HB 1185 Georgia House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Courts; certain shareholder claims to be brought before the Georgia State-wide Business Court; provide

Summary
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Titles 14 and 15 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to corporations, partnerships, and associations and courts, respectively, so as to provide for certain shareholder claims to be brought before the Georgia State-wide Business Court; to permit a corporation's bylaws or articles of incorporation to require certain claims to be heard by the Georgia State-wide Business Court; to provide for removal of certain claims to the Georgia State-wide Business Court; to provide for attorney's fees and costs; to exempt payment of attorney's fees and costs in certain situations; to provide for definitions; to provide for an effective date and applicability; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
May 2026
Introduced Feb 4, 2026 Signed May 11, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

LC 62 0291-EC/a HB 1185/AP* · 2 edits
MINOR
The bill text was updated to reflect its final passage by both the House and Senate, changing the header from a draft version to an approved version. A significant substantive change was made to the definition of 'internal entity claims,' broadening the scope to explicitly include actions brought by members in addition to shareholders. This ensures that claims by members challenging disclosure sufficiency are treated the same as shareholder claims, preventing a gap in legal protection for members.
Scope change
The bill's scope was broadened to include members alongside shareholders when defining internal entity claims.
DEFINITION

The definition of internal entity claims was updated to explicitly include actions brought by members, ensuring they are treated the same as shareholder claims regarding disclosure breaches.

TECHNICAL

The bill header was updated to indicate the legislation has been passed by both the House and Senate, replacing the previous draft version identifier.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 27, 2026 · House Feb 25, 2026

How they voted

401
Passed · 6 other
Total votes 47
Mar 27, 2026
D Democratic18
12 Yea 1 Nay 5
66% Yea
R Republican29
28 Yea 1
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
18
Key actions
6
Committee
3
Amendments
1
May 11, 2026
Signed into law
Act 460
upper
May 11, 2026
Signed into law
House Date Signed by Governor
lower
Mar 31, 2026
Introduced
House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub
lower
Mar 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate Passed/Adopted As Amended
upper
Mar 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate Committee Favorably Reported
upper
Feb 26, 2026
Committee
Senate Read and Referred
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
House Passed/Adopted
lower
Feb 19, 2026
Lower · Passed
House Committee Favorably Reported
lower
Feb 4, 2026
Introduced
House Hopper
lower
6 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors