Georgia CommonsSB 504: Commissioner of Insurance; lobbying restrictions within five years after leaving office; provide
Last action February 17, 2026 · Senate Read and Referred
A Georgia Senate bill would bar former Insurance Commissioners from lobbying the insurance industry for five years after leaving office, backed by civil fines for violations.
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 Introduced version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
Currently, Georgia law does not stop a former Commissioner of Insurance from immediately going to work as a lobbyist for insurance companies once out of office. This bill would add a new section to the insurance code creating a five-year cooling-off period. Under the bill, anyone who has served as Commissioner could not register as a lobbyist or engage in lobbying activity within the insurance industry for five years after leaving the position. The bill defines 'insurance industry' broadly to include any entity the Commissioner's office regulates, including entities whose paid lobbying targets the Commissioner or matters under the department's regulatory authority during that person's tenure. A person who violates the rule would face a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for each insurance industry entity they lobbied for.
What the bill does
- Creates a new Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 33-2-35) barring former Insurance Commissioners from lobbying the insurance industry for five years after leaving office.
- Defines 'insurance industry' to include any entity regulated by the Commissioner's office, including those whose lobbying targets the Commissioner or department matters.
- Sets a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per insurance industry entity for a former Commissioner who violates the lobbying ban.
- Repeals any existing Georgia laws that conflict with this new restriction.
Who it affects
The bill directly affects anyone who has served or will serve as Georgia's Commissioner of Insurance, restricting their career options after leaving office. It also affects insurance companies and industry groups that might otherwise hire a former Commissioner to lobby on their behalf.
Why it matters
If enacted, a former Commissioner of Insurance could not immediately cash in on regulatory connections by lobbying for insurers, a common concern about officials moving between government and the industries they oversee. Insurance companies would lose access to hiring recently departed regulators as lobbyists for five years.
Key provisions
- Section 1 adds new Code section 33-2-35 to Chapter 2 of Title 33, covering the Department of Insurance and Commissioner.
- Subsection (a) defines 'insurance industry' broadly, covering any entity regulated by the Commissioner or whose lobbying touches the department's regulatory matters.
- Subsection (b) imposes a five-year ban on former Commissioners registering as lobbyists or lobbying within the insurance industry after leaving office.
- Subsection (c) sets a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per insurance industry entity for violations of the lobbying ban.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.
From the bill
“Any individual who has served as Commissioner shall be prohibited from registering as a lobbyist or engaging in lobbying in the insurance industry for a period of five years after leaving such office.”
“Any individual who is found to have violated this Code section shall be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $10,000.00 per insurance industry entity for which he or she lobbied.”
Status timeline
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Nabilah Islam Parkes (D, SD-007)
- Nan Orrock (D, SD-036)
- Randal Mangham (D, SD-055)
- Ed Harbison (D, SD-015)
- Derek Mallow (D, SD-002)
- Tonya Anderson (D, SD-043)
Topics
- insurance regulation
- lobbying restrictions
- government ethics
- Commissioner of Insurance