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House · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session

HB 1073: Special license plates; Jackson State University; establish

Last action March 3, 2026 · House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute

A Georgia House bill would create a new special license plate honoring Jackson State University, with sale proceeds going to a local alumni association chapter.

Read the full bill text

These buttons carry the bill's own text, not the summaries below. Copy for LLM, View as markdown, and Send to AI use the Markdown version: the text as filed, then the summaries under a heading that names them as ours. View raw is the text alone.

The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Comm Sub version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.

In plain language

Georgia law allows the state to issue special license plates that support various agencies, funds, and nonprofit organizations, with the Department of Revenue's motor vehicle division handling the plates and directing proceeds to the named group. This bill adds a new entry to that list of plates by amending O.C.G.A. § 40-2-86. The new plate would honor Jackson State University, a historically Black university located in Jackson, Mississippi. Money raised from selling the plate would go to the Jackson State University National Alumni Association Inc., Metro Atlanta Chapter, rather than to the university itself. Because Georgia's constitution requires a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate for bills creating this kind of dedicated funding, the bill would only become law if it clears that higher threshold. If passed, it would take effect January 1, 2027.

What the bill does

  • Adds a new paragraph to Georgia's special license plate law (O.C.G.A. § 40-2-86) creating a plate honoring Jackson State University.
  • Directs that proceeds from selling the plate go to the Jackson State University National Alumni Association Inc., Metro Atlanta Chapter.
  • Requires the bill to pass by a two-thirds majority in both the Georgia House and Senate to satisfy a state constitutional rule on dedicated funding.
  • Sets the effective date as January 1, 2027 if the bill is enacted.

Who it affects

Georgia vehicle owners who want to purchase the new Jackson State University plate, the Georgia Department of Revenue which administers special license plates, and the Jackson State University National Alumni Association's Metro Atlanta Chapter, which would receive the sale proceeds.

Why it matters

Georgia drivers with ties to Jackson State University would gain another option for showing school affiliation on their vehicles, and each plate purchase would generate a small, ongoing revenue stream for the university's Atlanta-area alumni chapter rather than for the university itself.

Key provisions

  • Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 40-2-86(l) by adding paragraph (76), creating the Jackson State University special license plate and naming the Metro Atlanta Chapter of its national alumni association as the recipient of proceeds.
  • Section 2 requires a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers under the Georgia Constitution's rule on laws creating dedicated funding streams.
  • Section 3 sets the effective date at January 1, 2027.
  • Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws.

From the bill

“A special license plate honoring Jackson State University. The funds raised by the sale of this special license plate shall be disbursed to Jackson State University National Alumni Association Inc., Metro Atlanta Chapter.”

This is the bill's core provision creating the plate and naming who receives the proceeds.

Discussed in meetings (8)

The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.

  1. House Motor Vehicles Committee, February 10, 2026

    From 1:05:16 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would create a Jackson State University specialty license plate requested by the university’s Atlanta alumni chapter, with proceeds supporting scholarships for Georgia students attending the university. The sponsor said the chapter had provided more than 370 scholarships. The chair said the required startup payment or presales and supporting documentation had been satisfied, and the sponsor confirmed payment. The committee approved the bill by voice vote.

  2. House Rules Committee, February 25, 2026

    From 1:42:03 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee approved a motion to return HB 1073 to the Motor Vehicles Committee. The chair asked for opposition and declared the bill recommitted. No substantive discussion was shown.

  3. House Motor Vehicles Committee, March 2, 2026

    From 0:18:32 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor presented a substitute for HB 1073 that specifically named the Jackson State University National Alumni Association Metro Atlanta Chapter. The sponsor said the change clarified that the funds were intended for Georgia students and the Georgia-based chapter. The chair described that approach as consistent with other specialty plates. No substantive questions followed. After clarifying that the committee was considering a substitute rather than a separate amendment, the committee approved it by voice vote, with no opposition heard.

  4. House Rules Committee, March 4, 2026

    From 0:37:32 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor requested floor consideration of HB 1073, describing it as a specialty license plate bill requested by the Jackson State University Alumni Metro Atlanta Chapter. No questions or decision followed.

Status timeline

  1. 2026-03-03House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
  2. 2026-02-25House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
  3. 2026-02-10House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
  4. 2026-02-02House Second Readers (House)
  5. 2026-01-29House First Readers (House)
  6. 2026-01-28House Hopper (House)

Sponsors

  • Doreen Carter (D, HD-93)Primary sponsor
  • Carolyn Hugley (D, HD-141)
  • Dewey McClain (D, HD-109)
  • Demetrius Douglas (D, HD-78)
  • Alan Powell (R, HD-33)
  • Brian Prince (D, HD-132)

Topics

  • license plates
  • Jackson State University
  • vehicle registration
  • alumni fundraising

Ask about this bill

Answers come from this document. Not legal advice.

Machine-readable https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1073.md · https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md · MCP https://mcp.georgiacommons.org/mcp

HB1073: Special license plates; Jackson State University; establish | Georgia Commons