Department of Banking Housekeeping Bill. HB 945 by Rep. Bruce Williamson (R-Monroe) is the annual update to language in Title 7 of the Official Code of Georgia related to all the entities regulated by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance. Of interest to bankers are the provisions in this year’s bill authorizing banks and other institutions to place temporary holds on transactions involving elderly or disabled customers when financial exploitation is reasonably suspected. It establishes procedures for notice, review, documentation, training, and record retention, and provides strong civil, criminal, and administrative immunity when institutions act in good faith, giving banks clearer authority and protection to intervene in fraud scenarios. The bill also creates a comprehensive regulatory framework for virtual currency kiosks (crypto ATMs). The bill imposes strict disclosures, fee caps, transaction limits, refund rights for fraud victims, customer identification, monitoring requirements, and live support obligations on kiosk operators, helping to reduce losses and customer harm. Additionally, the bill clarifies bank merger notification requirements and objection authority for the Department, updates corporate governance rules applicable to banks, modernizes merchant acquirer limited purpose bank rules, and expands regulatory oversight of litigation finance. The Senate sponsor was Sen. Mike Hodges (R-Brunswick. NOTE: Received Final Passage on 3/10/26
Local Government Investment Pools. SB 441 by Sen. Marty Harbin (R-Tyrone) requires new local government investment pools to obtain State Depository Board approval prior to establishment. The House sponsor was Rep. Johnny Chastain (R-Blue Ridge). NOTE: Received Final Passage on 3/23/26