SB 569: Motor Vehicles and Traffic; the issuance of emergency vehicle light permits for towing service companies in certain instances; provide

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Discussed in meetings (13)

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.

1. Senate Public Safety Committee, March 2, 2026

   From 0:32:04 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair initially presented SB 569, saying red-light permits for certain tow trucks would help clear crashes faster and reduce danger to emergency responders. A committee member expressed concern about tow trucks using emergency lights and asked about limiting use to law-enforcement-requested crash responses. A Georgia Sheriffs' Association witness said eligibility needed careful attention and offered to work on improvements. Arriving later, the sponsor said current restrictions prevented wreckers from navigating traffic to crash scenes without breaking the law or obtaining police escorts. The sponsor described the federally funded TRIP program as rewarding qualified towing companies for clearing crashes promptly. The sponsor said permits would be limited to companies participating in TRIP or holding local-government towing contracts, with training requirements set by the Commissioner of Public Safety. Addressing the member's concern, the sponsor said the commissioner could control which vehicles received permit stickers. The sponsor said the bill would require permits for qualifying companies meeting those training requirements, narrowing broad existing discretion, and stated that about half the states already allowed similar lights on wreckers. No amendment was offered. The committee unanimously approved the bill.

2. Senate floor session, March 4, 2026 (legislative day 27)

   From 0:45:28 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Committee Favorably Reported)

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The clerk reported a favorable Public Safety Committee recommendation on SB 569, concerning emergency-light permits for towing companies. A senator requested suspension of the rules to allow a second reading on the same day as the committee report because of a clerical error. The Senate allowed the request without objection, and the clerk read the bill again. No passage vote occurred.

3. Senate Rules Committee, March 5, 2026

   From 0:22:05 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 569 would establish a process with the head of the Georgia State Patrol for issuing emergency-light permits to towing companies. The sponsor said the purpose was to clear interstate crashes faster. The committee unanimously included the bill in the floor-calendar package.

4. Senate floor session, March 6, 2026 (legislative day 28, part 1)

   From 8:02:27 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Tabled)

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 569 would allow qualifying tow trucks to obtain red emergency-light permits after completing training established by the State Patrol's colonel. The sponsor said the measure covered trucks in an incentivized rapid-clearance program and those under local-government contracts responding to law-enforcement requests. The sponsor argued that reaching crash scenes faster would reduce congestion and the risk of secondary crashes. No substantive questions or opposing speeches followed. The Senate passed the bill, 45 to 5.

5. House Motor Vehicles Committee, March 17, 2026

   From 0:19:30 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 569 would let tow operators in the TRIP highway-clearance program or under government contracts for law-enforcement-initiated towing obtain red emergency-light permits after required training. The sponsor said existing restrictions on amber lights prevent operators from legally bypassing traffic to reach crashes, and faster clearance could reduce secondary crashes. Asked about costs and who receives training, the sponsor said tow operators would pay and public-safety officials would set training requirements, with the expectation that drivers using permitted vehicles would be trained. A towing-industry witness estimated that 12 or 13 operators participate in TRIP. One member supported the concept but raised concerns about misuse and driver confusion. The sponsor said the bill adds no specific penalty, pointed to program and contract oversight, and promised to check existing penalties. The substitute also included provisions from HB 184, which the chair described as allowing third-party towing notifications to speed the process. Towing and rental-car industry representatives supported that addition. The committee approved the measure by voice vote, with no opposition heard.

6. House Rules Committee, March 19, 2026

   From 1:01:08 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would refine the process for authorizing emergency lights on tow trucks handling law-enforcement-initiated tows along busy interstate routes. The sponsor said the goal was to clear crashes faster and reduce traffic delays. The sponsor also said the House Motor Vehicles Committee had added a database for abandoned vehicles. There were no questions or calendar action.

7. House Rules Committee, March 27, 2026

   From 1:11:24 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed SB 569 on the legislative day 38 floor calendar without stated opposition. No discussion of its contents occurred.

8. House floor session, March 27, 2026 (legislative day 38, part 2)

   From 1:28:59 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 3803

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter said SB 569 combined emergency-light permits for qualified towing services with reforms for abandoned-vehicle towing. The presenter described a searchable vehicle database, a three-day deadline for towing companies to report vehicles, a five-day state response for owner information, seven-day owner notices and clearer court procedures for enforcing liens. The presenter gave differing database operation dates during the presentation, first referring to 2027 and later January 2028. The presenter ultimately said most provisions would take effect July 1, 2026, with towing and lien reforms effective January 1, 2028. Asked whether emergency lights could be used outside approved work, the presenter said the bill itself did not address that but Department of Public Safety rules would govern. Asked about late reporting, the presenter said owners would not owe compensation for days when companies failed to follow the required process. The presenter described the proposal as a compromise among affected parties that would improve safety and help owners locate vehicles and understand their rights. The House adopted the committee substitute and passed the bill 160 to 0.

9. Senate floor session, March 31, 2026 (legislative day 39, part 2)

   From 4:08:10 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub)

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill retained a process allowing the State Patrol to issue red-light permits to certain tow trucks clearing major interstate crashes. The sponsor said the House added a towed-vehicle database, scheduled to begin January 1, 2027, so people could locate vehicles that had been towed. No questions followed. The Senate agreed to the House substitute, 44 to 6.

• Read aloud: Senate floor session, February 25, 2026 (legislative day 24), 0:29:00
• Read aloud: House floor session, March 9, 2026 (legislative day 29), 1:00:52
• Read aloud: House floor session, March 10, 2026 (legislative day 30), 0:46:13
• Read aloud: House floor session, March 18, 2026 (legislative day 33), 0:52:30

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