--- title: HB 368. De-escalation Right To Know Law; enact collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb368 cite_as: HB 368, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb368 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb368.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb368/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70130 date: 2025-02-12 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/hb367.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb369.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb368.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 368 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-02-10 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Dexter Sharper - Bill Hitchens - Eddie Lumsden - Yasmin Neal - Terry Cummings - Eric Bell text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB368/2025 upstream_id: 1964517 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - traffic stops - police accountability - driver's rights - law enforcement procedures --- # HB 368. De-escalation Right To Know Law; enact ## Text House Bill 368 By: Representatives Sharper of the 177th, Hitchens of the 161st, Lumsden of the 12th, Neal of the 79th, Cummings of the 39th, and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Article 1 of Chapter 1 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions relative to identification and regulation of motor vehicles, so as to require a law enforcement officer making a traffic stop to provide the operator with the purpose of the stop upon request after such operator displays his or her driver's license; to provide for a short title; to provide for related matters; 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 "De-escalation Right To Know Law." SECTION 2. Article 1 of Chapter 1 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions relative to identification and regulation of motor vehicles, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows: "40-1-10. Upon request from the operator of a vehicle stopped by a law enforcement officer for a traffic related offense, a law enforcement officer shall provide such operator with the purpose of the stop and suspected traffic law violation, provided that such operator first displays his or her driver's license pursuant to Code Section 40-5-29. Failure by a law enforcement officer to comply with this Code section shall not invalidate an otherwise lawful arrest or prevent the issuance of a uniform traffic citation." 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 368 would require Georgia police officers to tell drivers the reason for a traffic stop if the driver asks, after showing their driver's license. ### Plain-language summary Under current Georgia law, officers who pull someone over for a traffic violation are not explicitly required to explain why they made the stop. House Bill 368, called the 'De-escalation Right To Know Law,' would add a new section to Georgia's motor vehicle code requiring officers to tell a driver the purpose of the stop and the suspected traffic violation, but only if the driver asks and only after the driver has shown their driver's license as already required under Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 40-5-29). The bill also makes clear that if an officer fails to explain the reason for the stop, that failure does not make an otherwise lawful arrest invalid and does not stop the officer from issuing a traffic ticket. The bill would add this rule to Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, which governs motor vehicles. ### What it does - Creates a new requirement that officers explain the purpose of a traffic stop and the suspected violation if the driver asks. - Conditions this requirement on the driver first showing their driver's license as current law already requires. - Clarifies that an officer's failure to explain the stop does not invalidate an otherwise lawful arrest. - Clarifies that an officer's failure to explain the stop does not prevent them from issuing a traffic citation. - Gives the new rule a short title, the 'De-escalation Right To Know Law,' for public reference. ### Who it affects Drivers who are pulled over for suspected traffic violations in Georgia, and law enforcement officers who conduct traffic stops, since the bill sets a new procedural expectation for what officers must tell drivers who ask. ### Why it matters If enacted, drivers stopped for traffic violations would have a clear legal basis to ask why they were stopped and get an answer, once they show their license. Because the bill does not penalize officers who skip this step, its practical effect may depend on how consistently the requirement is followed. ### Key provisions - Section 1 names the bill the 'De-escalation Right To Know Law.' - Section 2 adds new Code Section 40-1-10, requiring an officer to state the purpose of a stop and suspected violation upon the driver's request, after the driver shows a driver's license under O.C.G.A. § 40-5-29. - Section 2 also specifies that an officer's noncompliance does not invalidate an otherwise lawful arrest or block issuance of a uniform traffic citation. - Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-02-10) - Last action: House Second Readers (2025-02-12) - Sponsors: Dexter Sharper, Bill Hitchens, Eddie Lumsden, Yasmin Neal, Terry Cummings, Eric Bell - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70130 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb368.md?full=1