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Read. Follow. Verify.Georgia House Bill 488 prohibits deceptive advertising by limited services pregnancy centers and establishes civil penalties
Last action · February 20, 2025: House Second ReadersSponsors: Anne Westbrook and 5 others
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What This Bill Proposed
s in Georgia are prohibited from engaging in false, misleading, or deceptive advertising regarding their products and services under House Bill 488. The measure authorizes the Attorney General and local district attorneys to enforce the ban through civil actions, requiring a 10-day notice to correct violations before filing suit. Violators face civil penalties ranging from $500.00 to $5,000.00 per violation, mandatory corrective advertising, on-site disclosures, and private civil remedies for injured individuals.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
limited services pregnancy centers
Limited services pregnancy centers are prohibited from using deceptive advertising, must comply with notice-and-correction periods, and face potential civil penalties, corrective ad requirements, and on-site signage mandates.
pregnant individuals
Pregnant individuals receive the right to accurate advertising and may bring private civil actions to claim damages and injunctive relief if injured by deceptive advertising.
Attorney General
The Attorney General is authorized to enforce advertising restrictions, issue warning notices, file civil actions, and develop a public website complaint portal.
Key Facts
- House Bill 488 is titled the 'Pregnancy Center Fraud Prevention Act.'
- The legislation defines a 'limited services pregnancy center' as a facility that does not directly provide abortions or emergency contraception, nor offer referrals for those services.
- A facility is deemed to have the appearance of a medical facility if it meets two or more specified factors, such as offering pregnancy testing, utilizing staff in medical attire, or possessing examination tables and medical instruments.
- The measure explicitly prohibits limited services pregnancy centers from disseminating advertising that is untrue, deceptive, or misleading to the public regarding available products or services.
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- The Attorney General and local district attorneys may enforce the provisions through civil actions after providing 10 days of written notice for correction.
- Courts may order violators to pay for corrective advertising, post on-site notices regarding medical staffing and service availability, pay restitution, and cover attorney's fees.
- Judicial findings of a violation require the state department to remove contact information for the violating center from public website materials developed under Code Section 31-9A-4.
- Civil penalties for violations range from not less than $500.00 to not more than $5,000.00 per violation.
- Any person claiming injury from deceptive advertising by a limited services pregnancy center may bring a private cause of action for damages, injunctive relief, and attorney's fees.
- The Attorney General is required to develop a public website portal to receive, review, and investigate complaints of noncompliance that is accessible to a fifth-grade reading level.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a limited services pregnancy center under this bill?
What happens if a limited services pregnancy center is found to have deceptive advertising?
How long does a center have to correct misleading advertising after receiving notice?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · introduced in the House.
Procedural history
3 actions- Feb 20, 2025HouseHouse Second Readers
- Feb 19, 2025HouseIntroducedHouse First Readers
- Feb 18, 2025HouseIntroducedHouse Hopper
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 1 more sponsor
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Establishment of State Enforcement on Pregnancy Center Advertising
The bill shifts regulatory oversight by empowering the Attorney General and local district attorneys to police false advertising by previously unregulated or lightly regulated pregnancy centers.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.ga.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy85Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
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