ATLANTA- The Georgia House of Representatives today passed House Bill 863 by a vote of 161-2. Sponsored by State Representative Katie Dempsey (R-Rome), HB 863 amends the Charitable Solicitations Act by requiring that unattended donation bins be clearly labeled for either charitable or non-charitable purposes.
“Consumers often think they are donating goods for charities when the donation bins are actually operated by for-profit entities. The public often associates these bins with Goodwill and other nonprofits,” said Representative Dempsey. “HB 863 does not limit Georgians’ ability to make donations; it simply allows them to have greater knowledge on where their donations are actually going.”
HB 863 requires that donation bins operated by not-for-profit organizations must state that donations are for charitable purposes and must provide directions on how to obtain more information about the charity. If the donation bin is operated by a for-profit entity, there must be a disclosure that donations are not for charitable purposes. It must also be reported if donations are only partially benefiting a charitable purpose.
HB 863 was requested by the Georgia Goodwill Association and other not-for-profit organizations in order to address the increasing numbers of unattended donation bins operated by for-profit entities. Often times, the public can find these bins misleading and assume donated materials are collected by not-for-profit organizations. Similar legislation has been introduced in at least ten other states.
HB 863 will now be sent to the Senate for consideration. A link to the bill can be found by clicking here.
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Representative Katie Dempsey represents the citizens of District 13, which includes portions of Floyd County. She was elected into the House of Representatives in 2006, and currently serves as the Vice Chairman for Higher Education and Secretary for the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight Committee. She also serves on the Economic Development & Tourism, Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications, Health & Human Services, and Rules Committees.