---
title: HB 609. Local government; prohibitions on employees holding interest in redevelopment activities; revise provisions
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb609
cite_as: HB 609, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb609
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb609.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb609/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70737
date: 2025-02-27
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
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next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb610.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb609.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 609
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-24
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
  - Teddy Reese
  - Carolyn Hugley
  - Carmen Rice
  - Debbie Buckner
  - Vance Smith
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB609/2025
upstream_id: 1982107
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - local government ethics
  - redevelopment law
  - conflicts of interest
  - public employees
---

# HB 609. Local government; prohibitions on employees holding interest in redevelopment activities; revise provisions

## Text

House Bill 609
By: Representatives Reese of the 140th, Hugley of the 141st, Rice of the 139th, Buckner of the
137th, and Smith of the 138th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 44 of Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
redevelopment powers, so as to revise provisions related to prohibitions on employees
holding interest in redevelopment activities and areas so as to limit such prohibition to
employees whose job responsibilities are related to such activities or areas; to provide for
related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 44 of Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to redevelopment
powers, is amended by revising Code Section 36-44-21, relating to public employees and
officials prohibited from holding interest disclosures, voidability of prohibited transactions,
and misconduct in office, as follows:
"36-44-21.
(a) No elected or appointed official <del>or employee</del> of a political subdivision or a board,
commission, or redevelopment agency thereof, <ins>or an employee thereof whose primary job
responsibilities relate to the creation or administration of a redevelopment area or
redevelopment activities,</ins> shall voluntarily acquire any interest, direct or indirect, in any
property included or planned to be included in a redevelopment area, or in any contract or
transaction or proposed contract or transaction in connection with the redevelopment of
that redevelopment area. Where such acquisition is not voluntary, the interest acquired
shall be immediately disclosed in writing to the local legislative body and such disclosure
shall be entered upon the minutes of the local legislative body. Any such elected or
appointed official or employee who, within two years immediately prior to the date the plan
is submitted to a local legislative body under subsection (b) of Code Section 36-44-7,
acquires ownership or control of any interest, direct or indirect, in any property which is
included in the redevelopment area designated in that plan and who retains that ownership
or control at the time that such plan is so submitted shall, at least 30 days prior to the date
scheduled for the local legislative body to adopt the plan, disclose the interest in writing
to the local legislative body and such disclosure shall be entered upon the minutes of the
local legislative body, and that person shall not participate in any action by the political
subdivision, board, commission, or redevelopment agency thereof which affects that
property. Any disclosure required to be made by this subsection shall concurrently be
made to the redevelopment agency.
(b) Any contract or transaction in violation of subsection (a) of this Code section or
disclosure of which is not made as provided in that subsection (a) shall be voidable by the
local legislative body. This subsection shall not apply to any indenture, agreement,
contract, or transaction which constitutes security, direct or indirect, for payment of bonds
or other obligations incurred pursuant to a redevelopment plan, and the judgment and order
confirming and validating any such bonds or other obligations shall constitute a final and
conclusive adjudication as to any such security.
(c) Failure by an official or employee to comply with subsection (a) of this Code section
shall constitute misconduct in office."
SECTION 2.
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.

A Georgia House bill would narrow the ban on local government employees holding financial interests in redevelopment projects, applying it only to employees whose jobs actually involve redevelopment work.

### Plain-language summary

Georgia law currently bars any elected official, appointed official, or employee of a city or county (or its boards or redevelopment agencies) from acquiring a financial interest in property or contracts tied to a redevelopment area. This bill narrows that ban for employees: instead of covering all employees of the political subdivision, it would only apply to employees whose primary job responsibilities involve creating or administering a redevelopment area or redevelopment activities.
Elected and appointed officials remain fully covered by the ban, as do the existing rules requiring written disclosure of any involuntary interest, the 30-day disclosure requirement before a plan is adopted, the ability of the local legislative body to void violating contracts, and the classification of violations as misconduct in office. The bill repeals conflicting laws and does not state a delayed effective date.

### What it does

- Narrows the existing ban on holding financial interests in redevelopment property so it only applies to employees whose primary job duties relate to redevelopment areas or activities.
- Leaves the ban fully intact for elected officials, appointed officials, and members of boards, commissions, or redevelopment agencies.
- Keeps the existing disclosure requirements for involuntary interests and interests acquired within two years before a redevelopment plan is submitted.
- Preserves the rule that violating contracts or undisclosed interests can be voided by the local legislative body.
- Keeps the classification of a violation as misconduct in office for covered officials and employees.

### Who it affects

Local government employees of Georgia cities, counties, and their boards, commissions, or redevelopment agencies, especially those who work directly on redevelopment planning or administration; elected and appointed local officials also remain subject to the underlying rule.

### Why it matters

Employees who have no connection to redevelopment work would no longer be barred from owning property or holding contracts in a redevelopment area, while employees who do handle redevelopment matters would remain restricted, along with all elected and appointed officials.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 36-44-21(a) to limit the prohibition on acquiring interests to employees whose primary job responsibilities relate to creating or administering a redevelopment area or activities.
- Section 1 keeps the requirement that involuntary interests be disclosed in writing and entered in the local legislative body's minutes.
- Section 1 retains the rule requiring disclosure at least 30 days before plan adoption for interests acquired within two years before the plan is submitted, plus a bar on participating in related actions.
- Subsection (b) continues to allow the local legislative body to void contracts made in violation of the disclosure rules, with an exception for bond security.
- Subsection (c) continues to classify a violation as misconduct in office.
- Section 2 repeals all conflicting laws.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2025-02-24)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-02-27)
- Sponsors: Teddy Reese, Carolyn Hugley, Carmen Rice, Debbie Buckner, Vance Smith
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70737

> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb609.md?full=1