---
title: HB 1015. Self-insurers Guaranty Trust Fund; revise certain funded levels
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1015
cite_as: HB 1015, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1015
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1015.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1015/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72343
date: 2026-05-05
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1014.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1016.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 949
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1015.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1015
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-05
last_action: Effective Date 2026-07-01
sponsors:
- William Werkheiser
- Kay Kirkpatrick
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1015/2025
upstream_id: 2095203
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- workers' compensation
- self-insurance
- state trust funds
- insurance regulation
---
# HB 1015. Self-insurers Guaranty Trust Fund; revise certain funded levels
## Text
House Bill 1015 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representative Werkheiser of the 157th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 10 of Chapter 9 of Title 34 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to the Self-insurers Guaranty Trust Fund regarding workers' compensation, so as to
revise certain funded levels of such fund; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Article 10 of Chapter 9 of Title 34 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the
Self-insurers Guaranty Trust Fund regarding workers' compensation, is amended in Code
Section 34-9-386, relating to assessment of participants, liability of fund and participants for
claims, and revocation of participant's authority to be self-insured, by revising subsection (a)
as follows:
"(a)(1) The board of trustees shall, commencing January 1, 1991, assess each participant
in accordance with paragraph (2) of this subsection. Upon reaching a funded level of $15
$25 million net of all liabilities, all annual assessments against participants who have paid
at least three prior assessments shall cease except as specifically provided in paragraph
(4) of this subsection.
(2) Assessment for each new participant in the first calendar year of participation shall
be $8,000.00. Thereafter, assessments shall be in accordance with paragraphs (3) and (4)
of this subsection.
(3) After the first calendar year of participation, the annual assessment of each
participant shall be made on the basis of a percentage of the total of indemnity and
medical benefits paid by, or on behalf of, the participant during the previous calendar
year. Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection for the first calendar year of
participation and paragraph (4) of this subsection, a participant will be assessed 1.5
percent of the medical and indemnity benefits paid by that participant during the previous
calendar year or $2,000.00, whichever is greater. The maximum amount of annual
assessments under this paragraph, not including those special assessments provided for
in paragraph (4) of this subsection, in any calendar year against a participant shall be
$8,000.00.
(4) If the fund is reduced to an amount below $5 $10 million net of all liabilities as the
result of the payment of claims, the administration of claims, or the costs of
administration of the fund, the board of trustees may levy a special assessment against
participants upon approval by the board, according to the same procedure for assessment
set forth in paragraph (3) of this subsection, in an amount sufficient to increase the funded
level to $5 million net of all liabilities; provided, however, that such special assessment
in any calendar year against any one participant shall not exceed $8,000.00.
(5) Funds obtained by such assessments shall be used only for the purposes set forth in
this article and shall be deposited upon receipt by the board of trustees into the fund. If
payment of any assessment, penalty, or fine made under this article is not made within
30 days of the sending of the notice to the participant, the board of trustees is authorized
to do any or all of the following:
(A) Levy fines or penalties;
(B) Proceed in court for judgment against the participant, including the amount of the
assessment, fines, penalties, the costs of suit, interest, and reasonable attorneys' fees;
(C) Proceed directly against the security pledged by the participant for the collection
of same; or
(D) Seek revocation of the participant's self-insured status."
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
House Bill 1015 raises the funding thresholds for Georgia's Self-insurers Guaranty Trust Fund, which backs workers' compensation claims when a self-insured employer can't pay.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia allows some employers to self-insure for workers' compensation instead of buying insurance. A trust fund exists to cover claims if a self-insured employer defaults, funded through assessments on participating employers.
This bill amends O.C.G.A. § 34-9-386 to raise two dollar thresholds tied to the fund's balance. Annual assessments on participants stop once the fund reaches $25 million net of liabilities, up from the current $15 million. The threshold that triggers a special assessment when the fund drops too low is also raised, from $5 million to $10 million net of liabilities. The rest of the assessment formulas, including the $8,000 annual cap per participant and the 1.5 percent rate, stay the same.
### What it does
- Raises the fund balance level at which regular annual assessments on participants stop, from $15 million to $25 million net of all liabilities.
- Raises the fund balance level that can trigger a special assessment on participants, from $5 million to $10 million net of all liabilities.
- Leaves unchanged the existing assessment formulas, including the $8,000 annual cap and 1.5 percent rate on medical and indemnity benefits paid.
- Repeals any conflicting laws, a standard housekeeping step to avoid legal conflicts with the new thresholds.
### Who it affects
Employers in Georgia that are approved to self-insure for workers' compensation coverage, and the board of trustees that manages the Self-insurers Guaranty Trust Fund. Indirectly, injured workers who rely on the fund if a self-insured employer cannot pay their claims.
### Why it matters
By raising the thresholds, the fund would need to hold more money before assessments on self-insured employers pause, and would allow it to drop further before a special assessment kicks in. This changes how much cushion the fund keeps to cover workers' compensation claims.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 34-9-386(a)(1) to raise the funded level that halts regular annual assessments from $15 million to $25 million net of all liabilities.
- Section 1 amends paragraph (4) to raise the fund balance threshold triggering a possible special assessment from $5 million to $10 million net of all liabilities.
- The bill leaves intact the $8,000 first-year assessment, the 1.5 percent or $2,000 minimum annual assessment formula, and the $8,000 annual assessment cap per participant.
- Section 2 repeals any laws that conflict with the changes made by the Act.
## Status
- Status: Passed (2026-05-05)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-07-01 (2026-05-05)
- Sponsors: William Werkheiser, Kay Kirkpatrick
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72343
> The history, votes, and amendments (949 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1015.md?full=1