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House · Passed · 2025-2026 Regular Session

HB 1208: Civil practice; require depositions to be taken before certified court reporters

Last action July 1, 2026 · Effective Date

House Bill 1208 would require that depositions taken in Georgia be conducted before a certified court reporter, removing the older option of stenographic recording without that certification.

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 Enrolled version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.

In plain language

Under current Georgia law, depositions (sworn out-of-court testimony taken for use in a lawsuit) taken within the state can be recorded by stenographic means or overseen under rules set by the Board of Court Reporting. This bill rewrites two sections of Georgia's civil procedure law (O.C.G.A. §§ 9-11-28 and 9-11-30) to instead require that any deposition taken within Georgia be conducted before a certified court reporter, using the definition of that term found in O.C.G.A. § 15-14-22. The bill also updates the rule on how deposition testimony must be recorded, replacing the requirement that it be captured by stenographic means with a requirement that a certified court reporter record it, while still allowing sound or video recording in addition. Depositions taken by phone or remote means are still treated as happening in Georgia at the deponent's location. The changes take effect July 1, 2026.

What the bill does

  • Requires that depositions taken within Georgia be conducted before a certified court reporter, as defined in O.C.G.A. § 15-14-22.
  • Removes the option for depositions to be taken under alternative rules set by the Board of Court Reporting.
  • Replaces the requirement that deposition testimony be recorded by stenographic means with a requirement that it be recorded by a certified court reporter.
  • Keeps the option for depositions to also be recorded by sound or video in addition to the court reporter's record.
  • Sets the effective date for these changes as July 1, 2026.

Who it affects

Attorneys, parties, and witnesses involved in Georgia civil lawsuits who take or give depositions, as well as certified court reporters and the Board of Court Reporting, which currently sets alternative rules that the bill removes.

Why it matters

Anyone involved in Georgia civil litigation would need to make sure depositions are conducted specifically before a certified court reporter rather than under other previously allowed arrangements, which could affect who is qualified to record testimony and how depositions are scheduled and staffed.

Key provisions

  • Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 9-11-28(a) so depositions taken within Georgia must be before a certified court reporter as defined in O.C.G.A. § 15-14-22, removing the prior allowance for procedures set by the Board of Court Reporting.
  • Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 9-11-30(b)(4) to require deposition testimony be recorded by a certified court reporter rather than by stenographic means, while still permitting added sound or video recording.
  • Section 2 also removes references to depositions taken by nonstenographic means, since recording is now tied to the certified court reporter requirement.
  • Section 3 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026.
  • Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws.

Discussed in meetings (13)

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 Judiciary Committee, February 18, 2026

    From 0:00:50 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair, presenting the bill, said it would modernize deposition rules by removing language requiring stenographic methods while requiring a certified court reporter whenever deposition testimony is taken. A witness representing four court reporting services said the companies had worked with the Georgia Court Reporters Association for a year on the language. The witness supported the change as reflecting current practice and ensuring reporters remain present at depositions. No members asked questions or offered amendments. The committee approved the bill by voice vote, with no opposition heard.

  2. House Rules Committee, February 23, 2026

    From 1:22:59 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter said HB 1208 would modernize court-reporter provisions to include court reporters in sound and visual depositions. There were no questions.

  3. House floor session, March 6, 2026 (legislative day 28, PM, part 2)

    From 6:18:01 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (House Third Readers)

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1208 would require deposition testimony to be recorded by a certified court reporter while allowing an additional audio or audiovisual recording. The sponsor described the change as modernizing the rules governing court reporters and their transcripts. No questions were asked. The House adopted the committee substitute and passed the bill 138-17.

  4. House Rules Committee, March 6, 2026

    From 0:08:29 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 2325

    Summary by Georgia Commons: A motion to place HB 1208 on the supplemental calendar received a second. The chair asked for opposition and announced that the bill was added without objection. No discussion of its contents occurred.

  5. Senate Judiciary Committee, March 16, 2026

    From 0:26:39 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1208 would require depositions to be taken before certified court reporters and allow recording by sound or by sound and video. The chair said an earlier effort had been held while interested parties worked toward agreement. Asked whether a written transcript would still be provided, the sponsor said yes. No witnesses spoke, and the committee unanimously recommended passage.

  6. Senate Rules Committee, March 23, 2026

    From 0:32:53 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair said HB 1208 would require depositions to be taken before certified court reporters. The senator carrying it indicated readiness to explain but offered no additional details. No vote was shown.

  7. Senate floor session, March 27, 2026 (legislative day 38)

    From 4:23:50 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Third Read)

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1208 would require depositions to be taken by a certified court reporter using any recording method recognized by the Georgia Board of Court Reporting, rather than requiring stenography. The sponsor described it as a consensus measure. One member emphasized court reporters' duties beyond transcription and raised concerns about automated and AI transcription replacing those services. The sponsor agreed with both points. The Senate passed the bill 48-0.

Status timeline

  1. 2026-07-01Effective Date
  2. 2026-05-05Act 387
  3. 2026-05-05House Date Signed by Governor (House)
  4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
  5. 2026-03-27Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
  6. 2026-03-27Senate Third Read (Senate)
  7. 2026-03-19Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
  8. 2026-03-18Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
Show full history (15 actions)
  1. 2026-03-09Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
  2. 2026-03-06House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
  3. 2026-03-06House Third Readers (House)
  4. 2026-02-19House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
  5. 2026-02-09House Second Readers (House)
  6. 2026-02-06House First Readers (House)
  7. 2026-02-05House Hopper (House)

Sponsors

  • Stan Gunter (R, HD-8)Primary sponsor
  • James Burchett (R, HD-176)
  • Rob Leverett (R, HD-123)
  • Tyler Paul Smith (R, HD-18)
  • Trey Kelley (R, HD-16)
  • Esther Panitch (D, HD-51)
  • Bo Hatchett (R, SD-50)

Votes

  1. PassedHouse voteMarch 7, 2026

    138 yea, 17 nay (4 not voting, 18 excused)

    PASSAGE: House Vote #689

  2. PassedSenate voteMarch 27, 2026

    48 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 3 excused)

    PASSAGE: Senate Vote #834

Topics

  • civil litigation
  • court reporters
  • legal depositions
  • Georgia civil procedure

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Machine-readable https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1208.md · https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md · MCP https://mcp.georgiacommons.org/mcp