2016 General Assembly Summary of Banking Legislation

The 2016 Session of the Georgia General Assembly ended March 24, 2016. GBA monitored more than 75 bills that had either a direct or indirect effect on the banking industry. GBA was represented by our Senior Vice President for Government Relations, Elizabeth Chandler, 404.420.2027, President and CEO, Joe Brannen, 404.420.2026, and our Government Relations Consultant Steve Bridges, 404.420.2037, throughout the session. Contact any of them with questions about legislation, information about your legislator's stance on a particular issue or to request any other information related to the Georgia General Assembly.

Below is a summary of all the bills we monitored and their status if acted on. This was the second session of a 2-year cycle, therefore, bills that didn’t receive final action in 2016 will have to be re-introduced as new legislation in the 2017 session.

GBA's Georgia General Assembly Legislation Tracker

Below are the banking and financial services bills we tracked in the Georgia General Assembly during 2016. We've categorized the legislation as follows: 

GBA Priority Bills that Passed


Multibank Collateral Pledging Pool (N)
SB 283 by Sen. John Kennedy (R-Macon) creates a multibank public deposit collateralization pool that will be a third collateralization option for banks doing business with public depositors. This contingent liability pool will be comprised of all the banks having assets over $50 billion doing business in Georgia, and optional for other banks qualified as state depositories and approved by the State Depository Board. In return for the cross-guarantee, banks may be eligible for a lowered collateralization percentage from the current 110 percent of the public deposit. At the request of the State Treasurer, Steve McCoy, GBA put together a task force comprised of bankers affected by the new Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR), a component of Basel III, and developed the legislation. In addition to McCoy, our thanks go to Kevin Hagler and Bo Fears at the Banking Department for their help in crafting the bill and their willingness to be part of the regulatory process going forward. The state treasurer will be recommending the implementing regulations for adoption by the State Depository Board. In addition, we worked with depositor stakeholders and especially want to recognize the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, Georgia Municipal Association, Georgia School Boards Association and the Board of Regents for their ongoing interest in and support of the effort. GBA will be presenting a session about the new pool concept at the Georgia Government Finance Officers Association annual meeting later this year. Our thanks to Sen. Kennedy for his leadership on  the bill, and to Rep. Bruce Williamson (R-Monroe), who handled the bill in the House. Passed and signed by the Governor. Rulemaking will take several months and we will give you updates through our regular E-Bulletin. 

Banking Department Housekeeping Bill (N)
HB 811 by Bruce Williamson (R-Monroe). Much of the bill was the work product of the public-private Code Review Task Force chaired by Brad Miller, United Community Bank, Blairsville, and made up of members of the GBA’s Bank Counsel Section and senior department staff with Deputy Commissioner for Legal and Consumer Affairs, Bo Fears, serving as scrivener. Among the topics in the bill will be: 1) removing references to building and loan associations as those charters no longer exist; 2) recognizing the preemption of the DBF’s role in approving branches of out-of-state institutions, 3) removing registration requirements for institutions over which the DBF has no supervisory role; 4) removes prohibitions for state-chartered banks to charge a fee to cash “on us” checks; 5) setting up an application process for potential mergers of merchant acquirer limited purpose banks; 6) removes the reserve requirements referenced in Federal Reserve Regulation D so that the provisions will only be applicable to institutions whose deposits are not federally insured; 7) removes the authority of the DBF to present a case directly to a grand jury; 8) reduces the violation of an institutions charter or bylaws from a felony; 9) clarifies that an institution operating without federal deposit insurance is a transitional situation; 10) revises the requirements for the DBF to post bonds to ensure employees’ faithful performance; 11) removes barriers for the conversion of a federal savings bank into a state savings bank; 12) authorizes banks to participate in cross-guaranty state-level collateral pools; and 13) establishes a regulatory structure for virtual currencies. Other sections of the bill apply only to credit unions or non-bank entities registered with or supervised by the DBF. GBA supports. Passed and signed by the Governor.

