Georgia State Ethics Commission

It is the duty of the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission (Commission) to enforce the Campaign Finance Act (Act), educate candidates and public office holders on campaign finance matters, and regulate lobbyists. The cases considered by the Commission are initiated through the filing of sworn, written complaints alleging a violation of the Act. Complaints are investigated by the Commission and are either dismissed, settled, or proceed to a preliminary hearing before the full Commission. If the Commission finds reasonable grounds to believe a violation of the Act has occurred, the matter proceeds to a hearing before an administrative hearing officer. By law, the Commission has authority to impose penalties for violations of the Act, which range from assessing civil penalties and administrative costs, orders to take remedial action, suspending or revoking a lobbyist’s registration privileges, and when necessary, reporting of suspected violations of law to the appropriate law enforcement authority.