HB 484: General Assembly; digitization and electronic publication of Georgia Laws; provide

Currently, Georgia law requires the Office of Legislative Counsel to publish the Georgia Laws (the official compiled record of Acts and resolutions passed each year) in hardbound volumes suitable for permanent record-keeping. This bill changes that requirement so the Georgia Laws can instead, or in addition, be published electronically in a way that still counts as a permanent record. The bill also updates the rules for special legislative sessions, allowing those session laws to be distributed electronically or in print along with the following regular session's laws, rather than requiring separate print distribution. It gives the Georgia Code Revision Commission a new duty: overseeing and assisting with digitizing and electronically publishing the Georgia Laws to create a permanent digital archive with single-point public access to local and general Acts and resolutions. The Secretary of State continues to handle distribution as before.

• Changes Georgia law so the Georgia Laws (the annual compiled record of Acts and resolutions) can be published electronically, not just in hardbound print volumes.
• Allows Acts and resolutions from a special legislative session to be published electronically or in print when combined with the next regular session's laws.
• Adds a new duty for the Georgia Code Revision Commission to oversee and assist with digitizing and electronically publishing the Georgia Laws.
• Directs that the digital publication effort create a permanent digital repository with single-point public access to local and general Acts and resolutions.

This bill mainly affects state government offices involved in producing and archiving Georgia's laws: the Office of Legislative Counsel, the Georgia Code Revision Commission, and the Secretary of State's office. It also affects members of the public, lawyers, and researchers who look up official session laws.

If enacted, Georgia's official session laws could become easier to access online instead of requiring a physical hardbound volume, potentially improving public access to legislative records while still preserving them as permanent records under the law.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 28-4-3 to let the legislative counsel publish the Georgia Laws electronically or in hardbound volumes, as long as the format is suitable for permanent record retention.
• Section 1 also allows special session Acts and resolutions to be published electronically or in print when distributed with the next regular session's laws.
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 28-9-3 to give the Code Revision Commission a new power and duty to assist with and oversee digitization and electronic publication of the Georgia Laws.
• Section 2 specifies the goal of creating a permanent digital repository with single-point public access to local and general Acts and resolutions.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-07-01Effective Date
2. 2025-04-30Act 22
3. 2025-04-30House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-03-27Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-03-27Senate Third Read (Senate)
7. 2025-03-25Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
8. 2025-03-21Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)

• Bill Yearta (R, HD-152)Primary sponsor
• Chuck Efstration (R, HD-104)
• Mitchell Scoggins (R, HD-14)
• Victor Anderson (R, HD-10)
• Rob Leverett (R, HD-123)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-50)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2025

   173 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 5 excused)

   PASSAGE: House Vote #206

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 27, 2025

   52 yea, 2 nay (0 not voting, 2 excused)

   PASSAGE: Senate Vote #304

• Georgia General Assembly
• public records access
• government transparency
• legislative process