State Representative Jodi Lott (R-Augusta) recently received a 2018 Association of County Commissioners of Georgia Legislative Service Award. ACCG, Georgia’s county association, recognized Rep. Lott for her work on Senate Bill 371 during the 2018 legislative session.

“I am humbled to receive this award, and I would like to thank ACCG for this honor,” said Rep. Lott.  “I am grateful to ACCG for recognizing my legislative efforts to better our counties, and our entire state, by allowing local governments to predict changes that impact their revenue sources, and I look forward to seeing the positive effects this legislation has on all Georgians.”

Rep. Jodi Lott championed legislation, which was ultimately adopted via SB 371, to allow local governments to receive lists of vendors currently paying sales taxes in their jurisdiction. Under prior law and based upon confidentiality rules, the Georgia Department of Revenue (DOR)  paid sales tax revenues to counties and cities without any related information on the sources of those sales taxes. Similarly, the DOR occasionally pays out sales tax refunds to vendors, with local government officials first learning of the refund when DOR notifies them that a refund will be deducted from future sales tax payments to the affected local governments – without any information about the basis for that refund. Such refunds can have a dramatic impact on local government budgets, which are developed without the benefit of any information about pending sales tax refund requests. SB 371 is intended to allow counties to help DOR spot problems earlier, thereby limiting the likelihood of later large sales tax refunds.

Each year, ACCG presents Legislative Service Awards to recognize Georgia House and Senate members who work towards fulfilling ACCG’s mission of advancing Georgia’s county governments. The annual awards have gained recognition among elected and appointed officials as a prestigious way to acknowledge Georgia lawmakers for exemplary leadership.