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Senate · Vetoed · 2025-2026 Regular Session

SB 46: "Government Serves the People Act"; enact

Last action May 14, 2025 · Veto V6

Senate Bill 46 would create a new state official in charge of improving how Georgia state agencies deliver services to residents, and require every agency to name its own service delivery coordinator. Governor Kemp vetoed the bill in May 2025.

Read the full bill text

These buttons carry the bill's own text, not the summaries below. Copy for LLM, View as markdown, and Send to AI use the Markdown version: the text as filed, then the summaries under a heading that names them as ours. View raw is the text alone.

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 currently has no single official responsible for coordinating how state agencies handle customer service, from in-person visits to websites and call centers. This bill would create that role: a 'State of Georgia Government Service Delivery Lead,' appointed by the head of the Georgia Technology Authority, to set government-wide standards for how agencies interact with the public. The bill excludes the Board of Regents and University System institutions from these requirements. Each state agency head would also have to appoint their own lead service delivery official within 180 days of the law taking effect. That person would report on service quality, coordinate improvements, and submit a 12 month improvement plan when directed. Starting in 2026, the statewide lead would file an annual report to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and House Speaker before each legislative session begins. Despite passing the General Assembly, the bill was vetoed by the Governor in May 2025 and did not become law.

What the bill does

  • Creates a new position, the State of Georgia Government Service Delivery Lead, inside the Georgia Technology Authority to oversee how agencies serve the public.
  • Requires the head of every state agency (except the university system) to appoint a lead agency service delivery official within 180 days of the law's effective date.
  • Directs the statewide lead to set government-wide standards for evaluating service quality, including wait times, accessibility, and customer satisfaction.
  • Requires each agency's delivery official to coordinate data collection and submit improvement plans for high-impact service programs when directed.
  • Requires an annual report to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and House Speaker starting in 2026, summarizing statewide efforts to improve service delivery.
  • Was passed by the General Assembly but vetoed by the Governor, so none of these requirements took effect.

Who it affects

State agency heads and staff across Georgia government, who would face new coordination and reporting duties; the Georgia Technology Authority, which would house the new lead position; and indirectly, Georgia residents, businesses, and organizations who interact with state agencies for benefits or services.

Why it matters

Had it become law, the bill would have pushed state agencies to track and improve how quickly and easily people can get help, from applying for benefits to renewing licenses. Because it was vetoed, Georgia's agencies continue operating without this centralized coordination or standardized reporting requirement.

Key provisions

  • New Code Section 50-1-14 creates the State of Georgia Government Service Delivery Lead within the Georgia Technology Authority, appointed within 180 days of the law's effective date.
  • The Lead's duties include developing government-wide service standards, collecting performance data, and advising on improvements, especially for 'high-impact service programs.'
  • New Code Section 50-1-15 makes each agency head responsible for their agency's service delivery and requires appointment of a lead agency service delivery official within 180 days.
  • Agency delivery officials must coordinate data collection, submit 12 month improvement plans when directed, and incorporate service delivery goals into agency strategic plans.
  • New Code Section 50-1-16 requires an annual report to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and House Speaker starting in 2026, filed at least 90 days before the legislative session.
  • The definitions section excludes the Board of Regents and University System of Georgia institutions from the term 'agency.'
  • Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard clause with no substantive effect beyond the bill's own changes.

From the bill

“Not later than 180 days after the effective date of this Code section, the director shall appoint a State of Georgia Government Service Delivery Lead within the Georgia Technology Authority to coordinate government-wide efforts aimed at improving government service delivery by agencies.”

This is the bill's core requirement creating the new statewide coordinator position.

“The head of each agency shall be responsible for the government service delivery of such agency, which shall, at a minimum, include improving and enhancing government delivery services to better achieve the mission of the agency and build and maintain trust, transparency, and accountability.”

This makes each agency head directly responsible for their agency's customer service quality.

Discussed in meetings (1)

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.

Status timeline

  1. 2025-05-14Veto V6
  2. 2025-05-14Senate Date Vetoed by Governor (Senate)
  3. 2025-04-10Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
  4. 2025-04-02House Passed/Adopted (House)
  5. 2025-04-02House Third Readers (House)
  6. 2025-03-20House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
  7. 2025-03-06House Second Readers (House)
  8. 2025-03-04House First Readers (House)
Show full history (14 actions)
  1. 2025-03-03Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
  2. 2025-03-03Senate Third Read (Senate)
  3. 2025-02-18Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
  4. 2025-02-13Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
  5. 2025-01-29Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
  6. 2025-01-28Senate Hopper (Senate)

Sponsors

  • Marty Harbin (R, SD-16)Primary sponsor
  • Greg Dolezal (R, SD-27)
  • Blake Tillery (R, SD-19)
  • Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-31)
  • John F. Kennedy (R, SD-18)
  • John Albers (R, SD-56)
  • Emanuel Jones (D, SD-10)
  • Mike Hodges (R, SD-3)
  • Sam Watson (R, SD-11)
  • Josh Bonner (R, HD-73)

Votes

  1. PassedSenate voteMarch 3, 2025

    51 yea, 4 nay (1 not voting, 0 excused)

    PASSAGE: Senate Vote #118

  2. PassedHouse voteApril 2, 2025

    128 yea, 35 nay (3 not voting, 14 excused)

    PASSAGE: House Vote #400

Topics

  • state government efficiency
  • government customer service
  • Georgia Technology Authority
  • agency reporting requirements

Ask about this bill

Answers come from this document. Not legal advice.

Machine-readable https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb46.md · https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md · MCP https://mcp.georgiacommons.org/mcp