Legislative

Original source: Georgia Legislative Update - MCO Group 

01. Georgia General Assembly Adjourns 2025 Legislative Session

The Georgia General Assembly's 2025 legislative session will adjourn today, April 4, 2025, which is known as "Sine Die.” The governor's 40-day bill review period begins tomorrow, April 5, 2025, and concludes on May 14, 2025. During this time, the governor can sign bills into law, veto them, or let them become law without a signature.

02. House & Senate Adopt CCR on FY26 Budget

The House and Senate voted today to adopt the Conference Committee Report (CCR) to adopt HB 68, the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget. The FY26 budget is set by a revenue estimate of $37.8 billion, an increase of $1.6 billion or 4.4 percent over the FY 2025 original budget. House and Senate conferees reconciled line-item differences including over $1.1 billion in state funds in the Capital Projects Fund as well as funding the Governor’s position on Promise Scholarship Grants CCR FY26 budget highlights:

• The CCR adopted the Senate position of $490,873 for positions to expand the Georgia Hemp Program pursuant to SB 494 (2024 Session).
  
• The final version of House Bill 68 cuts $6 million to improve homelessness initiatives including $2 million to leverage additional federal funding for the State Housing Trust Fund and $750k to expand the Accountable Housing Initiative.
  
• The CCR maintained $2.7 million in new funding provided in the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) for various programs that address homelessness, including 100 new housing voucher slots, outreach services for those with severe mental illness, and a community action team.
  
• The House and Senate did not fund $7 million to the Georgia World Congress Center Authority to prepare for the execution of public safety and infrastructure costs related to the hosting of future major sporting events, including Super Bowl 62 and the 2031 NCAA Men’s Final Four.
  
• The CCR struck $200,000 of state funds to establish the Georgia Grown Wood Product program in the Georgia Forestry Commission.
  
• The joint committee failed to fund $25 million for the first-year cost of the statewide School and Student Safety (S3) Database to gather and investigate school-based threats across state and local law enforcement agencies. The funds also provide support for behavioral threat assessment management (BTAM) teams to resolve identified threats, ultimately improving the safety of Georgia’s students.
  
• The final version of the FY 2026 budget includes a new program under the Department of Education called “Student Support Services,” providing academic and mental health supports for students in and outside school. The program contains $19.6 million for mental health support grants to school systems. Structured like school security grants, systems will earn $20,000 for each middle and high school (979 statewide) for mental health services, to include contracting with mental health providers, tele-mental health contracts, or hiring staff for in-school counseling. The program also includes $5 million for social work services grants.  The Senate failed to fund or partially fund these initiatives.
  
• The Conference Committee Report fully funds the Quality Basic Education (QBE) program, totaling $14.7 billion in state funds. The House version of the FY 2026 budget includes $302.4 million to provide for enrollment growth and training and experience for an additional 1,291 students and 3,413 teachers.
  
• The budget also includes $21.5 million for growth in the State Commission Charter School supplements. Charter system grants receive $313,627 in additional funding and local charter schools receive an additional $48,477 in funding. Additionally, the conference report supports the governor’s recommendation of lowering the school psychologist ratio from 1:2,475 to 1:2,420, totaling $871,982.  The CCR increased the Charter School supplements to $25,374,042 and the ratios totaling $874,984.
  
• The FY26 budget provides $750,000 for college preparatory exams based on increased utilization. Currently, the state funds PSAT exams for all tenth-grade students and one AP/IB exam for free and reduced-price lunch students, and one AP/IB STEM exam for any student. In FY 2025, the state funded 99,960 PSAT exams and 80,000 AP exams for Georgia students.
  
