HB 545: Terry Act; enact

Under current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 5-6-42), when someone appeals a court case and a transcript of the proceedings needs to be part of the appeal record, the appellant is responsible for causing the transcript to be prepared and filed as described in a separate code section. This bill rewrites that process. Instead of just causing the transcript to be prepared and filed, the appellant would file the notice of appeal with the clerk of court and then request the transcripts from the specific court reporter named on that notice. The court reporter would then be responsible for filing the transcripts with the clerk. The bill also makes a small wording update, changing a reference to the court reporter completing 'his' transcript to 'his or her' transcript. The rest of the existing rules stay in place, including the 30 day filing deadline, the option for extensions, and the rule that if the appellee wants an omitted transcript included, the appellee pays for it. The bill also gives itself a short title, the Terry Act.

• Requires appellants in Georgia civil appeals to request transcripts directly from the court reporter named on the notice of appeal, rather than simply causing a transcript to be prepared and filed.
• Assigns the court reporter, not the appellant, the responsibility of filing the requested transcripts with the clerk of court once the request is made.
• Updates a pronoun reference in the law so it refers to the court reporter completing 'his or her' transcript instead of only 'his'.
• Gives the Act a short title, the 'Terry Act,' for citation purposes.
• Keeps the existing 30 day deadline for filing transcripts and the existing rule that a trial judge may grant extensions when needed.

Lawyers and parties involved in Georgia civil appeals, including appellants and appellees who need transcripts included in the appellate record, court reporters who prepare and file transcripts, and clerks of court who receive and process filed transcripts.

The bill changes a procedural step in how appeals move through Georgia courts, shifting the responsibility for filing transcripts from the appellant to the court reporter once a request is made. This could affect how quickly transcripts reach the court record and who is accountable if delays occur.

• Section 1 names the Act the 'Terry Act' for short title purposes.
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 5-6-42 so the appellant, instead of causing the transcript to be prepared and filed under Code Section 5-6-41, must file the notice of appeal with the clerk and request the transcripts from the named court reporter, who then files them with the clerk as provided by Code Section 5-6-41.
• Section 2 also updates the phrase 'his transcript' to 'his or her transcript' when describing the court reporter's duty to complete the transcript.
• Section 2 leaves unchanged the existing rule that if the appellee requests inclusion of an omitted transcript, the appellee bears the cost of preparing and filing it.
• Section 2 preserves the existing 30 day deadline for filing the transcript after the notice of appeal or appellee's designation, subject to extensions under Code Section 5-6-39.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-03-04House Postponed (House)
2. 2026-03-03House Postponed (House)
3. 2026-02-06House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
4. 2025-04-04House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
5. 2025-02-26House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
6. 2025-02-24House Second Readers (House)
7. 2025-02-21House First Readers (House)
8. 2025-02-20House Hopper (House)

• Sheila Jones (D, HD-060)Primary sponsor

• appeals procedure
• court transcripts
• civil litigation
• court reporters
• Georgia court system