Georgia 2025-2026 Regular Session

Georgia House Bill HB730 Compare Versions

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1-25 LC 44 3113ER/AP
2-House Bill 730 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
1+25 LC 44 3113ER
2+House Bill 730
33 By: Representatives Petrea of the 166
44 th
55 , Stephens of the 164
66 th
77 , Hitchens of the 161
88 st
99 , Gilliard
1010 of the 162
1111 nd
1212 , and Jackson of the 165
1313 th
1414
1515 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1616 AN ACT
1717 To amend an Act creating the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless, approved
1818 1
1919 March 30, 1989 (Ga. L. 1989, p. 4701), as amended, so as to provide for membership; to2
2020 provide for meetings; to provide for purposes; to provide for definitions; to provide for3
2121 legislative findings; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other4
2222 purposes.5
2323 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:6
2424 SECTION 1.7
2525 An Act creating the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless, approved March 30,8
2626 1989 (Ga. L. 1989, p. 4701), as amended, is amended by revising subsection (d) of Section 29
2727 as follows:10
2828 "(d) It is further found that such a public authority should provide the operational duties11
2929 of the CoC as required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and12
3030 coordinate and assist public and private entities in implementing the homeless management13
3131 information system, developing a comprehensive coordinated entry system, leading the14
3232 annual point in time count efforts, serving as the CoC collaborative applicant, and15
3333 managing and assisting with the notice of funding opportunity process, including the16
3434 H. B. 730
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3636 preparation and final submission of the community collaborative application. The
3737 17
3838 authority is the collaborative applicant for the Interagency Council on Homelessness for18
3939 Chatham-Savannah."19
4040 SECTION 2.20
4141 Said Act is further amended by revising Section 3 as follows:21
4242 "SECTION 3.22
4343 Definitions.23
4444 Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, as used in this Act, the term:24
4545 (1) 'Authority' means the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless created by this25
4646 Act.26
4747 (2) 'CoC' means the group of individuals and agencies that carry out the responsibility27
4848 of planning a community's response to those persons experiencing homelessness.28
4949 (3) 'Collaborative applicant' means that agency designated to meet all U.S. Department29
5050 of Housing and Urban Development requirements under 24 C.F.R. Part 578.30
5151 (4) 'Coordinated entry' means a systemwide process that quickly and equitably31
5252 coordinates the access, assessment, and prioritization and referrals to housing and32
5353 emergency services for people experiencing or at imminent risk of homelessness. This33
5454 centralized process transforms a CoC into a fully integrated crisis response system.34
5555 (5) 'Homeless' means being without or expecting within 30 days to be without sleeping35
5656 accommodations which meet health and safety standards and includes such factors as36
5757 unemployment, underemployment, substance abuse, mental illness, or other conditions37
5858 as determined by the authority which cause or contribute to causing the state of being38
5959 homeless.39
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6262 (6) 'Homeless management information system' means the platform or software that is
6363 40
6464 used to collect jurisdictional data and report the same to the Department of Community41
6565 Affairs.42
6666 (7) 'Notice of funding opportunity' mean those notices provided to local governments and43
6767 communities by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development."44
6868 SECTION 3.45
6969 Said Act is further amended by revising Section 5 as follows:46
7070 "SECTION 5.47
7171 Membership.48
7272 (a)(1) The authority shall be governed by a board of directors that is composed of 1349
7373 members as follows:50
7474 (A) Two members shall be appointed by the City Council;51
7575 (B) Two members shall be appointed by the County Commission; and52
7676 (C) The remaining nine members shall be selected as provided for in subsection (a) of53
7777 Section 6 of this Act.54
7878 (2) One member shall presently be experiencing or in the past shall have experienced55
7979 homelessness.56
8080 (3) All members shall be appointed for a three-year term. In no event shall any member57
8181 serve more than two consecutive, three-year terms of office.58
8282 (b) All members shall be residents of Chatham County.59
8383 (c) Members shall receive no compensation.60
8484 (d) The board may remove any member by a majority vote of the full membership if the61
8585 member fails to carry out the duties and responsibilities required of members by this Act. 62
8686 Said process for removal shall be outlined in by-laws of the organization.63
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8989 (e) There shall be a chair of the board whose duties shall be outlined in the bylaws of the
9090 64
9191 authority. In addition to all other duties, powers, and responsibilities, the chair shall serve65
9292 on the board of the Interagency Council on Homelessness for Chatham-Savannah."66
9393 SECTION 4.67
9494 Said Act is further amended by revising Section 6 as follows:68
9595 "SECTION 6.69
9696 Organization; meetings.70
9797 (a) The chair of the board shall call an organizational meeting after the City of Savannah and71
9898 Chatham County have each appointed its respective representatives, but no later than 45 days72
9999 after this Act, as amended in 2025, becomes effective. At that meeting, the chair of the board73
100100 along with the appointees of the County and City and the executive committee shall select74
101101 the remaining board members. All directors other than the executive committee serving prior75
102102 to the effective date of the 2025 amendment of this Act shall cease to be directors upon such76
103103 amendment becoming effective. The chair shall continue to serve for two years as chair after77
104104 the 2025 amendment of this Act becomes effective.78
105105 (b) All acts of the board must be approved by a majority of the quorum of the board. The79
106106 board shall require at least 40 percent membership to have a quorum.80
107107 (c) The board shall meet no less than six times a year and shall also have an additional81
108108 annual meeting.82
109109 (d) The authority shall prepare and submit to the appointing bodies, including the City of83
110110 Savannah, Chatham County, and the Interagency Council on Homelessness for84
111111 Chatham-Savannah, an annual report each year upon completion of the U.S. Department of85
112112 Housing and Urban Development required annual point in time count. Such report shall make86
113113 available the latest independent audit of the authority."87
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116116 SECTION 5.
117117 88
118118 Said Act is further amended by revising Section 7 as follows:89
119119 "SECTION 7.90
120120 Purposes.91
121121 (a) To provide all data, insights, and other information to the Interagency Council on92
122122 Homelessness for Chatham-Savannah to use in developing, and amending from time to time,93
123123 a comprehensive plan for public and private agencies to effectively provide services for94
124124 persons experiencing homelessness.95
125125 (b) To coordinate, evaluate, and provide the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban96
126126 Development required operations of the CoC and support the implementation and carrying97
127127 out of the comprehensive plan developed by the Interagency Council on Homelessness for98
128128 Chatham-Savannah.99
129129 (c) To contract with public and private agencies for the purposes of subsections (a) and (b)100
130130 of this section and for such public and private agencies to provide programs and services to101
131131 persons experiencing homelessness in order to carry out the provisions of the comprehensive102
132132 plan developed by the Interagency Council on Homelessness for Chatham-Savannah.103
133133 (d) To offer services, including administration and implementation of a homeless104
134134 management information system, coordinated entry, leading the U.S. Department of Housing105
135135 and Urban Development required annual point in time count, submission of the U.S.106
136136 Department of Housing and Urban Development notice of funding opportunity community107
137137 application, coordination of the local notice of funding opportunity competition, street108
138138 outreach, encampment engagement, case management, crisis intervention and referral,109
139139 housing, and other related services to persons experiencing homelessness."110
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142142 SECTION 6.
143143 111
144144 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.112
145145 H. B. 730
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