HB1418: HB1418 Georgia Resource Exchange and Sharing for Community Uplift and Emergency Resilience (RESCUER) Act; enact

Georgia counties and cities currently have no specific state authorization or legal framework for running community food-sharing programs. This bill would add a new section to the state code letting local governments create voluntary 'resource recovery programs' that connect residents, food banks, restaurants, grocery stores, and other food retailers so they can share surplus food with each other, aimed at reducing hunger and food waste. Local governments could use a digital platform to run these programs and could limit who participates to members of their own community. The bill also protects anyone who shares food in good faith through one of these programs, along with the digital platform itself, from criminal penalties or civil lawsuits over the condition of the food, unless the harm was caused by recklessness or intentional misconduct. The bill is named the Georgia Resource Exchange and Sharing for Community Uplift and Emergency Resilience (RESCUER) Act and would repeal any conflicting laws.

• Authorizes county and municipal governments in Georgia to create voluntary local food-sharing programs called resource recovery programs.
• Allows these local governments to use a digital platform to run the program and restrict participation to local residents and businesses.
• Defines 'local community' to include residents plus food banks, restaurants, grocery stores, and other food retailers within the county or city.
• Shields anyone who shares food in good faith through the program, and the digital platform itself, from criminal penalties or civil lawsuits over food's condition.
• Removes that legal protection if the harm resulted from recklessness or intentional misconduct by the person sharing food.

County and municipal governments that choose to run these programs, residents who share or receive food through them, food banks, restaurants, grocery stores and other retailers, and any company that builds or operates the digital platform used to connect participants.

Local governments could set up new food-sharing networks without facing new legal exposure, which could encourage more donation of surplus food by businesses and individuals who currently might avoid it out of fear of liability if someone gets sick.

• Section 1 gives the Act its short title, the Georgia Resource Exchange and Sharing for Community Uplift and Emergency Resilience (RESCUER) Act.
• Section 2 adds new Code Section 36-60-34 to Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, covering counties and municipalities.
• Subsection (a) defines 'local community' and 'resource recovery program' for purposes of the new section.
• Subsection (b) authorizes county and municipal governing authorities to establish these programs and use a digital platform, with authority to limit participation to local community members.
• Subsection (c) grants liability protection from criminal penalty and civil damages to community members who share food in good faith, except when injury results from recklessness or intentional misconduct.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-02-25House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-02-24House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-20House Hopper (House)

• Segun Adeyina (D, HD-110)Primary sponsor
• Todd Jones (R, HD-025)
• Kim Schofield (D, HD-063)
• Arlene Beckles (D, HD-096)
• Viola Davis (D, HD-087)
• Derrick McCollum (R, HD-030)

• food waste
• hunger relief
• local government programs
• liability protection
• community food sharing