GOAL Legislative Update – April 7, 2024

The 2025 session of the Georgia General Assembly ended this past Friday, April 4th. HB 328, the bill that would have increased the GOAL tax credit cap to $140 million, passed the House but was not debated or voted upon in the Senate. This outcome is likely for the best, considering that the bill in its current form is less than desired, and we need to change hearts and minds in both the Senate and House. 

As a reminder/recap:
Chairman Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton) introduced HB 328 in the House to expand the GOAL Tax Credit program cap to $200 million annually. Unfortunately, House Ways and Means Committee leadership amended the bill, and it passed the full House with the following provisions:

• The cap increase was lowered to $140 from $200 million.
• The carryforward option for individual contributors is removed.
• Any tax credits approved in the second half of the year would only qualify for a 95% tax credit, should credits be available.
• Insurance companies may apply for unlimited amounts of credits, whereas previously, they were limited to $1 million per business enterprise with an overall cap $6 million out of the $120 million cap.

GOAL certainly seeks to return the cap increase to $200 million, and we do not support the other three proposed provisions. The presence of a ‘live bill’ in play at the beginning of the 2026 legislative session gives us the best chance for achieving a good result next year. We will be engaging in our most robust and pervasive legislative effort during the intervening months. If you would like to be notified of opportunities to get involved in legislative outreach, please email goal@goalscholarship.org.