Georgia CommonsHouse · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 585: Insurance; motor vehicle policy; provide excluded driver
Last action February 10, 2026 · House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
A Georgia House bill would let auto insurers exclude a named driver from coverage and require them to report that exclusion to the Department of Revenue, with new penalties for excluded drivers who get behind the wheel and for owners who knowingly let them.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Comm Sub version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Currently Georgia's motor vehicle insurance law has a placeholder section with no substantive rules on 'excluded drivers.' This bill fills that gap by letting an insurer name a specific person as excluded from coverage under a motor vehicle insurance policy, as long as the insurer reports that person's name and basic policy details to the Department of Revenue. The insurer must also tell the state when someone is no longer excluded. The bill adds a new companion law (O.C.G.A. 40-6-10.2) spelling out how this works on the road. If a police officer determines that a driver is an excluded driver and that driver has no other valid insurance, the officer can issue a citation for driving without proof of insurance. Separately, a vehicle owner who knowingly lets an excluded driver operate the car, knowing that driver has no other insurance, commits a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $200 to $1,000, up to 12 months in jail, or both. The changes would take effect July 1, 2027, and apply to policies issued or renewed on or after that date.
What the bill does
- Allows insurers to name a specific individual as an 'excluded driver' who has no coverage under a motor vehicle insurance policy.
- Requires insurers to notify the Department of Revenue of any excluded driver's name and basic policy information, and to update the notice when the exclusion ends.
- Lets police issue a no-insurance citation to an excluded driver who is caught driving without other valid insurance.
- Creates a misdemeanor penalty, including a $200 to $1,000 fine and up to 12 months in jail, for an owner who knowingly lets an excluded driver operate the vehicle without other insurance.
- Sets the effective date as July 1, 2027, applying only to policies issued or renewed on or after that date.
Who it affects
Auto insurance companies operating in Georgia, vehicle owners who share their cars with other drivers, individuals named as excluded drivers on a policy, the Department of Revenue, and law enforcement officers who handle traffic stops and insurance verification.
Why it matters
Drivers named as excluded on someone else's insurance policy would face citations if stopped without their own coverage, and vehicle owners could face fines or jail time for knowingly letting an uninsured excluded driver use their car, changing how insurance exclusions are tracked and enforced statewide.
Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. 33-34-5, previously reserved with no content, to define 'excluded driver' and 'motor vehicle insurance policy' and permit insurers to exclude a named person from coverage.
- Section 1 requires the insurer to notify the Department of Revenue when someone is excluded and again when the exclusion ends.
- Section 2 creates new O.C.G.A. 40-6-10.2, requiring the insurer's notice to the Department of Revenue to include the insurer's contact information, the vehicle identification number, vehicle make and year, policy effective date, and the excluded driver's name.
- Section 2(c) directs officers to issue a standard no-insurance citation if an excluded driver is stopped without other proof of insurance.
- Section 2(d) makes it a misdemeanor, punishable by a $200 to $1,000 fine, up to 12 months imprisonment, or both, for an owner to knowingly let an excluded driver operate the vehicle without other insurance.
- Section 3 sets the effective date at July 1, 2027, applying to policies issued, delivered, or renewed on or after that date.
From the bill
“An insurer may exclude a named individual from coverage under a motor vehicle insurance policy, provided that such insurer identifies such named individual as an excluded driver to the Department of Revenue”
“An owner who knowingly authorizes an individual to operate a motor vehicle when such individual is an excluded driver under the motor vehicle insurance policy for such vehicle and such owner knows such individual does not have other effective insurance shall be guilty of a misdemeanor”
Discussed in meetings (3)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
House Motor Vehicles Committee, February 10, 2026
From 0:08:48 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee added the bill to its agenda without objection. The sponsor presented a revised substitute developed with insurers and the Department of Revenue. The sponsor said insurers would report excluded drivers to Revenue so officers could identify when a vehicle lacks coverage because an excluded driver is operating it. The sponsor said penalties for that driver and an owner who knowingly permits the driving would match existing uninsured-driving penalties. Members asked about borrowed vehicles, victims’ compensation, premiums, frequency and disputed permission. The sponsor said exclusions are specific to a policy, ordinary permitted borrowing remains covered, and judges would decide whether an owner knowingly gave permission. The sponsor had no statewide count and described reports of increasing misuse as anecdotal. A witness for Taggart’s Driving School reported paying for damage from two crashes involving excluded drivers because losses fell below a $2,000 deductible. The sponsor acknowledged the bill would not reimburse victims, but argued penalties would discourage misuse. A State Farm witness supported the bill and said excluded drivers must be specifically listed in the policy. Members also questioned whether the term already appeared in state law, without a definite answer. A motion and voice vote followed, but the chair did not explicitly announce the result.
House Rules Committee, February 11, 2026
From 0:40:41 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter said HB 585 would require insurers to send information about excluded drivers to the Department of Revenue so police could determine during stops or crashes whether the driver has coverage. One member said this would help officers alert a not-at-fault party to an insurance problem. Asked about premium effects, the presenter gave no figures but said uninsured driving increases costs and that excluding a poor driver can make a household's policy more affordable. The presenter said some policyholders nevertheless allow excluded drivers to use their vehicles. Another member asked whether the bill would shield those policyholders. The presenter said officers could cite excluded drivers for lacking insurance, and policyholders who knowingly permit that driving would face the same penalties as owners driving without insurance. A final member described driver exclusions as a way for owners to refuse requests to borrow a vehicle. No action was recorded.
Status timeline
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Jan Jones (R, HD-47)
- Todd Jones (R, HD-25)
- Chuck Martin (R, HD-49)
- Brad Thomas (R, HD-21)
- Houston Gaines (R, HD-120)
Topics
- auto insurance
- excluded drivers
- traffic law
- vehicle owner liability
- Department of Revenue