• The Senate version of HB 68 cut almost half of the $16.9 million in reimbursement rate increases for providers treating Medicaid patients across the state. The services include: $8 million for emergency medical services (EMS) transports to provide payment for the first 10 miles of transportation, air ambulance transfers, and service increases; $1.9 million for an increase for speech therapy (CCR: $0) $1.9 million for neonatologists and maternal fetal medicine specialists; $6.3 million (CCR: $900,000) for applied behavior analysis; $7.5 (CCR: $3.75) million for primary care physicians; $3.1 million (CCR: $1.5m) for dental code increases; $1.7 million (CCR: $0) to increase durable medical equipment reimbursements; and $1.5 million to provide coverage for heart and lung transplants. The CCR struck $1 million earmarked for the Department of Community Health to conduct a comprehensive study of all Medicaid provider reimbursement rates and to make recommendations for improvements.
  
• The CCR fully funds the Governor’s recommendation for the Program for All-Inclusive Care (PACE) for the Elderly pursuant to HB 1078 in the 2024 Session.
  
• The final version of the budget includes $3.1 million to continue the $3 dispensing fee for independent pharmacists for an additional six months, and an additional $2.9 million for drugs dispensed to a covered person in an amount equal to the national average drug acquisition cost.
  
• The CCR funds over $7.4 million in funding for graduate medical education. The state will file a new State Plan Amendment similar to Florida’s recent filing that was approved in 60 days.  This includes $2.8 million for 150 new residency slots, $469,654 in new fellowships, and $5 million to establish a grant program to support new and expanding residency programs.
  
• House Bill 68 directs the Georgia Student Finance Commission to utilize existing funds to increase the Tuition Equalization Grant (TEG) award amount from $1,100 to $1,150 per year.  The CCR failed to fund this increase.
  
• House and Senate conferees agreed to fund an additional $33 million in formula funds for the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) to reflect a 10.6% increase in enrollment. The budget also includes $15.8 million in additional targeted funding, bringing the total appropriation to TCSG to offset the increased cost of providing high-demand and high-cost programming in aviation, commercial truck driving, and nursing to $31 million.
  
• The final version of the FY 2026 budget supports the governor’s recommendation for 100 NOW/COMP waivers.
  
• HB 68 provides $5.8 million to DBHDD to expand the availability of forensic services and adds $185,420 (CCR: $0) for a jail diversion program. Finally, the CCR agrees with the House position to add $9.4 million for a new behavioral health crisis center in North Fulton.
  
• The final version of HB 68 provides $19.2 million to address growth in foster care and the increased costs of care; $1.5 million to provide clothing and supplies for foster youth, keep foster children closer to their families, deter child welfare involvement, and support those aging out of care; and $6.1 million for a 2% provider rate increase for Child Caring Institutions, Child Placing Agencies, foster parents, and relative caregivers.
  
• The CCR provides $1 million for the Department of Public Safety for the protection of communities.
  
• The Conference Committee Report provides the Department of Corrections with a total increase of $199.6 million over the agency’s prior year budget. The budget includes $45 million to add more than 700 correctional officers to improve inmate to staff ratios. The state’s aging correctional facilities are in need of critical repairs to keep both correctional officers and inmates safe. In order to renovate facilities, the budget provides funds to move 667 prisoners out of state prison facilities to other housing units. With the addition of four 126-bed prefabricated housing units coming online in FY 2026, a total of 1,171 inmates will be moved from state prisons to empty housing units for widespread renovations.
  

03. Speaker Burns & Lt. Gov. Jones Praise School Safety Bill Passage

House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) and Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones released statements this week praising the final passage of HB 268, a comprehensive school safety plan developed by the Georgia General Assembly in response to the tragic loss of four Georgians during a school shooting at Apalachee High School last September. Below are the specific policies established by the bill:

• Requires all relevant student records, including education and disciplinary records, to be shared with the receiving school in a given time frame when a student transfers between school districts.
  
• Allows for the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency to establish a statewide alert system to report and monitor incidents of safety threats made against schools.
  
• Requires schools to adopt threat assessment plans to provide a structured, multidisciplinary process to identify, assess and mitigate potential threats to schools while supporting the safety and well-being of students and school personnel.
  
• Requires all public schools to implement a mobile panic alert system, much like the system used at Apalachee, which we know saved countless lives and prevented a much larger tragedy.
  