Other GBA-Monitored Bills That Saw Final Action


Garnishment (N) SB 255 by Sen. Jesse Stone (R-Waynesboro), addresses the reasons a federal judge ruled portions of Georgia’s garnishment statute unconstitutional. Our thanks to House Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Wendell Willard (R-Sandy Springs) for appointing a study committee to develop the initial legislation. Serving on the committee at GBA’s request was Ellen Fleming, First Vice President & Senior Counsel SunTrust Banks, Inc. Also active on the committee representing creditors’ interests was Adam Cleveland from associate member law firm Thompson, O'Brien, Kemp & Nasuti, P.C., Norcross. Of special interest is the five-day period to consider whether funds are in an account and the 10-day response time (after days one through five). The bill responds to the Court’s unconstitutionality ruling and balances a number of significant procedural changes for banks with some added protections. GBA supported the legislation. The bill passed and signed by the Governor.

Banks Serving Firearms Dealers (N)
SB 282 by Sen. Jesse Stone (R-Waynesboro), the Georgia Firearms Industry Nondiscrimination Act, was amended onto another firearms bill, HB 1060, and awaits the Governor’s signature. GBA opposed the concept throughout the session and successfully supported helpful amendments, As originally introduced, the bill essentially said that if a bank chose not to do business with someone who has a federal license to sell firearms, the seller could sue the bank. The bank would then have to prove that the bank’s decision was for a reason other than the seller was related to the firearms industry. GBA’s efforts helped to remove that provision. Thanks mostly to the Banking Department, parity language was added, which will cause the bill to not be applicable to state chartered banks if the OCC or federal courts rule it inapplicable to federally chartered banks. Although watered down, the bill gives the Attorney General the right to bring an action against a bank if he believes the bank is about to violate, is violating, or has violated the act. No other industry has such a carve-out as is being given the firearms industry, and we believe this sets a bad precedent.

Liens - Water
SB 206 by Sen. William Ligon (R-Brunswick)  gives certain individuals and entities, specifically including lenders, the right to file a written request with a public or private water supplier inquiring about the existence of unpaid bills attributable to the property. GBA was able to work with the author and others to improve the bill.

Rural Hospitals
HB 919 by Rep. Geoff Duncan (R-Cumming) was introduced to help save access to hospital care for many rural Georgians. The bill was amended onto SB 258 and authorizes individual and corporate tax credits up to $100 million. 

Electronic Real Estate Filings (N)
HB 1004 by Rep. Rick Jasperse (R-Jasper) would allow electronic images of maps, plats and plans to be filed with the Clerk of Superior Court and into the Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority.

Taxes – Property Redemption
HB 51 by Rep. Tommy Benton (R-Jefferson) would change the provisions about the amount of taxes payable upon redemption of a property sold for taxes, as well as establish timeframes for when the purchaser of a property is required to join a homeowners association and pay association dues.

Public Retirement Funds – Permissible Investments (N)
SB 335 by Sen. Ellis Black (R-Valdosta) would add as eligible public retirement system investments comingled funds and collected investment funds managed by state-chartered banks and state-chartered trust companies. GBA supported this bill.

Savings Accounts for the Disabled (N)
HB 768 by Rep. Lee Hawkins (R-Gainesville) establishes a qualified ABLE program in Georgia so people can contribute to accounts to pay for qualified expenses such as education, housing and transportation, of eligible individuals with disabilities. The state program will be structured in compliance with federal rules so that contributions to the account may be eligible for a federal tax deduction. HB 710 by Rep. Scot Turner (R-Holly Springs) was a similar bill

Property – Notice / Citation for Code Enforcement Violation (N)
HB 1025 by Rep. Tom Taylor (R-Dunwoody) adds procedures for notification of accusations or citation for a county code enforcement violation related to real property.

Financial Technologies and Payment Processing Industry Incentives (N)
SR 883 by Sen. Brandon Beach (R-Alpharetta) would create a joint committee to study the financial technology and payment processing industries to determine if additional incentives would be helpful to these companies to expand their businesses in Georgia. 

Purchasing Cards (N)
HB 949 by Rep. Alan Powell (R-Hartwell) would prohibit certain county officials from issuing purchasing cards without enacting regulations regarding their use. GBA will monitor the work of the study committee as they complete their work later this year.

Animal Liens (N)
SB 356 by Sen. Michael Williams (R-Cumming) would revise the lien statute applying to impounded animals and establish a procedure for foreclosing on such liens. The bill awaits the Governor’s signature.

Credit Union Activities - Unauthorized Practice of Law (N)
HB 759 by Rep. Wendell Willard (R-Sandy Springs) clarifies that credit unions have parity with other financial institutions so that loan closings may be done without the use of an attorney in limited situations. The bill awaits the Governor’s signature.

