HB 116: Public Safety, Department of; Motor Carrier Compliance Division to Commercial Vehicle Enforcement; change name

Georgia law currently establishes a division of the Department of Public Safety called the Motor Carrier Compliance Division, which enforces trucking and commercial vehicle rules across the state. This bill renames that division Commercial Vehicle Enforcement throughout the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, updating references in Title 35 and Title 40. Beyond the name change, the bill adds a requirement that members of the division be trained, sworn, and certified as law enforcement officers, not just designated as such. It also updates related provisions covering the division's jurisdiction, drug-detection dog use, weight inspector positions at fixed scales facilities, and the distinctive license plates issued to the division's vehicles, replacing old references to the Motor Carrier Compliance Division and its Motor Carrier Compliance Enforcement Section with the new Commercial Vehicle Enforcement name.

• Renames the Motor Carrier Compliance Division of the Department of Public Safety to Commercial Vehicle Enforcement in Code Sections 35-2-100, 35-2-101, 35-2-102, 40-1-52, and 40-2-82.
• Requires members of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement to be trained, sworn, and certified as law enforcement officers, adding requirements beyond simply being designated as such.
• Renames the division's internal section from the Motor Carrier Compliance Enforcement Section to the Regulatory Compliance Section.
• Updates the weight inspector provisions so inspectors are described as part of the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement division and continue to be authorized to enforce noncriminal weight, registration, size, and load rules at fixed scales facilities.
• Updates the license plate statute so vehicles used by the renamed division continue to receive distinctive, free license plates without a county name decal.

Officers and weight inspectors working within the Department of Public Safety's Motor Carrier Compliance Division (renamed Commercial Vehicle Enforcement), commercial truck and limousine carriers subject to inspection, local law enforcement agencies and district attorneys notified of seizures, and the state revenue commissioner's office handling license plates for the division's vehicles.

The division that inspects trucks, enforces weight limits, and polices commercial carriers on Georgia roads will operate under a new official name, and its officers will face a clearer legal requirement to be trained, sworn, and certified, which could affect how the agency staffs and trains its enforcement personnel.

• Section 1 renames the division in O.C.G.A. § 35-2-100 and requires its members to be trained, sworn, and certified as law enforcement officers, not just designated.
• Section 2 updates jurisdiction, duty, and drug-detection dog provisions in O.C.G.A. § 35-2-101 to refer to Commercial Vehicle Enforcement instead of the old Motor Carrier Compliance Enforcement Section.
• Section 3 revises O.C.G.A. § 35-2-102 so weight inspector positions are housed within the renamed Commercial Vehicle Enforcement division, keeping their existing training and enforcement authority at fixed scales facilities.
• Section 4 renames the division under O.C.G.A. § 40-1-52 and adds that sworn members of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement are designated law enforcement officers.
• Section 5 updates O.C.G.A. § 40-2-82 so distinctive, free license plates issued to Department of Public Safety vehicles continue to apply to Commercial Vehicle Enforcement officers' vehicles.
• Section 6 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-07-01Effective Date
2. 2025-05-08Act 67
3. 2025-05-08House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-03-31Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-03-31Senate Third Read (Senate)
7. 2025-03-21Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
8. 2025-03-20Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)

• Lauren McDonald III (R, HD-26)Primary sponsor
• Clint Crowe (R, HD-118)
• Bill Hitchens (R, HD-161)
• Eddie Lumsden (R, HD-12)
• Carter Barrett (R, HD-24)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-29)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 20, 2025

   162 yea, 5 nay (6 not voting, 7 excused)

   PASSAGE: House Vote #54

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2025

   51 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 2 excused)

   PASSAGE: Senate Vote #342

• commercial vehicle enforcement
• trucking regulation
• public safety agencies
• law enforcement training
• Georgia Department of Public Safety