• Creates “qualified student advocacy specialist” positions and grants to fund these positions for local school systems.
  
• Requires that students in sixth grade and above receive an hour of suicide awareness and prevention training, as well as one hour of youth violence prevention training annually.
  
• Requires all high-needs schools to implement positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), which are proven to reduce disciplinary incidents, increase a school’s sense of safety and support improved academic outcomes.
  
• Increases penalties for terroristic acts and requires schools to suspend
  

04. New Chief Justice Sworn In

The Honorable Nels S.D. Peterson was sworn in as the 35th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at the State Capitol.  The ceremony drew a bipartisan audience of hundreds of lawmakers, jurists and state leaders. Peterson, who was twice appointed to court posts by then-Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, underscored the fragility of the legal system in an era of distrust.  He described with admiration a judicial system that requires popular majorities to accept outcomes in favor of small minority groups — and the “most powerful of all, the government, to accept and obey limits of government power.”

05. Child Tax Credit Bill Advances to Gov. Kemp’s Desk

Legislation creating a child tax credit and expands childcare tax programs, HB 136,  will now head to Gov. Kemp for consideration and signature. This legislation was recommended by the Senate Study Committee on Access to Affordable Childcare, which Lt. Governor Burt Jones appointed. The bill expands the current tax credit for child and dependent care expenses from a 30% match of the federal credit to a 50% match. It also creates a new Georgia Child Tax Credit, allowing taxpayers to claim an income tax credit of $250 for each child under 6 years old. Finally, the bill creates a new employer incentive to cover childcare expenses. This program will allow an employer to claim a $1,000 credit in the first year and $500 in subsequent years for any employee for which the employer covers at least $1,000 in childcare costs. The bill also preserves the existing tax credit program for employer-sponsored childcare centers.

Original source: Georgia Legislative Report - March 28, 2025
MCO Group

01. Legislature Completes Day 37

The General Assembly convened for three days this week, completing day 37 of the 40-day session. The legislature will convene Monday, Wednesday and Friday of next week for days 38 through 40, at which point they will adjourn Sine Dine. Tuesday and Thursday will be reserved for committee days. Committees are feverishly meeting to pass legislation as we are entering the final week of the 2025 legislative session

As a reminder, the adjournment resolution (SR 6) and House and Senate committee schedules are linked below.

Legislative tracking reporting through Legistracker is up to date. Please let us know if you have questions or trouble accessing your account.

02. Second Tort Reform Bill Passes House

The second part of Gov. Brian Kemp's top priority to limit lawsuits and large verdicts won approval Thursday from the House. The full package, also called tort reform, is set to hit his desk in the coming weeks.  The bill, which seeks to limit predatory activity from third parties and foreign adversaries who invest in litigation, got overwhelming approval in the Senate and bipartisan support in the House, passing 98-69. But those moves come as lawmakers grapple with the fallout from political disputes over the first half of the proposal. SB 69 requires third-party entities that invest in litigation to register with the Department of Banking and Finance and bans foreign adversaries and governments from investing in litigation, among other reforms. It also limits how much the funders of litigation can influence civil litigation proceedings and the people involved.

03. President Trump Selects GA Senator as U.S. Treasurer

Senator Brandon Beach has been nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as the next U.S. Treasurer. Beach, a Republican, has represented District 21, which includes parts of Fulton and Cherokee counties, since 2013. He is a longtime Alpharetta resident, president and CEO of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce and president and CEO of the North Fulton Community Improvement District. Trump said Beach would "uphold the values of fiscal responsibility and economic growth — and help unleash America’s golden age."

04. Georgia to Cancel 455,000 Inactive Voter Registrations

Georgia election officials are set to cancel approximately 455,000 inactive voter registrations this summer, one of the largest purges in U.S. history. According to a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, more than half of the removals were flagged by the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a 24-state organization that identifies voters who have moved or become ineligible. State officials, including Elections Director Blake Evans, argue that the cancellations demonstrate ERIC’s effectiveness in maintaining an accurate voter list. “ERIC is the best tool out there right now that gives us valuable information you can’t get anywhere else,” Evans told the AJC.  The majority of the cancellations affect voters who appear to have moved, either by changing addresses, registering in other states, or obtaining out-of-state driver’s licenses.

