HB1441: HB1441 Trade Impact Transparency and Accountability Act; enact

Georgia currently has no dedicated state process for tracking how federal trade decisions, like tariffs or export controls, ripple through the state's economy. This bill creates a new chapter of state law called the Trade Impact Transparency and Accountability Act to fill that gap. The Department of Revenue would lead a reporting framework that includes quarterly reports on prices, jobs, port traffic, and regional impacts, plus a more detailed annual report submitted to the Governor and General Assembly by December 31 each year. At least one public hearing must be held annually outside metro Atlanta so rural and export-dependent communities can weigh in. A nine-member nonpartisan advisory panel, appointed by the Governor, House Speaker, and Senate President, would advise on methodology without setting policy. Confidential taxpayer and business information would stay protected, and the whole framework would expire (sunset) on July 1, 2031 unless renewed. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it.

• Creates a new chapter of Georgia law directing the Department of Revenue to publish quarterly reports on the economic effects of federal trade actions like tariffs and export controls.
• Requires an annual state trade impact report, due to the Governor and General Assembly by December 31 each year, covering statewide and sector-level effects.
• Mandates at least one public hearing per year, with one required outside the Atlanta metro area, to gather testimony from businesses, workers, and farmers.
• Establishes a nine-member nonpartisan advisory panel appointed by the Governor, House Speaker, and Senate President to advise on report methodology, not policy.
• Exempts confidential taxpayer data and proprietary business information submitted for these reports from Georgia's open records law and from use in state audits or enforcement.
• Sets the entire chapter to automatically repeal (sunset) on July 1, 2031, with an evaluation due to the General Assembly at least a year before that date.

The bill affects the Department of Revenue, the Governor's Council of Economic Advisers, the Georgia Ports Authority, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Labor, which must produce or contribute to the reports. It also affects Georgia businesses, farmers, exporters, workers, and rural communities whose economic data and testimony feed into the reports.

Georgians would get regular, public data on how federal tariffs and trade policy changes affect prices, jobs, and industries in their state, including rural and port-dependent areas. Businesses providing sensitive data would have added legal protection from disclosure or use in audits.

• Section 50-41-3 defines 'federal trade actions' broadly to include tariffs, quotas, trade agreements, de minimis threshold changes, and export controls.
• Section 50-41-5 requires the Department of Revenue to publish a quarterly Georgia tariff impact report within 45 days after each calendar quarter ends.
• Section 50-41-6 requires an annual state trade impact report covering statewide impacts, downstream effects, case studies, and long-term competitiveness trends.
• Section 50-41-7 requires at least one annual public hearing, with one held outside metro Atlanta, accepting testimony from businesses, workers, and farmers.
• Section 50-41-8 creates a nine-member nonpartisan advisory panel appointed equally by the Governor, House Speaker, and Senate President, serving without pay.
• Section 50-41-9 protects confidential taxpayer information and proprietary business data from public disclosure and exempts data submitted for these reports from open records requests and audit use.
• Section 50-41-10 clarifies the law does not let the state impose tariffs or override federal trade authority.
• Section 50-41-11 sunsets the entire chapter on July 1, 2031, requiring an evaluation report beforehand.

1. 2026-02-26House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-02-25House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-24House Hopper (House)

• Samuel Park (D, HD-107)Primary sponsor
• Al Williams (D, HD-168)
• Eric Gisler (D, HD-121)
• Teddy Reese (D, HD-140)
• Anne Westbrook (D, HD-163)
• Betsy Holland (D, HD-054)

• trade policy
• tariffs
• economic reporting
• open records
• Georgia Department of Revenue