[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-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",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":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,"_75":74},"mediaId",6109134,"mediaKeyId","2763783-a53db32c168e3d42d50d870275a5326b","parentId",2763783,"title","Committee advances amended HB 14 after removing post‑production tax credit; music office and procurement language retained","audioSeconds",1764,"startMs",2514000,"endMs",4278000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2763783-a53db32c168e3d42d50d870275a5326b&start=2514&end=4278","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2763783-a53db32c168e3d42d50d870275a5326b/thumbnail_2514000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6109134/Georgia/Committee-advances-amended-HB-14-after-removing-postproduction-tax-credit-music-office-and-procurement-language-retained","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6109134-372622bf42d41c3338d4359543cbd316/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156268&Signature=OQndhEmrk3OjpCQKrDQMOI9QLkrF7NE1L79jGQsT7g2zAJ2EzyS1mA0V8Jd65OceEfs2UiV5YRZuEHy3Z1TAExZlvUdeFiYH5V6iJyLhgTe-OWCilkh5q~4LfPCfQY74mfk~Qmezg-YB~Uz26L1rCPl1w~R~b4xhEYlJh66LMZltrjRHi~ZmJXy2wwIwPXUn~-osg-wLXn0Bf-pJ5daND8KWwtzsKmdfOLZpJa9JAKmhpMlIrit~vBOcBMWxfuXGGWZ6VZ-VmMyExaRbmClvCEpvY~dTglDjnCVSPNJy5rSZ9s9UFVxurmFEhXJzBs6xqO8iAvPkvjwv1M500dGkWQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Georgia Legislature","date","2025-03-25T00:00:00Z","article","The Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee considered House Bill 14 (LC 590163S), a multipart measure that would change film incentives, create a central music office and tighten procurement restrictions related to foreign adversaries.

Matt Campbell, a film-industry representative, described post production as a growing segment of the entertainment industry and said it can produce year-round jobs across Georgia. Hani Korngold of South Georgia Studios said Georgia’s film industry has contracted since COVID and recent labor disruptions, and urged lawmakers to restore a post-production incentive that expired in 2022 to retain and recruit work to the state. Korngold told the committee post production represents “30% of the budget of a film” and that a revived credit could bring work — including visual-effects editing — to rural parts of the state.

Committee members questioned specific provisions in the substitute. One question addressed newly added language expanding the definition of “qualified production” to include certain user-generated content distributed on social platforms; sponsors said the intent was not to open the credit to typical social-media creators but to modernize and reinstate a post-production-targeted incentive that previously existed. Members also questioned a brief statutory provision that would have tied an additional 5% credit to counties under a population-and-poverty threshold; legal counsel advised stripping population-based language and, during amendments, the committee removed the population-specific limit and directed staff to consider alternative rural-designation language.

Witnesses and sponsors discussed the structure of the film credit: the bill layered an existing base credit (described in committee as 20%) with uplifts — including a 10% rural uplift in certain circumstances and an additional 5% targeted uplift discussed during debate. The bill in its earlier form included an overall program cap; sponsors said the draft cap was $60,000,000 per year.

The committee considered and enacted two amendments. First, a committee member moved to remove the standalone post‑production tax credit language; that amendment passed on a recorded voice/hand vote, 6 in favor and 4 opposed. Second, the committee voted unanimously to strike additional title language and a separate section (struck lines were described during the meeting) so the retained measure would house film and music policy under the Department of Community Affairs and keep procurement language tightening third‑party vendor rules concerning foreign adversaries. After the amendments the committee voted to approve the bill as amended; the committee recorded the final vote as unanimous.

Brian Hudson of the Hudson Group described procurement language that would close a loophole and prevent entities substantially owned or funded by a listed foreign adversary from state contracts, and sponsors said the music-office provisions would create a centralized hub in the Department of Community Affairs to promote music as economic development.

Committee leadership and staff said they would follow up with counsel on precise rural designations and other technical clarifications before the bill proceeds to the full chamber.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","03/25/2025 Senate Committee on Economic Development and Tourism","oneSentenceSummary","The Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee amended and approved House Bill 14 (LC 590163S), removing standalone post‑production tax-credit language while retaining measures to create a state music office and to tighten procurement rules related to foreign adversaries.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature Georgia , Georgia","taxId",77688,"location","Georgia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6109140,"Advocates press state committee for clearer river-access rules, citing lost public passage and business impacts",909,1503000,2412000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2763783-a53db32c168e3d42d50d870275a5326b&start=1503&end=2412","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2763783-a53db32c168e3d42d50d870275a5326b/thumbnail_1503000.jpg","/articles/6109140/Georgia/Advocates-press-state-committee-for-clearer-river-access-rules-citing-lost-public-passage-and-business-impacts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6109140-9b23638599aec9b732100c9306e3edf9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156268&Signature=m9aVzuWNb3BO2cly4w2r6wYOcQcQHlhQYojCqjTe-3LuAjZbS4XNgljmzUYmiA1NG2ssZovAHddXEdfofiR6sxnt7hBtcSYenau-h-IlF~0rUiaXLfhSC5CynkkgefwoHFnCx5w3pvESFm3WHn4zO2IWf2DM0W1LdyOJAWS7b0ZndbPMj3rad4rWUugMgYRDUjhakcY~uIxI5Lf8YVAddJsa2k7~-S0zCs0Cqiv3pMDbl7L7h3Tqgx80hAV6ian~Y7EALpCaqkudoB3Jg2QDrgmLnGZt3ieKf8zu6DgFTGoYJjZ2GmIt~cKs6GWufhH8EwxbAvySlGax8FTN7V6fug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Joe Cook, paddle Georgia coordinator with Georgia Rivers, told the Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee that state law and court decisions have left uncertainty about where the public may legally float, fish and hunt on Georgia streams.

