✅ Georgia’s New Laws Taking Effect July 1, 2025: What You Need to Know
As Georgia begins its fiscal year, more than 100 new state laws will take effect on July 1, 2025. These changes cover a wide range of topics — from tax cuts and education to drug laws, transportation, and protections for pets and people.
📉 Tax & Finance
- Income tax cut: Georgia’s flat income tax rate drops from 5.39% to 5.19%, with an expected further drop to 4.99% by January 2026.
- Expanded child tax credit: Families with young children will receive an increased state credit, including $250 per child under age 6.
🏫 Education & School Safety
- SB 1 – Riley Gaines Act requires that school athletic teams be designated by biological sex at birth.
- “Ricky & Alyssa’s Law” mandates panic alert systems in all K–12 schools, directly connected to emergency services.
- HB 175 strengthens background checks for early education employees.
- HB 123 prohibits expelling a student solely for excessive absences, encouraging supportive interventions instead.
💼 Employment & Consumer Protection
- SB 55 – Dignity and Pay Act ends subminimum wages for workers with disabilities.
- SB 244 – Wrongful Conviction Compensation Act allows those wrongfully convicted to recover attorney fees and related costs.
💊 Crime & Public Health
- SB 79 – Fentanyl Eradication and Removal Act increases penalties for trafficking even small amounts of fentanyl.
- SB 6 legalizes fentanyl test strips, enabling early detection and overdose prevention.
🚗 Transportation & Licensing
- HB 296 legalizes the use of digital driver’s licenses (stored on phones) in Georgia.
- HB 156 & HB 164 support local planning for drone-based air taxis (vertiports) and allow heavier trucks (up to 84,000 pounds) on local roads.
🐾 Animal Protection & Funeral Reform
- HB 177 extends protective orders in domestic violence cases to include pets.
- HB 331 bans roadside pet sales from vehicles or gas stations.
- SB 241 legalizes human composting as an eco-friendly burial alternative.
🧒 Social Media & Youth
- Georgia’s social media age-verification law, requiring platforms to verify users under 16, has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge due to First Amendment concerns. The state is appealing the ruling.
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