ATLANTA (April 8, 2019) |Senate Bill 29, sponsored by Sen. Harold Jones II (D – Augusta), received final passage in the Georgia General Assembly and has been sent to the governor for consideration.
“Under current law, individual sheriff’s office employees can be sued when involved in motor vehicle incidents while serving in their official governmental capacity, while other employees of local government entities are protected by sovereign immunity,” said Sen. Jones. “Senate Bill 29 would close this loophole and allow individual employees of a sheriff’s office to do their job without fear of being sued as an individual, should a car accident occur while they are performing their duties. A lot of time went into carefully crafting this bill and I would like to thank all of my colleagues in the Senate and House for their efforts in getting this legislation passed. I look forward to the bill receiving the governor’s signature into law in the coming weeks.”
Senate Bill 29 would add “a sheriff, deputy sheriff, or other agent, servant, or employee of a sheriff’s office” to the list of individuals who qualify for sovereign immunity for motor vehicle claims while operating in their official capacity. The governor has 40 days after a legislative session concludes to veto bills or sign them into law. If a bill is not signed or vetoed within 40 days, the bill will also become law. Senate Bill 29 would go into effect July 1, if it becomes law.
You can read the full text of SB 29 at this link: http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20192020/SB/29
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For Immediate Release:
April 8, 2019
Andrew Allison, Broadcast Specialist
elisabeth.fletcher@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028