Georgia

Georgia

Final grade: B-

Exclusion Grade

C-

Relevance Grade

A

Due Process Grade

C

Strengths

Boards may only use directly related crimes and must consider evidence of rehabilitation.

Areas of Improvement

Strengthen safeguards for due process by requiring a petition process and placing the burden of proof on the state.
Ban agencies from using arrest records, old convictions, and crimes of “moral turpitude” to disqualify applicants.

Thanks to a 2016 reform, Georgia earned one of the country’s highest Relevance grades.

Statute: Ga. Code Ann. § 43-1-19

Exclusion

Overarching ban on blanket bans	Yes
Ban on considering arrest records	No
Ban on considering post-conviction relief records	No
Time limit	No limit
Ban on vague, discretionary character standards	No

Relevance

Relationship between the crime and the license sought	"Directly relates"
Required factors for consideration
Rehabilitation	Yes
Time elapsed since crime was committed	Yes
Age when crime was committed	Yes
Employment History	No
Testimonials	No

Due Process

Petition Process	No, but applicants can request a hearing before a board decides to disqualify
Burden of Proof	Both unspecified
Right to appeal	Yes
Written notice requirement	Yes

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