01
2. 2026-05-06Act 428
3. 2026-05-06House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-12Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-03-12Senate Third Read (Senate)
7. 2026-02-24Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
8. 2026-02-20Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)

• John Corbett (R, HD-174)Primary sponsor
• Lynn Smith (R, HD-070)
• Charles Cannon (R, HD-172)
• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 17, 2026

   157 yea, 3 nay (5 not voting, 10 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #519

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 12, 2026

   45 yea, 1 nay (3 not voting, 6 absent)

   Passage: Senate Vote #713

• solid waste management
• environmental regulation
• landfill permitting
• state trust funds