SB 579: "Government Serves the People Act"; enact

Georgia agencies currently have no single, coordinated standard for how they interact with the public, whether through websites, phone lines, mail, or in-person visits. This bill, called the "Government Serves the People Act," adds new sections to Georgia's general government code (O.C.G.A. Chapter 1 of Title 50) to change that. Within 180 days of taking effect, the Chief Information Officer of the Georgia Technology Authority would appoint a State of Georgia Government Service Delivery Lead. That person would set government-wide standards for measuring service quality, such as wait times, accessibility, and fairness, and would work with 'high-impact service programs' identified for their scale. Every state agency head, except the University System of Georgia's Board of Regents and its institutions, would also have to name their own lead agency service delivery official within 180 days to carry out these standards locally. Starting in 2027, the statewide lead must send an annual report on service delivery progress to the Governor and legislative leaders before each session.

• Creates a new statewide position, the State of Georgia Government Service Delivery Lead, housed in the Georgia Technology Authority.
• Directs that lead official to set government-wide standards for measuring and improving how agencies serve the public, including wait times and accessibility.
• Requires the head of every state agency (except the University System's Board of Regents and its schools) to appoint their own lead agency service delivery official within 180 days.
• Requires each agency official to submit a 12-month service improvement plan when directed by the statewide lead.
• Requires the statewide lead to send an annual report on service delivery efforts to the Governor, Senate President, and House Speaker starting in 2027.

State agency heads and staff across Georgia government, the Georgia Technology Authority and its Chief Information Officer, and indirectly any Georgia resident, business, or organization that interacts with a state agency in person, online, by phone, or by mail. The University System of Georgia's Board of Regents and its institutions are excluded.

If enacted, Georgia agencies would face a new, coordinated push to track and improve how they serve the public, potentially affecting how quickly and easily people can access government benefits and services. Agencies would gain new internal reporting duties and a required point person for service delivery.

• Section 2 adds Code Section 50-1-15, defining terms like 'agency,' 'government service delivery,' and 'high-impact service program,' and creating the statewide Service Delivery Lead position within 180 days of the law taking effect.
• The Lead's duties include developing government-wide standards for accessibility, fairness, wait times, and customer feedback, and encouraging use of commercial tools to measure service quality.
• Code Section 50-1-16 makes each agency head responsible for their agency's service delivery and requires appointment of a lead agency service delivery official within 180 days, who may be the agency's deputy head.
• Agency officials must coordinate data collection, submit 12-month improvement plans when directed, and incorporate service delivery goals into strategic or performance plans.
• Code Section 50-1-17 requires the statewide Lead to submit an annual report to the Governor, Senate President, and House Speaker starting in 2027, at least 90 days before the next legislative session.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-02-26Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-02-25Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Marty Harbin (R, SD-016)Primary sponsor
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)
• Timothy Bearden (R, SD-030)
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)
• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)

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