05. Senate Passes FY26 Budget

The Senate voted today 48-7 to adopt HB 68, the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget. The FY26 budget is set by a revenue estimate of $37.7 billion, an increase of $1.6 billion or 4.4 percent over the FY 2025 original budget. House and Senate conferees will need to reconcile line-item differences including over $1.1 billion in state funds between the Capital Projects Fund and the General Obligation Debt Sinking Fund as well as over $95 million of state funds for Promise Scholarship Grants pursuant to SB 233 adopted in 2024.  Senate FY26 budget highlights:

• The House provides $792,585 for eight positions to expand the Georgia Hemp Program pursuant to SB 494 (2024 Session). Senate decreased to $490,873.
  
• The Senate version of House Bill 68 cuts $6 million to improve homelessness initiatives including $4 million to leverage additional federal funding for the State Housing Trust Fund and $2 million to expand the Accountable Housing Initiative.
  
• The Senate maintained $2.7 million in new funding is provided in the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) for various programs that address homelessness, including 100 new housing voucher slots, outreach services for those with severe mental illness, and a community action team.
  
• The Senate version of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget cuts $7 million to the Georgia World Congress Center Authority to prepare for the execution of public safety and infrastructure costs related to the hosting of future major sporting events, including Super Bowl 62 and the 2031 NCAA Men’s Final Four.
  
• The Senate struck $200,000 of state funds to establish the Georgia Grown Wood Product program in the Georgia Forestry Commission.
  
• The Senate failed to fund $25 million for the first-year cost of the statewide School and Student Safety (S3) Database to gather and investigate school-based threats across state and local law enforcement agencies. The funds also provide support for behavioral threat assessment management (BTAM) teams to resolve identified threats, ultimately improving the safety of Georgia’s students.
  
• The House version of the FY 2026 budget includes a new program under the Department of Education called “Student Support Services,” providing academic and mental health supports for students in and outside school. The program contains $19.6 million for mental health support grants to school systems. Structured like school security grants, systems will earn $20,000 for each middle and high school (979 statewide) for mental health services, to include contracting with mental health providers, tele-mental health contracts, or hiring staff for in-school counseling. The program also includes $5 million for social work services grants.  The Senate failed to fund or partially fund these initiatives.
  
• The House and Senate budgets fully fund the Quality Basic Education (QBE) program, totaling $14.7 billion in state funds. The House version of the FY 2026 budget includes $302.4 million to provide for enrollment growth and training and experience for an additional 1,291 students and 3,413 teachers.
  
• The budget also includes $24.7 million for growth in the State Commission Charter School supplements. Charter system grants receive $313,627 in additional funding and local charter schools receive an additional $48,477 in funding. Additionally, the House supports the governor’s recommendation of lowering the school psychologist ratio from 1:2,475 to 1:2,420, totaling $871,982.  The Senate increased the Charter School supplements to $25,374,042 and the ratios to $874,984.
  
• The Senate struck the House funding of $2.5 million for college preparatory exams based on increased utilization. Currently, the state funds PSAT exams for all tenth-grade students and one AP/IB exam for free and reduced-price lunch students, and one AP/IB STEM exam for any student. In FY 2025, the state funded 99,960 PSAT exams and 80,000 AP exams for Georgia students.
  
