SB 17 amends 21-5-50, relating to filing financial disclosure statements. Public officers are now required to disclose: business ownership interests or tracts of real property with a value of more than $5,000 (down from $10,000), and all annual payments in excess of $10,000 (down from $20,000). A filing fee of $125.00 shall be imposed for each financial disclosure statement that is filed late. In addition, a filing fee of $250.00 shall be imposed on the fifteenth day after the due date if the statement has still not been filed. A fine of $1,000.00 shall be imposed on the forty-fifth day after the due date for the statement if not filed by due date. The fine shall be paid from the personal funds of the person required to file the statement and no other funds from any source may be used to pay the fine. Reports no longer need to be filed with the probate judge.

SB 17 allows the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission—a successor to the State Ethics Commission—to require violators of 21-5 to pay up to a $1,000 fine for the first offense, up to $10,000 for the second offense, and up to $25,000 for the third or subsequent offense. The commission may also award attorneys' fees to a party complained against if the commission deems the complaint to be frivolous. Individuals required to file a report or disclosure statement with the commission must provide the commission with a current e-mail address.

A person employed by an organization exempt from federal income tax is no longer exempted from payment of lobbyist registration fees. Annual lobbyist registration or renewal has been increased from $200.00 to $300.00. Each copy of a lobbyist identification card issued has been increased from $5.00 to $20.00. A late fee of $275.00 shall be imposed for each report that is filed late. When the General Assembly is not in session, an additional late fee of $1,000.00 shall be imposed on the fifteenth day after the due date if the report has still not been filed and a fine of $10,000.00 shall be imposed on the forty-fifth day. When the General Assembly is in session, the $1,000 late fee is imposed on the seventh day and the $10,000 fine is imposed on the twenty-first day. When a fine is imposed, it must be paid from the personal funds of the lobbyist and no other funds from any source may be used to pay the fine. Finally, no one convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude may engage in lobbying for 10 years.