--- title: SB 84. Special License Plates; specialty license plate honoring the Shepherd Center; establish collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sb84 cite_as: SB 84, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb84 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb84.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb84/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69826 date: 2025-03-21 status: engrossed 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/sb83.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb85.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 860 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb84.md?full=1 bill_number: SB 84 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-02-11 last_action: House Passed/Adopted By Substitute sponsors: - John Albers - Chuck Payne - Max Burns - Shawn Still - Ricky Williams - Rick Townsend text_version: Comm Sub has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB84/2025 upstream_id: 1952899 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - license plates - organ donation - motor vehicles - state general fund --- # SB 84. Special License Plates; specialty license plate honoring the Shepherd Center; establish ## Text 25 LC 39 4697S The House Committee on Motor Vehicles offers the following substitute to SB 84: A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Code Section 40-2-86.1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to1 license plates promoting or supporting certain agencies, funds, or nonprofit corporations or2 issued to qualified motor vehicles or owners with proceeds deposited in the general fund, so3 as to establish a specialty license plate recognizing the impor tance of organ donation; to4 provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to provide for compliance with5 constitutional requirements; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:7 SECTION 1.8 Code Section 40-2-86.1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to license plates9 promoting or supporting certain agencies, funds, or nonprofit c orporations or issued to10 qualified motor vehicles or owners with proceeds deposited in the general fund, is amended11 in subsection (l) by adding a new paragraph to read as follows:12 "(12) A special license plate recognizing the importance of organ donation. The design13 of the special plate shall include the phrase 'Organ Donors Save Lives.' The funds raised14 by the sale of this license plate shall be deposited in the general fund."15 S. B. 84 (SUB) - 1 - 25 LC 39 4697S SECTION 2.16 This Act shall become effective on January 1, 2026.17 SECTION 3.18 In accordance with the requirements of Article III, Section IX, Paragraph VI(n) of the19 Constitution of the Stat e of Georgia, this Act shall not become law unless it receives the20 requisite two-thirds' majority vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.21 SECTION 4.22 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.23 S. B. 84 (SUB) - 2 - ## 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 Senate bill, as substituted by a House committee, would create a new Georgia specialty license plate promoting organ donation, with proceeds going to the state's general fund. ### Plain-language summary Georgia law already allows a range of specialty license plates that support various causes, agencies, and nonprofits (O.C.G.A. § 40-2-86.1). This bill adds one more option: a plate recognizing the importance of organ donation, carrying the phrase 'Organ Donors Save Lives.' Unlike some specialty plates that send money to a specific charity, the money raised from selling this plate would go into Georgia's general fund rather than to an organ donation program directly. The bill's title refers to a plate honoring the Shepherd Center, but the substitute text passed by the House Motor Vehicles Committee actually creates the organ donation plate described above. The law would take effect January 1, 2026, and because it involves a constitutional requirement on special license tags, it needs a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and House to become law. ### What it does - Adds a new specialty license plate option to Georgia's motor vehicle code (O.C.G.A. § 40-2-86.1) recognizing the importance of organ donation. - Requires the new plate's design to include the phrase 'Organ Donors Save Lives.' - Directs that money collected from selling this plate go into the state's general fund rather than a dedicated organ donation fund. - Sets the law to take effect January 1, 2026. - Requires a two-thirds majority vote in both the Senate and House of Representatives for the Act to become law, per the state constitution's rules on special license plates. ### Who it affects Georgia vehicle owners who choose to purchase the new organ donation specialty plate, the Georgia Department of Revenue or tag offices that issue license plates, and the state general fund, which would receive the proceeds from plate sales. ### Why it matters Drivers who want to support organ donation awareness would gain a new plate option, but the money raised would not be earmarked for organ donation programs specifically, since it flows into the general fund. Because of the constitutional supermajority requirement, the bill needs broad legislative support to pass. ### Key provisions - Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 40-2-86.1 by adding paragraph (12), creating a specialty plate recognizing organ donation and requiring the design to include the phrase 'Organ Donors Save Lives.' - Section 1 also specifies that proceeds from selling the plate go into the general fund, not a dedicated cause fund. - Section 2 sets the effective date as January 1, 2026. - Section 3 requires a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers under Article III, Section IX, Paragraph VI(n) of the Georgia Constitution for the Act to become law. - Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Engrossed (2025-02-11) - Last action: House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (2025-03-21) - Sponsors: John Albers, Chuck Payne, Max Burns, Shawn Still, Ricky Williams, Rick Townsend - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69826 > The history, votes, and amendments (860 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb84.md?full=1