[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6653299,"mediaKeyId","2484058-a8a73d494454b6b73bc100ac068749e6","parentId",2484058,"title","Small business advocates back HB 341’s individual coverage plan and caution on state retirement proposals","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",1694000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2484058-a8a73d494454b6b73bc100ac068749e6&start=1694&end=1694","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2484058-a8a73d494454b6b73bc100ac068749e6/thumbnail_1694000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6653299/Georgia/Small-business-advocates-back-HB-341s-individual-coverage-plan-and-caution-on-state-retirement-proposals","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6653299-3dd0709a453db1e011f937a352eaad1f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771167818&Signature=VW94sCR74nPS0JyBsl12aRXnjufouj89EtW2yJRDmysoZl0EZKQdaHh8~sb~vay8io5bBhFvijH8Z~2V6KNX9CBtc8OFpw1z~lyudy3mkoIWT0TKqeyx4Uzb-YcImN~xgJWXIHnRPSM59VcKd5uvv~sAYgdeSzQ73IAsFfEdVqBchOb69TMXxHZi1vhQbyyCjGl5Nb1hjPlSFQDMu25uASa-jSGXbVLtNK8QY515GgbX21oGVON7uk-NFcCIbcIJ3UF6H9E3oH5GY3sZ26PhVw6QdNQ0FSKr0xKRRmDFoL9oRc00AhSJnPz53GGxgghldQ-zbUK-vagB-rail1WDSg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","State of Georgia ","date","2025-03-04T14:02:56.09Z","article","Speakers at the Small Business Development Committee meeting discussed several proposals related to employee benefits and retirement policy, including an individual coverage reimbursement plan (ICRA) and state‑sponsored retirement programs.

Michael Walker, chairman of the NFIB leadership committee in Georgia, promoted HB 341, which he described as an individual coverage health insurance reimbursement plan and said Representative Newton is a sponsor. \"As a small business owner, a person that's in the insurance business, I certainly would recommend that us being able to move forward with that,\" Walker said. He said the proposal could help small employers who are not large enough to offer group plans by incentivizing individual coverage.

Walker also warned of an impending long‑term care financing challenge as the population ages. \"There's a tsunami coming with aging baby boomers and people going into nursing homes,\" he said, and he stressed that Medicare does not pay for most long‑term care costs. \"It does not take care of that at all. It's Medicaid, the state funds that take care of that,\" Walker said. He proposed exploring public‑private partnerships with insurers to expand affordable long‑term care options.

Presenters expressed opposition to a state‑run retirement plan pushed by AARP, saying private market options and incentives are preferable to a state program. Although speakers supported incentives to encourage retirement saving, they advised against creating a state retirement plan that could confuse small business owners and employees.

Committee members heard no formal motion or vote on these items at this meeting; witnesses asked legislators to consider HB 341 in committee and to weigh alternatives for retirement and long‑term care funding.

Ending

Sponsors and advocates signaled intent to continue working with committee members on benefit‑design proposals and related legislation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Small Business Development 03.04.25","oneSentenceSummary","NFIB and insurance industry speakers endorsed an individual coverage reimbursement proposal (HB 341) and urged caution about state‑run retirement plans while discussing long‑term care funding options for aging residents.","taxTitle","Small Business Development, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Georgia","taxId",17381,"location","Georgia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6653302,"Small business leaders praise HB 808, urge tax cuts and generator credits after storm damage",328,1756000,2084000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2484058-a8a73d494454b6b73bc100ac068749e6&start=1756&end=2084","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2484058-a8a73d494454b6b73bc100ac068749e6/thumbnail_1756000.jpg","/articles/6653302/Georgia/Small-business-leaders-praise-HB-808-urge-tax-cuts-and-generator-credits-after-storm-damage","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6653302-2b75663eab0521789a711ee98b3bb6c2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771167818&Signature=QTBdEMfFmPfYv8FsdtbGM4O7z7feWJA4dYj3GxxV6Kc2nG2KMkFePb7iAV9BNxxk-pw22gsIwi1uakFWzkKYOxpZzuRfgw0MLdsgYRXVfY3Q~4S2x1iRerEowuqv2KtDrWS5aXUS4khM-9LR5-suvshMRAXgb7MRJ87UkXGT5KB77Hy5ZzHIEG2ALHqW3oQ1CY1oasEzhKtXJf1aFUFVfsyvC~Xzjrtq8wjWbqgWSHUSqc6y8sXTMo0b20rhkKZosdt2IFx2ndiRXvcomgOsQyLa20f3ctrlfwqlUQ1JztqO5ishda9j6B1C9m1jU25xF4ykdNBXP3f6kScjHov87w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Small business owners and local officials told the Georgia House Small Business Development Committee that recent and proposed tax changes would help businesses recover from storm damage and ease operating costs.

Allison Couch, a Columbia County commissioner and NFIB leadership team member, thanked lawmakers for passage of House Bill 808, which she said increased the tangible personal property exemption from $7,500 to $20,000 following voter approval in November 2024. \"This tax is very much loathed by small business owners,\" Couch said, and she urged legislators to consider raising the exemption further to provide more meaningful relief.

Couch described severe effects from Hurricane Helene in Columbia County: prolonged outages, lost crops and damage to infrastructure. She estimated roughly \"6,000,000 cubic tons of debris\" from storm damage in her county and said many businesses were immobilized for weeks. Couch and other presenters said House Bill 425, which creates a tax credit for convenience store and grocery store owners who purchase and install generators, would help critical businesses resume service more quickly after future storms. Couch said her household relied on a generator for 17 days following the storm.

