Official Code of Georgia Annotated; provisions creating certain boards, panels, authorities, centers, commissions, committees, councils, task forces, and other such bodies; update and modernize
SB 96 is a broad administrative cleanup bill that updates, consolidates, or repeals a large number of state boards, councils, commissions, advisory bodies, and similar entities across multiple titles of the Georgia Code. In many places, it modernizes membership terms, appointment procedures, duties, reporting requirements, and statutory definitions. In other places, it eliminates bodies entirely and transfers any remaining assets, liabilities, and obligations to the State of Georgia effective July 1, 2025.
The bill touches housing, environmental regulation, juvenile justice, fire services, health policy, emergency management, vocational rehabilitation, sports administration, and lottery oversight. It preserves or revises some ongoing programs, such as the State Housing Trust Fund for the Homeless Commission, erosion and sediment control training and oversight, firefighter standards and training, lupus education and awareness, and the Employment First framework for disability services, while repealing several advisory councils and boards that are no longer deemed necessary. It also makes conforming changes throughout the Code to align references with the reorganized structure.
SB 96 would significantly reorganize Georgia statutes by repealing or reserving numerous advisory bodies and shifting their remaining legal interests to the state, while also revising the structure and duties of several continuing entities. It amends code provisions in Titles 8, 12, 15, 25, 31, 38, 45, 47, 49, and 50, affecting agencies and stakeholders in housing, environmental compliance, juvenile data collection, fire department certification, public health advisory functions, homeland security, vocational rehabilitation, state games administration, and lottery retail oversight. The practical effect is a reduction in statutory boards and councils, with some policy functions absorbed by existing agencies or boards.
The voting history suggests the bill was generally supported, though not unanimously at the outset. It passed the Senate on February 20, 2025, by a 35-18 vote, then passed the House overwhelmingly on March 21, 2025, by a 162-0 vote, and the Senate later agreed to the House substitute unanimously on March 27, 2025. That pattern indicates broad bipartisan acceptance after initial Senate opposition.
The main points of contention appear to have centered on the bill’s consolidation and repeal of multiple councils and advisory boards, which can raise concerns about loss of stakeholder input, specialized oversight, or representation for affected groups. Entities most directly affected include volunteer fire service interests, environmental and erosion-control stakeholders, juvenile justice data users, disability advocates tied to Employment First, and groups connected to palliative care, lupus awareness, and homeland security. The initial Senate split suggests some lawmakers were concerned about the scope of the restructuring, even though the final House and Senate substitute votes were unanimous.