Georgia Code
Article 1 - General Provisions
§ 21-5-7. Initiation of Complaints

The commission shall not initiate any investigation or inquiry into any matter under its jurisdiction based upon the complaint of any person, including a staff attorney employed by the commission, unless that person or staff attorney shall produce the same in writing and verify the same under oath to the best information, knowledge, and belief of such person, the falsification of which shall be punishable as false swearing under Code Section 16-10-71. The person against whom any complaint is made shall be furnished by hand delivery or statutory overnight delivery or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, a copy of the complaint by the commission within two business days of the commission’s receipt of such complaint and prior to any other public dissemination of such complaint.
History. Code 1981, § 21-5-7 , enacted by Ga. L. 1986, p. 957, § 1; Ga. L. 1987, p. 297, § 6; Ga. L. 2000, p. 1619, § 6; Ga. L. 2005, p. 859, § 6/HB 48; Ga. L. 2022, p. 3, § 6/SB 120.
The 2022 amendment, effective March 2, 2022, in the first sentence, inserted “, including a staff attorney employed by the commission,” and “or staff attorney” and deleted the former last sentence, which read: “Nothing in this Code section, however, shall be construed to limit or encumber the right of the commission to initiate on probable cause an investigation on its own cognizance as it deems necessary to fulfill its obligations under this chapter.”
Editor’s notes.
Ga. L. 2005, p. 859, § 28/HB 48, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that the Act shall not apply to any violation occurring prior to January 9, 2006.
Law reviews.
For article on 2005 amendment of this Code section, see 22 Ga. St. U. L. Rev. 119 (2005).

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