ATLANTA – State Representative Mark Newton (R-Augusta) announced that the Georgia General Assembly gave final passage to House Bills 489 and 995 on Thursday, March 29, 2018. These bills will increase transparency in county and municipal bidding.
“Georgians have seen headlines related to kickbacks, bribery and ‘good-ole-boy’ insider deals for far too long,” said Rep. Newton. “This year, the Georgia General Assembly has taken strong, concrete steps to fight this corruption and to improve competitiveness in the bid process with regard to government spending in contracting and procurement.”
HB 995, which was sponsored by Rep. Newton, will require consultants who are hired specifically to assist city and county governments prepare bid specifications or a request for proposal (RFP) to disclose any financial relationships with bidders and avoid conflicts of interest.
“Citizens across Georgia are tired of reading headlines about corruption, bribery and insider deals, and it is crucial that we rebuild public trust and confidence,” added Rep. Newton. “We can now assure Georgians that when government at any level – state, county or city – spends taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars, they are getting full disclosure and that the consultant is providing unbiased advice unrelated to insider financial dealings with vendors or bidders.”
HB 489, which was sponsored by Rep. Tom McCall (R-Elberton), will require counties, cities or local boards of education to use of the Georgia Procurement Registry to advertise bid opportunities for goods and services and public works construction contracts.
“Using a website available statewide ensures that all potential contractors or vendors across the state will be able to easily find opportunities to provide products or services needed by local governments,” said Rep. McCall. “This will allow the local taxpayers to get the best competitive price possible.”
HBs 489 and 995 will now go to Governor Nathan Deal for consideration and will require the governor’s signature in order to take effect.
For more information on HB 489, please click here.
For more information on HB 995, please click here.
Representative Mark Newton represents the citizens of District 123, which includes portions of Columbia and Richmond counties. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2016 and currently serves on the Health & Human Services, Small Business Development and Transportation committees.
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