HB 61: Motor vehicles; issuance of separate license plates for hearses and ambulances; provide

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Discussed in meetings (12)

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.

1. Senate Public Safety Committee, February 2, 2026

   From 0:34:07 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor presented a substitute with an updated date and effectiveness upon the governor’s signature. The sponsor said it would allow sheriffs to remove unauthorized occupants through sworn complaints, require documentation from alleged squatters, create a felony for fraudulent occupancy documents, distinguish hotel guests from tenants, and shorten removal delays. The sponsor said lawful tenants would retain protections and wrongful removal remedies. One member asked about further changes to protect long-term hotel residents. The sponsor cited written occupancy contracts, advance notice and payment arrangements. A second member warned that families with children could lose shelter in cold weather and said local charitable help was unavailable. The sponsor argued that hotels should not be required to provide charity; the chair also emphasized owners’ financial burdens. Asked whether hotel disputes mainly involved struggling families or deliberate nonpayment, a witness for Explore Gwinnett said, based on anecdotal experience, most difficult cases involved individuals knowingly exploiting the system. The witness said hotels and nonprofits often helped families. No further amendment was adopted. The committee approved the bill 8-2.

2. Senate Rules Committee, February 9, 2026

   From 0:25:17 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor presented the bill as a squatter reform measure intended to close loopholes used for unlawful occupancy. The sponsor said it would protect lawful tenants and paying hotel guests while clarifying property owners' and law enforcement's authority to address unlawful occupancy. The chair said the committee was prioritizing Senate bills because of a deadline, while considering some House bills. No vote was shown.

3. Senate Rules Committee, March 9, 2026

   From 0:10:05 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor presented the bill as a response to unlawful occupancy in extended-stay properties and hotels. The sponsor said it would close loopholes used by squatters while protecting lawful tenants and paying guests and clarifying the authority of property owners and law enforcement. In a brief exchange about ambulance tags on hearses, the sponsor said that issue had been resolved. No vote was recorded.

4. Senate Rules Committee, March 10, 2026

   From 0:15:11 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The Senate presenter said HB 61 no longer matched its original title and now addressed nonpayment and strengthened squatting laws. Asked whether it was another bill with replaced contents, the presenter said no. No further details or calendar placement were shown.

5. Senate Rules Committee, March 12, 2026

   From 0:10:57 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter requested consideration of HB 61, describing it as a squatter-reform measure. A committee member asked whether its language had changed since its Public Safety hearing and raised concerns about provisions involving sheriffs, off-duty deputies and constables, including time limits and constitutional questions. The presenter said no changes had been made since that hearing and said the Sheriffs' Association had agreed with the measure. The member and presenter agreed to discuss the concerns outside the meeting. Later, the chair confirmed that the bill had already been covered. No vote was taken.

6. Senate Rules Committee, March 16, 2026

   From 0:36:23 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair briefly identified HB 61 as providing separate license plates for hearses. No further explanation, questions or vote followed.

7. Senate Rules Committee, March 18, 2026

   From 0:19:01 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter described HB 61 as closing loopholes in squatter laws, penalizing people who take advantage of property owners and protecting vulnerable families relying on temporary hotel housing. The presenter requested favorable consideration. No substantive questions or calendar action followed.

8. Senate Rules Committee, March 19, 2026

   From 0:47:09 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: A presenter requested consideration of the bill without explaining its provisions. Members later selected it for the floor calendar, which the committee approved unanimously.

9. Senate floor session, March 20, 2026 (legislative day 35)

   From 2:39:22 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Third Read)

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said a substitute replaced HB 61's vehicle-plate provisions with hotel guest removal and squatting rules. The sponsor argued hotels should retain an innkeeper-guest relationship rather than become landlords. Amendment 2's author said a negotiated compromise would give guests staying more than 90 consecutive days at least 10 days to respond to nonpayment notices, allow agreed alternatives to removal, and restrict access to certain eviction records. Amendment 1's author sought tenant rights after 90 days within 100 days. Amendment 1A changed that to consecutive days. Supporters of those proposals said families needed court oversight and protection from sudden displacement. A supporting senator warned tenant rules would reduce hotel supply and raise prices. Another opponent cited a DeKalb study reporting average monthly hotel costs of $1,852 and argued the bill would undermine a Georgia Supreme Court ruling. Amendment 1A failed 24-26; Amendment 1 failed 22-28. Amendment 2 was adopted without objection, and the amended substitute passed 32-18. During the next bill, another senator objected to debate having been cut off and said the change endangered families, including a sibling living long-term in a hotel.

10. House Judiciary Committee, March 26, 2026

    From 0:15:26 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the Senate replaced the original vehicle-license-plate proposal with squatting and innkeeper provisions. The sponsor described police removal of unauthorized occupants upon an owner’s sworn statement, with court review afterward, and said ownership proof would guard against false claims. The sponsor said Senate amendments added 10 days’ notice before removing guests staying more than 90 days and allowed certain eviction records to be cleared after three years. Asked whether that record-clearing provision would remain, the sponsor said yes. Members debated whether long-term hotel occupants should gain tenant protections. The sponsor said time alone should not change a hotel contract into a tenancy and opposed establishing a timeline for that change. One member argued the proposal did not adequately define extended-stay families’ rights. Other members supported written contracts and faster removal to protect property owners and paying guests. Members requested an explicit opportunity to fix contract violations during the notice period and safeguards against moving guests between rooms to avoid protections. The sponsor welcomed proposed language but expressed concern about completing passage this session. A Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association witness supported the proposal, citing misuse of hotel rules. A member challenged descriptions that blurred paying families with unauthorized occupants.

11. House floor session, March 31, 2026 (legislative day 39, part 2)

    From 3:07:35 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (House Tabled)

    Summary by Georgia Commons: A member moved to agree to the Senate changes. Another member asked the chair to rule on whether the Senate substitute's contents were sufficiently related to the underlying bill, citing court decisions and questioning the House's approach to that requirement. After a pause, the member withdrew the request for a ruling and instead moved to table the bill. The House tabled it without objection. No substantive explanation of the Senate changes was given.

• Read aloud: Senate floor session, February 3, 2026 (legislative day 11), 0:31:58

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