# Georgia HB 176: Appeal and error; judgments deemed directly appealable; change a provision Georgia HB 176, Appeal and error; judgments deemed directly appealable; change a provision, is a 2025-2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Stacey Evans (Democrat), Stan Gunter (Republican), Tanya Miller (Democrat) and 1 others; status signed, last action 2025-05-14 (House Date Signed by Governor) (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB176-2025-2026 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Georgia HB 176 - State: Georgia - Session: 2025-2026 Regular Session - Title: Appeal and error; judgments deemed directly appealable; change a provision - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-01-29 - Last action: 2025-05-14, House Date Signed by Governor - Sponsors: Stacey Evans (Democrat), Stan Gunter (Republican), Tanya Miller (Democrat), Tyler Paul Smith (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Judiciary Non-Civil, Judiciary, General Bill - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 2 (219 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 5 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Defendants can appeal partly decided cases: benefit, low. In Georgia criminal cases with multiple charges, an order deciding only some charges counts as a final judgment for appeal. The remaining charges must be placed on a dead docket, meaning they are set aside without being decided. Defendants can directly appeal these judgments, subject to any separat… - Defendants get help with missed deadlines: benefit, low. Georgia criminal defendants can ask the trial court to allow a late new-trial motion or appeal notice. They must ask within 100 days after the usual filing deadline. Grounds include the State’s consent, excusable neglect, a missed deadline caused by poor defense counsel performance, or other good c… - Guilty plea appeals require an application: cost, low. People appealing Georgia convictions entered after guilty pleas must file an application for appeal. They cannot use the ordinary direct-appeal route. - Prosecutors get time on new-trial changes: cost, low. When a Georgia criminal defendant substantially changes a new-trial motion, the State gets 10 days to respond and present evidence. The court can allow the State more time. - Guilty plea withdrawal pauses legal clocks: mixed, low. A Georgia defendant convicted after a guilty plea can ask to withdraw that plea within 30 days after judgment. The deadline extends to the end of the court term when the plea was entered, if that is later. Filing pauses the applicable statute of limitations and statutory speedy-trial demand from th… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Stacey Evans (Democrat), House - Sponsor: Stan Gunter (Republican), House - Sponsor: Tanya Miller (Democrat), House - Sponsor: Tyler Paul Smith (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Brian Strickland (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-02 | Senate | PASSAGE | pass | 51 | 0 | 4 | | 2025-02-26 | House | PASSAGE | pass | 168 | 0 | 5 | ## Actions (17) - 2025-05-14: House Date Signed by Governor (House) - 2025-05-14: Act 252 - 2025-05-14: Effective Date - 2025-04-08: House Sent to Governor (House) - 2025-04-02: Senate Tabled (Senate) - 2025-04-02: Senate Taken from Table (Senate) - 2025-04-02: Senate Third Read (Senate) - 2025-04-02: Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate) - 2025-03-13: Senate Read Second Time (Senate) - 2025-03-11: Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate) - 2025-02-27: Senate Read and Referred (Senate) - 2025-02-26: House Third Readers (House) - 2025-02-26: House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House) - 2025-02-20: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House) - 2025-02-03: House Second Readers (House) - 2025-01-30: House First Readers (House) - 2025-01-29: House Hopper (House) ## Bill text - HB 176/AP* (v6): [PDF](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/239058) ## Related bills - SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckless stunt driving; replace the forfeiture penalty (signed) - SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation for certain motor vehicles; provide (signed) - SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Service Foundation; establish (signed) - SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact (signed) - HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish (signed) - HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact (signed) ## Sources - [HB 176/AP* (v6) (PDF)](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/239058) ## Related - [SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckles…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB160-2025-2026) - [SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation f…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB384-2025-2026) - [SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Servic…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB76-2025-2026) - [SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB406-2025-2026) - [HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1391-2025-2026) - [HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1344-2025-2026) - [Georgia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia/bills) - [Georgia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB176-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).