Georgia House Bill HB1234

Georgia 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/6/26
• Report Pass: 2/25/26
• Engrossed: 3/4/26
• Refer: 3/6/26
• Report Pass: 3/12/26
• Enrolled: 4/6/26

Caption

State Employees' Assurance Department; assignment of certain group term life insurance benefits to pay for funeral services of a deceased individual who was a member of certain retirement systems; provisions

Summary

HB1234 amends Chapter 19 of Title 47 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated to allow certain group-term life insurance benefits payable from the State Employees' Assurance Department to be assigned by a named beneficiary to a licensed funeral director or embalmer. The assignment is limited to paying funeral-service costs for a deceased individual who was a member of the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia, the Georgia Legislative Retirement System, or the Georgia Judicial Retirement System. The bill defines “funeral services” broadly to include observances, ceremonies, transportation, embalming, cremation, and interment. To make an assignment, the beneficiary must sign a prescribed form, attach a notarized funeral contract, and provide a copy of the death certificate. The department is then directed to pay the assigned amount in accordance with the funeral-services contract, but only to the extent the funds are actually owed under that assignment.

Impact

HB1234 creates a new statutory mechanism within the State Employees' Assurance Department for redirecting certain retirement-related life insurance proceeds to cover funeral expenses. It affects the administration of benefits under the retired and vested inactive members trust fund and the active members fund, and it gives funeral providers a direct path to receive payment from assigned proceeds when the beneficiary authorizes it. The bill also adds procedural requirements and clarifies the department's payment obligations, while repealing conflicting laws.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition. It passed the House overwhelmingly, 164-2, and the Senate unanimously, 43-0. The vote totals suggest the measure was viewed favorably as a practical administrative change that helps families and funeral providers manage end-of-life expenses.

Contention

There is no committee transcript available and no recorded floor debate in the provided materials, so no specific objections are documented. Any potential concerns would likely center on the assignment of death benefits, the paperwork required to validate the assignment, and ensuring that payments are limited to legitimate funeral-service costs. However, the recorded votes indicate that no significant controversy emerged in the legislative process.