---
title: HB 1124. State government; require certain agencies to consider definition of hinduphobia to apply to laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1124
cite_as: HB 1124, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1124
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1124.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1124/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72678
date: 2026-02-04
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.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1123.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1125.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1124.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1124
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-02
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Esther Panitch
- Stacey Evans
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1124/2025
upstream_id: 2104362
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- hinduphobia
- discrimination law
- hate crime penalties
- religious discrimination
- state agency enforcement
---
# HB 1124. State government; require certain agencies to consider definition of hinduphobia to apply to laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin
## Text
House Bill 1124
By: Representatives Panitch of the 51st, McDonald III of the 26th, Evans of the 57th, Barrett
of the 24th, and Tran of the 80th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 1 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
general provisions relative to state government, so as to require certain agencies to consider
the definition of hinduphobia provided for in this Act to apply to laws and regulations
prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin; to authorize
fact finders in certain criminal cases to consider hinduphobia when determining whether a
defendant intentionally selected any victim or group of victims or any property as the object
of the offense; to provide for limitations and construction; to provide for definitions; to
provide for nonseverability; to provide for an effective date; to provide for related matters;
to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 1 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general
provisions relative to state government, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as
follows:
"50-1-12.1.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Agency' means any agency, authority, department, board, bureau, commission,
council, corporation, entity, or instrumentality of state government and all local political
subdivisions of this state.
(2) 'Definition of hinduphobia' means a set of antagonistic, destructive, and derogatory
attitudes and behaviors towards Hinduism.
(b) An agency authorized or required to enforce any criminal or noncriminal law or
regulation that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, or national
origin shall consider the definition of hinduphobia in the course of such enforcement.
(c) In determining whether to seek the enhanced penalty or penalties authorized by Code
Section 17-10-17, the state shall consider the definition of hinduphobia for the purpose of
determining whether such penalty enhancement is authorized.
(d) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to diminish or infringe upon any right
protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution or the Georgia
Constitution. Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to diminish or infringe upon
an individual's right to engage in legally protected conduct or expressive activity pertaining
to any matter of United States foreign policy or international affairs. Nothing in this Code
section shall be construed to conflict with local, federal, or state discrimination laws.
(e) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to alter the evidentiary requirements
pursuant to which an agency makes a determination that conduct, including harassment,
amounts to actionable discrimination, or to diminish or infringe upon the rights protected
under any other provision of law.
(f) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect the
authority granted by law to an agency.
(g) This Code section shall not create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, or
any cause of action, enforceable at law or in equity, by any party against the state or any
agency."
SECTION 2.
In the event any section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, item, sentence, clause, phrase,
or word of this Act is declared or adjudged to be invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining
portions of this Act shall automatically be repealed upon the entry of such declaration or
adjudication and shall not remain of full force and effect after such declaration or
adjudication. The General Assembly declares that it would not have enacted the remaining
parts of this Act if it had known that such portion of this Act would be declared or adjudged
invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 3.
This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law
without such approval.
SECTION 4.
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.
A Georgia House bill would require state and local agencies to use a specific definition of hinduphobia when enforcing anti-discrimination laws and when courts consider hate crime penalty enhancements.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia law currently prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin, and it allows judges to impose enhanced penalties for hate crimes under O.C.G.A. § 17-10-17. This bill adds a new Code section defining 'hinduphobia' as a set of antagonistic, destructive, and derogatory attitudes and behaviors toward Hinduism, and requires any state or local agency enforcing discrimination laws to consider that definition.
The bill also directs the state to consider the definition of hinduphobia when deciding whether to seek Georgia's hate crime penalty enhancement in a criminal case. It includes limits stating the law cannot be used to restrict First Amendment rights, foreign policy speech, or conflict with other discrimination laws, and it creates no new private right to sue. If any part of the Act is struck down as unconstitutional, the whole Act would automatically repeal. It would take effect upon the Governor's signature or becoming law without signature.
### What it does
- Creates a new Georgia Code section (50-1-12.1) defining 'hinduphobia' as antagonistic, destructive, and derogatory attitudes and behaviors toward Hinduism.
- Requires any state or local agency enforcing discrimination laws based on race, color, religion, or national origin to consider this definition in enforcement.
- Directs the state to consider the definition of hinduphobia when deciding whether to seek Georgia's hate crime penalty enhancement (O.C.G.A. § 17-10-17) in a case.
- States the law cannot be used to limit First Amendment rights, foreign policy or international affairs speech, or conflict with other discrimination laws.
- Specifies the law creates no new right, benefit, or lawsuit that a person could bring against the state or an agency.
- Makes the entire Act automatically repeal if any part of it is found unconstitutional, a nonseverability clause.
### Who it affects
State and local government agencies that enforce anti-discrimination laws, prosecutors and courts handling hate crime penalty decisions, and members of Georgia's Hindu community whose experiences of discrimination the definition is meant to capture.
### Why it matters
If enacted, agencies investigating discrimination complaints and prosecutors weighing hate crime penalty enhancements would have to factor in a specific definition of hinduphobia, which could shape how such cases are evaluated, though the bill creates no new lawsuit rights for individuals to enforce it themselves.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 adds new Code Section 50-1-12.1 to Title 50, defining 'agency' broadly to include all state and local government bodies and defining 'hinduphobia'.
- Subsection (b) requires agencies enforcing discrimination laws on race, color, religion, or national origin to consider the hinduphobia definition.
- Subsection (c) requires the state to consider the definition when deciding whether to seek the hate crime penalty enhancement under O.C.G.A. § 17-10-17.
- Subsections (d) through (f) limit the law so it cannot infringe on First Amendment rights, foreign policy speech, or other discrimination laws, and cannot expand or limit any agency's existing authority.
- Subsection (g) states the section creates no enforceable right, benefit, or cause of action against the state or an agency.
- Section 2 makes the entire Act nonseverable, so a court striking down any part repeals the whole Act.
- Section 3 sets the effective date as the date of the Governor's approval or the date the bill becomes law without signature.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-02)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2026-02-04)
- Sponsors: Esther Panitch, Stacey Evans
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72678
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1124.md?full=1