--- title: HR 659. House Study Committee on Insurance Market Reform; create collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr659 cite_as: HR 659, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr659 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr659.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr659/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71506 date: 2025-04-04 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr658.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr660.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 249 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr659.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 659 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-20 last_action: House Withdrawn, Recommitted sponsors: - Eddie Lumsden - Jon Burns text_version: Comm Sub has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR659/2025 upstream_id: 2012207 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - insurance rates - insurance regulation - consumer protection - study committee - House of Representatives --- # HR 659. House Study Committee on Insurance Market Reform; create ## Text 25 LC 62 0207S The House Committee on Insurance offers the following substitute to HR 659: A RESOLUTION Creating the House Study Committee on Insurance Market Reform; and for other purposes.1 WHEREAS, the insurance market plays a crucial role in providing individuals and2 businesses with financial protection against unforeseen risks and losses; and3 WHEREAS, premiums across multiple lines of insurance have been steadily increasing,4 placing an excessive and unsustainable burden on policyholders and businesses across this5 state; and6 WHEREAS, these increasing costs have resulted in financial hard ship for consumers,7 reducing access to essential coverage and undermining the affor dability of necessary8 protections; and9 WHEREAS, insurance companies continue to report record profits, raising concerns about10 the fairness and transparency of pricing models and the industr y's accountability to11 policyholders; and12 H. R. 659 (SUB) - 1 - 25 LC 62 0207S WHEREAS, excessive premium increases coupled with reduced coverage options create a13 destabilized market that disproportionately harms low-income and middle-income families,14 small businesses, and seniors on fixed incomes; and15 WHEREAS, the lack of competition in the insurance industry allows dominant providers to16 impose unreasonable cost increases with little recourse for con sumers, making regulatory17 scrutiny a necessity; and18 WHEREAS, it is imperative to conduct a thorough examination of the insurance industry's19 rate-setting practices, profit margins, claims processing, and regulatory compliance to ensure20 that consumers are not being subjected to unjustified rate hikes; and21 WHEREAS, understanding the impact of national and state insurance regulations, as well as22 examining successful models from other states, will enable the General Assembly to enact23 meaningful reforms to protect consumers from predatory pricing and ensure that the24 insurance market operates fairly and transparently.25 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:26 (1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee27 on Insurance Market Reform.28 (2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of eight members of the29 House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of30 Representatives. The Speaker shall also appoint three additional nonlegislative members31 with expertise or qualifications as determined by the Speaker. T h e S p e a k e r s h a l l32 designate two legislative members to serve as chairperson and v ice chairperson of the33 committee.34 H. R. 659 (SUB) - 2 - 25 LC 62 0207S (3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs,35 issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or36 legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.37 (4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee38 may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or39 convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and40 accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.41 (5) Allowances, expenses, and funding.42 (A) The legislative members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided43 for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. The allowances44 authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member of the committee for45 more than five days unless additional days are authorized. Funds necessary to carry out46 the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds appropr iated to the House of47 Representatives.48 (B) Members of the committee who are state officials, other than legislative members,49 or state employees shall receive no compensation for their services on the committee,50 but they may be reimbursed for expenses incurred by them in the performance of their51 duties as members of the committee in the same manner as they a re reimbursed for52 expenses in their capacities as state officials or employees.53 (C) Members of the committee who are not legislators, state of ficials, or state54 employees shall receive a daily expense allowance in an amount the same as that55 specified in subsection (b) of Code Section 45-7-21 of the Offi cial Code of Georgia56 Annotated, as well as the mileage or transportation allowance a uthorized for state57 employees.58 (6) Report.59 (A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that60 include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the61 H. R. 659 (SUB) - 3 - 25 LC 62 0207S same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolut ion, subject to62 subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.63 (B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not i nclude suggestions for64 proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C)65 of this paragraph.66 (C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of67 abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee.68 A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with69 the Clerk of the House of Representatives.70 (D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Clerk of the71 House of Representatives a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu72 thereof.73 (7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2025.74 H. R. 659 (SUB) - 4 - ## 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 House resolution would create a study committee to examine rising insurance premiums, industry profits, and rate-setting practices in Georgia, with a report due before the committee ends on December 1, 2025. ### Plain-language summary This resolution creates the House Study Committee on Insurance Market Reform, a temporary panel of the Georgia House of Representatives. The resolution's preamble describes rising insurance premiums, reduced coverage options, and record industry profits as reasons to examine how insurance rates are set and whether consumers are being treated fairly. The committee would have eight House members plus three nonlegislative members with relevant expertise, all appointed by the Speaker of the House, who also names a chairperson and vice chairperson. The committee can hold meetings as needed, and legislative members receive standard legislative allowances while nonlegislative members get expense reimbursement. If the committee approves findings or recommendations, including possible legislation, the chairperson must file a report with the Clerk of the House. The committee is set to be abolished on December 1, 2025. ### What it does - Creates the House Study Committee on Insurance Market Reform within the Georgia House of Representatives. - Sets committee membership at eight House members and three nonlegislative experts, all appointed by the Speaker of the House. - Directs the committee to study insurance rate-setting, profit margins, claims processing, and regulatory compliance and recommend legislation if warranted. - Provides legislative members standard travel and per diem allowances under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8 and gives nonlegislative members expense reimbursement. - Requires a report to be filed with the Clerk of the House if the committee approves findings before it is abolished. - Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2025. ### Who it affects This resolution directly affects members of the Georgia House of Representatives appointed to the committee, nonlegislative experts chosen by the Speaker, and indirectly the insurance industry, policyholders, and businesses whose rates and coverage the committee would study. ### Why it matters The resolution itself does not change any insurance law or rate; it only sets up a temporary group to study premium increases, industry profits, and regulation. Any real changes to insurance rules would depend on legislation the committee might recommend after its study concludes. ### Key provisions - Paragraph 1 creates the House Study Committee on Insurance Market Reform. - Paragraph 2 sets membership at eight House members and three nonlegislative members, with the Speaker appointing all members and naming a chairperson and vice chairperson. - Paragraph 3 directs the committee to study insurance industry issues raised in the preamble and recommend action or legislation as it sees fit. - Paragraph 5 details allowances: legislative members get standard legislative per diem under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, capped at five days unless extended, funded by House appropriations; nonlegislative state employees get expense reimbursement; other nonlegislative members get a daily allowance matching O.C.G.A. § 45-7-21(b). - Paragraph 6 requires any approved findings or recommendations, including proposed legislation, to be filed as a report with the Clerk of the House before the committee is abolished. - Paragraph 7 abolishes the committee on December 1, 2025. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-03-20) - Last action: House Withdrawn, Recommitted (2025-04-04) - Sponsors: Eddie Lumsden, Jon Burns - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71506 > The history, votes, and amendments (249 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr659.md?full=1