New year, new laws: Here are the notable laws that go into effect in Georgia on Jan. 1

ATLANTA — A new year means new laws.

There are several new laws that will go into effect staring on Jan. 1 in Georgia. Most laws typically take effect July 1 from the legislative year they were signed, but some laws have provisions that delay their effective date until the beginning of the next year.

Gov. Brian Kemp signed more than 300 pieces of legislation last year. You can browse the other laws already in effect by clicking here, but here is a closer look at some of the new laws that began on Monday.

Senate Bill 20

The Consumer Access to Contracted Healthcare Act, also known as the CATCH Act, ensures consumer access to quality healthcare by “setting adequacy standards for network plans offered by an insurer.” It is an amendment to the previous Surprise Billing Consumer Protection Act.

Under the law, insurers must have a sufficient number of primary care, specialty care, pharmacies, clinical labs and facilities in their plans’ service area to “ensure covered persons have access to the full scope of benefits and services covered under such plan.

The law includes protections for telehealth services and prohibits an insurer from requiring “prior authorization, medical review, or administrative clearance for a telehealth service that would not be required if such service were provided in person.”

You can read the full law here.

Senate Bill 107

Izzy’s Law was introduced in memory of Israel Scott, a 4-year-old boy who drowned in 2022 during a swim lesson outside of Augusta.

The new law states that the Georgia Department of Public Health must come up with aquatic safety guidelines for swim instructors no later than Jan. 1st, 2024. Every private swim instructor in Georgia will have to a safety plan in place no later than April 1, 2024.

“The department shall review the model aquatic safety plan at least every five years and make any necessary revisions based on changes to national standards for private swim instructors. The department may partner with an external organization recognized as an authority in aquatic safety to assist in the development, review, and any necessary revision of the model aquatic safety plan and other tasks as may be appropriate to the development of the model, including the provision of the necessary data, information, and resources to ensure successful development of the model as required by this Code section,” the law states.

You can read the full law here.

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House Bill 175

There are new special license plates in Georgia under House Bill 175. The specialty plates can be requested by state constitutional officers, members of the Public Service Commission and retired members of the active reserve and the Georgia National Guard.

The law also creates specialty plates honoring Kappa Alpha Psi and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternities.

You can read the full law here.

House Bill 528

The Georgia Online Automatic Renewal Transparency Act and Georgia Online Third-Party Delivery Service Transparency Act look to protect consumers in Georgia who use subscription services and third-party food delivery services.

The first part of the bill stops “unnecessary barriers” for Georgians who want to cancel an automatic renewal or continuous service subscriptions offered online.

The second part of the bill stops third-party delivery services, such as Uber Eats, Grubhub and DoorDash, from arranging for delivery orders with restaurants they don’t have a previously written agreement with.

You can read the full law here.

What about the income tax cuts?

Georgians could soon see their income tax rates drop faster than expected. Gov. Brian Kemp announced in December that he wants to accelerate the largest income tax cut in state history. Kemp signed those big tax cuts two years ago, which cut income tax every year in steps until 2029.

Accelerating the tax cuts will be introduced in legislation this upcoming session that would amend House Bill 1437. The governor’s office said by accelerating the reduction, the 2024 tax rate will be 5.39%, rather than the 5.49% set by HB 1437.

The Atlanta-Journal Constitution’s Legislative Navigator contributed to this article.

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