Rep. Matt Reeves, Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick Applaud Passage of Legislation to Return $3 Billion in Unclaimed Funds

ATLANTA - State Representative Matt Reeves (R-Duluth) and State Senator Kay Kirkpatrick (R-Marietta) today announce that Senate Bill 403, legislation designed to make it easier for Georgians to claim unclaimed funds held by the state, has passed both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly unanimously.

"SB 403 would implement an exact match program, making it easier for Georgians to recover the money they are entitled to," said Rep. Reeves. "We encourage Georgians to visit the Georgia Department of Revenue's website to search for and claim unclaimed funds, such as old utility deposits and other amounts owed to them."

"SB 403 is a great step for helping Georgians find and retrieve unclaimed property held by the state," said Sen. Kirkpatrick. "This is a consumer protection bill, and I look forward to final passage next week in the Senate."

SB 403 would revise Georgia law governing the disposition of unclaimed property by updating definitions and related provisions to clarify that property would not be considered abandoned if the apparent owner has demonstrated interest, such as by making changes to or directing activity within the account. Additionally, the bill would streamline the claims process for heirs of a deceased owner by eliminating the requirement for a probate court order in certain cases. Instead, an heir could submit an affidavit signed by all heirs, provided the total value of the unclaimed property held by the department does not exceed $7,500.

SB 403 has been sent back to the State Senate for consideration of amendments made by the Georgia House.

The full text of SB 403 may be found here.

*Editor's note: Rep. Reeves' and Sen. Kirkpatrick's headshots are included below.

Representative Matt Reeves represents the citizens of District 99 which includes a portion of Gwinnett County. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2022 and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and as Secretary of the Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee. He also serves on the Appropriations, Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government and Insurance committees.

Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick serves as Chairwoman of the Children and Families Committee and Secretary of the Senate Majority Caucus. She represents the 32nd Senate District, which includes portions of Cobb and Cherokee counties. She may be reached by phone at 404.656.3932 or by email at [email protected].

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