---
title: HB 1479. Civil practice; certain alleged acts by clergy members; extend statute of limitations
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1479
cite_as: HB 1479, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1479
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1479.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1479/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73760
date: 2026-03-04
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.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1479.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1479
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-26
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Gabriel Sanchez
- Stacey Evans
- Lisa Campbell
- Scott Holcomb
- Mary Ann Santos
- Tanya Miller
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1479/2025
upstream_id: 2125947
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- clergy sexual abuse
- statute of limitations
- civil lawsuits
- religious organizations
- sexual assault survivors
---
# HB 1479. Civil practice; certain alleged acts by clergy members; extend statute of limitations
## Text
House Bill 1479
By: Representatives Sanchez of the 42nd, Evans of the 57th, Campbell of the 35th, Holcomb
of the 101st, Santos of the 117th, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 2 of Chapter 3 of Title 9 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to specific periods of limitation, so as to extend the statute of limitations for certain
alleged acts by clergy members; to provide for liability for certain entities; to provide for the
extension of certain claims; to provide for 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 "Hayle's Law."
SECTION 2.
Article 2 of Chapter 3 of Title 9 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
specific periods of limitation, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"9-3-33.2.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Clergy member' means any person, whether licensed or unlicensed, who represents
himself or herself as a minister, pastor, priest, rabbi, imam, or other spiritual leader of an
organization claiming to be a faith based organization in this state or any other state, or
any person who provides or purports to provide spiritual guidance, pastoral counseling,
religious instruction, or spiritual direction to another person in a relationship of trust,
confidence, or dependency.
(2) 'Entity' means an institution, agency, firm, business, corporation, or other public or
private legal entity.
(3) 'Pastoral counseling or spiritual authority relationship' means a relationship in which
a clergy member provides spiritual guidance, pastoral care, religious instruction,
confession, mentoring, or emotional or spiritual support in circumstances where a
reasonable person would view the clergy member as exercising influence, trust, or
authority over another person's spiritual, emotional, or personal well-being.
(b)(1) Any civil action for recovery of damages suffered as a result of sexual assault,
sexual battery, or improper sexual conduct committed by a clergy member or arising from
pastoral counseling or spiritual authority relationship against the plaintiff when the
plaintiff is 18 years of age or older shall be commenced the later of:
(A) Within 15 years of the alleged conduct; or
(B) Within five years from the date that the plaintiff knew or had reason to know of
such acts and that such abuse resulted in injury to the plaintiff as established by
competent medical or psychological evidence.
(2) When the plaintiff's civil action is filed within five years from the date that the
plaintiff knew or had reason to know of such acts and that such acts resulted in injury to
the plaintiff, the court shall determine admissible evidence in a pretrial finding when the
discovery of the alleged acts occurred. The pretrial finding required pursuant to this
paragraph shall be made within six months of the filing of the civil action.
(c) If a civil action for recovery of damages is commenced and the clergy member was a
volunteer or employee of an entity that owed a duty of care to the plaintiff, or the clergy
member and the plaintiff were engaged in activity over which such entity had control, a
plaintiff is also entitled to recover damages against such entity for claims related to the
alleged acts, including, but not limited to, negligent hiring, negligent supervision, negligent
retention, failure to warn, and concealment.
(d) Any claims arising on or before June 30, 2026, that have been barred solely due to the
statute of limitations expiring may be brought within two years of July 1, 2026."
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 1479, known as Hayle's Law, would give adult survivors of sexual abuse by clergy members far more time to sue, and would revive some old claims that are currently time-barred.
### Plain-language summary
Under current Georgia law, people who were sexually assaulted or abused by a clergy member as adults have a limited window to file a civil lawsuit before the statute of limitations runs out. This bill, called Hayle's Law, creates a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33.2) that extends that window for claims of sexual assault, sexual battery, or improper sexual conduct by a clergy member, or abuse arising from a pastoral counseling or spiritual authority relationship, when the victim was an adult at the time.
Under the bill, a lawsuit could be filed within 15 years of the alleged conduct, or within five years of when the plaintiff realized the abuse caused them injury, whichever is later. It also lets victims sue the church or organization that employed the clergy member for things like negligent hiring or covering up abuse, if that organization controlled the relationship. Finally, it revives claims that would otherwise already be time-barred, letting them be filed within two years of July 1, 2026, as long as they arose on or before June 30, 2026.
### What it does
- Creates a new statute of limitations for adult victims of sexual assault, battery, or improper sexual conduct by clergy members, allowing suits within 15 years of the conduct or 5 years of discovering the injury, whichever is later.
- Defines 'clergy member' broadly to include licensed and unlicensed ministers, pastors, priests, rabbis, imams, and anyone who provides pastoral counseling or spiritual guidance in a relationship of trust.
- Allows victims to sue the religious or other entity that employed or supervised the clergy member for negligent hiring, negligent supervision, negligent retention, failure to warn, or concealment.
- Requires courts to make a pretrial finding within six months of filing on when the discovery of the alleged abuse occurred, if the suit relies on the five-year discovery window.
- Revives previously time-barred claims arising on or before June 30, 2026, allowing them to be filed within two years starting July 1, 2026.
### Who it affects
Adult survivors of alleged sexual abuse by clergy members, religious organizations and other entities that employ or oversee clergy or spiritual counselors, and Georgia courts, which would handle both new claims and revived older claims under the extended deadlines.
### Why it matters
The bill would let people who were sexually abused as adults by a religious leader bring lawsuits many years later than current law allows, and would open a two-year window for previously expired claims to be refiled, potentially exposing churches and similar organizations to new liability.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 names the bill 'Hayle's Law' as its official short title.
- Section 2 adds O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33.2, defining 'clergy member,' 'entity,' and 'pastoral counseling or spiritual authority relationship.'
- Subsection (b) sets the filing deadline at the later of 15 years from the alleged conduct or 5 years from when the plaintiff discovered the resulting injury.
- Subsection (b)(2) requires a pretrial evidentiary finding on the discovery date within six months of filing when the five-year discovery rule is used.
- Subsection (c) allows plaintiffs to also sue an entity connected to the clergy member for negligent hiring, supervision, retention, failure to warn, or concealment.
- Subsection (d) revives claims otherwise barred by the statute of limitations if they arose on or before June 30, 2026, allowing them to be filed within two years of July 1, 2026.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-26)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2026-03-04)
- Sponsors: Gabriel Sanchez, Stacey Evans, Lisa Campbell, Scott Holcomb, Mary Ann Santos, Tanya Miller
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73760
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1479.md?full=1