HB 727: Administrative Services, Department of; post-employment restriction for state employees involved in state purchasing; provide

Right now, Georgia law does not specifically stop a state employee who helped negotiate, award, or manage a government contract from immediately going to work for the company that got that contract. This bill adds a new section to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A. § 50-5-86) that creates that restriction. Under the bill, any state agency employee who takes part in soliciting, negotiating, or overseeing contracts for goods or services could not accept a job, including consulting work, with a vendor or contractor connected to those contracts for 12 months after leaving the state agency. The bill defines 'state agency' broadly to include departments, agencies, boards, commissions, authorities, and political subdivisions. It would take effect immediately upon the Governor's signature or becoming law without a signature, and would apply to employment starting on or after that date, including renewals or extensions of existing employment.

• Adds a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 50-5-86) creating a 12-month post-employment ban on state contract employees joining a related vendor or contractor.
• Defines 'participates' to cover employees involved in developing, negotiating, evaluating, awarding, or managing state contracts.
• Defines 'employment' broadly to include consulting or independent contractor work, closing off indirect ways around the restriction.
• Applies the restriction to any state department, agency, board, commission, authority, or political subdivision, not just the Department of Administrative Services.
• Makes the rule effective immediately upon the Governor's approval and applies it to new employment, renewals, modifications, or extensions starting on or after that date.

State employees who work on purchasing, negotiating, or managing government contracts, and the vendors and contractors who do business with Georgia state agencies and might want to hire those former employees. State agencies overseeing procurement, including the Department of Administrative Services, are also affected.

Former state contract employees would face a one-year waiting period before they could work for companies tied to contracts they helped handle. This could limit some job opportunities for those employees while addressing concerns about officials moving directly from awarding contracts to benefiting from them.

• Subsection (a) defines 'employment' to include consulting or independent contractor services, 'participates' as involvement in contract decision-making, and 'state agency' broadly across state government.
• Subsection (b) prohibits an employee who participated in soliciting, negotiating, or administering a contract from accepting employment with the related vendor or contractor for 12 months after leaving the state agency.
• Section 2 sets the effective date as immediate upon the Governor's signature or becoming law without signature, and applies the restriction to employment, renewals, modifications, or extensions starting on or after that date.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-03-10House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-03-06House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-03-04House Hopper (House)

• Bruce Williamson (R, HD-112)Primary sponsor
• Chuck Efstration (R, HD-104)
• Rob Leverett (R, HD-123)
• Houston Gaines (R, HD-120)
• Matt Reeves (R, HD-99)

• state contracting
• government ethics
• procurement rules
• conflict of interest
• state employees