---
type: "Bill"
title: "Highways, bridges, and ferries; development and maintenance of a state-wide freight and logistics implementation plan; provide"
description: "A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 32 of the O.C.G.A., relating to highways, bridges, and ferries, so as to provide for the development and maintenance of a state-wide freight and logistics implementation plan; to provide for a definition; to provide for responsibilities and duties of the Planning Division and director; to provide for standards and considerations for such plan; to require annual reporting to the General Assembly; to provide for legislative intent and declarations; to provide for the creation of a Georgia Freight 2050 Program subject to appropriation by the General Assembly; to provide for purposes of such program; to identify intended funding for such program; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ga"
legislature: "Georgia General Assembly"
session: "2023_24"
identifier: "HB 617"
citation: "Georgia HB 617 (2023_24)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Brad Thomas", "Clay Pirkle", "Leesa Hagan", "Marcus Wiedower", "Rick Jasperse"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 19
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2023-02-27"
last_action: "2024-07-01"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/944f3b67-3d82-4b19-9b9e-1484fb56bba5"
source_url: "http://webservices.legis.ga.gov/GGAServices/Legislation/Service.svc?wsdl"
source_hash: "e0c042fb29bb3c09cdd4c9f7fc2f3c4ec4c39e980f4066fe989b4cadb45693cc"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ga"]
---

# Georgia HB 617 (2023_24) — Highways, bridges, and ferries; development and maintenance of a state-wide freight and logistics implementation plan; provide

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 32 of the O.C.G.A., relating to highways, bridges, and ferries, so as to provide for the development and maintenance of a state-wide freight and logistics implementation plan; to provide for a definition; to provide for responsibilities and duties of the Planning Division and director; to provide for standards and considerations for such plan; to require annual reporting to the General Assembly; to provide for legislative intent and declarations; to provide for the creation of a Georgia Freight 2050 Program subject to appropriation by the General Assembly; to provide for purposes of such program; to identify intended funding for such program; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **HB 617/AP*** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20232024/229357.pdf)
2. **LC 39 3801/a** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20232024/216136.pdf)
3. **LC 39 3846S/hcs** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20232024/226188.pdf)
4. **LC 39 3846S/hs** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20232024/216954.pdf)

## Votes

- Senate Vote #852 - 2023-2024 Regular Session — **45–1** (pass) · upper
- House Vote #616 - 2023-2024 Regular Session — **168–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Brad Thomas — primary (person)
- Clay Pirkle — primary (person)
- Leesa Hagan — primary (person)
- Marcus Wiedower — primary (person)
- Rick Jasperse — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2023-02-27** House Hopper `introduction`
- **2023-02-28** House First Readers `reading-1`
- **2023-03-01** House Second Readers `reading-2`
- **2023-03-06** House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-29** House Withdrawn, Recommitted `referral-committee, withdrawal`
- **2024-02-06** House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-02-29** House Third Readers `reading-3`
- **2024-02-29** House Passed/Adopted By Substitute `passage`
- **2024-03-04** Senate Read and Referred `referral-committee`
- **2024-03-13** Senate Committee Favorably Reported `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-03-14** Senate Read Second Time `reading-2`
- **2024-03-26** Senate Tabled
- **2024-03-28** Senate Taken from Table
- **2024-03-28** Senate Third Read `reading-3`
- **2024-03-28** Senate Passed/Adopted `passage`
- **2024-04-02** House Sent to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2024-05-06** House Date Signed by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2024-05-06** Act 579 `executive-signature`
- **2024-07-01** Effective Date

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/944f3b67-3d82-4b19-9b9e-1484fb56bba5`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Georgia legislature records).