State Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) championed legislation through the State Senate that will ensure utility contractors are not prohibited from bidding on projects if they do not possess a general contractor license. The bill passed the Senate with a vote of 53-0.

“If we want to recover from this economic recession, we must create laws that get Georgians back to work. Thanks to the bipartisan support from my colleagues in the Senate, Georgians will have additional job opportunities,” said Seabaugh, who serves as Senate Majority Whip.

Under this legislation, any utility contractor holding a valid utility contractor’s license is authorized to bid for and perform work on any utility system in Georgia without having to obtaining a general contractor’s license. Under the “Residential and General Contractors” bill, only those with a valid general contractor’s license could bid and work on utility systems. Seabaugh’s legislation allows electrical contractors, plumbers, conditioned air contractors, low-voltage contractors, and utility contractors to bid upon and perform work on any utility system.

The bill was originally heard in the Senate Economic Development Committee. During the hearing, members of the utilities contractors’ community voiced their support of Senate Bill 339. A representative from the Georgia Utilities Contractors Association said that municipalities often confuse the law to interpret only those with a general contractors’ license can bid for utility jobs, excluding utility contactors from getting their own work.