HB 585: Insurance; motor vehicle policy; provide excluded driver

Currently Georgia's motor vehicle insurance law has a placeholder section with no substantive rules on 'excluded drivers.' This bill fills that gap by letting an insurer name a specific person as excluded from coverage under a motor vehicle insurance policy, as long as the insurer reports that person's name and basic policy details to the Department of Revenue. The insurer must also tell the state when someone is no longer excluded. The bill adds a new companion law (O.C.G.A. 40-6-10.2) spelling out how this works on the road. If a police officer determines that a driver is an excluded driver and that driver has no other valid insurance, the officer can issue a citation for driving without proof of insurance. Separately, a vehicle owner who knowingly lets an excluded driver operate the car, knowing that driver has no other insurance, commits a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $200 to $1,000, up to 12 months in jail, or both. The changes would take effect July 1, 2027, and apply to policies issued or renewed on or after that date.

• Allows insurers to name a specific individual as an 'excluded driver' who has no coverage under a motor vehicle insurance policy.
• Requires insurers to notify the Department of Revenue of any excluded driver's name and basic policy information, and to update the notice when the exclusion ends.
• Lets police issue a no-insurance citation to an excluded driver who is caught driving without other valid insurance.
• Creates a misdemeanor penalty, including a $200 to $1,000 fine and up to 12 months in jail, for an owner who knowingly lets an excluded driver operate the vehicle without other insurance.
• Sets the effective date as July 1, 2027, applying only to policies issued or renewed on or after that date.

Auto insurance companies operating in Georgia, vehicle owners who share their cars with other drivers, individuals named as excluded drivers on a policy, the Department of Revenue, and law enforcement officers who handle traffic stops and insurance verification.

Drivers named as excluded on someone else's insurance policy would face citations if stopped without their own coverage, and vehicle owners could face fines or jail time for knowingly letting an uninsured excluded driver use their car, changing how insurance exclusions are tracked and enforced statewide.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. 33-34-5, previously reserved with no content, to define 'excluded driver' and 'motor vehicle insurance policy' and permit insurers to exclude a named person from coverage.
• Section 1 requires the insurer to notify the Department of Revenue when someone is excluded and again when the exclusion ends.
• Section 2 creates new O.C.G.A. 40-6-10.2, requiring the insurer's notice to the Department of Revenue to include the insurer's contact information, the vehicle identification number, vehicle make and year, policy effective date, and the excluded driver's name.
• Section 2(c) directs officers to issue a standard no-insurance citation if an excluded driver is stopped without other proof of insurance.
• Section 2(d) makes it a misdemeanor, punishable by a $200 to $1,000 fine, up to 12 months imprisonment, or both, for an owner to knowingly let an excluded driver operate the vehicle without other insurance.
• Section 3 sets the effective date at July 1, 2027, applying to policies issued, delivered, or renewed on or after that date.

1. 2026-02-10House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Cámara de Representantes)
2. 2025-02-26House Second Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
3. 2025-02-24House First Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
4. 2025-02-21House Hopper (Cámara de Representantes)

• Jan Jones (R, HD-047)Patrocinador principal
• Todd Jones (R, HD-025)
• Charles Martin (R, HD-049)
• Brad Thomas (R, HD-021)
• Houston Gaines (R, HD-120)

• auto insurance
• excluded drivers
• traffic law
• vehicle owner liability
• Department of Revenue