Georgia CommonsHB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish
Last action May 12, 2026 · Effective Date 2027-01-01
House Bill 1391 would create a new Georgia specialty license plate honoring public safety officers, with proceeds going to the Georgia Public Safety Foundation, Inc.
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 LegiScan holds.
In plain language
Georgia law already allows drivers to buy specialty license plates that support various agencies, funds, and nonprofit groups, with the extra fee split between the state general fund and the named organization. This bill adds one more plate to that list: a special license plate honoring public safety officers. Money raised from selling this new plate would go to the Georgia Public Safety Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization. Because the Georgia Constitution requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers for laws creating this kind of dedicated fee arrangement, the bill only becomes law if it clears that higher threshold, which the bill notes it did (it is recorded as passed). If enacted, the change would take effect on January 1, 2027.
What the bill does
- Adds a new specialty license plate to Georgia's list of plates that support specific agencies or nonprofits, honoring public safety officers.
- Directs that money raised from selling the new plate go to the Georgia Public Safety Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization.
- States that the law only takes effect if it received the two-thirds majority vote required by the Georgia Constitution for this type of funding law.
- Sets the effective date for the new plate program as January 1, 2027.
Who it affects
Georgia drivers who choose to purchase the new specialty plate, the Georgia Department of Revenue and county tag offices that issue license plates, and the Georgia Public Safety Foundation, Inc., which would receive the plate's proceeds.
Why it matters
Drivers who want to show support for public safety officers would get a new option when registering their vehicles, and the extra fee they pay would provide a funding stream for the Georgia Public Safety Foundation, giving the nonprofit ongoing revenue tied to plate sales rather than a one-time appropriation.
Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 40-2-86 by adding paragraph (76), creating a special license plate honoring public safety officers with proceeds sent to the Georgia Public Safety Foundation, Inc.
- Section 2 requires the Act to receive a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate under the Georgia Constitution's rules for this kind of dedicated-fee law.
- Section 3 sets the effective date as January 1, 2027.
- Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws.
From the bill
“A special license plate honoring public safety officers. The funds raised by the sale of this special license plate shall be disbursed to the Georgia Public Safety Foundation, Inc.”
Status timeline
- Effective Date 2027-01-01
- Act 622
- House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- House Sent to Governor (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Third Read (Senate)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
Show full history (15 actions)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Tim Fleming (R, HD-114)
- Bill Hitchens (R, HD-161)
- Clint Crowe (R, HD-118)
- Eddie Lumsden (R, HD-012)
- Karen Mathiak (R, HD-082)
- Lauren McDonald (R, HD-026)
- John Albers (R, SD-056)
Votes
- House voteMarch 4, 2026
168 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 6 absent)
- Senate voteMarch 19, 2026
52 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 1 absent)
Topics
- license plates
- public safety officers
- vehicle registration
- nonprofit funding