# Georgia HB 579: Professions and businesses; licensure to engage in trade; provisions

Georgia HB 579, Professions and businesses; licensure to engage in trade; provisions, is a 2025-2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Sandy Donatucci (Republican), Tim Fleming (Republican), Matt Hatchett (Republican) and 3 others; status signed, last action 2026-07-01 (Effective Date) (as of 2026-10-19).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB579-2025-2026
- As of: 2026-10-19
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Georgia HB 579
- State: Georgia
- Session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
- Title: Professions and businesses; licensure to engage in trade; provisions
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-02-21
- Last action: 2026-07-01, Effective Date
- Sponsors: Sandy Donatucci (Republican), Tim Fleming (Republican), Matt Hatchett (Republican), Brian Prince (Democrat), Matt Reeves (Republican), Marcus Wiedower (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Subjects: Appropriations, Regulated Industries and Utilities, General Bill
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 2 (211 yes, 2 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 6

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- License holders get 45-day renewal grace: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Georgia license and certificate holders can renew up to 45 days after expiration. Holders must still meet all renewal requirements and pay all required fees. Division-administered licenses and certificates last up to two years and follow a two-year renewal cycle. The directo…
- More ways to process professional licenses: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Georgia’s licensing division director can issue, renew, or reinstate licenses for applicants meeting all legal and board requirements. Applications go to the board when the director cannot confirm those qualifications. For exams requiring board approval, the director can app…
- Licensing board members lose removal hearings: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Georgia’s governor can remove professional licensing board members without first providing notice or a hearing. Removal must be for inability or neglect to perform required duties, incompetence, or dishonest conduct. The law removes those members’ prior notice and hearing pr…
- Counseling and therapy standards committees end: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Georgia ends separate specialty standards committees for professional counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy. This removes those committees from the professions’ oversight structure. The repeal does not specify changes to licensing eligibility or fees.
- Licensing boards face public-protection rule limits: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Georgia licensing boards can adopt rules only to protect public health, safety, and welfare. The rules must concern the profession, business, or trade the board oversees. This limits boards’ rulemaking power and protects regulated people and businesses from rules outside tha…
- Public license lists include unlicensed-work orders: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Georgia posts a combined roster on the Secretary of State’s public website. It lists licensees and people ordered to stop practicing a business or profession without a license. People whose renewal lapse is 45 days or less are excluded from the order list. Licensees’ home ad…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Sandy Donatucci (Republican), House
- Sponsor: Tim Fleming (Republican), House
- Sponsor: Matt Hatchett (Republican), House
- Sponsor: Brian Prince (Democrat), House
- Sponsor: Matt Reeves (Republican), House
- Sponsor: Marcus Wiedower (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Larry Walker (Republican), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-03-27 | Senate | PASSAGE | pass | 53 | 0 |   |
| 2025-03-06 | House | PASSAGE | pass | 158 | 2 | 16 |

## Actions (15)

- 2026-07-01: Effective Date
- 2025-05-09: House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- 2025-05-09: Act 89
- 2025-04-10: House Sent to Governor (House)
- 2025-03-27: Senate Third Read (Senate)
- 2025-03-27: Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- 2025-03-21: Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- 2025-03-20: Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- 2025-03-10: Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- 2025-03-06: House Third Readers (House)
- 2025-03-06: House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
- 2025-02-27: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- 2025-02-26: House Second Readers (House)
- 2025-02-24: House First Readers (House)
- 2025-02-21: House Hopper (House)

## Bill text

- HB 579/AP* (v8): [PDF](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/237760)

## 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 579/AP* (v8) (PDF)](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/237760)

## 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-HB579-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-19).