Merit Institute Merit

The Georgia Merit-Based Credentialing Act (GA-ACSA)

Georgia state companion to ACSA. Extends O.C.G.A. Title 43 occupational licensure, Technical College System of Georgia (O.C.G.A. Title 20 Ch. 4), and O.C.G.A. Title 48 income-tax credits.

THE GEORGIA MERIT-BASED CREDENTIALING ACT (GA-ACSA)

Vehicle: State passage. Georgia General Assembly, regular session. Primary referral to House Industry and Labor / Ways and Means and Senate Economic Development and Tourism / Finance.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE

This Act may be cited as the “Georgia Merit-Based Credentialing Act (GA-ACSA).”

SECTION 2. LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT

The General Assembly finds that Georgia administers occupational licensing through the Secretary of State and Professional Licensing Boards Division under O.C.G.A. Title 43; that Georgia enacted universal recognition for out-of-state credentials under O.C.G.A. Sec. 43-1-33; that the Technical College System of Georgia (“TCSG”) operates under O.C.G.A. Title 20 Ch. 4; that the University System of Georgia operates under O.C.G.A. Title 20 Ch. 3; that the Georgia Department of Labor operates under O.C.G.A. Title 34; and that O.C.G.A. Title 48 Ch. 7 provides income-tax credits. This Act extends these frameworks.

TITLE I — DEFINITIONS & COORDINATION WITH GEORGIA LAW

Sec. 101. Definitions

  1. (a) “Georgia Recognized Merit Credential” or “GARMC” means a competency-based credential designated by the TCSG Commissioner in coordination with the Board of Regents Chancellor under Sec. 201.
  2. (b) “Federal FRAC” means a Federally Recognized Alternative Credential under Section 202 of the federal ACSA.
  3. (c) “TCSG industry credential” means a credential recognized by the Technical College System of Georgia.
  4. (d) “Covered State licensing authority” means an agency issuing an occupational license under O.C.G.A. Title 43.

Sec. 102. Coordination with Existing Georgia Law

  1. (a) Consistent with:
  • O.C.G.A. Title 43 and Sec. 43-1-33 (universal recognition).
  • O.C.G.A. Title 20 Ch. 3 (University System) and Ch. 4 (TCSG).
  • O.C.G.A. Title 34 (labor).
  • O.C.G.A. Title 48 Ch. 7 (income tax).
  • O.C.G.A. Title 45 (state employment).

TITLE II — GEORGIA RECOGNIZED MERIT CREDENTIALS

Sec. 201. Designation Authority

  1. (a) The TCSG Commissioner, in coordination with the Board of Regents Chancellor, shall maintain a Georgia Recognized Merit Credentials registry (“GARMC Registry”) in machine-readable form, updated at least annually, crosswalked to Federal FRAC.

Sec. 202. Degree-Optional State Employment

  1. (a) O.C.G.A. Title 45 shall be applied so that a GARMC-holder satisfies any position qualification stated in terms of a college degree, unless expressly required by Georgia statute.

TITLE III — TAX INCENTIVE FOR SKILLS-BASED HIRING

Sec. 301. Georgia Skills-Based Hiring Income-Tax Credit

  1. (a) A new credit is added to O.C.G.A. Title 48 Ch. 7 equal to a percentage of qualified first-year wages paid to a Georgia-resident employee whose qualifying pathway is a GARMC or Federal FRAC.
  2. (b) Coordinated with federal IRC Sec. 45AA; aggregate cap.
  3. (c) Georgia Department of Revenue administers.

TITLE IV — OCCUPATIONAL LICENSURE PORTABILITY

Sec. 401. Licensure by Demonstrated Competency

  1. (a) Demonstrated-competency pathway accepting GARMC, Federal FRAC, or examination-plus-supervised-experience.

Sec. 402. Interstate Recognition for Federal-Fund Recipients

  1. (a) Recognition by federally-funded authorities, consistent with Section 401 of the federal ACSA and O.C.G.A. Sec. 43-1-33.

TITLE V — IMPLEMENTATION & GENERAL PROVISIONS

Sec. 501. Severability

If any provision is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect the remainder.

Sec. 502. Effective Date

This Act shall take effect July 1 of the year following enactment, except that Sec. 301 shall apply to tax years beginning on or after January 1 of that year.

Canonical federal version: ACSA. Other Georgia bills: GA-MEWRA, GA-GT&P, GA-AI-Workforce.