Ag News
Kemp signs bills to aid Helene recovery, upgrade water metering
Posted on May 15, 2025 at 11:56 AM
By Jay Stone
On May 8, during a ceremony at the Georgia Forestry Association headquarters in Forsyth, Gov. Brian Kemp signed three bills into law, two of which were specifically designed to provide financial relief for Georgia’s farmers.
The legislation included House Bill 223, which addressed a variety of challenges facing farmers in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Senate Bill 201, which addressed predatory actors attempting to take advantage of victims in the aftermath of disasters, and House Bill 143, which addresses the cost of installing water meters on farm irrigation systems.
“It took a lot of good hard work this legislative session and certainly before that, and I know that these are going to be meaningful steps for our farmers and foresters and all those that were impacted by the hurricane,” Kemp said in his pre-signing remarks.
Kemp took the opportunity to thank a variety of state departments and private organizations involved in the recovery process, including Georgia Farm Bureau.
Overall, the legislature approved more than $1 billion to aid in hurricane recovery.
“It was incredible to see that damage and it’s not often in a hurricane where the storm touches your state for the first time, but it also looks the same when it’s leaving your state on the other side of the state, and that’s what happened with this storm. It never lost any of its strength,” Kemp said.
HB 223 passed in the Georgia House of Representatives by a 153-0 vote and the Senate by a 50-1 vote. Its lead sponsor was Rep. James Burchett (R-Waycross). The law exempts federal crop insurance payments received in 2025 and agricultural disaster relief payments from state taxes. It establishes a reforestation tax credit to help producers who grow trees used for food or wood production recover from the storm and encourages them to replant.
The law allows local governments to temporarily suspend collection of harvest taxes on timber producers to help in post-storm cleanup in exchange for a grant to assist with lost revenue from harvest tax. The law also temporarily extends the Georgia Agricultural Tax Exemption (GATE) for building materials purchased for repairing or rebuilding of poultry houses, livestock facilities, greenhouses and other farm structures until the end of the year.
The law also temporarily extends the Georgia Agricultural Tax Exemption for building materials purchased for repairs or rebuilds of poultry houses, livestock facilities, greenhouses and other farm structures.
“These bills were sorely needed,” said Rep. Robert Dickey (R-Musella), chairman of the House Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee. “The hurricane relief was something that everybody came together with this year to help those affected in those areas. It was terrible, and I wish we could do more and there are still going to be long-term consequences of that hurricane, but this is a great first step.”
HB 143, introduced by Dickey, places the burden of installing agricultural irrigation water meters on the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Environmental Protection Division (EPD), relieving farmers of that cost. Dickey said the bill would save the state’s farmers $9 million over time.
“You’ve got to do what you can to take the guesswork out of it,” Dickey said. “EPD is really working with farmers and agriculture to open up some more irrigation areas. That’s part of this, to get more water for our farmers.”
- Categories:
- Tags: