Georgia CommonsHouse · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 704: State government; auditor produce certain monthly and annual reports; replace requirement
Last action February 4, 2026 · House Withdrawn, Recommitted
House Bill 704 would change how the state auditor tracks architectural and engineering firms that do business with Georgia government, replacing monthly statistics and a 10 percent contract cap with a single annual public report.
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 Introduced version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 50-6-25) requires the state auditor to keep monthly statistics on architectural and engineering firms working with state agencies, and it bars any firm from winning more than 10 percent of such contracts over a 36-month period, with special rules for the Department of Transportation. House Bill 704 would strike that entire monthly-tracking and eligibility-cap system and replace it with a simpler annual report. The auditor would report yearly to the General Assembly on which firms got contracts, the dollar amounts, how many contracts went to Georgia-based firms, and how many went to firms in rural areas. That report would become part of the state's existing annual disclosure requirements under the Transparency in Government Act (O.C.G.A. § 50-6-32) and would have to be posted by January 1 each year, starting January 1, 2027. The bill also updates two related Code sections (42-2-14 and 50-22-7) to remove references to the old monthly-statistics system and the now-repealed 10 percent contract cap, since those provisions would no longer exist.
What the bill does
- Removes the requirement that the state auditor keep monthly statistics on architectural and engineering firms doing business with Georgia state agencies.
- Eliminates the rule barring any architectural or engineering firm from winning more than 10 percent of state contracts in a 36-month period.
- Creates a new annual report requirement listing firms awarded contracts, contract amounts, and how many went to Georgia-based and rural-area firms.
- Folds the new annual statistics into the state's existing Transparency in Government Act reporting (O.C.G.A. § 50-6-32), due by January 1 each year starting in 2027.
- Removes outdated cross-references in two other Code sections (42-2-14 and 50-22-7) tied to the old monthly-reporting and eligibility-cap system.
Who it affects
Architectural and engineering firms that contract with Georgia state agencies, authorities, and public corporations, including the Department of Transportation; the state auditor's office, which produces the reports; and the General Assembly, which receives them.
Why it matters
Firms currently limited to 10 percent of state architectural and engineering work over three years would no longer face that cap, and the public would get information once a year instead of monthly. This changes how closely lawmakers and the public can track which firms are winning state design and engineering contracts.
Key provisions
- Section 1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 50-6-25 to remove the monthly statistics requirement and the 10 percent, 36-month contract eligibility cap for architectural and engineering firms.
- Section 1 requires the state auditor to annually report contract awards, dollar amounts, and counts of contracts going to Georgia and rural-area firms to the General Assembly.
- Section 1 ties the new annual statistics to the Transparency in Government Act (O.C.G.A. § 50-6-32) with a posting deadline of January 1 each year, starting January 1, 2027.
- Section 2 removes a reference in O.C.G.A. § 42-2-14 to the old authority (which had already expired in 1991) to waive Code Section 50-6-25 during prison overcrowding emergencies.
- Section 3 removes a subsection in O.C.G.A. § 50-22-7 stating that Code Section 50-6-25 was unaffected by that chapter, since the underlying eligibility rules are being replaced.
From the bill
“The state auditor shall annually provide the General Assembly with statistics on all architectural and engineering firms doing business with the departments, agencies, authorities, and public corporations of this state.”
“The annual statistics shall be posted for the preceding fiscal year as soon as is practical after the close of each fiscal year, but no later than January 1, beginning January 1, 2027.”
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 Small Business Development Committee, January 29, 2026
From 0:17:07 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would replace monthly architectural and engineering contract reports with an annual searchable dashboard on Open Georgia, improving access without added cost. A Department of Audits and Accounts witness said only about 70% of required entities submit monthly reports, while existing annual submissions provide more complete information. The witness said the dashboard could show contract amounts and vendors’ locations, including rural areas. Asked about the reporting law’s purpose and safeguards against firms dominating contracts, the witness said its presumed purpose was preventing concentration and that current reports cover more than 400 firms over 36 months. The witness said the bill would not change contract awards and that agencies consulted reported not using the monthly report. Several members questioned whether annual reporting would weaken transparency. The witness said more frequent reporting would require retaining something like the current report because dashboard data are collected annually. Another member requested business certifications, such as veteran ownership; the witness supported considering them but cautioned against requiring data the department might not obtain. Members questioned the absence of explicit dashboard language, which the witness was willing to add. A member’s amendment requiring twice-yearly reporting failed, 10 to 14. The bill passed, 15 to 10.
House Rules Committee, February 3, 2026
From 0:22:35 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 704 would replace monthly reports on state architecture and engineering contracts with annual reporting. The sponsor cited 70% monthly compliance versus 100% annual compliance and said the change would conserve staff time. One member questioned removing subcontractor disclosures and suggested quarterly or semiannual reporting. The sponsor disputed that subcontractor reporting would be removed; another member agreed that language covering all contracts appeared to retain it. A further member identified deleted subcontractor language and argued that disclosure would disappear because the state contracts directly with contractors, not subcontractors. The sponsor did not resolve that concern. Another member cited a 10% statutory limit and asked whether annual reporting would leave a year-long gap in monitoring contract concentration. The sponsor cited incomplete monthly data, long-term projects and no historical monopolization problem. A member described a planned dashboard intended to improve accuracy and public access. The sponsor said it would allow searches by contract amount, duration and location beyond the current report's details. The chair encouraged members to seek further answers from the sponsor outside the meeting. No vote was shown.
Status timeline
- House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Mike Cheokas (R, HD-151)
- Todd Jones (R, HD-25)
- Matt Dubnik (R, HD-29)
- Robert Dickey (R, HD-134)
- Shaw Blackmon (R, HD-146)
- Darlene Taylor (R, HD-173)
Topics
- state contracting
- government transparency
- architectural and engineering firms
- state auditor
- public procurement