Today, Gov. Nathan Deal signed Senate Bill 148, incorporating the Office of Consumer Protection into the Office of the Attorney General, effective July 1, 2015. Attorney General Olens released the following statement on the signing:

“Consumer protection is an important area of concern for Georgians, and it must be done effectively and with a balanced approach. Consumers have a right to be provided with truthful information and to be protected from abusive practices and bad actors. At the same time, businesses often make honest mistakes and should not be harshly penalized if they admit those mistakes and take the proper action to rectify them. I intend to work with both consumers and businesses to ensure that Georgia has a fair and equitable consumer protection framework.

“I am pleased to be adding a consumer protection division to the Office of the Attorney General. I look forward to working with the staff to educate Georgia consumers and to ensure that Georgia’s consumer protection laws are enforced. My goal is to ensure an efficient and streamlined office that serves Georgians with excellence. Our citizens should expect nothing less from their government.

“I am grateful to Gov. Deal for signing the legislation to make this move possible and appreciate Senator John F. Kennedy and Representative Terry Rogers sponsoring the measure.”