High Profile Bills That Failed


E-Discovery (N)
HB 1017 by Rep. Barry Fleming (R-Harlem) would substantially revise the electronic records discoverable in a court proceeding. GBA and a coalition of business interests oppose the bill as introduced as it fails to follow federal standards most states have adopted.
All Others

Data Breach Notification (N)
SB 276 by Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) would have required certain businesses and government agencies to notify affected individuals within 72 hours of a data breach. GBA was asked to comment on an early draft of the bill by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. In that interview, we went on record opposing the bill as it was unnecessary. Through the committee process, banks and other businesses that are already required to have data breach protocols in place were accommodated and would have been deemed to have already complied with the new notification standard for other entities. However, the bill stalled in the process.

Trusts – Self-Settled Spendthrift Trusts
HB 456 by Rep. Tom Weldon (R-Ringgold) would have established a new type of trust in Georgia called a qualified self-settled spendthrift trust. The intent of the trust would be to protect trust assets against the claims of a settlor who is also a trust beneficiary. A revised version of this bill was substituted on the last night of last year’s session into HB 197. Nothing happened on the bill this session until the last day when we noticed the Senate pass a procedural motion that could have allowed the bill to pass quickly in the House. However, the House never considered the bill. We were peripherally involved in the legislation last year and successfully got some changes made. House Judiciary Chairman Wendell Willard (R-Sandy Springs) apparently remained opposed to the concept since it had not been vetted through the traditional committee process.

All Others


529 Savings Account Tax Deduction Increase (N)
HB 802 by rep. Sam Teasley (R-Marietta) would increase the tax deduction for joint return filers for annual contributions to 529 college savings plans from $2,000 to $4,000.

Abandoned Property
HB 231 by Rep. Trey Kelley (R-Cedartown) would authorize the state revenue commissioner to deduct certain costs associated with the sale of abandoned property from deposits into the general fund collected from the sale of the abandoned property. Costs that could be deducted include operating expenses, mailing expenses, consulting expenses and payments to other states required by reciprocity agreements.

Aquifer Protection and Uses
HB 116 by Rep. Alex Atwood (R-Saint Simons) and SB 36 by Sen. William Ligon (R-Brunswick) are identical bills that would permanently ban treated surface water injection into the Floridian Aquifer in 11 southeast Georgia counties.

Banking Improvement Zones (N)
SB 398 by Sen. Josh McKoon (R-Columbus) would provide for the establishment of banking improvement zones to encourage opening of financial institutions in areas underserved by financial institutions. The bill calls for a local ordinance to deposit the local government’s funds in a financial institution complying with the provisions of the act at a rate of interest at or below the two-year existing certificate of deposit rate offered by the institution.

Benefit Cards (N)
SB 389 by Rep. Hunter Hill (R-Atlanta) would add compliance rules for certain public benefit recipients to follow to continue receiving the benefits. The bill also would require benefit card issuers or ATM operators to disallow benefits when used when the card is presented in a range of establishments such as tattoo parlors and aboard cruise ships. 

Benefit Corporations (N)
HB 1052 by Rep. Scott Holcombe (D-Atlanta) would establish benefit corporations as a new entity type in Georgia. Such a corporation would be designed to have a beneficial purpose other than maximizing shareholder value.

Commerce and Trade – Powers of Attorney (2 bills) (N) 
HB 918 by Rep. Chuck Efstration (R-Dacula) would apply uniform terms, conditions and requirements relating to powers of attorney to various code sections.  

SB 397 by Sen. Judson Hill (R-Marietta) is similar to the House version above.

Cyber Security, Data Security and Privacy Study Committees (4 Bills)
HR 473 by Rep. Mike Dudgeon (R-Johns Creek) would establish an eight-member Joint Study Committee on Cyber Security to recommend legislation or other action as appropriate to ensure Georgia maintains and strengthens its position as a leader in the information security sector. 

SR 360 by Sen. Brandon Beach (R-Alpharetta) would establish an eight-member Senate Data Security and Privacy Study Committee to assess state and local governments’ and related entities’ data security and privacy protections and recommend legislation or other action as appropriate. 

HR 724 by Rep. B.J. Pak (R-Lilburn) would create the House Study Committee on Cyber Security and Privacy.

HR 788 by Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Savannah) would create the House Study Committee on Cyber Security. 

