HB 934: Banking and finance; transfer regulation of securities and commodities from Secretary of State to Department of Banking and Finance

Currently, the Georgia Secretary of State regulates securities (investments like stocks and bonds) and commodities (contracts tied to goods like crops or oil) under Georgia's Uniform Securities law (O.C.G.A. Title 10). This bill shifts that entire regulatory function to the Department of Banking and Finance starting July 1, 2026. The bill creates new Code sections giving the department's commissioner the power to regulate securities and commodities, handle ongoing investigations, and set rules. It also creates a 12-member advisory board with at least one member experienced in securities and one in commodities to advise the commissioner. Existing rules, contracts, and legal obligations of the Secretary of State related to these functions transfer to the department, and Secretary of State employees who worked on these duties become department employees with their pay, benefits, and leave preserved. The bill also updates the legal definition of 'Commissioner' in the securities and commodities statutes and removes references to the Secretary of State's authority to designate agents for the Commissioner of Securities.

• Transfers all regulatory powers, functions, and duties over securities and commodities from the Secretary of State to the Department of Banking and Finance effective July 1, 2026.
• Creates a 12-member advisory board appointed by the commissioner to advise on securities and commodities regulation, serving at the commissioner's pleasure.
• Moves any pending securities and commodities investigations from the Secretary of State's office directly to the department.
• Transfers Secretary of State employees who worked on these functions to the department, preserving their pay, benefits, and accrued leave.
• Changes the legal definition of 'Commissioner' in Georgia's Uniform Securities Code (O.C.G.A. § 10-5-2) from the Secretary of State to the commissioner of banking and finance.
• Removes the Secretary of State's authority to designate agents to accept legal service on behalf of the Commissioner of Securities.

The Secretary of State's office and its employees who currently handle securities and commodities regulation, the Department of Banking and Finance and its commissioner, investors and companies subject to securities and commodities law, and any parties with active investigations, contracts, or leases tied to the current regulatory functions.

Georgians and businesses who deal with investment securities or commodity contracts would now interact with the Department of Banking and Finance instead of the Secretary of State's office for licensing, enforcement, and investigations, changing which state agency oversees compliance and complaints in this area.

• Section 1 adds new Code sections (7-1-1140 through 7-1-1143) to Title 7 transferring securities and commodities regulation duties, investigations, records, rules, contracts, real property, and employees to the Department of Banking and Finance.
• Section 1 creates a 12-member advisory board with required expertise in securities and commodities regulation, serving in an advisory-only role.
• Section 2 revises the definition of 'Commissioner' in O.C.G.A. § 10-5-2 to mean the commissioner of banking and finance instead of the Secretary of State.
• Section 3 shifts administration of Georgia's securities law (O.C.G.A. § 10-5-70) from the Secretary of State to the commissioner of banking and finance.
• Section 4 shifts administration of Georgia's commodities law (O.C.G.A. § 10-5A-24) from the Secretary of State's office to the commissioner of banking and finance.
• Section 5 removes the Secretary of State's power to designate agents for service of process on behalf of the Commissioner of Securities (O.C.G.A. § 45-13-26).
• Section 6 sets the effective date of the entire Act as July 1, 2026.

1. 2026-02-05House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Cámara de Representantes)
2. 2026-01-14House Second Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
3. 2026-01-13House First Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
4. 2026-01-12House Hopper (Cámara de Representantes)

• Noel Williams (R, HD-148)Patrocinador principal
• Chuck Efstration (R, HD-104)
• Bruce Williamson (R, HD-112)
• Jan Jones (R, HD-047)
• James Burchett (R, HD-176)
• Carter Barrett (R, HD-024)

• securities regulation
• commodities regulation
• Department of Banking and Finance
• Secretary of State
• state government reorganization