ATLANTA – State Representative Matt Reeves (R-Duluth) today announced that Governor Brian Kemp has signed four bills that aim to reform the State Ethics Commission, create efficiency throughout Georgia’s court system, as well as promote the state’s tourism and hospitality industries.
“In my first session, I have worked to pass serious, good government legislation that benefits the people of my district and the state as a whole,” said Reeves. “These bill make small changes to our laws that will help make our state run a little better, and I appreciate the support of my colleagues who made it possible for me to author so many successful bills in my first year in the House. It is gratifying to see that work come to fruition with Governor Kemp’s signature.”
House Bill 572 officially changes the name of the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission to the “State Ethics Commission.” This bill also revises several ethics statutes following recent court decisions and recommendations made by the commission’s executive director, David Emadi.
House Bill 543 authorizes six-member jury trials in state civil cases involving $50,000 or less. Previously, the threshold for six-member juries in civil cases was set at $25,000, and cases involving more than this amount enabled the involved parties to demand a 12-member jury. Increasing the threshold to allow civil cases to utilize six-member juries could save taxpayer dollars and promote judicial efficiency, especially as the court system aims to clear case backlogs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
House Bill 182 aligns the Georgia recording statute regarding deeds and other instruments with Georgia’s current savings statute, allowing an improperly executed instrument to be corrected by having the savings statute apply to both attestations and acknowledgments. The State Bar of Georgia brought forward this legislation to address a recent real estate issue and to protect security interests following an 11th Circuit court decision. The final version of the bill includes a provision that enacts standard national laws concerning time shares in an effort to promote tourism and hospitality construction in Georgia by national time share companies.
House Bill 444 reforms Georgia’s “lis pendens” real estate filings laws relating to real estate lawsuits. Specifically, this bill provides that the official public notice that a property has a pending lawsuit or claim attached to it, known as “lis pendens,” must be issued by a court based on specific requirements. This means that just because someone files a legal claim involving property, that claim could not automatically trigger the public notice unless the court issues it first. Clerks of superior courts will also be required to keep a list of all notices of lis pendens filed with them.
In addition to the four bills signed by Governor Kemp today, Rep. Reeves authored House Bill 383, the Safer Hospitals Act, and House bills 711 and 748, legislation which would usher in the first property tax referendum in Gwinnett County in 35 years.
Representative Matt Reeves represents the citizens of District 99, which includes portions of Gwinnett County. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2022 and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and Secretary of the Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee. He also serves on the Judiciary Non-Civil Committee.
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