SB283: SB283 Certification of Motor Carriers; authority of the Department of Public Safety to establish reasonable rates, fares, and charges; repeal

Under current Georgia law, the Department of Public Safety can set reasonable rates, fares, and charges that companies moving household goods are allowed to charge customers. This bill would repeal that authority entirely by eliminating the Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 40-1-118) that lets the department establish those rates for household goods movers. The bill also rewrites a related section (O.C.G.A. § 40-1-119) that bars motor carriers from charging different rates than those set by the department and prohibits unjust discrimination in pricing. That rewritten section keeps language referring to rates the department prescribes or approves and lets the state's transportation commissioner set special or reduced rates and issue passes. The bill does not set an effective date, and it repeals any conflicting Georgia laws.

• Repeals O.C.G.A. § 40-1-118 in its entirety, removing the Department of Public Safety's specific authority to set rates for household goods movers, and marks that section as reserved (empty) in the law.
• Rewrites O.C.G.A. § 40-1-119 so it still bars motor carriers from charging different rates than those the department prescribes or approves and still bans unjust price discrimination.
• Keeps the commissioner's power to set reduced rates for special occasions and to decide who can get free passes on passenger carriers.
• Repeals any other Georgia laws that conflict with these changes.

Companies that operate as motor carriers of household goods (movers) and of passengers in Georgia, the Department of Public Safety and its commissioner, and consumers who hire moving or passenger transport services regulated under this part of Georgia law.

Removing the department's dedicated rate-setting authority for household goods movers could change how moving companies are allowed to price their services, even though a related section still references department-approved rates, which may leave the practical effect on pricing enforcement unclear.

• Section 1 repeals Code Section 40-1-118, which had authorized the Department of Public Safety to establish reasonable rates, fares, and charges for household goods transportation, and designates it as reserved.
• Section 2 revises Code Section 40-1-119 to keep the prohibition on carriers charging rates other than those the department prescribes or approves and on unjust discrimination in pricing.
• Section 2 also preserves the commissioner's authority to set reduced rates for special occasions, prescribe passes for passenger carriers, and fix rate schedules.
• Section 3 repeals all other Georgia laws that conflict with this Act.

1. 2025-02-27Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-02-26Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)Primary sponsor
• Carden Summers (R, SD-013)
• Lee Anderson (R, SD-024)
• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)

• motor carrier regulation
• moving companies
• transportation rates
• Department of Public Safety