---
title: SB 504. Commissioner of Insurance; lobbying restrictions within five years after leaving office; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb504
cite_as: SB 504, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb504
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb504.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb504/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73185
date: 2026-02-17
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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index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 95
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb504.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 504
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-12
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
- Nabilah Islam Parkes
- Nan Orrock
- Randal Mangham
- Ed Harbison
- Derek Mallow
- Tonya Anderson
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB504/2025
upstream_id: 2116233
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- insurance regulation
- lobbying restrictions
- government ethics
- Commissioner of Insurance
---
# SB 504. Commissioner of Insurance; lobbying restrictions within five years after leaving office; provide
## Text
Senate Bill 504
By: Senators Parkes of the 7th, Orrock of the 36th, Mangham of the 55th, Harbison of the
15th, Mallow of the 2nd and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 2 of Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
department and Commissioner, so as to provide for certain lobbying restrictions on the
Commissioner of Insurance within five years after leaving office; to provide for a definition;
to provide for a penalty; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for
other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 2 of Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to department and
Commissioner, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"33-2-35.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term 'insurance industry' means any entity regulated
by the Commissioner, including, but not limited to, an entity whose paid lobbying activities
are directed at the Commissioner or pertain to matters within the regulatory authority of the
department during the Commissioner's tenure.
(b) 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.
(c) 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."
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
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.
### Plain-language summary
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 it does
- Creates a new Georgia law (O.C.G.A. ยง 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.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-12)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-02-17)
- Sponsors: Nabilah Islam Parkes, Nan Orrock, Randal Mangham, Ed Harbison, Derek Mallow, Tonya Anderson
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73185
> The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb504.md?full=1