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
SB 207 creates a broad “preclearance” and individualized review process for Georgia occupational licensing decisions involving applicants or licensees with criminal records. For many professional licensing boards and commissions under Titles 33 and 43, the bill limits automatic denials based on criminal history and instead requires boards to determine whether a conviction directly relates to the occupation. It requires boards to consider factors such as the seriousness of the offense, the applicant’s age at the time, time elapsed, mitigating circumstances, and evidence of rehabilitation. The bill also gives applicants the right to notice, an opportunity to respond, and, in many cases, a hearing before a denial based on criminal history; it further allows people to seek a predetermination of eligibility before applying or completing training.
The bill substantially revises Georgia licensing law by adding criminal-record review standards, hearing rights, written findings, appeal procedures, public website disclosures, and annual reporting requirements for multiple licensing boards. It amends or adds provisions affecting professions including accountancy, engineering, real estate, pest control, insurance, chiropractic, cosmetology/barbering in prisons, massage therapy, appraisers, brokers/salespersons, and firefighter certification, while also updating criminal-history record restriction rules, first-offender procedures, and sealed filings for trafficking-victim sentence-vacatur petitions. In practice, it narrows the circumstances under which a criminal record can bar licensure, expands access to occupational licenses for people with convictions, and creates new administrative duties for boards and the Secretary of State.
The voting history shows strong bipartisan support and little recorded opposition. The bill passed the Senate 55-0, the House 170-0, and later conference/amendment votes were also overwhelmingly favorable, with only a small number of dissenting votes on one House vote and one Senate vote. That pattern suggests broad agreement with the bill’s general goal of reducing barriers to employment and licensure for people with criminal records while preserving board discretion for directly related offenses.
The main policy tension in SB 207 is between expanding second-chance access to licensed professions and preserving public-safety and consumer-protection screening. Supporters appear to favor individualized review, rehabilitation evidence, and predetermination pathways so applicants can know their eligibility before investing in training. Potential concerns are concentrated around whether boards can still deny licenses for serious or directly related offenses, how much discretion remains with licensing authorities, and whether the bill’s procedural requirements and reporting obligations will add administrative burden. The bill also draws distinctions for certain offenses and occupations, such as sexual offenses, trafficking-related matters, and specific real estate and pest-control exclusions, indicating an effort to balance reform with targeted exceptions.