AROUND THE STATES By Scott Riehl Member Advocacy Leads to Success in Georgia L ELFA-Inspired Legislation Signed by Governor EGISLATION DRAFTED BY AN ELFA WORKGROUP , Georgia HB 290, was signed by Gov. Nathan Deal in a ceremony attended by ELFA, its members and in-state allies on Monday, May 8, 2017. Th is new law addresses a personal property tax dilem-ma that has faced Georgia’s family-owned farms for more than 10 years. Th e issue centers on inconsistent application, by both local assessors and state auditors, of the personal property tax exemption for equipment with a lease purchase agreement under § 48-5-41.1(c), which was passed in 2007. The ELFA-backed law provides for consistent treatment across the state and ensures that farm equipment owned or leased by family farmers in Georgia will be exempt from property tax as intended by O.C.G.A. § 48-5-41.1. ELFA State Government Relations Committee member Karen Lee-Toy of Farm Credit Leasing Services Corporation was the fi rst to alert ELFA Vice President of State Govern-ment Relations Scott Riehl last June of the problem in Geor-gia and request ELFA’s assistance. ELFA spent the summer months briefi ng and securing support from select members of the Georgia legislative lead-ership and organizing the ELFA Georgia Tax Workgroup, established with the intent of producing a permanent legis-lative solution. House Bill 290 was draft ed and introduced on Feb. 8, 2017, aft er the Georgia Department of Revenue turned aside an ELFA eff ort to resolve the issue adminis-tratively. ELFA would like to thank Karen Lee-Toy, Th om Iles and the John Deere team and Roy Bowen, President of the Georgia Association of Manufacturers, for their critical support and partnership. (L-R): Marty Moore, COO AgGeorgia Farm Credit; Pat Brown, John Deere – Augusta; Greg Van Bladel, John Deere – Augusta; Sen. Tyler Harper; Roy Bowen, President and CEO of the Georgia Association of Manufacturers; Georgia Governor Nathan Deal; Rep. Sam Watson; Scott Riehl, ELFA VP of State Government Relations; Christian Taylor, AgSouth Leasing; Theron Anderson, AgSouth Farm Credit; and Bryan Tolar, President of the Georgia Agribusiness Council. California Lenders License Legislation Dies Hard work by the ELFA Legislative and Regulatory Sub-committee brought industry concerns regarding California Senate Bill 297 directly to policymakers in the Legislature and was instrumental in abandonment of eff orts to enact this legislation as proposed. SB 297 would have expanded the licensure and regulation of fi nance lenders and brokers under the California Finance Lenders License (CFLL) to include fi nders—also referenced as lead generators—engaged by licensees to facilitate a loan by performing activities such as collecting nonpublic personal identifi cation information including a social security num-ber, or introducing or matching borrowers and lenders. Th e sponsor of this legislation, Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa Coun-ty), has indicated a desire to constructively address contin-ued problems with the CFLL and, as such, ELFA expects to see this bill again next year. ELFA will remain vigilant and continue to advise policymakers should this eff ort to enact legislation resume. ■ For more information, please contact Vice President of State Government Relations Scott Riehl at sriehl@elfaonline.org. 40 JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017 EQUIPMENT LEASING & FINANCE MAGAZINE