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HB 863

An Act providing for legal protections from abusive work environments and for remedies.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Missy Cerrato and 15 co-sponsors

Georgia Small Business Set-Aside Act establishes a program to reserve at least 20% of state procurement contracts for certified small businesses, with oversight, reporting, and rul

Referred to Labor & Industry
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 863

HB 863 — Summary (packet contains multiple drafts; primary text summarized below)

Note on source materials
The package you provided contains several different, unrelated drafts titled “HB 863” from multiple jurisdictions (including a Georgia procurement bill, Hawaii/education appropriation drafts, an Illinois technical amendment, and a North Carolina disaster‑recovery appropriation). The clearest substantive legislative text in the packet (LC 59 0156/a) is a Georgia proposal titled the “Georgia Small Business Set‑Aside Act.” This summary focuses on that primary substantive text and highlights the document inconsistencies at the end.

Short title

Georgia Small Business Set‑Aside Act (as presented in LC 59 0156/a).

Primary purpose and intent

To increase state contracting opportunities for small businesses by establishing a formal set‑aside program administered by the Georgia Department of Administrative Services (the “department”), and to create certification, reporting, and compliance mechanisms to implement the program.

Key provisions

  • Set‑aside target: Each state agency must "make reasonable efforts" to reserve at least 20% of its annual procurement contracts exclusively for certified small businesses.
  • Program administration: The Department of Administrative Services will design and run the set‑aside program, identify eligible contracts, and publish set‑aside opportunities on its procurement website.
  • Small business certification: The department will establish certification criteria (including business size, revenue, and operational capacity), an application process, and maintain a directory of certified small businesses.
  • Reporting and accountability:
    • Each state agency must submit an annual report to the department detailing the total value of contracts awarded to small businesses under the set‑aside program.
    • The department must submit an annual report to the Governor and General Assembly documenting statewide contract awards to small businesses.
    • Agencies that fail to achieve the 20% target must submit a corrective action plan to the department.
  • Implementation powers: The department is authorized to adopt rules and regulations, provide training sessions and resources to help small businesses navigate procurement opportunities, and otherwise enforce the statute.
  • Definitions: Includes statutory definitions for “department,” “set‑aside program,” “small business,” and “state agency.”
  • Repealer clause: Repeals conflicting laws.

Who is affected

  • State agencies and other state procurement entities (must track and pursue set‑asides).
  • Small businesses that meet department certification criteria (gain access to reserved procurement opportunities and inclusion in a directory).
  • Department of Administrative Services (given program administration, reporting, rulemaking, and training duties).
  • Indirectly, taxpayers and vendors competing for state contracts (changes in procurement allocation).

Procedural/status notes and conflicts in materials

  • The provided metadata lists HB 863 as introduced 11/12/2024 and “Referred to Labor & Industry.” LC 59 0156/a lists Georgia House sponsors (Reese, Mathiak, Smith, Ridley, Berry).
  • The packet also contains unrelated HB 863 drafts (Hawaii teacher supply appropriation; Illinois short‑title technical change; North Carolina Hurricane Helene disaster recovery appropriations). Legislative action records included in the packet appear to be an aggregate from multiple bills and jurisdictions and therefore are inconsistent.
  • Recommendation: Confirm the jurisdiction and which HB 863 draft you want tracked or summarized (e.g., Georgia set‑aside procurement bill vs. North Carolina disaster recovery appropriation vs. other versions), and I will produce a focused procedural history and impact analysis for that specific version.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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