Cook traced the issue to 19th-century and later case law, and said the current uncertainty follows the 2023 passage of Senate Bill 115, which affirmed a right to boat, hunt and fish on “navigable streams” but left the meaning of “navigable” unresolved. Cook said the House ultimately formed a study committee that recommended against creating a fixed list of navigable streams and suggested no change in law, leaving boaters and outfitters without clarity.

Cook said the legal history includes Young v. Harrison (1849), a Georgia Supreme Court decision that recognized public passage on many streams, and later cases, including the Givens case involving Itchaway Notchaway Creek, that narrowed access in practice. He said the Givens litigation resulted in a ruling that particular stream was not navigable despite long-standing local use, and that the case’s outcome has led to more stream closures.

Cook asked legislators to consider whether a single riparian landowner should be able to close a stream that has been used for generations, and warned that outfitters and tourism businesses depend on passable waterways. “Is it sound state policy on river and stream access and passage best serving the interest of Georgia’s tourism industry if outdoor recreation tourists in neighboring states do not visit our state for fear of being harassed or even arrested when traveling on Georgia streams?” Cook asked, saying he has received letters from out-of-state clubs expressing that concern.

Members of the committee asked questions about comparative law in neighboring states. Cook said Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee have policies that allow passage where one can float a boat, though he did not claim states’ ownership of river bottoms. Committee members and other speakers discussed the difference between floating in the waterway (which Cook said should not be treated as trespass) and stepping onto private land alongside the channel (which can be trespassing and is governed by trespass law).

The committee did not adopt new rules during the meeting; members asked staff and counsel to research comparative law and statutory options for clarifying navigability and access.","Paddle-Georgia coordinator Joe Cook told the Senate committee that inconsistent judicial decisions and unclear statutory definitions have left Georgians uncertain which streams are open for recreational boating, urging the legislature to act to protect passage and outdoor recreation businesses.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6109145,"Georgia rivers group urges mining pause near Okefenokee as World Heritage bid advances",610,808000,1418000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2763783-a53db32c168e3d42d50d870275a5326b&start=808&end=1418","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2763783-a53db32c168e3d42d50d870275a5326b/thumbnail_808000.jpg","/articles/6109145/Georgia/Georgia-rivers-group-urges-mining-pause-near-Okefenokee-as-World-Heritage-bid-advances","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6109145-97cd591a64b1853985e08929a1641791/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156268&Signature=OLsAgPS~oc34Nz2XzTGF4oCZlWYgEJfw7-jwEvxvZYFOwy8a6eqT83mLLe-qJ5vMUQOjHkW0ktjnhIzT6T0WVH~1q04lNgMkzhJvBnCqbeZ2h5NiRwMeElr-8fePjf7eDPa59cmxPSz4pSHrorAamyfecex1hI5xrwSrcdBiS~eeSqaS307cfAgzV8K5rwcbV4wHGXmiFWrL7887LHGO7Pw~sicXJJoJpdrsZhBb-0k8FBnaqT7-FehnD0JNWUJU-3Gff0rix4oN5aoy1I5VR20N4T9B80ynV2baWocRbUMm6cH6qy96be8xl4qYT98dLRMtF6ofL18igXVVL~DCdA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Rena Peck, executive director of Georgia Rivers, told the Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee that the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is seeking UNESCO World Heritage status and that proposed mining on nearby Trail Ridge could harm the refuge and the region’s tourism economy.

Peck said the refuge is being nominated for the World Heritage List and that the nomination would place the Okefenokee “up there with the Grand Canyon and Yosemite.” She described ongoing local investments, including a proposed nature center in Waycross and an observatory on the refuge’s western side, and said the designation would bring more visitors, jobs and restaurant and lodging demand.

Peck urged lawmakers to consider a temporary pause on mining on Trail Ridge to allow additional study and time for land trusts to raise funds to buy vulnerable parcels. “There’s a reason why it’s taking them so long, to make a decision,” Peck said, arguing that more time would allow additional science and legislative consideration. She cited Senate Bill 132 from last year as an example of prior legislative action to pause mining activity in the area.

Peck warned mining could lower the water table and increase drought stress and that demonstration and commercial mines could draw down groundwater. She described a planned demonstration mine of 582 acres and said company permit materials indicated groundwater drawdown of up to 14 feet. Peck said the mining operation’s water use could include roughly 1,400,000 gallons a day for processing and about 1,000,000 gallons a day sent to pits, and warned that large-scale pits and excavation — including 50-foot-deep pits across low elevations — could lower swamp water levels that are typically shallow, “only a foot to 3 feet,” in many places.

Peck also said Fish and Wildlife Service staff and local swamp park operators oppose mining near the refuge. She told the committee the refuge and regional tourism businesses are counting on protection measures to preserve recreation access and ecological function.

The committee did not take formal action on the Okefenokee presentation during the meeting; Peck answered questions and closed by thanking committee leadership.","Georgia Rivers told the Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee that the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is under threat from proposed mining on Trail Ridge and urged a legislative pause while the refuge pursues a World Heritage nomination and local investments expand tourism.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee advances amended HB 14 after removing post‑production tax credit; music office and procurement language retained

Advocates press state committee for clearer river-access rules, citing lost public passage and business impacts

Georgia rivers group urges mining pause near Okefenokee as World Heritage bid advances