--- title: HR 757. House Study Committee on Civil Rights Protections; create collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr757 cite_as: HR 757, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr757 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr757.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr757/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71733 date: 2025-03-31 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/hr756.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr758.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr757.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 757 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-27 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Jasmine Clark - Stacey Evans - Marvin Lim - Imani Barnes text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR757/2025 upstream_id: 2016160 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - civil rights - anti-discrimination law - housing discrimination - employment discrimination - legislative study committee --- # HR 757. House Study Committee on Civil Rights Protections; create ## Text 25 LC 48 1613 House Resolution 757 By: Representatives Clark of the 108th, Evans of the 57th, Lim of the 98th, and Barnes of the 86th A RESOLUTION Creating the House Study Committee on Civil Rights Protections; and for other purposes.1 WHEREAS, Georgia is one of the few states without comprehensive state civil rights laws2 protecting individuals from discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations,3 and public services; and4 WHEREAS, the Georgia Constitution guarantees equal protection for all citizens and affirms5 the natural and inalienable right to freedom of conscience and worship; and6 WHEREAS, the General Assembly understands that it is in the public interest of the State7 of Georgia to study, evaluate, and make policy recommendations for comprehensive civil8 rights protections in employment, housing, public accommodation s, and public services9 without discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation,10 age, disability, or familial status; and11 WHEREAS, the General Assembly further understands that, in developing recommendations12 for such comprehensive civil rights protections, there is a compelling need to examine the13 enforcement mechanisms, legal frameworks, and best practices fr om other states and to14 H. R. 757 - 1 - 25 LC 48 1613 ensure any recommendations balance the protection of individual liberties with the interests15 of businesses and government institutions.16 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:17 (1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee18 on Civil Rights Protections.19 (2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of five members of the20 House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of21 Representatives. The Speaker shall designate a member of the committee as chairperson22 of the committee.23 (3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs,24 issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or25 legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate, including, but not26 limited to, the following:27 (A) Conducting a comprehensive review of Georgia's existing anti-discrimination laws28 and identifying any gaps in protections;29 (B) Analyzing data and research on discrimination in employmen t, housing, public30 accommodations, and public services in Georgia;31 (C) Reviewing civil rights laws from other states and federal civil rights statutes for32 guidance on best practices;33 (D) Assessing enforcement mechanisms, including, but not limited to, the role of state34 agencies, private rights of action, and remedies available to victims of discrimination;35 (E) Evaluating the impact of potential legislation on businesses, government entities,36 and affected communities; and37 (F) Making recommendations for legislation to address any identified deficiencies in38 Georgia's civil rights protections.39 H. R. 757 - 2 - 25 LC 48 1613 (4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee40 may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or41 convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and42 accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.43 (5) Allowances, expenses, and funding. The members of the committee shall receive44 the allowances provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Offic ial Code of Georgia45 Annotated. The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any46 member of the committee for more than five days unless additional days are authorized. 47 Funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds48 appropriated to the House of Representatives.49 (6) Report.50 (A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that51 include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the52 same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolut ion, subject to53 subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.54 (B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not i nclude suggestions for55 proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C)56 of this paragraph.57 (C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of58 abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee.59 A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with60 the Clerk of the House of Representatives.61 (D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Clerk of the62 House of Representatives a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu63 thereof.64 (7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2025.65 H. R. 757 - 3 - ## 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 study committee to examine whether the state needs comprehensive civil rights laws covering employment, housing, public accommodations, and public services. ### Plain-language summary Georgia does not currently have a broad state civil rights law covering discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and public services the way many other states do. This resolution would create the House Study Committee on Civil Rights Protections to look into that gap. The committee would have five House members appointed by the Speaker of the House, who would also name a chairperson. It would review Georgia's existing anti-discrimination laws, look at data on discrimination, study other states' and federal civil rights laws, examine enforcement tools like state agency roles and private lawsuits, and weigh the impact of any new rules on businesses and government. Members would get standard legislative allowances (O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8) for up to five meeting days unless more are approved, funded through the House's existing budget. The committee must file any findings or a report before it is abolished on December 1, 2025. ### What it does - Creates a five-member House Study Committee on Civil Rights Protections, with members and a chairperson appointed by the Speaker of the House. - Directs the committee to review Georgia's current anti-discrimination laws and identify gaps in protections for employment, housing, public accommodations, and public services. - Requires the committee to study enforcement mechanisms, other states' civil rights laws, and the potential impact of new legislation on businesses and government. - Sets committee member pay using existing legislative allowance rules and funds the work from the House of Representatives' budget, capped at five paid meeting days unless more are approved. - Sets a hard end date for the committee: it is abolished on December 1, 2025, with any report due before that date. ### Who it affects The five House members appointed to serve on the committee, House leadership involved in appointments, and more broadly Georgians affected by potential future civil rights legislation, including employees, renters, businesses, and government agencies that could be shaped by the committee's recommendations. ### Why it matters No new civil rights law is created by this resolution itself; it only sets up a study process. Any real change in protections against discrimination in jobs, housing, or public services in Georgia would depend on legislation the committee recommends later, not on this resolution. ### Key provisions - Paragraph (1) creates the House Study Committee on Civil Rights Protections. - Paragraph (2) sets committee membership at five House members appointed by the Speaker, who also designates the chairperson. - Paragraph (3) lists the committee's study topics, including reviewing existing Georgia anti-discrimination law, analyzing discrimination data, comparing other states' and federal laws, assessing enforcement mechanisms, and evaluating impacts on businesses and government. - Paragraph (5) ties member pay to allowances under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, caps paid days at five unless more are authorized, and funds the committee from House appropriations. - Paragraph (6) requires any approved findings or legislative recommendations 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 (2025-03-27) - Last action: House Second Readers (2025-03-31) - Sponsors: Jasmine Clark, Stacey Evans, Marvin Lim, Imani Barnes - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71733 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr757.md?full=1