# Georgia HB 244: State auditor; local governments to request and receive in certain circumstances due date extensions related to filing annual audits; provide

Georgia HB 244, State auditor; local governments to request and receive in certain circumstances due date extensions related to filing annual audits; provide, is a 2025-2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Chas Cannon (Republican), Gerald Greene (Republican), Leesa Hagan (Republican) and 2 others; status signed, last action 2026-07-01 (Effective Date); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB244-2025-2026
- 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 244
- State: Georgia
- Session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
- Title: State auditor; local governments to request and receive in certain circumstances due date extensions related to filing annual audits; provide
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-02-04
- Last action: 2026-07-01, Effective Date
- Sponsors: Chas Cannon (Republican), Gerald Greene (Republican), Leesa Hagan (Republican), Mack Jackson (Democrat), Bill Yearta (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Subjects: Governmental Affairs, State and Local Governmental Operations, General Bill
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 3 (361 yes, 13 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 4

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Audit filing relief for local governments: benefit, low. Local audits normally must be filed within 180 days after the fiscal year ends. The state auditor can excuse a filing requirement when evidence shows unusual events pushed spending above the applicable threshold. The auditor must find good cause. Counties and consolidated governments can also get 9…
- County officers risk half-pay audit withholding: cost, low. Officers and employees serving counties or consolidated governments must help prepare financial statements and audits and provide needed records. This includes state staff assigned to those governments; the local government is not liable for their failure to cooperate. When a covered county officer…
- Local governments get paid reporting help: mixed, low. Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs can help local governments that ask for help preparing certain financial reports. This covers agreed-upon-procedures reports, special-format reports, and the record-keeping procedures needed to prepare them. The department can charge reasonable fees for thi…
- New audit rules for local governments: mixed, low. Georgia local governments spending $2.5 million or more must get a full audit each year. Those spending $2.5 million or less can use the state auditor’s special reporting format instead of choosing audits every two years. Governments spending $1 million or less can choose an annual agreed-upon-proc…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Chas Cannon (Republican), House
- Sponsor: Gerald Greene (Republican), House
- Sponsor: Leesa Hagan (Republican), House
- Sponsor: Mack Jackson (Democrat), House
- Sponsor: Bill Yearta (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Sam Watson (Republican), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-16 | House | Agree to Senate Substitute | pass | 151 | 4 | 9 |
| 2026-03-10 | Senate | PASSAGE BY SUBSTITUTE | pass | 48 | 2 | 3 |
| 2025-03-04 | House | PASSAGE | pass | 162 | 7 | 8 |

## Actions (20)

- 2026-07-01: Effective Date
- 2026-05-11: House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- 2026-05-11: Act 437
- 2026-04-06: House Sent to Governor (House)
- 2026-03-16: House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub (House)
- 2026-03-10: Senate Third Read (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
- 2026-02-02: Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
- 2026-01-12: Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
- 2026-01-12: Senate Recommitted (Senate)
- 2025-04-02: Senate Tabled (Senate)
- 2025-03-27: Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- 2025-03-27: Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- 2025-03-06: Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- 2025-03-04: House Third Readers (House)
- 2025-03-04: House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
- 2025-02-27: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- 2025-02-06: House Second Readers (House)
- 2025-02-05: House First Readers (House)
- 2025-02-04: House Hopper (House)

## Bill text

- HB 244/AP* (v8): [PDF](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/245915)

## 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 244/AP* (v8) (PDF)](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/245915)

## 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)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB244-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).