HB239: HB239 Motor vehicles; placement of a special identifying sticker on the windshields of alternative fueled vehicles; require

The original version of HB 239 was about windshield stickers for alternative fueled vehicles, but the House Committee on Motor Vehicles replaced its content with a substitute that instead rewrites part of Georgia's motor vehicle accident reparations law (O.C.G.A. § 33-34-6). The substitute changes the rules about which repair shop a driver can use after a car accident and how quickly insurance companies must respond to damage claims. Under the substitute, every motor vehicle liability insurance policy sold in Georgia must let the person filing a claim choose their own repair shop. Insurers must disclose if they have a financial stake in a repair shop, and they cannot suggest that using a particular shop affects whether a claim gets paid. When someone files a claim for extra ('supplemental') damage, the insurer has three business days to inspect the vehicle or review the claim, and ten business days to issue a written decision on what repairs or costs are approved, denied, or changed. Anyone harmed by a violation can sue for an order to stop the violation, triple damages, and other legal remedies. The bill also repeals any conflicting laws.

• Guarantees that anyone filing a claim under a Georgia motor vehicle liability insurance policy can choose their own repair shop for covered repairs.
• Requires insurers to disclose if they have a financial interest in a repair facility they might recommend.
• Bars insurers from suggesting that using or not using a specific repair shop will affect whether a claim gets paid.
• Sets a three business day deadline for insurers to inspect or review a supplemental damage claim after it is filed.
• Sets a ten business day deadline for insurers to issue a written decision on which repair items are approved, denied, or changed.
• Creates a private right to sue for insurers who violate these rules, allowing claimants to seek a court order, triple damages, and other legal relief.

Georgia drivers who carry motor vehicle liability insurance and file damage claims, auto insurance companies operating in the state, and auto repair shops that do collision work, since the bill changes how claims are handled and who can select the repair facility.

Drivers filing car damage claims would gain a guaranteed right to pick their own mechanic and firmer deadlines for insurer responses, which could speed up repairs and reduce disputes over which shop to use, while insurers would face new disclosure duties and legal exposure for violations.

• Section 1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 33-34-6 so that all motor vehicle liability policies issued in Georgia must let the claimant choose the repair facility for covered repairs.
• Section 1 requires insurers to disclose any financial interest in a repair facility and prohibits implying that using or avoiding a shop affects claim payment.
• Section 1 requires insurers to inspect or review a supplemental damage claim within three business days and issue a written decision on line items within ten business days.
• Section 1 creates a private cause of action for claimants harmed by violations, allowing injunctive relief, treble damages, and other available remedies.
• Section 2 repeals all laws and parts of laws that conflict with the Act.

1. 2026-04-02House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
2. 2025-02-06House Second Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-05House First Readers (House)
4. 2025-02-04House Hopper (House)

• John Corbett (R, HD-174)Primary sponsor
• Devan Seabaugh (R, HD-034)
• Clint Crowe (R, HD-118)
• David Huddleston (R, HD-072)
• Lauren McDonald (R, HD-026)

• auto insurance
• car repair rights
• insurance regulation
• consumer protection