HB650: HB650 Presidential Felon Freedom Act; enact

Georgia law currently keeps people with felony convictions off trial and grand juries unless their civil rights have been restored, lets professional licensing boards deny or revoke licenses based on felony or moral turpitude convictions, lets the state auctioneer board revoke licenses for such convictions, and lets court clerks deny notary applications based on an applicant's criminal history. This bill removes several of those provisions. It marks the felony conviction grounds in the general licensing board law (O.C.G.A. Section 43-1-19), the auctioneer licensing law (O.C.G.A. Section 43-6-18), and part of the contractor licensing law (O.C.G.A. Section 43-14-6) as "Reserved," effectively repealing them. It also "reserves" the parts of the state jury data law requiring the Department of Corrections and the State Board of Pardons and Paroles to supply felony conviction and civil rights restoration data used to screen jury pools. It adds a new law barring landlords from refusing to lease housing based solely on an applicant's criminal history, with exceptions for registered sex offenders, and removes criminal history as a ground for denying a notary public commission. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it.

• Removes the requirement that the Department of Corrections and the State Board of Pardons and Paroles supply felony conviction and civil-rights-restoration data used to screen people out of Georgia jury pools.
• Repeals the felony and moral-turpitude conviction grounds that let professional licensing boards refuse or revoke a license under O.C.G.A. Section 43-1-19.
• Removes felony or moral-turpitude conviction as a ground for revoking an auctioneer's license under O.C.G.A. Section 43-6-18.
• Drops felony conviction from the list of reasons electrical, plumbing, low-voltage, and utility contractor licenses can be suspended, revoked, or canceled under O.C.G.A. Section 43-14-6.
• Creates a new law (O.C.G.A. Section 44-7-3.1) making it illegal for a landlord to refuse to rent a home to someone based solely on their criminal history, except for registered sex offenders.
• Removes an applicant's criminal history as a ground for a court clerk to deny a notary public commission under O.C.G.A. Section 45-17-2.3.

People with felony convictions who want to serve on juries, hold a professional or contractor license, work as an auctioneer, become a notary public, or rent an apartment or house. It also affects professional licensing boards, court clerks who process notary applications, and landlords who screen rental applicants.

If enacted, more Georgians with past felony convictions could serve on juries, qualify for professional and contractor licenses, become notaries, and rent housing without their criminal record automatically counting against them, changing outcomes for licensing boards, court clerks, and landlords who currently weigh such convictions.

• Section 2-1 keeps the existing bar on felons without restored civil rights serving as trial jurors, but Section 2-2 reserves the Department of Corrections and Pardons and Paroles data feeds used to enforce that screening.
• Section 2-3 revises grand jury eligibility rules, still barring felons without restored civil rights but leaving other disqualifications (pending charges, diversion programs, drug court) unchanged.
• Section 3-1 reserves paragraphs (3) and (4) of O.C.G.A. Section 43-1-19, which had let licensing boards refuse or revoke licenses for felony or moral turpitude convictions.
• Section 3-4 reserves paragraph (4) of O.C.G.A. Section 43-6-18, removing felony conviction as grounds for revoking an auctioneer's license.
• Section 3-6 removes felony conviction from the grounds for disciplining electrical, plumbing, low-voltage, and utility contractors under O.C.G.A. Section 43-14-6.
• Section 4-1 creates O.C.G.A. Section 44-7-3.1, barring landlords from refusing to lease based solely on criminal history, with exceptions for registered sex offenders, enforceable under the Fair Business Practices Act.
• Section 5-2 removes 'the applicant's criminal history' as a ground for a superior court clerk to deny a notary commission under O.C.G.A. Section 45-17-2.3.
• Section 6-1 makes the Act effective immediately upon the Governor's signature or upon becoming law without signature.

1. 2025-02-27House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-02-26House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-26House Hopper (House)

• Eric Bell (D, HD-075)Primary sponsor
• Carl Gilliard (D, HD-162)
• Miriam Paris (D, HD-142)
• Sheila Jones (D, HD-060)
• Anne Westbrook (D, HD-163)
• Angela Moore (D, HD-091)

• criminal justice reform
• jury eligibility
• professional licensing
• fair housing
• notary public rules