# Georgia SB 207: Professions and Businesses; a preclearance process in the licensing of individuals with criminal records who make application to or are investigated by certain licensing boards and commissions; create

Georgia SB 207, Professions and Businesses; a preclearance process in the licensing of individuals with criminal records who make application to or are investigated by certain licensing boards and commissions; create, is a 2025-2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by John Albers (Republican), Jason Anavitarte (Republican), Matt Brass (Republican) and 11 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-SB207-2025-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Georgia SB 207
- State: Georgia
- Session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
- Title: Professions and Businesses; a preclearance process in the licensing of individuals with criminal records who make application to or are investigated by certain licensing boards and commissions; create
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2025-02-19
- Last action: 2026-07-01, Effective Date
- Sponsors: John Albers (Republican), Jason Anavitarte (Republican), Matt Brass (Republican), Max Burns (Republican), Bill Cowsert (Republican), Kim Jackson (Democrat), Kay Kirkpatrick (Republican), Elena Parent (Democrat), Chuck Payne (Republican), Ed Setzler (Republican), Brian Strickland (Republican), Carden Summers (Republican), Blake Tillery (Republican), Ben Watson (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Subjects: Judiciary Non-Civil, Judiciary, General Bill
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 5 (488 yes, 3 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 10

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Incarcerated barbering students gain testing protections: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2027, incarceration alone cannot trigger the specified criminal-record rule for barbering or cosmetology applicants. The board must apply that rule the same way it does for applicants outside prison. It must test incarcerated applicants who completed a Department of Corrections ba…
- Job seekers get early license record reviews: benefit, medium. The law creates early criminal-record reviews for covered professional licenses, including accounting, engineering, pest control, insurance, and public adjusting. The licensing changes begin July 1, 2027. People can petition before starting or finishing training, including while incarcerated. Petit…
- Pest control applicants gain exam protections: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2027, conviction-based refusal of a pest control exam requires a directly related felony or covered misdemeanor. The commission must weigh the offense, age, time passed, circumstances, rehabilitation, and current fitness. It must prove the direct relationship using a more-likely-t…
- Real estate workers gain criminal-record protections: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2027, real estate and appraiser authorities must tie conviction-based denial or discipline directly to the work. They must weigh the offense, personal circumstances, rehabilitation, and current fitness. The authority must show that the record more likely than not supports an adver…
- Some felony pleas allow firefighter certification: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2027, the firefighter council may certify and employ people with qualifying felony pleas under Georgia's first-offender provisions. They must successfully complete their sentences and meet all other firefighter qualifications. They must provide information about the plea's circums…
- Visiting massage therapists gain permit access: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2027, only a directly related felony triggers the felony bar for a six-month provisional massage permit. Applicants must live outside Georgia and hold and maintain a valid massage license from another state. They cannot have had a massage license or permit voided, revoked, suspend…
- Trafficking victims get free, sealed petition records: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, trafficking-victim defendants filing qualifying sentence-vacatur petitions get the required state criminal-history report without a fee. The report can be completed within 10 business days before filing, instead of three business days. Clerks must accept qualifying petitions…
- Engineers and chiropractors face revised conviction rules: mixed, medium. For engineers, land surveyors, and chiropractors, the law replaces crimes involving 'moral turpitude' with felonies and covered misdemeanors. These records can support license denial, suspension, or revocation, subject to the required criminal-record review. For engineering and surveying, a no-cont…
- Fairer license reviews, new worker duties: mixed, medium. Beginning July 1, 2027, the licensing changes in Parts I–IV apply to applications submitted on or after that date. Covered Georgia boards cannot deny or revoke a license just because someone has a criminal record. A felony or covered misdemeanor must directly relate to the job. Covered misdemeanors…
- Real estate licensing paths include waiting periods: mixed, medium. The law provides a licensing path for appraisers, brokers, and salespeople with directly related convictions, but requires sentence completion. A single qualifying conviction requires at least two years after all sentence terms are completed. Multiple convictions require at least five years after c…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: John Albers (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Jason Anavitarte (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Matt Brass (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Max Burns (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Bill Cowsert (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Kim Jackson (Democrat), Senate
- Sponsor: Kay Kirkpatrick (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Elena Parent (Democrat), Senate
- Sponsor: Chuck Payne (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Ed Setzler (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Brian Strickland (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Carden Summers (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Blake Tillery (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Ben Watson (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Tyler Paul Smith (Republican), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-04-02 | Senate | AGREE TO HOUSE AMENDMENT TO SENATE AMENDMENT TO HOUSE SUBSTITUTE | pass | 50 | 0 | 3 |
| 2026-03-31 | House | Agree to SAm to HSub As HAm | pass | 160 | 3 | 8 |
| 2025-04-04 | House | PASSAGE | pass | 170 | 0 | 1 |
| 2025-04-04 | Senate | AGREE TO HOUSE SUBSTITUTE AS AMENDED | pass | 53 | 0 | 2 |
| 2025-03-06 | Senate | PASSAGE | pass | 55 | 0 | 1 |

## Actions (18)

- 2026-07-01: Effective Date
- 2026-05-12: Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
- 2026-05-12: Act 628
- 2026-04-10: Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
- 2026-04-02: Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub (Senate)
- 2026-03-31: House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub As Amended (House)
- 2025-04-04: House Third Readers (House)
- 2025-04-04: House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
- 2025-04-04: Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub As Amended (Senate)
- 2025-03-20: House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- 2025-03-11: House Second Readers (House)
- 2025-03-10: House First Readers (House)
- 2025-03-06: Senate Third Read (Senate)
- 2025-03-06: Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- 2025-03-03: Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- 2025-02-28: Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- 2025-02-20: Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- 2025-02-19: Senate Hopper (Senate)

## Bill text

- SB 207/AP* (v11): [PDF](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/249067)

## 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
- [SB 207/AP* (v11) (PDF)](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/249067)

## 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-SB207-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).