Debt Settlement Company Regulations
HB 387 by Rep. Trey Kelley (R-Cedartown) would set up a regulatory framework for debt settlement companies that work with Georgia consumers. The Georgia Department of Banking and Finance would be responsible for oversight, and debt settlement companies would be required to maintain an annual license issued by the department.

Digital Account Access
HB 274 by Rep. Geoff Duncan (R-Cumming) would allow for a personal representative of a deceased person to access, handle, conduct, continue, distribute, or terminate the decedent’s digital accounts such as email accounts, financial account Internet sites, blogs, social networking and other online services as necessary.

Dispossessory Proceeding Notices
HB 616 by Rep. Keisha Waites (D-Atlanta) would require a summons for dispossessory proceedings to be delivered within 10 days of its issue, and that a trial shall be held within 30 days of when an issued writ of possession is answered by a tenant.

Electronic Court Filings (N)
HB 1027 by Rep. Barry Fleming (R-Harlem) would provide for the electronic filing of documents with the clerks of superior court.

ERISA Study Committee – Autism Insurance Coverage (N)
SR 1055 by Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga) would establish a joint Senate and House study committee to consider whether to require ERISA regulated health plans to provide payment for Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) treatment for autism spectrum disorder. 

Fair Business Practices – Solicitation of Real Estate Conveyance Instruments (N)
HB 914 by Rep. Sam Teasley (R-Marietta) would require any mail solicitations for services to obtain a copy of an instrument conveying real estate to be in large type and contain specific language indicating the mailing is a solicitation, not a bill.

Foundations (N)
SB 333 by Sen. John Kennedy (R-Macon) would provide a mechanism for foundations to re-domicile in Georgia. GBA supported

Foreclosure – Condo Association Fees
SB 117 by Sen. Jesse Stone (R-Waynesboro) would make the purchaser of a condominium at a foreclosure responsible for up to six months of unpaid condo association fees under certain circumstances. GBA opposes.

Foreclosure – Fee Accrual Disclosure
HB 173 by Rep. LaDawn Jones (D-Atlanta) would require an additional, conspicuous statement be included in a foreclosure notice to say that all fees, fines and taxes on the property will remain the responsibility of the borrower and will continue to accrue after a foreclosure sale until the purchaser records the deed with the clerk’s office.

Foreclosure Registry (N)
HB 1026 by Rep. Doreen Carter (D-Lithonia) would establish a statewide foreclosure registry and liens against property having been cited for code violations. GBA opposed.

Foreclosure – Right to Cure
HB 115 by Rep. Billy Mitchell (D-Stone Mountain) would allow a borrower under certain conditions to cure a default up to five calendar days before the foreclosure sale by paying all past-due payments and any late fees and charges. The borrower must be the original debtor and occupy the property as a primary dwelling.

Housing Study Committee (N)
HR 1553 by Rep. Jimmy Pruett (R-Eastman) would create the House Study Committee on Homes for Georgia families to look into homelessness and affordable housing and recommend solutions. 

Identity Theft – Free Credit Report Security Freeze (N)
SB 306 by Sen. P.K. Martin IV (R-Lawrenceville) would prohibit credit bureaus from charging a fee for placement of or removal of credit freezes by those notified of compromised information and would remove telephone notification as a permissible means of informing someone of a data breach involving personal information.

Industrial Loans (N)
HB 891 by Rep. Christian Coomer (R-Cartersville) would authorize alternative rate charges for industrial loans and changes the name of industrial loans to installment loans.

Labor Credit Checks for Employment
HB 163 by Rep. Winfred Dukes (D-Albany) would prohibit employers from requesting or requiring credit checks on most employees or prospective employees. The bill would also prevent employers from firing, refusing to hire, or discriminating against an employee or prospective employee based on information in a credit report. Exceptions would allow credit checks and appropriate actions against employees or prospects with certain management, financial and fiduciary duties, or access to certain sensitive customer information..

Leases – Sale Leaseback Transactions
HB 462 by Rep. Alan Powell (R-Hartwell) would establish conditions under which sale leaseback transactions would not be considered a loan, extension of credit, sale, or security interest.

License and Surety Requirements of Livestock dealers and Market Operators (N)
HB 876 by Rep. Clay Pirkle (R-Ashburn) would update license and surety requirements of livestock dealers and livestock market operators. The bill would add letters of credit, certificates of deposit, or other written instruments issued or executed by lending institutions as acceptable surety instruments required for a license.

