---
title: HB 110. Pawnbrokers; certain protections for current military members and related persons; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb110
cite_as: HB 110, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb110
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb110.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb110/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69462
date: 2026-01-28
status: introduced
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.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 291
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb110.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 110
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-01-17
last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported
sponsors:
- Josh Bonner
- Bethany Ballard
- Joseph Gullett
- David Clark
- Anne Westbrook
- Karen Mathiak
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB110/2025
upstream_id: 1929309
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- pawnbrokers
- military members' rights
- title loans
- consumer protection
---
# HB 110. Pawnbrokers; certain protections for current military members and related persons; provide
## Text
House Bill 110
By: Representatives Bonner of the 73rd, Ballard of the 147th, Gullett of the 19th, Clark of the
100th, and Westbrook of the 163rd
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Part 5 of Article 3 of Chapter 12 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, relating to pawnbrokers, so as to provide certain protections for current military
members and related persons; to prohibit pawnbrokers from making title pawns with covered
borrowers; to provide a penalty for violations; to provide for a definition; to provide for
related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Part 5 of Article 3 of Chapter 12 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to pawnbrokers, is amended in Code Section 44-12-137, relating to prohibited acts,
penalties, presumption as to pledgor, and replacement or damaged goods, by adding a new
subsection to read as follows:
"(c)(1) As used in this subsection, the term 'covered borrower' shall have the same
meaning as provided in 32 C.F.R. Section 232.3.
(2) No pawnbroker shall conduct a pawn transaction involving a motor vehicle or motor
vehicle certificate of title with a covered borrower.
(3) Any pawnbroker that knowingly conducts a pawn transaction in violation of
paragraph (2) of this subsection shall be subject to a civil penalty of four times the
principal amount advanced in such pawn transaction. Such civil penalty shall be
recoverable in a civil action brought in any court of competent jurisdiction by the
Attorney General or any district attorney."
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 110 would bar Georgia pawnbrokers from making title pawns, loans secured by a car's title, with active-duty service members and certain military dependents, and would set a stiff civil penalty for violations.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia law currently allows pawnbrokers to make title pawns, which are loans secured by a borrower's motor vehicle or its certificate of title, with almost any customer. This bill amends Georgia's pawnbroker law (O.C.G.A. § 44-12-137) to add a new protection for a group called 'covered borrowers,' a term defined under a federal military lending regulation (32 C.F.R. Section 232.3) that generally includes active-duty service members and certain family members or dependents.
Under the bill, pawnbrokers would be flatly prohibited from conducting any pawn transaction involving a motor vehicle or its title with a covered borrower. A pawnbroker who knowingly breaks this rule would face a civil penalty equal to four times the amount of money originally advanced in the loan. The Attorney General or any local district attorney could sue in court to collect that penalty. The bill does not include a stated effective date beyond the standard process, and it repeals any conflicting laws.
### What it does
- Adds a new subsection to Georgia's pawnbroker law (O.C.G.A. § 44-12-137) defining 'covered borrower' using the definition in a federal military lending rule (32 C.F.R. Section 232.3).
- Bans pawnbrokers from making any title pawn, a loan secured by a vehicle or its certificate of title, with a covered borrower.
- Sets a civil penalty of four times the loan's principal amount for pawnbrokers who knowingly violate the ban.
- Allows the Attorney General or any district attorney to sue a violating pawnbroker in court to recover the penalty.
- Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with these new provisions.
### Who it affects
Pawnbrokers who offer title pawns in Georgia, active-duty military service members, and certain military dependents or family members who qualify as 'covered borrowers.' The Attorney General and local district attorneys would also gain enforcement authority under the bill.
### Why it matters
Service members and their families would lose access to title pawns from Georgia pawnbrokers, closing off a type of short-term, high-interest borrowing that ties repayment to losing a vehicle. Pawnbrokers who continue offering these loans to covered borrowers would face a penalty four times the loan amount.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 adds subsection (c) to O.C.G.A. § 44-12-137, defining 'covered borrower' by reference to the federal Military Lending Act regulation at 32 C.F.R. Section 232.3.
- Section 1 prohibits pawnbrokers from conducting any pawn transaction involving a motor vehicle or vehicle certificate of title with a covered borrower.
- Section 1 sets the penalty for a knowing violation at four times the principal amount advanced in the pawn transaction, collectible through a civil lawsuit by the Attorney General or a district attorney.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard clause with no independent substantive effect.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-01-17)
- Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported (2026-01-28)
- Sponsors: Josh Bonner, Bethany Ballard, Joseph Gullett, David Clark, Anne Westbrook, Karen Mathiak
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69462
> The history, votes, and amendments (291 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb110.md?full=1