The Issue with Georgia's Rental Laws and The Need for Just Cause Eviction Currently, Georgia law forbids local governments from safeguarding tenants from rent hikes. According to the state's code, "No county or municipal corporation may enact, maintain, or enforce any ordinance or resolution which would regulate in any way the amount of rent to be charged for privately owned, single-family or multiple-unit residential rental property." As a result, landlords in Georgia can elect to terminate a tenancy at the conclusion of a lease and increase rent as much as they please between leases. Since the majority of tenants rent from private entities, this implies that most tenants do not have year-to-year security. Rent stabilization and just cause eviction laws can guarantee that tenants have long-term security by necessitating lease renewals and restricting rent increases to an amount that tenants can manage.

State of Georgia Updates: The Georgia 2024 Legislative Session started on January 8th. Items and bills worthy of attention: Federal Updates
Final FY24 Funding Agreement: 
Congressional leaders reached an agreement over the weekend on another two-tier, short-term continuing resolution (CR) to extend federal funding. If passed, funding for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) – the bill that finances HUD's vital affordable housing and homelessness assistance programs – and three other federal spending bills will be extended through March 1. Funding for the remaining eight bills will last until March 8.
According to the analysis, about 112,000 vouchers would be lost upon turnover in the House bill and about 80,000 vouchers would be lost upon turnover in the Senate bill.
SCOTUS takes up Johnson v. Grants Pass, the most significant case about homelessness in 40+ years
On January 12th, 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States announced that they would hear the case of Johnson v. Grants Pass. This sets the stage for the most significant Supreme Court case about homelessness criminalization and the rights of homeless people in decades. At its core, this case will decide whether cities are allowed to punish people for things like sleeping outside with a pillow or blanket, even when there are no safe shelter options. Johnson v. Grants Pass is a court case originally filed in 2018 that determined it is cruel and unusual punishment to arrest or ticket people for sleeping outside when they have no other safe place to go. The case started in Grants Pass, Oregon when the city began issuing tickets for people sleeping on public property, even when there were not enough safe, accessible shelter beds. Grants Pass, like many cities in America, is thousands of housing units short of what is needed. That shortfall will not be solved by putting more people in jail or issuing more tickets. The solution to homelessness is safe, decent, and affordable housing for everybody.
A bipartisan tax framework - The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024:
Modest Child Tax Credit (CTC) expansion: increase resources for an estimated 15 million children and lift an additional 400,000 children out of poverty
Incremental LIHTC enhancements: the package would make two modest changes to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), including the restoration of the 12.5 percent cap increase, up from nine percent, for calendar years 2023 through 2025. The other change would lower the bond-financing threshold from 50 percent of the aggregate basis of the building and land to 30 percent for projects financed by bonds. Plan to support the construction of more than 200,000 affordable homes.
No state and local tax (SALT) cap 
State of Georgia Updates:
 The Georgia 2024 Legislative Session started on January 8th. Items and bills worthy of attention:
HB 404 - Safe at Home Act (Tenant Protection): The bill outlines exceptions to this duty, exceptions to landlord liability for certain wrongs, and defines key terms. It also addresses notice requirements, sets a maximum limit for security deposits, allows expedited evictions for specific criminal activities, and covers various related matters. The proposed changes include establishing a responsibility for maintaining a habitable living environment in specific rental agreements.
HB 852: This bill pertains to landlord and tenant relations. The proposed changes involve the removal of the restriction preventing local governments from overseeing the regulation of rental amounts for privately owned single-family or multiple-unit residential rental properties. 
HB 938 - Senior Stabilization Act: Was introduced on January 12th, will focus on providing rent increase limits for certain senior citizens.
Georgia 2024 Audit Report on Homeless Spending was released. Significant federal funds are awarded for and spent on homeless programs and services. State funds accounted for a small portion of total spending during the period reviewed. The state lacks a coordinated response to homelessness.
The Governor's Budget Report was released on January 11th. Georgia has $5.4 billion set aside in its rainy day fund, which is filled to its legal limit of 15% of state revenue. Beyond that, it has $10.7 billion in surplus cash collected over three years. Kemp proposes spending $2 billion of the surplus, but would leave $8.7 billion.