• The Senate version of HB 68 cut almost half of the $32 million in reimbursement rate increases for providers treating patients on Medicaid across the state. The services include: $8 million (Sen: $4 million) for emergency medical services (EMS) transports to provide payment for the first 10 (Sen: 6) miles of transportation, air ambulance transfers, and service increases; $1.9 million for an increase for speech therapy (Sen: $0) $1.9 million for neonatologists and maternal fetal medicine specialists; $6.3 million (Sen: $900,000) for applied behavior analysis; $7.5 (Sen: $3.75) million for primary care physicians; $3.1 million (Sen: $0) for dental code increases; $1.7 million (Sen: $0) to increase durable medical equipment reimbursements; and $1.5 million to provide coverage for heart and lung transplants. The Senate struck $1 million earmarked for the Department of Community Health to conduct a comprehensive study of all Medicaid provider reimbursement rates and to make recommendations for improvements.
  
• The Senate also cut over $2.5 million in funds for the Program for All-Inclusive Care (PACE) for the Elderly pursuant to HB 1078 in the 2024 Session.
  
• The House version of the budget includes $3.1 million to continue the $3 dispensing fee for independent pharmacists for an additional six months, and an additional $1.2 million for drugs dispensed to a covered person in an amount equal to the national average drug acquisition cost.  The Senate increased the $1.2 million to $5 million.
  
• The Senate agreed to new funding for graduate medical education. However, the Senate proposes to fund the programs through a new State Plan Amendment similar to Florida’s recent filing that was approved in 60 days.  This includes $2.8 million for 150 new residency slots, $469,654 in new fellowships, and $5 million to establish a grant program to support new and expanding residency programs.
  
• House Bill 68 directs the Georgia Student Finance Commission to utilize existing funds to increase the Tuition Equalization Grant (TEG) award amount from $1,100 to $1,150 per year.  The Senate failed to fund this increase.
  
• The Senate agreed with the House to fund an additional $33 million in formula funds for the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) to reflect a 10.6% increase in enrollment. The budget also includes $15.8 million in additional targeted funding, bringing the total appropriation to TCSG to offset the increased cost of providing high-demand and high-cost programming in aviation, commercial truck driving, and nursing to $31 million.
  
• The House version of the FY 2026 budget supports the governor’s recommendation for 100 NOW/COMP waivers and adds 50 new waivers with a $3.4 million appropriation.  The Senate added 50 additional slots and increased funding to $4.6 million.
  
• HB 68 provides $5.8 million to DBHDD to expand the availability of forensic services and adds $185,420 (Sen: $0) for a jail diversion program. Finally, the House adds $9.4 (Sen: $2.3) million for a new behavioral health crisis center in North Fulton.
  
• The House version of HB 68 provides $19.2 million to address growth in foster care and the increased costs of care; $1.5 million to provide clothing and supplies for foster youth, keep foster children closer to their families, deter child welfare involvement, and support those aging out of care; and $6.1 (Sen: $3) million for a 2% (Sen: 1%) provider rate increase for Child Caring Institutions, Child Placing Agencies, foster parents, and relative caregivers.
  
• The Senate added over $1 million for the Department of Public Safety for the protection of communities.
  
• The House and Senate provides the Department of Corrections with a total increase of $250 million over the agency’s prior year budget. The budget includes $45 million to add more than 700 correctional officers to improve inmate to staff ratios. The state’s aging correctional facilities are in need of critical repairs to keep both correctional officers and inmates safe. In order to renovate facilities, the budget provides funds to move 667 prisoners out of state prison facilities to other housing units. With the addition of four 126-bed prefabricated housing units coming online in FY 2026, a total of 1,171 inmates will be moved from state prisons to empty housing units for widespread renovations.

Original source: Georgia Legislative Report - MCO Group

01. Legislature Completes Day 34

The General Assembly convened for three days this week, completing day 34 of the 40-day session. The legislature will reconvene Tuesday, March 25th, for legislative day 35, recess Wednesday for a committee workday and reconvene Thursday and Friday, completing day 37 by the week's end. Committees are meeting as early as 6 a.m. to pass legislation as we enter the final stretch of the legislative session.

As a reminder, the adjournment resolution (SR 6) and House and Senate committee schedules are linked below.

Legislative tracking reporting through Legistracker is up to date. Please let us know if you have questions or trouble accessing your account.

