SB28: SB28 "Red Tape Rollback Act of 2025"; enact

Georgia currently has no formal process for estimating how a proposed bill might affect small businesses, and state agencies rarely have to revisit old rules once adopted. This bill changes both. It lets the Governor, legislative leaders, and certain lawmakers request a small business impact analysis from the Office of Planning and Budget and the Department of Audits and Accounts before a bill is voted on, covering things like compliance costs and effects on competition. It also revises how agencies write economic impact analyses for new rules, including a new $3 million cost threshold that triggers a more detailed study, and updates the legislative override process for objectionable rules. The bill also creates a four-year review cycle for existing agency rules, starting in 2028, under which rules automatically expire at the end of the review year unless the agency justifies keeping them and republishes them. A parallel review process applies to constitutional officers like the Secretary of State and Commissioner of Agriculture. Most provisions take effect when the Governor signs the bill, but the rule-review section does not start until June 1, 2027.

• Creates a small business impact analysis process (O.C.G.A. § 28-5-58) that estimates how a pending bill could affect costs, workers, competition, and compliance for small businesses.
• Requires the Office of Planning and Budget and the Department of Audits and Accounts to complete these analyses within 30 days before session or 10 days during session and post them publicly.
• Sets a $3 million cumulative cost threshold that determines whether an agency must prepare a detailed economic impact analysis before adopting a new administrative rule (O.C.G.A. § 50-13-4).
• Raises the small business size threshold agencies must consider when reducing regulatory burden, from 100 employees or fewer to 300 employees or fewer.
• Establishes a four-year rule review cycle for state agencies and constitutional officers (O.C.G.A. §§ 50-13-24, 50-13-25) under which rules automatically repeal unless renewed after public comment and cost analysis.
• Revises the legislative override and ratification procedures for administrative rules, including how objecting committees and resolutions can block, ratify, or delay a rule's adoption.

State agencies and constitutional officers such as the Secretary of State, Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Insurance, and Commissioner of Labor; the Office of Planning and Budget; the Department of Audits and Accounts; legislators and legislative committees; and small businesses and other regulated individuals and organizations affected by state rules.

Georgians running small businesses could see new opportunities to flag how proposed laws or rules might raise their costs before those measures pass. Agencies would face more paperwork and public comment requirements before adopting rules, and old rules could expire automatically unless agencies actively justify keeping them.

• Section 2-1 adds O.C.G.A. § 28-5-58, letting the Governor, Senate President, or certain legislators request a small business impact analysis on a bill, with results submitted to legislative leaders and posted online.
• Section 2-2 revises O.C.G.A. § 50-13-4 to require a detailed economic impact analysis when a proposed rule's costs are expected to reach $3 million or more over five years, and raises the small business employee threshold to 300.
• Section 2-2 also updates the legislative committee objection and override process for proposed rules, including new timelines for resolutions to void or ratify a rule.
• Section 2-3 revises O.C.G.A. § 50-13-6 so most new rules take effect on fixed dates, July 1 or January 1, rather than 20 days after filing, with exceptions for emergency rules.
• Section 2-4 adds O.C.G.A. §§ 50-13-24 and 50-13-25, creating a four-year review and automatic-repeal cycle for agency rules and for rules issued by constitutional officers, starting with reviews in 2028.
• Section 3-1 revises the Department of Community Health's rule objection procedure in O.C.G.A. § 31-6-21.1 to match the updated statewide process.
• Section 4-1 sets the bill's effective date as the date the Governor signs it, except the rule-review section (Section 2-4), which takes effect June 1, 2027.

1. 2025-04-04House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
2. 2025-03-20House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
3. 2025-02-27House Second Readers (House)
4. 2025-02-26House First Readers (House)
5. 2025-02-24Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
6. 2025-02-24Senate Third Read (Senate)
7. 2025-02-20Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
8. 2025-02-19Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)

• Greg Dolezal (R, SD-027)Primary sponsor
• John Kennedy (R, SD-018)
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-051)
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
• Matt Brass (R, SD-006)
• Larry Walker (R, SD-020)
• Blake Tillery (R, SD-019)
• John Albers (R, SD-056)
• Carden Summers (R, SD-013)
• Chuck Hufstetler (R, SD-052)
• Ben Watson (R, SD-001)
• Bill Cowsert (R, SD-046)
• Frank Ginn (R, SD-047)
• Scott Hilton (R, HD-048)

1. PassedSenate voteFebruary 24, 2025

   32 yea, 22 nay (2 not voting, 0 absent)

   Adoption Of Amendment #1 By The Senator From The 27th: Senate Vote #88

2. PassedSenate voteFebruary 24, 2025

   33 yea, 21 nay (2 not voting, 0 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #89

• small business regulation
• administrative rules
• state government oversight
• regulatory reform