SB 600: "Georgia Corporate Power Reset Act"; enact

Under current Georgia law, corporations and similar business entities generally have the same broad powers as an individual to do anything necessary or convenient for their business, a rule courts have read to include spending money to influence elections and ballot measures. Senate Bill 600, called the Georgia Corporate Power Reset Act, rewrites that default. It amends multiple chapters of Title 14 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated covering business corporations, nonprofit corporations, partnerships, limited partnerships, and limited liability companies so that each type of entity has only the specific powers the legislature spells out, rather than broad, implied ones. The bill then explicitly bars all of these entities from what it calls 'ballot issue activity' (spending on recalls, constitutional amendments, referenda, or ballot questions) and 'election activity' (spending to support or oppose candidates, parties, or political committees). It exempts bona fide news coverage unless the outlet is owned by a political party, committee, or candidate. Violations are void or 'ultra vires,' and can be challenged by members, shareholders, or partners seeking injunctions, or by the Attorney General seeking civil penalties, injunctions, charter revocation, or dissolution. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it and would apply to activity carried out afterward.

• Rewrites the general powers sections for business corporations (O.C.G.A. § 14-2-302), nonprofit corporations (§ 14-3-302), and LLCs (§ 14-11-202) so they have only powers the General Assembly expressly grants, instead of broad implied powers.
• Adds new sections to the partnership and limited partnership chapters (§§ 14-8-65, 14-9-110, 14-9A-6) imposing the same expressly-granted-powers-only rule on those entities.
• Bans corporations, nonprofits, partnerships, limited partnerships, and LLCs from engaging in 'ballot issue activity' or 'election activity' as newly defined in the bill.
• Declares any such political spending by these entities void or ultra vires (beyond their legal authority), and creates civil enforcement by members, shareholders, or partners, and by the Attorney General.
• Allows the Attorney General to seek civil penalties equal to the value of the prohibited spending, injunctions, revocation of a corporate charter, or dissolution of a partnership or LLC.
• Exempts genuine news, commentary, or editorial content from the ban unless the outlet is owned or controlled by a political party, political committee, or candidate.

Georgia business corporations, nonprofit corporations, partnerships, limited partnerships, and limited liability companies would all be affected, along with their shareholders, members, and partners who could sue to enforce the new limits. The Attorney General's office would gain new enforcement duties, and news outlets owned by political entities could lose the bill's media exemption.

If enacted, Georgia corporations, nonprofits, partnerships, and LLCs would lose their current broad authority to spend money supporting or opposing candidates, parties, or ballot measures, and could face lawsuits, fines, or loss of their corporate charter for doing so. This would change how these entities can participate in Georgia elections and ballot campaigns.

• Section 2 sets out legislative findings that corporate existence is a state-granted privilege and that political spending authority was never intended to be part of that grant.
• Section 4 revises § 14-2-302 to limit business corporation powers to those expressly prescribed and bans ballot issue and election activity, with a media exemption.
• Section 5 adds a subsection to § 14-2-304 making such activity by a corporation ultra vires and void, enforceable by shareholders or the Attorney General.
• Sections 6-7 apply the same expressly-granted-powers rule and enforcement scheme to nonprofit corporations under §§ 14-3-302 and 14-3-304.
• Sections 8-10 add new Code sections applying the same rules to partnerships (§ 14-8-65), limited partnerships (§ 14-9-110), and limited partnerships under Chapter 9A (§ 14-9A-6).
• Section 11 revises § 14-11-202 to apply the same limits and enforcement scheme to limited liability companies.
• Section 12 makes the Act effective upon the Governor's approval and applies it to ballot issue and election activity occurring on or after that date.

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

• Nabilah Islam Parkes (D, SD-007)Primary sponsor
• Nan Orrock (D, SD-036)
• Elena Parent (D, SD-044)
• Harold Jones (D, SD-022)
• Nikki Merritt (D, SD-009)
• RaShaun Kemp (D, SD-038)

• corporate law
• campaign finance
• election spending
• nonprofit regulation
• business regulation