HB 113: State government; prohibit the state or its agencies from purchasing goods from certain foreign countries or related entities

Georgia currently has a law barring state agencies from contracting with companies owned by Russia or Belarus, and a separate law addressing companies owned by China. This bill scraps both narrow approaches. It rewrites O.C.G.A. § 50-5-84.1 to define a 'foreign country of concern' as any country whose government the U.S. Secretary of Commerce designates a foreign adversary, and a 'foreign company of concern' as any business organized in, controlled by, or based in such a country. It repeals the separate China-specific law (O.C.G.A. § 50-5-84.2) since the new broader definition covers it. The Georgia Technology Authority must keep an updated list of 'concerned goods' made by these companies or countries, and the state and its agencies are barred from buying those goods directly or through third-party resellers. Companies that violate the ban face civil penalties of at least $250,000 or triple the purchase value, contract termination, and a period of ineligibility for future state contracts. The Authority also gains explicit power to evaluate security risks in technology purchases.

• Replaces Georgia's old Russia and Belarus contracting ban with a broader ban covering any country the U.S. Commerce Department designates a foreign adversary.
• Repeals the separate state law that specifically addressed contracting with China-owned companies (O.C.G.A. § 50-5-84.2).
• Requires the Georgia Technology Authority to maintain an updated list of 'concerned goods' made by foreign companies or countries of concern.
• Bars the state and its agencies from buying concerned goods directly from a foreign company of concern or indirectly through a third-party vendor or reseller.
• Raises penalties for violations to the greater of $250,000 or triple the purchase value, up from twice the contract value, and adds contract termination and future contract ineligibility.
• Gives the Georgia Technology Authority explicit power to evaluate security risks in technology purchases made under this law.

State agencies and the Department of Administrative Services, which handle procurement; the Georgia Technology Authority, which gains new list-keeping and risk-evaluation duties; and any company, foreign or domestic reseller, that sells goods, services, or technology to the State of Georgia.

State agencies would face a wider and more automatically updated set of restrictions on where they can buy technology and goods, tied to federal foreign adversary designations rather than a fixed list of two countries. Companies and resellers that sell banned goods to Georgia would face steeper financial penalties and loss of future state business.

• Section 1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 50-5-84.1, replacing the 'scrutinized company' concept tied to Russia and Belarus with 'foreign company of concern' and 'foreign country of concern' tied to U.S. Commerce Department foreign adversary designations (15 C.F.R. § 791.4).
• Section 1 requires the Georgia Technology Authority to maintain an up-to-date list of 'concerned goods' produced by foreign companies or countries of concern.
• Section 1 bars the state or any state agency from purchasing concerned goods from a foreign company of concern, a foreign country of concern, or any third-party vendor or reseller.
• Section 1 sets penalties for violations: a civil fine of the greater of $250,000 or triple the purchase value, mandatory contract termination, and a period of ineligibility for future state contracts set by the Georgia Technology Authority.
• Section 2 repeals O.C.G.A. § 50-5-84.2, the separate law specifically addressing contracts with China-owned companies.
• Section 3 amends O.C.G.A. § 50-25-4 to give the Georgia Technology Authority explicit authority to evaluate security risks in technology-related purchases.
• Section 4 repeals all conflicting laws.

1. 2025-05-09Effective Date 2025-07-01
2. 2025-05-09Act 86
3. 2025-05-09House Date Signed by Governor (Cámara de Representantes)
4. 2025-04-08House Sent to Governor (Cámara de Representantes)
5. 2025-03-31House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub (Cámara de Representantes)
6. 2025-03-28Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senado)
7. 2025-03-28Senate Third Read (Senado)
8. 2025-03-21Senate Read Second Time (Senado)

• Lauren McDonald (R, HD-026)Patrocinador principal
• Soo Hong (R, HD-103)
• Matthew Gambill (R, HD-015)
• Will Wade (R, HD-009)
• Alan Powell (R, HD-033)
• Josh Bonner (R, HD-073)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)

1. AprobadaVotación: Cámara de Representantes27 de febrero de 2025

   148 a favor, 17 en contra (7 sin votar, 8 ausentes)

   Passage: House Vote #101

2. AprobadaVotación: Senado28 de marzo de 2025

   51 a favor, 0 en contra (1 sin votar, 4 ausentes)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #319

3. AprobadaVotación: Cámara de Representantes31 de marzo de 2025

   146 a favor, 18 en contra (7 sin votar, 9 ausentes)

   Agree To Senate Substitute: House Vote #354

• state procurement
• foreign adversary companies
• Georgia Technology Authority
• government contracting
• national security