--- title: SB 55. "Dignity and Pay Act"; enact collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sb55 cite_as: SB 55, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb55 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb55.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb55/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69634 date: 2025-05-01 status: passed 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/sb54.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb56.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 950 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb55.md?full=1 bill_number: SB 55 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-05-01 last_action: Effective Date 2025-07-01 sponsors: - Billy Hickman - Sonya Halpern - Jason Esteves - Shawn Still - Drew Echols - Elena Parent - Clint Dixon - Sharon Cooper text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB55/2025 upstream_id: 1945108 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - disability employment - minimum wage - labor law - workers with disabilities --- # SB 55. "Dignity and Pay Act"; enact ## Text 25 LC 55 0416 Senate Bill 55 By: Senators Hickman of the 4th, Halpern of the 39th, Esteves of the 35th, Still of the 48th, Echols of the 49th and others AS PASSED A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Title 34 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to labor and industrial1 relations, so as to phase out the payment of subminimum wage to persons with disabilities;2 to repeal provisions concerning exemptions to the state minimum wage law for persons with3 disabilities; to provide that no employer shall utilize a certificate issued by the United States4 Department of Labor pursuant to 29 U.S.C. Section 214(c) to pay individuals with disabilities5 less than the federal minimum wage; to provide exceptions; to provide for related matters;6 to provide a short title; to provide an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other7 purposes.8 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:9 SECTION 1.10 This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Dignity and Pay Act."11 SECTION 2.12 Title 34 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to labor and industrial relations,13 is amended by revising Code Section 34-4-4, relating to authority of commissioner to grant14 exemptions from operation of chapter, as follows:15 S. B. 55 - 1 - 25 LC 55 0416 "34-4-4.16 (a) The Commissioner of Labor is authorized to grant exemptions to certain categories of17 organizations and businesses for the purpose of exempting them from the operation of this18 chapter. The exemptions so granted shall be based upon conside rations of the value of19 allowing certain classes of persons to be employed at rates bel ow the minimum rate20 because of overriding considerations of public policy to allow employment of certain21 persons with disabilities and others who cannot otherwise compete effectively in the labor22 market.23 (b) The Commissioner of Labor is authorized to conduct investi gations and compile24 information as to the reasons for granting exemptions to certai n organizations and25 businesses pursuant to subsection (a) of this Code section. The Commissioner is required26 to maintain a list of such exemptions, along with the records o f the investigations27 conducted and the basis for the granting of such exemptions, which list and records shall28 be a public record. Reserved."29 SECTION 3.30 Said title is further amended in Code Section 34-6A-4, relating to prohibited discriminatory31 activities, by adding a new subsection to read as follows:32 "(a.1)(1) No employer shall utilize a certificate issued by the United States Department33 of Labor pursuant to 29 U.S.C. Section 214(c) to pay individual s with disabilities who34 are employed by such employer less than the minimum wage requir ed to be paid by35 employers to employees under federal law.36 (2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of Code S ection 34-4-3 and37 paragraph (1) of this subsection, any employer that was issued a certificate by the United38 States Department of Labor pursuant to 29 U.S.C. Section 214(c) on or before39 July 1, 2025, may utilize such certificate to pay individuals with disabilities employed by40 S. B. 55 - 2 - 25 LC 55 0416 such employer less than the minimum wage required to be paid by e m p l o y e r s t o41 employees under federal law; provided, however, that:42 (A) During the period of July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, such employer shall pay43 individuals with disabilities at least half of the minimum wage required to be paid by44 employers to employees under federal law; and45 (B) On and after July 1, 2027, such employer shall no longer utilize such certificate to46 pay individuals with disabilities less than the minimum wage re quired to be paid by47 employers to employees under federal law."48 SECTION 4.49 This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2025.50 SECTION 5.51 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.52 S. B. 55 - 3 - ## 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. Georgia Senate Bill 55, the "Dignity and Pay Act," would phase out paying workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage under special federal certificates, ending the practice entirely by mid-2027. ### Plain-language summary Under a federal law (29 U.S.C. Section 214(c)), the U.S. Department of Labor can issue certificates letting certain employers pay workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage. Georgia law has also allowed the state labor commissioner to grant exemptions letting some employers pay below the state minimum wage to people with disabilities and others who cannot otherwise compete in the labor market. This bill removes the commissioner's authority to grant those state exemptions, though it keeps the requirement to maintain a public record of existing ones. It also bars employers from using the federal subminimum wage certificate for workers with disabilities, with a phase-out for employers who already held a certificate by July 1, 2025: they must pay at least half the federal minimum wage from July 2026 through June 2027, and the full federal minimum wage from July 2027 onward. The law would take effect July 1, 2025. ### What it does - Repeals the Georgia labor commissioner's authority to grant new exemptions letting employers pay people with disabilities below the state minimum wage, turning that Code section into a reserved placeholder. - Bans employers from using a federal subminimum wage certificate (issued under 29 U.S.C. Section 214(c)) to pay workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage. - Creates a phase-in exception for employers who already held such a certificate by July 1, 2025, letting them keep using it temporarily. - Requires those grandfathered employers to pay at least half the federal minimum wage between July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2027. - Requires those employers to stop using the certificate entirely and pay the full federal minimum wage starting July 1, 2027. - Sets the Act's effective date as July 1, 2025 and repeals any conflicting Georgia laws. ### Who it affects Employers in Georgia who currently hold federal subminimum wage certificates for workers with disabilities, and the workers with disabilities they employ under those certificates. It also affects the state Commissioner of Labor's regulatory authority over minimum wage exemptions. ### Why it matters Workers with disabilities currently paid below minimum wage under federal certificates would see their pay rise in stages, reaching at least the full federal minimum wage by mid-2027. Employers relying on subminimum wage arrangements would need to adjust payroll and business practices over roughly two years. ### Key provisions - Section 1 names the law the "Dignity and Pay Act." - Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 34-4-4 to remove the commissioner of labor's authority to grant new subminimum wage exemptions for people with disabilities, leaving the section reserved. - Section 3 adds new language to O.C.G.A. § 34-6A-4 barring employers from using federal 29 U.S.C. § 214(c) certificates to pay workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage. - Section 3 also creates a grandfather clause for employers with a certificate issued on or before July 1, 2025, requiring at least half the federal minimum wage from July 2026 to June 2027 and full compliance from July 2027 onward. - Section 4 sets the effective date as July 1, 2025. - Section 5 repeals any conflicting Georgia laws. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-05-01) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-07-01 (2025-05-01) - Sponsors: Billy Hickman, Sonya Halpern, Jason Esteves, Shawn Still, Drew Echols, Elena Parent, Clint Dixon, Sharon Cooper - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69634 > The history, votes, and amendments (950 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb55.md?full=1