Liens – Downtown Development Authority Assessments
SB 210 by Sen. Hunter Hill (R-Smyrna) would give liens for downtown development authority assessments the same priority as other municipal liens.

Magistrate Court
HB 154 by Rep. Tom Weldon (R-Ringgold) increases the fine for contempt of court issued by a Magistrate Court from $200 to $500.

Military Consumer Protection Act (N)
HB 812 by Rep. Brian Prince (D-Augusta) would make possible state enforcement of provisions in the federal John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 that deal with industrial loans, payday lending, and pawnbrokers.

Motor Boat Titling
HB 356 by Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Savannah) would establish a boat and boat motor titling program using the same Electronic Lien Titling process currently used for motor vehicles.

Notaries
HB 381 by Rep. Andrew Welch (R-McDonough) would make significant revisions to the Georgia code dealing with notaries public.

Pawnbrokers – Installment Transactions: (2 Bills) (N)
SB 371 by Sen. Rick Jeffares (R-McDonough) would establish an "installment pawn transaction." Currently pawn transactions are only single-payment type obligations. This bill would allow a pawn transaction that can be repaid monthly for a term up to 24 months and require a motor vehicle or motor vehicle title be pledged as collateral.

HB 1001 Rep. Tom McCall (R-Elberton) would establish an "installment pawn transaction" similar to SB 371. 

Property – Covenant Renewals (N)
HB 1063 by Rep. Chuck Martin (R-Alpharetta) would change the process for the renewal of covenants that restrict land to certain uses affecting planned subdivisions containing no fewer than 15 individual plots so the renewal will require a vote of 51 percent of the homeowners in certain instances.

Property Owner Associations
HB 685 by Rep. Brian Strickland (R-McDonough) would establish a new procedure whereby a property owners association may take over the assets and be given rights to manage the property.

Property – Service of Ordinance Violation (N)
HB 1115 by Rep. Michele Henson (D-Stone Mountain), would allow a notice of an ordinance violation related to property to be left at the property, mailed to the owner address of record and recorded with the magistrate court in order to perfect an in rem judgment for fines. . 

Property – Vacant Structure Maintenance (N)
SB 422 by Sen. JaNice VanNess (R-Conyers) would make it unlawful for a property owner to neglect reasonable maintenance of a vacant structure or property. If a property is not properly maintained or cleaned up upon defined notice by local government, a lien would be placed on the property to cover cleanup costs.

Property – Witnessing of Deeds, Mortgages and Bills of Sale
HB 267 by Rep. Trey Kelley (R-Cedartown) would clarify the appropriate process for witnessing deeds, mortgages and bills of sale. The bill specifies that one of two required witnesses must be a judge of a court of record, including a judge of a municipal court, a magistrate, a notary public, or a clerk or deputy clerk of a superior court or of a city court created by special Act of the General Assembly.

Real Estate – Broker Paperwork (N)
HB 869 by Rep. Alan Powell (R-Hartwell) would remove the requirement for mortgage brokers to retain indefinitely copies of certain paperwork related to real estate sales transactions.

Savings Accounts for First-Time Homebuyers
HB 530 by Rep. Bruce Williamson (R-Monroe) would establish a special interest-bearing savings account for first-time homebuyers and allow contributions to the account and interest earned to be exempt from state income tax. Contributions and interest earnings eligible for tax exemptions would be limited to $3,000 annually for an individual and $6,000 annually for a married couple filing joint tax returns. Funds in the account would have to be used within the first 10 years from when the account is opened.

Senate Work and Save Study Committee (N)
SR 736 by Sen. Charlie Bethel (R-Dalton) establishes a five-senator committee to evaluate the employer-offered retirement saving options or lack thereof for Georgia residents and recommend any action or legislation appropriate based on its findings. Nine states have passed “Work and Save” plan legislation that provides a way for all employed residents to save for retirement by payroll deduction at work, similar to a 529 college savings plan.

Sweepstakes Savings Accounts (N)
SB 403 by Sen. Josh McKoon (R-Columbus) would establish sweepstakes savings accounts at financial institutions, with the commissioner of the Department of Banking and Finance developing rules and regulations.

