Model bills
Reference bills you can read while writing your own. Curated by our editors. Nothing here is legal advice — treat them as templates for structure and language.
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Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act
Georgia Senate Bill 406, known as the Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act, was signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp and is effective January 1, 2027. The major components of the law are foreclosure protection, oversight and not just mediation from the Secretary of State, and line item accountability for attorney fees. Whereas Maryland House Bill 402 (2026) would have enabled commissions in each county who could only enforce their own rulings through court actions, Georgia law will authorize the Secretary of State to limit fines or fees and bar officers and directors from violating a law, subpoena, or order. Fines and accelerated debts can not be collected by nonregistered associations. In foreclosure, an association may only bid up to the amount of lien. In contrast, Maryland is routinely permissive of law violators and has established no funding mechanism for proper enforcement by the state itself. Rather than over-ride governing documents outright, Georgia law will simply put the pause button on the commercial activity of collecting fines (traditionally a governmental power to tax and levy). In order to unpause and enjoy the privilege of quasi-governmental authority, an association may have to amend its governing documents to submit itself to the authority of the Secretary of State and the law's new dispute resolution procedures. In addition, associations must register and renew annually with accurate officer and director information, current financial statements, and a $100 fee. Any change which materially affects the business and control of the association must be filed within 30 days, such as a change in the majority of directors or a change in an officer position. Owners will have 12 enumerated rights under the law, including the right to disclosure of conflicts of interest. Predatory debt traps will be superceded by the law's requirement to apply the payment of debts in a priorty order that makes it easier not harder not to escape the debt. The priority order is regular assessments owed, special assessments owed, specific assessments owed, and then other fees and fines which presumably include attorney fees. By contrast, in Maryland it is common for attorney fees to be collected or applied first, so that the often largest debt keeps the often smaller debts in place just enough to risk losing your home. Georgia will also forbid associations from refusing to accept payment, though it is not clear whether the act of refusing established community payment methods is affected. Accelerated assessments will be forbidden under any circumstances. In court, judges must specifically state whether attorney fees were reasonable and review line items. Any homeowner in a development will be able to file a complaint with the Secretary of State. The complaint must be filed within 180 days of the alleged wrongdoing, and an automatic stay will pause a disputed fine or fee from being collected. The hearing officer is required to make findings of fact. The Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act is a very clean document with simple, clear language across 20 pages. It has succeeded where other states have failed, in large part due to that simplicity and efficiency of a unified government response.
Read the PDF ↗Added Jul 28, 2026Pledge to Uphold Core Values
citizenbills.org
Read the PDF ↗Added Jul 28, 2026Definition of Meeting
The presence of a quorum kicks in official meeting obligations and requirements for those directors.
Read the PDF ↗Added Jul 28, 2026Witness Rules for the Senate
This is a long-form guide explaining the rules of the Senate, including the very narrow window of time in which to sign up and testify. The House is known to operate in exactly the same manner: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. two workdays before the bill hearing.
Read the PDF ↗Added Jul 28, 2026