Georgia General Assembly

05/07/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/07/2024 12:46

Rep. Farooq Mughal Celebrates Successful First Term Serving in the Georgia House

ATLANTA - State Representative Farooq Mughal (D-Dacula) announces the successful conclusion of his first term serving House District 105 in the Georgia House of Representatives. Following the 2023 and 2024 legislative sessions, 10 bills, co-sponsored by Rep. Mughal, covering a wide array of areas including economic growth, criminal justice reform, healthcare, veteran's affairs, public safety and local tax relief, were signed into law by Governor Kemp.

"I am immensely proud of what I accomplished in my first term," said Rep. Mughal. "I came here to make a difference; my record speaks for itself and thanks to the hard work, partnership and dedication of my legislative colleagues, Georgia continues to improve the lives of businesses, homeowners, veterans, hospital workers and everyday people. I remain steadfast in my commitment to serving my constituents of House District 105 and all hardworking Georgians by advocating for meaningful legislation that will positively impact everyone."

During his inaugural year in office, Rep. Mughal saw five of his co-sponsored bills signed into law by the governor. Notable among those is House Bill 128, legislation aimed at fostering diversity and inclusivity in state and local government contracting by establishing a new contractor status to support minority, women and veteran-owned businesses. Additionally, Rep. Mughal partnered with his colleagues to champion legislation such as House Bill 383, the Safer Hospital Act, which became effective July 1, 2023, and safeguards Georgia's healthcare workers by increasing penalties for aggravated assault or battery against them on hospital campuses, as well as House Bill 414, which creates the Veterans Mental Health Services Program, a competitive grant programed administered by the Department of Veterans Services and provides crucial mental health support for veterans and their families. Lastly, Rep. Mughal was proud to contribute to House bills 711 and 748, which provided the first property tax cut in Gwinnett County in 35 years. HB 711 doubles the homestead exemption from $4,000 to $8,000, and HB 748 adds an additional $2,000 exemption from Gwinnett County School District ad valorem taxes for residents who are certain public service employees, such as law enforcement officers and teachers. These referendums will appear on this year's primary ballot.

Following this year's legislative session, Rep. Mughal continued his enthusiasm as more bills he co-sponsored were signed into law. These include House Bill 926, the Second Chance Workforce Act, which offers extended employment opportunities to formerly incarcerated individuals with low-level misdemeanor offenses; House Bill 982, which addresses critical workforce shortages by facilitating career guidance for high school students through the Georgia MATCH program; and House Bill 1033, the Utility Worker Protection Act, which adds enhanced penalties for protection of utility workers harmed while acting within the scope of their employment or while performing official duties.

Rep. Mughal's efforts have also been recognized as he received an A+ ranking from both the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the organization, Poder Latinx, a civic and social justice organization dedicated to building and strengthening the Latinx community.

Representative Farooq Mughal represents the citizens of District 105, which includes portions of Gwinnett County. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2022 and currently serves on the Special Rules, Judiciary Non-Civil and State Planning & Community Affairs committees.

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