Speakers also discussed Governor Kemp’s tax proposal to accelerate a reduction in the state individual income tax rate from 5.39% in 2024 to 5.19% in 2025. Couch said lower individual rates can free dollars for small business owners who operate through pass‑through entities, enabling reinvestment in jobs and equipment.

Hunter Loggins of NFIB emphasized federal and state tax deductions important to small businesses and described the organization’s membership of about 7,000 Georgia small‑business owners. Committee members asked about targeting generator credits to critical services; presenters said the measure is meant to prioritize gas stations, grocery stores and nursing homes rather than making the credit broadly available to all small businesses.

Ending

Committee members acknowledged the storm testimony and thanked presenters; no formal vote occurred during the meeting.","NFIB and local officials told the Small Business Development Committee that recent changes to the tangible personal property exemption, proposed income tax cuts and a generator tax credit would ease burdens on small businesses recovering from Hurricane Helene.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_46":93,"_48":94,"_50":95,"_52":96,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":97,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":98,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6653306,"Georgia small businesses press lawmakers for tort reform as insurance market tightens",576,2666000,3242000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2484058-a8a73d494454b6b73bc100ac068749e6&start=2666&end=3242","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2484058-a8a73d494454b6b73bc100ac068749e6/thumbnail_2666000.jpg","/articles/6653306/Georgia/Georgia-small-businesses-press-lawmakers-for-tort-reform-as-insurance-market-tightens","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6653306-a08554d8f3c59bc35189a4401ed39a74/orig.mp4?Expires=1771167818&Signature=ThyJeHXCOMEA3C-l5MkpkxBaGRt4d9rW~anbEr6nydBRhep5NYkDZCrk2o8uAJAY6ouL0d-sFK7PJNwhMBL64FzEE5radZaNjRasX70GSs-iltzNQQ4lhOGhGEpN4Z~Ol0jICRkZRVeyK~BbVtffVunESVor0DiMloculfo6YBYX0EKAou06jvFCifxgN3C67WZYRIHPK3Q8BQvhpW5STsWJIuiZ0o5PPvKlkxXR-BAsiXIoNf62QdmBdeHXjqjEywC0J5MF41gehOvKVx8wKQxL12T57tCors9uBh1FN1c~St-zmS5QuDJUIzDTRTAZcBRff70WbKZVczZK3XnSZQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a meeting of the Georgia House Small Business Development Committee, owners and industry representatives urged lawmakers to move on tort reform and transparency measures they say are driving insurers from the market and raising premiums.

Committee members heard extended testimony from John Sandeman, chief executive officer of Sampson Tours Inc., who said commercial insurers are leaving Georgia and coverage costs have climbed sharply. \"From 2018 to present, my insurance rates have gone up 400%,\" Sandeman said, adding that his company now struggles to get competitive quotes for required commercial policies. He said Georgia’s legal climate and what he described as \"third party litigation funding\" are increasing the frequency and size of claims against businesses.

The testimony underscored widespread concern among small business owners. Michael Walker, chairman of the NFIB leadership committee in Georgia, said the tort reform proposal is also an economic measure. \"It's also a jobs bill is what this is,\" Walker told the committee. Representatives of retail and manufacturing businesses described rising premiums, cancelled policies and increased difficulty obtaining product‑liability and commercial coverage.

Sandeman described multiple examples in which his company faced large claims or repeated litigation, and said insurers now require large minimum limits for certain operations — \"we have to have a minimum of $5,000,000 in coverage\" for commercial vehicle operations — and then treat insureds as presumptively at fault. He and other presenters urged lawmakers to require more transparency about who is funding plaintiff litigation and to curb lawsuit \"forum shopping.\" One speaker described so‑called third‑party litigation funding as hedge funds and outside investors buying stakes in civil claims.

Smaller operators also spoke. Christy, chief executive officer of Mountain Alternatives, said product‑liability exposure and rising insurance costs are forcing many Main Street businesses to consider price increases. \"My insurance rates... are increasing no less than 18% per year,\" she said, and added that one lawsuit naming her business was dismissed after her company’s labeling and disclaimers were reviewed.

Committee members asked questions about specific mechanisms to limit verdict size, increase transparency of outside funding and prevent plaintiffs from shopping for favorable jurisdictions. Testimony referenced a transparency provision under consideration in a separate bill (identified in discussion as SB 69) that would make third‑party funders visible to judges and juries. Presenters and committee members framed those measures as necessary to restore predictable insurance pricing and to keep small businesses and transportation providers operating.

The committee did not take a formal vote or render a decision during the testimonies presented at this meeting.

Ending

Speakers said they will continue to press for legislative changes and for additional committee hearings. Lawmakers in the room acknowledged the testimony and noted tort reform is under active consideration, but did not announce a timetable for specific votes.","Small business owners, transportation firms and manufacturers told the House Small Business Development Committee that rising premiums, insurer withdrawals and third‑party litigation funding are threatening operations and jobs, and urged passage of tort‑reform measures.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Small business advocates back HB 341’s individual coverage plan and caution on state retirement proposals

Small business leaders praise HB 808, urge tax cuts and generator credits after storm damage

Georgia small businesses press lawmakers for tort reform as insurance market tightens