SB 504: Commissioner of Insurance; lobbying restrictions within five years after leaving office; provide

Currently, Georgia law does not stop a former Commissioner of Insurance from immediately going to work as a lobbyist for insurance companies once out of office. This bill would add a new section to the insurance code creating a five-year cooling-off period. Under the bill, anyone who has served as Commissioner could not register as a lobbyist or engage in lobbying activity within the insurance industry for five years after leaving the position. The bill defines 'insurance industry' broadly to include any entity the Commissioner's office regulates, including entities whose paid lobbying targets the Commissioner or matters under the department's regulatory authority during that person's tenure. A person who violates the rule would face a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for each insurance industry entity they lobbied for.

• Creates a new Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 33-2-35) barring former Insurance Commissioners from lobbying the insurance industry for five years after leaving office.
• Defines 'insurance industry' to include any entity regulated by the Commissioner's office, including those whose lobbying targets the Commissioner or department matters.
• Sets a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per insurance industry entity for a former Commissioner who violates the lobbying ban.
• Repeals any existing Georgia laws that conflict with this new restriction.

The bill directly affects anyone who has served or will serve as Georgia's Commissioner of Insurance, restricting their career options after leaving office. It also affects insurance companies and industry groups that might otherwise hire a former Commissioner to lobby on their behalf.

If enacted, a former Commissioner of Insurance could not immediately cash in on regulatory connections by lobbying for insurers, a common concern about officials moving between government and the industries they oversee. Insurance companies would lose access to hiring recently departed regulators as lobbyists for five years.

• Section 1 adds new Code section 33-2-35 to Chapter 2 of Title 33, covering the Department of Insurance and Commissioner.
• Subsection (a) defines 'insurance industry' broadly, covering any entity regulated by the Commissioner or whose lobbying touches the department's regulatory matters.
• Subsection (b) imposes a five-year ban on former Commissioners registering as lobbyists or lobbying within the insurance industry after leaving office.
• Subsection (c) sets a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per insurance industry entity for violations of the lobbying ban.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-02-17Senate Read and Referred (Senado)
2. 2026-02-12Senate Hopper (Senado)

• Nabilah Islam Parkes (D, SD-007)Patrocinador principal
• Nan Orrock (D, SD-036)
• Randal Mangham (D, SD-055)
• Ed Harbison (D, SD-015)
• Derek Mallow (D, SD-002)
• Tonya Anderson (D, SD-043)

• insurance regulation
• lobbying restrictions
• government ethics
• Commissioner of Insurance