HB 1157: Labor and industrial relations; preemption of wage and employment benefit mandates adopted by a local government entity; repeal certain provisions

Georgia law currently includes a section, O.C.G.A. § 34-4-3.1, that blocks local governments such as counties, cities, and school boards from requiring employers within their borders to pay a certain wage or provide certain employment benefits beyond what state or federal law already requires. That same section also stops local governments from using contracting or purchasing rules to influence what wages or benefits their vendors offer, and from regulating employee work hours or scheduling. HB 1157 would repeal that entire Code section. Doing so would remove the statewide preemption, meaning local governments would no longer be legally barred by this specific statute from adopting their own wage, benefit, or scheduling rules for private employers. The bill would take effect immediately upon the Governor's signature or upon becoming law without a signature, and it repeals any other conflicting laws.

• Repeals O.C.G.A. § 34-4-3.1 in its entirety, removing the state law that preempted local wage and employment benefit mandates.
• Eliminates the current ban on local governments adopting, maintaining, or enforcing wage or employment benefit requirements on employers through ordinances, contracts, or regulations.
• Removes restrictions that stopped local governments from using purchasing or contracting rules to influence vendors' wages or benefits.
• Removes the current ban on local governments regulating the hours, scheduling, or output requirements employers impose on workers.
• Sets the effective date as the date the Governor signs the bill, or the date it becomes law without a signature.

Local governments including counties, municipalities, consolidated governments, authorities, and school boards; private employers operating within those jurisdictions; employees whose wages, benefits, or schedules could become subject to local rules; and vendors or contractors who do business with local governments.

If enacted, local governments in Georgia could set their own minimum wage, benefit, or scheduling requirements for employers, something the current statute forbids statewide. This would shift wage and benefit policy decisions from being uniform across Georgia to potentially varying city by city or county by county.

• Section 1 repeals Code Section 34-4-3.1, which had defined terms like 'wage or employment benefit mandate' and 'local government entity' and preempted local wage and benefit rules.
• The repealed section had also barred local governments from using contracting or bidding processes to influence vendors' wages or benefits.
• The repealed section had barred local governments from regulating employee work hours, scheduling, or output, while still allowing them to regulate business operating hours.
• Section 2 makes the Act effective immediately upon the Governor's approval or upon becoming law without approval.
• Section 3 repeals all other laws in conflict with the Act.

1. 2026-02-04House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-02-03House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-02House Hopper (House)

• Stacey Evans (D, HD-057)Primary sponsor
• Dewey McClain (D, HD-109)
• Long Tran (D, HD-080)
• Lydia Glaize (D, HD-067)
• Dar'shun Kendrick (D, HD-095)
• Mary Williams (D, HD-037)

• minimum wage
• local government authority
• labor law
• employment benefits
• state preemption