House subcommittee advances bill to streamline professional licensing in Georgia

Representative Reeves, a member of the Georgia House, presented House Bill 579 to the General Government Subcommittee on Appropriations, saying the measure packages recommendations from the Blue Ribbon Professional Licensing Study Committee and aims to make licensing more efficient for businesses and workers.

"I am proud to present to you house bill 5 79," Representative Reeves said. He told the subcommittee the bill reflects four public meetings in Macon, Statesboro and other locations where the panel heard from dozens of small-business owners, licensing boards and subject-matter experts.

The bill would: allow applicants to sit for required examinations during or before the formal application process in some cases; permit professional licensing boards to meet outside the state capitol; require the Secretary of State's professional licensing division director to maintain and publish a roster of individuals who have received cease-and-desist orders; and give the division director authority to approve license issuance, renewal or reinstatement on behalf of boards when applications meet statutory requirements. Representative Reeves said the Secretary of State's office manages 42 boards and 186 professions and that, "there were 550,000 active licenses out of our 11,000,000 Georgians as of 2025," a figure he attributed to data provided by the Secretary of State's office.

Part of the measure would convert certain licensure categories to registration, including auctioneers, geologists and hearing-aid dealers and dispensers, the bill text indicates. It also removes a code phrase reading "after notice and opportunity for hearing" from the statutory removal standard for board members, enabling the governor to remove a board member for inability or neglect to perform duties, incompetence or dishonest conduct; the bill retains the Senate's confirmation role for appointments that require confirmation.

Representative Reeves said the bill also "codifies Raffensperger versus Jackson," describing language changes that conform state law to a recent Georgia Supreme Court decision limiting professional-licensing boards to rulemaking aimed solely at protecting public health, safety and welfare in their regulated professions. The bill sets an effective date of July 1, 2026.

During discussion, Reeves cited workforce needs and customer-service goals, saying at one point that "we need to have Chick fil A level of customer service" in professional licensing. He and committee members discussed that the bill compresses administrative steps to allow concurrent processing of exams and applications and permits the Secretary of State's office to accept alternate forms of educational verification beyond official transcripts.

Reeves also noted outside input the committee is still considering. He said Wade Askew of the Georgia Justice Project had proposed criminal-justice-related revisions and that the committee was working with legislative counsel on possible amendments.

Following discussion, members moved and seconded a motion to advance House Bill 579 to the full committee. The subcommittee chair called for a voice vote; members answered in the affirmative and the measure was reported to the full committee for further consideration. The motion and second were not named on the record and the vote was a voice tally, not a recorded roll-call.

The subcommittee also was told companion bills on licensing reform are expected. Representative Reeves said staff from the Secretary of State's office, including Maggie Hasty and other named staff, have been involved in drafting and reviewing the language.

What remains to be decided are any amendments the committee may adopt before the bill reaches the House floor and any changes the Senate may make to companion measures. The bill text, as presented to the subcommittee, includes the administrative changes summarized above and the July 1, 2026 effective date.