--- title: HB 1418. Georgia Resource Exchange and Sharing for Community Uplift and Emergency Resilience (RESCUER) Act; enact collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb1418 cite_as: HB 1418, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1418 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1418.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1418/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73472 date: 2026-02-25 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/hb1417.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1419.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1418.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 1418 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2026-02-20 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Segun Adeyina - Todd Jones - Kim Schofield - Arlene Beckles - Viola Davis - Derrick McCollum text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1418/2025 upstream_id: 2121405 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - food waste - hunger relief - local government programs - food donation liability --- # HB 1418. Georgia Resource Exchange and Sharing for Community Uplift and Emergency Resilience (RESCUER) Act; enact ## Text House Bill 1418 By: Representatives Adeyina of the 110th, Jones of the 25th, Schofield of the 63rd, Beckles of the 96th, Davis of the 87th, and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Chapter 60 of Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions applicable to counties and municipal corporations, so as to authorize local governments to establish resource recovery programs in order to reduce hunger and food waste and to utilize a digital platform for such programs; to provide requirements for digital platforms; to limit liability of participants in certain circumstances; to provide definitions; to provide for related matters; to provide a short title; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Georgia Resource Exchange and Sharing for Community Uplift and Emergency Resilience (RESCUER) Act." SECTION 2. Chapter 60 of Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions applicable to counties and municipal corporations, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows: "36-60-34. (a) As used in this Code section, the term: (1) 'Local community' means: (A) Individuals residing within the boundaries of a county or municipal corporation; and (B) Food banks, restaurants, grocery stores, and other retailers that offer food in such county or municipal corporation. (2) 'Resource recovery program' or 'program' means a voluntary program that connects members of a local community to allow such members to share food with the goal of reducing hunger and food waste. (b) The governing authority of each county and the governing authority of each municipal corporation shall be authorized to establish a resource recovery program for the local community of such county or municipal corporation and utilize a digital platform for such program. A digital platform used for a resource recovery program shall allow such governing authority to limit participation in the program to members of the local community. (c) A member of the local community who in good faith shares food through a resource recovery program and a digital platform used for a resource recovery program shall not be subject to criminal penalty or civil damages arising from the condition of the food, unless injury is caused by the recklessness or intentional misconduct of such member of the local community." SECTION 3. 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. House Bill 1418 would let Georgia counties and cities set up food-sharing programs, using an app or website, to cut hunger and food waste, and would protect good-faith food donors from lawsuits and criminal charges. ### Plain-language summary Georgia law does not currently give counties and cities a specific framework for running community food-sharing programs. House Bill 1418, called the RESCUER Act, would add a new section to Georgia's local government code letting any county or municipal government create a 'resource recovery program' that connects residents, food banks, restaurants, grocery stores, and other food retailers so they can share surplus food. Local governments could use a digital platform, such as an app or website, to run the program and could limit who takes part to people and businesses in their own community. The bill also protects anyone who shares food in good faith through the program, and the digital platform itself, from criminal charges or civil lawsuits over the food's condition, unless someone is hurt because of reckless or intentional misconduct. ### What it does - Authorizes county and municipal governments in Georgia to create voluntary 'resource recovery programs' that connect residents, food banks, restaurants, and grocery stores to share food. - Allows local governments to use a digital platform, such as an app or website, to run these food-sharing programs. - Lets local governments restrict program participation to members of their own local community. - Shields good-faith food donors and the digital platform from criminal penalties or civil lawsuits over the food's condition, except in cases of recklessness or intentional misconduct. - Gives the new law a short title, the Georgia Resource Exchange and Sharing for Community Uplift and Emergency Resilience (RESCUER) Act. ### Who it affects County and municipal governments that choose to start these programs, residents who want to give or receive shared food, and food banks, restaurants, grocery stores, and other retailers that donate surplus food through a local program or its digital platform. ### Why it matters Communities could gain an organized, legally protected way to redirect surplus food to people who need it instead of throwing it away. The liability protection may make businesses and individuals more willing to donate food they might otherwise discard out of fear of being sued or prosecuted. ### Key provisions - Section 1 gives the Act its short title, the Georgia RESCUER Act. - Section 2 adds new Code Section 36-60-34 to Title 36, Chapter 60 of Georgia law, defining 'local community' as area residents plus food banks, restaurants, grocery stores, and other food retailers. - Section 2 defines a 'resource recovery program' as a voluntary program connecting local community members to share food and reduce hunger and food waste. - Section 2 authorizes county and municipal governing authorities to establish such programs and use a digital platform, which can restrict access to local community members only. - Section 2 protects members who share food in good faith, and the digital platform used, from criminal penalty or civil damages over the food's condition, unless injury results from recklessness or intentional misconduct. - Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-02-20) - Last action: House Second Readers (2026-02-25) - Sponsors: Segun Adeyina, Todd Jones, Kim Schofield, Arlene Beckles, Viola Davis, Derrick McCollum - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73472 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1418.md?full=1