GAM represents Georgia manufacturers before the General Assembly on a daily basis during each year’s legislative session, which begins in January and usually concludes in late March or April.  GAM representatives draft legislation and amendments to bills, provide input to legislators, and appear at committee meetings to express the interests of manufacturers.  GAM vigorously supports legislation that promotes manufacturing investment and just as vigorously opposes legislation that would discourage such investment or place burdens on Georgia manufacturers that increase the costs of doing business.  GAM is widely recognized at the state Capitol as the advocate for Georgia manufacturers.

GAM has a long track record of success before the General Assembly.  Just in recent years, GAM:

 

• Successfully advocated for legislation to eliminate the sales tax on energy used in manufacturing, bringing Georgia into line with the vast majority of states in the country;

• Secured passage of legislation to expand the sales tax exemption for the machinery and equipment (and spare and replacement parts) used in manufacturing;

• Ensured that legislation to provide funding for "construction work in progress" for Georgia Power Company's proposed new nuclear power units at Plant Vogtle did not disadvantage industrial customers and required them to pay only their fair share of the costs consistent with previously established principles of ratemaking;

• As a long-time member of the Advisory Council to the State Board of Workers' Compensation, developed and achieved passage of legislation that brought Georgia employers meaningful savings in workers' comp costs;

• Working with other like-minded business advocacy groups, helped to write and pass major civil justice reform legislation that provides businesses protections against frivolous lawsuits and unjustified and unreasonable awards in civil lawsuits; and

• Successfully lobbied against legislation that would have increased utility costs, workers' compensation insurance premiums and unemployment insurance taxes; burdened businesses with unreasonable environmental regulations; and eroded employers' ability to set hiring, discipline and termination standards and enforce workplace safety and health policies. Savings to manufacturers resulting from these successes amount to millions annually.

GAM’s legislative agenda is pro-manufacturing, pro-growth, and pro-business.  GAM members help define GAM’s legislative priorities with respect to taxes, environmental issues, workers’ compensation law, unemployment insurance taxes, utilities and energy policy, health care, and general business issues.  GAM strongly supports the removal of taxes on business inputs, in particular sales taxes on energy used in manufacturing.