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HB 1157

Labor and industrial relations; preemption of wage and employment benefit mandates adopted by a local government entity; repeal certain provisions

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Stacey Evans and 5 co-sponsors

HB 1157 would bar all local wage and benefit mandates, including via contracts or scheduling rules, protecting private employers and vendors from local wage/benefit requirements.

House Second Readers
#laborandindustrialrelations #stategovernment
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Bill Summary · HB 1157

Summary of HB 1157 (Session 2025-26, Georgia)

Purpose and intent

  • The bill seeks to preempt local government entities in Georgia from enacting wage and employment benefit mandates. In effect, it would repeal provisions that allow local governments to set or require certain wages or employment benefits for workers within their jurisdiction.
  • It also aims to limit how local governments can influence wages, employment benefits, and scheduling through purchasing, contracting, or other procedural tools.

Key provisions and changes

  • Repeal of current preemption framework:
    • Repeals Code Section 34-4-3.1, which previously defined wage and employment benefits and local government authority in these areas.
    • Establishes a blanket preemption: “Any and all wage or employment benefit mandates adopted by any local government entity are hereby preempted.”
  • Prohibits local mandates:
    • Local government entities may not adopt, maintain, or enforce wage or employment benefit mandates via charter, ordinance, contract, regulation, rule, or resolution.
    • Local entities may still offer employment benefits to their own employees, but not impose requirements on private employers or vendors via local rules.
  • Purchasing and contracting protections:
    • Local governments cannot use purchasing or contracting procedures to control or affect the wages or employment benefits provided by vendors, contractors, service providers, or other entities doing business with the government.
    • Prohibits evaluation factors, bidder qualifications, or other award preferences based on the wages or employment benefits provided by those vendors.
  • Scheduling and hours provisions:
    • Local governments cannot adopt or enforce rules about the hours or scheduling that private employers must provide to their employees, nor regulate employee output during work hours.
    • Local governments may set hours, scheduling, and output for their own employees and for services they provide, including authorities granted under constitutional provisions.
    • The bill clarifies that nothing prohibits a local government from regulating or limiting the hours a business may operate (i.e., general business hours regulation remains potentially permissible in specific contexts).
  • Effective date and repeal language:
    • The act would take effect upon gubernatorial approval or becoming law without approval.
    • Conflicting laws would be repealed to align with this new preemption regime.

Who/What would be affected

  • Affected entities:
    • Local government entities in Georgia (counties, municipalities, consolidated governments, school boards, authorities, etc.) would be restricted from enacting wage and employment benefit mandates for private employers or contractors.
    • Private employers and vendors doing business with local governments would be protected from local wage/benefit mandates and related procurement preferences.
  • Beneficiaries:
    • Private businesses operating in Georgia, particularly those seeking contracts with local governments, may face fewer local regulatory requirements on wages and benefits.
    • Local governments retain authority to manage their own employee benefits and operations but lose the ability to impose benefits requirements on external entities in the market.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Legislative action history:
    • Introduced and moving through the Georgia House (as of early 2026 readings).
    • Action history shows House Second Reader and First Reader dates in February 2026, with Hopper (initial stage) on February 2, 2026.
  • Effective date:
    • The bill becomes effective upon the Governor’s approval or when it becomes law without such approval.

Notable details

  • The text defines terms such as “employee,” “employer,” “employment benefits,” “local government entity,” “person,” and “wage or employment benefit mandate.”
  • The scope explicitly preempts mandates adopted by local government entities and prohibits related procurement advantages tied to wages or benefits.
  • Allows local governments to regulate their own employees’ benefits and operations, and permits some regulation of business hours, with the caveat that general operation hours restrictions are still possible.

If you’d like, I can provide a side-by-side comparison with current Georgia law to highlight exact changes or offer a plain-language impact scenario for a hypothetical local government and a vendor.

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

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