---
title: HR 1475. Joint Study Committee on Modified Exhaust Systems on Motor Vehicles; create
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hr1475
cite_as: HR 1475, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1475
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1475.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1475/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73655
date: 2026-03-03
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 185
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1475.md?full=1
bill_number: HR 1475
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2026-02-25
last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported
sponsors:
  - Matt Dubnik
  - Marvin Lim
  - Stacey Evans
  - Betsy Holland
  - Bryce Berry
  - Gabriel Sanchez
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1475/2025
upstream_id: 2124770
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - vehicle noise
  - exhaust systems
  - law enforcement
  - legislative study committee
---

# HR 1475. Joint Study Committee on Modified Exhaust Systems on Motor Vehicles; create

## Text

House Resolution 1475
By: Representative Dubnik of the 29th
A RESOLUTION
Creating the Joint Study Committee on Modified Exhaust Systems on Motor Vehicles; and
for other purposes.
WHEREAS, noise generated by modified exhaust systems on motor vehicles is detrimental
to an individual's health such that regulation of such systems is necessary; and
WHEREAS, Georgia law makes it unlawful for any person to sell or offer for sale a muffler
that causes "excessive or unusual noise," among other requirements; and
WHEREAS, law enforcement agencies of this state report that such agencies are not able to
enforce Georgia law with respect to modified exhaust systems on motor vehicles because
"excessive or unusual noise" is not defined in the Code; and
WHEREAS, the current legal framework needs to be updated to clarify the legal standards
applicable to modified exhaust systems on motor vehicles to ensure the enforceability of such
provisions; and
WHEREAS, it would be beneficial to undertake a comprehensive review of Georgia law in
order to clarify definitions and evaluate effectiveness of current penalties relating to modified
exhaust systems and whether entities providing vehicle modifying services should also be
held accountable for excessive noise; and
WHEREAS, study of other states' enforcement mechanisms should be undertaken to consider
modifications to Georgia law to allow the use of handheld decibel meters by state and local
law enforcement agencies.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
GEORGIA:
(1) Creation of joint study committee. There is created the Joint Study Committee on
Modified Exhaust Systems on Motor Vehicles.
(2) Members and officers.
(A) The committee shall be composed of seven members.
(B) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint four members of the
House of Representatives as members of the committee. The Speaker shall designate
one such member as a cochairperson of the committee.
(C) The President of the Senate shall appoint three members of the Senate as members
of the committee. The President shall designate one such member as a cochairperson
of the committee.
(3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs,
issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or
legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.
(4) Meetings. The cochairpersons shall call all meetings of the committee. The
committee may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem
necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform
its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.
(5) Allowances and funding. The legislative members of the committee shall receive
the allowances provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated. The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any
member of the committee for more than three days unless additional days are authorized.
Funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds
appropriated to the House of Representatives and the Senate.
(6) Report.
(A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that
include suggestions for proposed legislation, the cochairpersons shall file a report of the
same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution, subject to
subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.
(B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not include suggestions for
proposed legislation, the cochairpersons shall file the report, subject to
subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.
(C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of
abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee.
A report so approved shall be signed by the cochairpersons of the committee and filed
with the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate.
(D) In the absence of an approved report, the cochairpersons may file with the Clerk
of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate copies of the minutes
of the meetings of the committee in lieu thereof.
(7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2026.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary.

A Georgia House resolution would create a joint legislative study committee to examine how the state defines and enforces rules against overly loud modified exhaust systems on vehicles.

### Plain-language summary

Georgia law already bans selling mufflers that cause 'excessive or unusual noise,' but the resolution notes that phrase is not defined in the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, making it hard for police to enforce. This resolution sets up the Joint Study Committee on Modified Exhaust Systems on Motor Vehicles to study the problem and recommend fixes.
The committee would have seven members, four appointed by the Speaker of the House and three by the President of the Senate, each side naming a cochairperson. It would review Georgia's current penalties, consider whether shops that install loud exhaust systems should face accountability, and look at whether police should be allowed to use handheld decibel meters, as some other states do. The committee must file any findings or proposed legislation before it is abolished on December 1, 2026.

### What it does

- Creates the Joint Study Committee on Modified Exhaust Systems on Motor Vehicles, made up of seven legislators from the House and Senate.
- Directs the committee to study how Georgia defines 'excessive or unusual noise' from vehicle mufflers and recommend clearer legal standards.
- Asks the committee to evaluate whether businesses that modify exhaust systems should be held accountable for resulting noise.
- Directs the committee to study other states' use of handheld decibel meters by law enforcement and whether Georgia should adopt similar tools.
- Sets member travel and expense allowances under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, capped at three paid days unless more are authorized.
- Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2026, requiring any report to be filed before that date.

### Who it affects

Members of the Georgia House of Representatives and Senate appointed to the committee, state and local law enforcement agencies responsible for enforcing noise laws, drivers who modify vehicle exhaust systems, and businesses that perform exhaust modification services.

### Why it matters

If enforcement gaps around vague noise standards get clarified through future legislation the committee recommends, drivers with loud modified exhausts, the shops that install them, and police who currently struggle to cite violators could all see clearer rules and new enforcement tools like decibel meters.

### Key provisions

- Paragraph (1) creates the Joint Study Committee on Modified Exhaust Systems on Motor Vehicles.
- Paragraph (2) sets committee membership at seven: four House members appointed by the Speaker and three Senate members appointed by the President, each chamber naming a cochairperson.
- Paragraph (3) directs the committee to study the issues raised in the resolution and recommend action or legislation as it sees fit.
- Paragraph (5) ties member allowances to O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8 and limits paid days to three unless additional days are approved, funded from existing legislative appropriations.
- Paragraph (6) requires any approved findings or legislative recommendations to be filed as a report with the Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate before abolishment.
- Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 1, 2026.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2026-02-25)
- Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported (2026-03-03)
- Sponsors: Matt Dubnik, Marvin Lim, Stacey Evans, Betsy Holland, Bryce Berry, Gabriel Sanchez
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73655

> The history, votes, and amendments (185 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1475.md?full=1