02. Governor’s Tax Package Receives Final Passage

Gov. Kemp's tax package, HB 111 & HB 112, received final passage by the Senate this week, largely along party lines.

HB 111 accelerates the reduction in the state income tax rate contemplated by current law. For tax year 2025, the income tax rate will be 5.19% (rather than 5.29%, as provided in current law). The rate will continue to drop in increments of 0.10% per year until reaching a terminal rate of 4.99% (as provided by current law).

HB 112 provides a tax rebate to individual taxpayers who filed an income tax return for both 2023 and 2024. This tax rebate is non-refundable and cannot exceed the taxpayer’s tax liability for 2024.

03. Gov. Kemp Appoints New Labor Commissioner

Gov. Kemp appointed Bárbara Rivera Holmes as Georgia’s new labor commissioner.  The announcement comes after Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson, who was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, passed away in November.  The labor commissioner oversees the administration of unemployment insurance and helps place job seekers. In August 2023, then-commissioner Thompson announced his office had found more than $105 million that should have been handed over to the state treasury but was allegedly squirreled away. Holmes, a business executive, will serve the remainder of Thompson’s four-year term, until early 2027.

04. Gov. Kemp Announces Further ICE Partnership

At the direction of Gov. Kemp, Department of Public Safety (DPS) Commissioner Billy Hitchens has requested that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) train all 1,100 sworn officers under his command through the 287(g) Program to better assist in identifying and apprehending illegal aliens who pose a risk to public safety. First authorized by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, this program enables ICE to delegate to state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under the agency's direction and oversight.

05. Tort Reform Legislation Passes

Today, the Senate voted 34-21 for final passage of Gov. Kemp's landmark tort reform legislation, SB 68. Yesterday, the House narrowly passed the measure 91-82. The bill is now before the governor to be signed into law. The House successfully amended the bill with the following changes:

• Anchoring - allows arguments in opening and closing close, but voir dire can only ask about “unspecified” amounts to root out bias.
  
• Discovery stay - adds only a statement that 90 days starts after briefing and specifies that mandamus is a possibility when judge doesn’t rule.
  
• Voluntary dismissal - includes a provision that 60 days after answer instead of after answer or MSJ, whichever is sooner.
  
• Atty fees - no changes
  
• Seat belts - tries to limit when may be admissible but still doesn’t specify relevance.
  
• Premises liability - attempts to carve out the cases that are not actually premises cases (like hiring, supervision, etc.)
  
• Collateral source - no changes
  
• Bifurcation - can move the court to reject the bifurcation demand if it is a case involving a sex crime and amount at issue is less than 150k.
  

Original source: Georgia Legislative Report - MCO Group

Special Update: AFY 2025 Budget Signed by Gov. Kemp

Governor Kemp yesterday signed the Amended Budget for Fiscal Year 2025 into law, which includes:

Hurricane Helene Relief: More than $867 million for response costs and relief, including but not limited to, one-time grants to public rural and critical access hospitals included in the major disaster declaration area to assist in financial stabilization and recovery efforts, disaster relief assistance to impacted farmers and timber producers, and grants to non-profits for Hurricane Helene rebuilding and recovery efforts.  This includes $5 million in funds to GEMA for 911 Next Gen infrastructure upgrades.

• Education and Workforce Development: $140 million in additional allocations to fully fund QBE and support our local school systems to help us build an unrivaled workforce as we work to make Georgia the Top State for Talent.
• Public Safety and Corrections: More than $434 million in new funding for the Department of Corrections to fortify state facilities, invest in Corrections Officers, and equip them with the tools they need to be effective and efficient.
• Fighting Human Trafficking: $3.5 million to design a recovery center for victims of human trafficking - an effort championed by First Lady Marty Kemp - and over $187,000 to expand the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit to the Macon and Augusta regions.
• School Security: An additional $50 million in one-time funds for another round of security grants to all K-12 public schools.
• Coastal Water Infrastructure: $501.7 million in funding for the development and construction of water infrastructure in Georgia’s coastal region to meet the growing demand due to historic economic development.
• Local Water and Sewer Infrastructure: Over $266 million in funding for the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority to support water and sewer infrastructure development projects across Georgia.
• Local Road Infrastructure: $265 million into the local maintenance and improvement grant program and $46 million to the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank’s grant and loan program.
• Combating Wildfires: $4.7 million for the Forestry Commission to purchase a new fire suppression helicopter.

