Habersham County State Representative Terry Rogers’ House Bill 259 is now law.
Dubbed the “Georgia Business Act” the new rules allow state agencies to skip the bidding process when buying certain types of vehicles that are made in Georgia. Rogers sponsored the bill at the behest of Governor Nathan Deal.
Deal traveled to West Point, Georgia to sign the bill at a KIA training facility there. While Kia is currently the only car manufacturer that will benefit from the new rules, the Governor says, “It also expands the process to give advantages to smaller businesses as well. The bill supports businesses of all sizes, helping tax dollars remain in our state and safeguarding Georgia revenue. If they are in our state and they are manufacturing products, we think they should be given some priority.” A Deal spokesperson says the legislation will also cover any other car companies that choose to locate in Georgia in future.
Despite handing a temporary advantage to KIA, the law states that fair competition is the goal “it is the declared policy of the state to ensure that a fair proportion of the total purchases and contracts or subcontracts for property, commodities, and services for the state be placed with Georgia resident businesses and small businesses so long as the commodities and services of small businesses are competitive as to price and quality.”
HB 259 also expands the amount of money state agencies can spend without competitive bids from $5000 to $25,000 under certain conditions.