Taxes – Ad Valorem Value of Conservation Property
HB 221 by Rep. Jay Powell (R-Camilla) would change the definition of “Current Use Value” of a conservation use property to mean the amount a knowledgeable buyer would pay for the property with the intention of continuing the property in its existing use and in an arm's length, bona fide sale.

Taxes – Credits for Bad Debts
HB 389 by Rep. Brett Harrell (R-Snellville) would provide for an income tax deduction or refund of taxes paid or reported previously that are charged off as bad debts on private-label credit cards or dealer credit programs.

Taxes – Due Diligence to Find Delinquent Taxpayers
SB 97 by Sen. John Albers (R-Woodstock) would require tax collectors or tax commissioners to notify delinquent taxpayers they have 30 days to pay. Tax officials would also have to perform thorough due diligence before executing a tax lien to get the correct address for the delinquent taxpayer if the notification of delinquency and need to pay were returned by the U.S. Postal Service as undeliverable.

Taxes – Electronic Notices
HB 49 by Rep. Brett Harrell (R-Snellville) would allow taxpayers the option of receiving tax bills or delinquency notices electronically instead of by paper mail.

Taxes – Income and Sales Tax Revisions
HB 445 by Rep. John Carson (R-Marietta) would significantly change the state’s tax code. It would lower the state income tax rate to 4 percent from 6 percent, increase the state sales tax from 4 percent to 5 percent, increase cigarette taxes, tax groceries and eliminate number of current business and personal tax exemptions. The unique method for bank taxation is not addressed in the bill although there were questions about that in the process leading up to the bill’s introduction.

Taxes – Manufactured Housing
HB 346 by Rep. Dominic LaRiccia (R-Douglas) would change how taxes are imposed and collected on certain manufactured-housing structures. It would set the state sales and use tax on a the retail purchase or sale of a new manufactured single-family structure at the applicable state and local option tax rate on an amount equal to 60 percent of the manufacturer’s invoice amount.

Taxes – Property Maintenance (N)
HB 938 by Rep. Brian Prince (D-Augusta) would establish that the purchaser of property at a tax sale is responsible for proper maintenance of the property during the period from the sale through the foreclosure of the right of redemption. If the property is redeemed by the original owner, the owner would pay reasonable costs incurred for maintenance during that period to the purchaser.  

Taxes – Property Redemption and Confirmations
HB 81 by Rep. Scot Turner (R-Holly Springs) would require confirmation of certain redemptions. It would also limit the amount of funds to which a creditor is entitled.

Taxes – Tax Execution Registry (N)
HB 912 by Rep. Bruce Williamson (R-Monroe) would establish a state Tax Execution Registry where liens would be filed as opposed to county superior court offices.

Taxes – Transfer of Tax Executions
HB 653 by Rep. Don Parsons (R-Marietta) would allow a delinquent taxpayer to transfer the execution of delinquency to another party for payment as a loan, which would give the other party priority lien status. 

Uniform Commercial Code
HB 197 by Rep. Mike Jacobs (R-Brookhaven) revises a number of provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code including the debtor and creditor section. Among the changes of interest are a new definition of a bank, revising the public sale language, renaming the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act as the Uniform Voidable Transactions Act, and providing a preponderance of evidence burden for a creditor making a claim for relief under the Act.

Utility Payments
HB 615 by Rep. Keisha Waites (D-Atlanta) would require water and other utility providers to seek payment of unpaid charges from only the person who incurred such charges.

Vacant Structures Study Committee (N)
SR 1084 by Sen. JaNice VanNess (R-Conyers) would create the Senate Study Committee on Vacant Structures to look into any changes needed in the laws already existing related to vacant structures. The resolution calls for a member of the Georgia Bankers Association to be appointed to the committee. 

Resolutions and Banker Recognition 

Dan Blanton Recognized (N)
HR 1073 by Reps. Barbara Sims (R-Augusta), Greg Morris (R-Vidalia) and Chuck Williams (R-Watkinsville) honors former GBA Chairman Dan Blanton for his long service to the banking industry and as the current chairman of the American Bankers Association.

Wes Smith Honored (N)
SR 847 by Sen. Jeff Mullis recognizes former GBA Chairman Wes Smith’s more than 50-year banking career and dedication to the northwest Georgia community, and it dedicates the intersection of U.S. Highway 41 and Georgia Highway 151 in downtown Ringgold as the L. Wesley Smith Memorial Intersection.