HB1068: HB1068 Georgia Constituent Services Improvement and Accountability Act; enact

Georgia lawmakers currently receive an expense allowance at the start of their term to cover constituent services costs. This bill, called the Georgia Constituent Services Improvement and Accountability Act, keeps that $7,000 allowance but adds a new pool of up to $1,000 per year that members can direct, individually or pooled with others, toward setting up shared delegation-wide constituent services offices. The State Ethics Commission would keep auditing how these funds are used. The bill also creates a new Office of Constituent Services within the Legislative Services Committee's structure. This office would provide staffing, technology, training, and standardized procedures to help legislative caucuses and delegations manage constituent case work. It would publish an annual public report and must be fully operational by July 1, 2027. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it or it otherwise becomes law without his signature.

• Keeps the existing $7,000 per-term expense allowance for legislators but adds new detailed reporting requirements on how it supports constituent services.
• Creates a new annual allowance of up to $1,000 per member that can be pooled with other members to fund delegation-wide constituent services offices.
• Establishes the Office of Constituent Services under the Legislative Services Committee to provide staffing, technology, and training for caucuses and delegations.
• Requires the new office to develop standardized procedures for constituent case management, communication, and event coordination, plus training programs.
• Requires the office to publish an annual public report by January 31 detailing its activities and impact.
• Sets a deadline of July 1, 2027 for the Office of Constituent Services to be fully operational.

Members of the Georgia House of Representatives and Senate, legislative caucuses and delegations, the Legislative Services Committee, and the State Ethics Commission, which audits how lawmakers use the new and existing expense funds.

Legislators would get more money and a dedicated staff office to handle casework, correspondence, and events for constituents, which could improve responsiveness to residents' requests. The added reporting and audit requirements are meant to track how these public funds get used.

• Section 3 revises O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8 to require members to submit a public annual report by January 31 detailing how their $7,000 expense allowance improved constituent services.
• Section 3 adds a new paragraph letting each member direct up to $1,000 per year, possibly pooled with others, to fund delegation-wide constituent services offices, subject to State Ethics Commission audits.
• Section 4 creates the Office of Constituent Services (O.C.G.A. § 28-4-8) to centralize resources and support for caucuses and delegations, funded through annual state appropriations.
• Section 4 gives the Legislative Services Committee authority to select the office's director every odd-numbered year and set staffing levels.
• Section 4 directs the office to implement case management and data analytics software and run training programs for members and staff.
• Section 4 requires the office to publish an annual public report by January 31 covering support to delegations, training outcomes, and constituent impact.
• Section 4 sets a deadline of July 1, 2027 for the office to be fully operational.
• Section 5 makes the Act effective as soon as the Governor signs it or it becomes law without his signature.

1. 2026-02-02House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-01-29House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-01-28House Hopper (House)

• Viola Davis (D, HD-087)Primary sponsor
• Kim Schofield (D, HD-063)
• Sandra Scott (D, HD-076)

• constituent services
• legislative funding
• state government transparency
• legislative staff
• Georgia General Assembly operations