Georgia CommonsHouse · Passed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 944: Motor vehicles; federal regulations regarding safe operation of commercial motor carriers and commercial vehicles; update reference date
Last action July 1, 2026 · Effective Date
House Bill 944 updates a reference date in Georgia's trucking safety law so that the state automatically follows the version of federal commercial vehicle safety rules in effect as of January 1, 2026 instead of 2025.
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 Enrolled version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Georgia law incorporates federal regulations on the safe operation of commercial motor carriers and commercial vehicles by referencing a specific date, so the state's rules stay tied to a fixed snapshot of the federal rulebook (49 C.F.R.) rather than shifting automatically with every federal change. This bill amends O.C.G.A. § 40-1-8 to move that reference date forward from January 1, 2025 to January 1, 2026. The change means Georgia's definition of 'present regulations' for trucking and hazardous materials transport safety will now point to the federal rules as they stood at the start of 2026. No other substantive changes are made to the code section, which also defines the Commissioner of Public Safety and the Department of Public Safety for purposes of this law. The bill repeals any conflicting laws.
What the bill does
- Changes the reference date in Georgia's commercial motor carrier safety law from January 1, 2025 to January 1, 2026, updating which version of federal trucking safety rules Georgia follows.
- Leaves unchanged the definitions of 'Commissioner' (the commissioner of public safety) and 'Department' (the Department of Public Safety) in the same code section.
- Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with this updated reference date.
Who it affects
Commercial truck and bus companies operating in Georgia, their drivers, and companies that transport hazardous materials, all of whom must comply with the federal safety regulations Georgia adopts by reference. The Georgia Department of Public Safety, which enforces these rules, is also affected.
Why it matters
By updating the reference date, Georgia ensures its trucking and hazardous materials safety standards match the most recent version of federal regulations rather than an outdated one, which affects what safety practices commercial drivers and carriers must follow to remain in compliance with state law.
Key provisions
- Section 1 revises subsection (a) of O.C.G.A. § 40-1-8 to change the date defining 'present regulations' from January 1, 2025 to January 1, 2026.
- Section 1 keeps the existing definitions of 'Commissioner' and 'Department' unchanged.
- Section 2 repeals any laws in conflict with the updated reference date.
Discussed in meetings (13)
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 Motor Vehicles Committee, February 3, 2026
From 0:27:31 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor described HB 944 as an annual update to the federal commercial-vehicle rules referenced in Georgia law. The sponsor said it would change the reference date from January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026. There was no substantive discussion or amendment. The committee approved the bill by voice vote, with no opposition heard.
House Rules Committee, February 5, 2026
From 0:29:52 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 944 would update the reference date for federal commercial vehicle safety rules from 2025 to 2026. The sponsor described this as an annual change for rules enforced by the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division. There were no questions or calendar action.
House Rules Committee, February 9, 2026
From 0:48:43 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 501
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed HB 944 on the February 10 floor calendar after a motion and second, with no opposition voiced. The bill's contents were not discussed.
House floor session, February 10, 2026 (legislative day 16)
From 1:35:06 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 507
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would update the annual reference date for federal rules governing commercial vehicles, drivers and hazardous-material transportation from 2025 to 2026. During voting, a committee member asked whether the bill should also reflect an acronym change made in legislation the sponsor carried the previous year. The chair said the issue would be checked in the Senate but did not confirm the member’s concern. The House passed the bill 162-4.
Senate Transportation Committee, March 18, 2026
From 0:14:40 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor described HB 944 as the annual update to federal transportation guidelines for moving hazardous materials on highways. The sponsor said the only change was moving the reference date from 2025 to 2026. With no substantive questions or debate, the committee unanimously approved the bill.
Senate Rules Committee, March 20, 2026
From 0:38:08 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: A committee member presenting for the sponsor described the bill as a department measure concerning commercial motor carriers. The presenter said its change was to update a date from 2025 to 2026. No substantive questions followed. The chair later selected it for the floor calendar, which the committee approved unanimously.
Senate floor session, March 23, 2026 (legislative day 36)
From 2:19:59 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Third Read)
Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter described HB 944 as an annual compliance measure updating the reference date for federal commercial motor-carrier safety regulations to January 1, 2026. There was no substantive debate. The Senate passed the bill 50-0.
- Read aloud: House floor session, January 13, 2026 (legislative day 2), 0:48:07
- Read aloud: House floor session, January 14, 2026 (legislative day 3), 0:53:02
- Read aloud: House floor session, February 3, 2026 (legislative day 11), 0:43:46
- Read aloud: Senate floor session, February 11, 2026 (legislative day 17), 0:26:10
- Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 19, 2026 (legislative day 34), 0:42:36
- Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 20, 2026 (legislative day 35), 0:38:08
Status timeline
- Effective Date
- Act 420
- House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- House Sent to Governor (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Third Read (Senate)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
Show full history (15 actions)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Lauren McDonald III (R, HD-26)
- Clint Crowe (R, HD-118)
- Bill Hitchens (R, HD-161)
- Eddie Lumsden (R, HD-12)
- Timothy Bearden (R, SD-30)
Votes
- House voteFebruary 10, 2026
162 yea, 4 nay (5 not voting, 6 excused)
- Senate voteMarch 23, 2026
50 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 1 excused)
Topics
- commercial trucking
- motor carrier safety
- hazardous materials transport
- Department of Public Safety