HB 668: Crimes and offenses; change references to assistance and guide dogs to service dogs

Georgia law currently uses inconsistent terms like 'assistance dog,' 'guide dog,' and 'seeing eye dog' across different code sections, with a patchwork of narrow definitions tied to blindness, deafness, or physical disability. House Bill 668, called the Mara Jade Act, standardizes the term 'service dog' across the criminal code, the disability rights chapter, and the rules of the road, and broadens the definition to cover people with physical or mental impairments rather than only blind, deaf, or physically disabled people. The bill creates tiered criminal offenses for interfering with, harming, or killing a service dog, with penalties ranging from a misdemeanor up to a felony carrying two to ten years in prison for causing a service dog's death or disabling injury. It requires courts to order restitution, including replacement value, for harmed service dogs. It also sets new rules for service dogs in training, including handler control and identification requirements, and creates a new misdemeanor for falsely claiming to need or train a service dog. The bill does not include a stated delayed effective date, so it would take effect under Georgia's standard rules once signed.

• Replaces terms like 'assistance dog,' 'guide dog,' and 'seeing eye dog' with 'service dog' throughout Georgia's criminal code, disability rights law, and rules of the road.
• Creates three tiered offenses for interfering with, harming, or aggravated harming of a service dog, with the most severe carrying a two to ten year prison sentence.
• Requires courts to order restitution to a service dog's owner, including veterinary costs, retraining costs, and full replacement value if the dog dies or can no longer work.
• Broadens who qualifies to use a service dog by replacing narrow categories (blind, deaf, physically disabled) with a single 'physically or mentally impaired person' definition.
• Sets new requirements for service dogs in training, including handler control, notice to business managers, and identifying gear.
• Creates a new misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature for falsely claiming to need or train a service dog to get accommodations.

People who use service dogs for physical or mental impairments, service dog trainers and puppy raisers, business and public accommodation owners who host service dogs, landlords and housing providers, public transit operators, and anyone who harasses, harms, or falsely claims to need a service dog.

Georgians who rely on service dogs would get broader legal recognition covering more disabilities and stronger protection against people who harm or interfere with their dogs, including felony charges and financial restitution. Businesses and trainers would face new rules on identifying and controlling dogs in training, and people who fake a disability to bring a dog into public places could face criminal charges.

• Section 1 names the bill the 'Mara Jade Act.'
• Section 2 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 16-11-107.1 to create three offenses: interfering with a service dog (up to 12 months and $1,000 fine), harming a service dog (misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature, 6-12 months and up to $5,000 fine), and aggravated harming causing death or disabling injury (felony, 2-10 years and up to $50,000 fine, with the first two years not eligible for suspension or probation absent a plea agreement).
• Section 2 also adds a restitution requirement covering veterinary expenses, retraining costs, and full replacement value if a service dog dies or can no longer perform its duties.
• Section 4 rewrites the definitions in O.C.G.A. § 30-4-1, replacing 'physically disabled person' with 'physically or mentally impaired person' and adding definitions for 'activities of daily living,' 'owner training,' 'service dog,' and 'trainer.'
• Section 5 revises O.C.G.A. § 30-4-2 to extend service dog access rights to physically or mentally impaired people generally, and adds detailed control, notice, and identification requirements for dogs still in training.
• Section 7 adds a new subsection (b) to O.C.G.A. § 30-4-4 making it a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature to falsely claim to need or train a service dog, punishable by a fine up to $2,000 and up to 30 days confinement.
• Section 8 updates O.C.G.A. § 40-6-94 so drivers must yield to a pedestrian accompanied by a service dog rather than only a 'guide dog.'

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-07-01
2. 2026-05-11Act 440
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-10House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-31House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub (House)
6. 2026-03-27Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
7. 2026-03-27Senate Third Read (Senate)
8. 2026-03-27Senate Taken from Table (Senate)

• Brad Thomas (R, HD-021)Primary sponsor
• Devan Seabaugh (R, HD-034)
• Dale Washburn (R, HD-144)
• Derrick McCollum (R, HD-030)
• Katie Dempsey (R, HD-013)
• Darlene Taylor (R, HD-173)
• Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-032)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2026

   168 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 8 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #673

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 27, 2026

   26 yea, 22 nay (3 not voting, 3 absent)

   Motion To Table Remaining Legislation On The Rules Calendar: Senate Vote #835

3. PassedSenate voteMarch 27, 2026

   47 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 5 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #848

4. PassedHouse voteMarch 31, 2026

   168 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 7 absent)

   Agree To Senate Substitute: House Vote #811

• service dogs
• disability rights
• animal cruelty penalties
• public accommodations
• criminal law