Georgia CommonsHB 1234: State Employees' Assurance Department; assignment of certain group term life insurance benefits to pay for funeral services of a deceased individual who was a member of certain retirement systems; provisions
Última acción: 12 de mayo de 2026 · Effective Date 2026-07-01
House Bill 1234 lets the beneficiary of a deceased state employee's group term life insurance benefit assign part of that payout directly to a funeral home to cover funeral costs.
Los resúmenes de abajo son traducciones de resúmenes en inglés escritos por un modelo de IA (claude-sonnet-5) a partir del texto del proyecto de ley; no forman parte de él. El proyecto de ley está en inglés. Cite el texto, no el resumen. El texto almacenado es la versión Enrolled, la más reciente que tiene LegiScan.
El resumen en español de este proyecto de ley se está preparando. Mientras tanto se muestra el resumen en inglés.
En lenguaje claro
Georgia's State Employees' Assurance Department manages group term life insurance for members of the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia, the Georgia Legislative Retirement System, and the Georgia Judicial Retirement System. Currently, when a member dies, the insurance benefit goes to the named beneficiary, who is then responsible for paying any funeral home out of pocket or through other arrangements. This bill adds a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 47-19-11) letting a named beneficiary assign part of that insurance payout directly to a licensed funeral director or embalmer to cover funeral costs. To do this, the beneficiary must fill out a form set by the department's board of directors, attach a notarized copy of their contract with the funeral provider, and include a copy of the deceased member's death certificate. The department will then pay the assigned amount according to the funeral contract, but only up to what is actually owed to the funeral provider.
Qué hace el proyecto de ley
- Creates a new legal option letting a life insurance beneficiary assign part of the payout straight to a funeral home instead of paying out of pocket first.
- Defines 'funeral services' to cover transportation, embalming, cremation, and burial arrangements for the deceased.
- Requires the beneficiary to submit a notarized funeral contract copy and the deceased's death certificate along with a state-prescribed assignment form.
- Limits the department's payment to funeral providers to only the amount actually owed under the funeral contract, not the full insurance benefit.
- Applies specifically to insurance funds tied to the Employees' Retirement System, Georgia Legislative Retirement System, and Georgia Judicial Retirement System.
A quién afecta
This affects beneficiaries of deceased members of Georgia's Employees' Retirement System, Legislative Retirement System, and Judicial Retirement System, along with licensed funeral directors and embalmers who could receive direct payment, and the State Employees' Assurance Department, which administers the process.
Por qué importa
Families dealing with a state employee's or retiree's death would gain a way to pay for funeral services directly from the life insurance payout, potentially avoiding upfront costs or delays while waiting for the full benefit to be processed and distributed.
Disposiciones clave
- Section 1 adds new O.C.G.A. § 47-19-11 to Chapter 19 of Title 47, covering the State Employees' Assurance Department.
- Subsection (a) defines 'funeral services' to include transportation, embalming, cremation, and interment of a deceased person's body.
- Subsection (b) allows a named beneficiary to assign group term life insurance benefits from the retired and vested inactive members trust fund or the active members fund to a licensed funeral director or embalmer.
- Subsection (c) requires a written, board-prescribed assignment form, a notarized copy of the funeral services contract, and a copy of the deceased member's death certificate.
- Subsection (d) limits the department's payment to the amount owed under the funeral contract, paid according to the contract's specified method.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.
Del proyecto de ley
“Group term life insurance benefit payments due from the retired and vested inactive members trust fund or the active members fund established by subsection (b) of Code Section 47-19-10 to a named beneficiary shall be assignable by such named beneficiary to a person licensed by the State Board of Funeral Service to practice embalming or funeral directing solely in order to pay the cost of funeral services for the deceased individual who granted such right or benefit to such named beneficiary.”
“The State Employees' Assurance Department shall pay or cause to be paid any sum assigned in accordance with this Code section in the method or manner provided for in the contract for funeral services but only to the extent that such sums are owed to the person who completed the assignment.”
Cronología del estado
- Effective Date 2026-07-01
- Act 631
- House Date Signed by Governor (Cámara de Representantes)
- House Sent to Governor (Cámara de Representantes)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senado)
- Senate Third Read (Senado)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senado)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senado)
Mostrar el historial completo (15 acciones)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senado)
- House Passed/Adopted (Cámara de Representantes)
- House Third Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (Cámara de Representantes)
- House Second Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
- House First Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
- House Hopper (Cámara de Representantes)
Patrocinadores
- Darlene Taylor (R, HD-173)
- Lauren McDonald (R, HD-026)
- Danny Mathis (R, HD-133)
- Mary Ann Santos (D, HD-117)
- Patty Stinson (D, HD-150)
- Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)
Votaciones
- Votación: Cámara de Representantes4 de marzo de 2026
166 a favor, 2 en contra (6 sin votar, 3 ausentes)
- Votación: Senado19 de marzo de 2026
46 a favor, 0 en contra (3 sin votar, 5 ausentes)
Temas
- state employee benefits
- life insurance
- funeral services
- retirement systems
- insurance law