ATLANTA — After being passed in near record time, freshman Representative Rick Austin’s (R- Demorest) House Bill 181 has started paying dividends for Habersham and White Counties. The legislation, which calls for all unidentifiable sales and use tax proceeds to be returned to their county of origin, resulted in $50,455.85 being returned to Habersham County and $31,236.11 being returned to White County.
“I’m happy to see that my first piece of legislation is already helping our district,” said Representative Austin. “These returned taxes are a significant financial impact to our local governments during these difficult economic times. Those funds could be used to limit furlough days or save an entire job. I am proud to help our district in such a significant manner.”
House Bill 181 was passed just twelve days into the 2009 legislative session. Many consider that to be a record for legislation introduced by a freshman representative.
Representative Rick Austin represents the citizens of District 10, which includes Habersham County and portions of White County. He was first elected into the House of Representatives in 2008, and currently serves on the Children & Youth, Education, Motor Vehicles, Ways and Means Committees, and Appropriations.
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