Schedule: Legislature Completes Day 28, Crossover Day

The General Assembly convened for three days this week, completing day twenty-eight of their forty-day session, also known as crossover day, the day a bill must pass out of its chamber of origin. The legislature will reconvene Monday, March 3rd, for legislative day twenty-nine. They will work Tuesday, recess Wednesday for a committee workday, and reconvene on Thursday, March 13th, to finish the week with day 31.

Committees will begin working on legislation that has crossed over from the other Chamber, although both Chambers will continue accept new bills into the Hopper as this is the first session of the Biennium.

As a reminder, the adjournment resolution (SR 6) and House and Senate committee schedules are linked below.

Legislative tracking reporting through Legistracker is up to date. Please let us know if you have questions or trouble accessing your account.

Two Tax Relief Bills Clear House

The House passed two tax relief bills Thursday, one unanimously and another that proved controversial. HB 112, which cleared the chamber 175-0, provides $1 billion in one-time income tax rebates to Georgia taxpayers. Single filers would get a rebate of $250, while heads of households would receive $375 and married couples filing jointly would get $500.  

HB 111, on the other hand, drew substantial opposition from Democrats before passing 110-60. The legislation calls for reducing Georgia's income tax rate from 5.39% to 5.19% retroactive to the beginning of the current tax year.

Three Safety Bills Pass Senate

The Senate passed three legislative measures to address school safety enhancements in the wake of the school shooting in September that left two teachers at two students dead at Apalachee High School. Lt. Governor Burt Jones’ school safety priorities include the appropriation of $50 million in the Amended Fiscal Year 2025 Budget for one-time additions to school safety grants and three Senate Bills:

• SB 17 - "Ricky and Alyssa's Law" requires all Georgia schools to install mobile panic alarm systems directly linked to emergency responders and state and local law enforcement.
• SB 61 - Strengthens Georgia’s law so that attempted homicides and terroristic acts directed toward schools will be offenses for which juveniles will be tried as adults.
• SB 179 – Requires a transferring student’s academic and disciplinary records to be transferred to the new school administration within 10 days and requires the parent or guardian to be notified of the transfer within five days.

The House overwhelmingly passed HB 268 aimed at preventing school shootings through better information sharing and alertness to possible threats by students:

HB 268 enacts several policies, including creating a database to "collect and integrate data to evaluate the behavior of students who may pose a threat to the school, school staff, or students" shared between school officials, law enforcement, and mental health officials. It also requires schools to develop active shooter plans and creates a system allowing anonymous reports of threats to be shared with officials.

Charter School Bill Clears Senate

SB 82, the "Local Charter School Authorization and Support Act of 2025" authored by Senator Clint Dixon (R-Gwinnett) passed the Senate on crossover day by a vote 44-9. The legislation

Establishes a program under the State Charter Schools Commission to promote the approval of new local charter school petitions by local boards of education.

Provides financial incentives in the form of grants to local boards that approve new charter school petitions.

Mandates local boards provide detailed written statements when denying charter petitions and introduces accountability measures for local boards that repeatedly deny petitions later approved at the state level, potentially affecting their eligibility for charter system status renewal.

Medical Cannibas/Hemp Bills Pass Senate

Three bills changing the way Georgia regulates hemp and medical cannabis cleared the Senate ahead of Thursday’s Crossover Day deadline. The votes on the bills are some of the only ones this session that didn’t fall cleanly along party lines, with Senate Republicans divided over expanding medical access to cannabis and members of both parties split over new regulations on recreational hemp products.

Medical Cannabis:

SB 220, the “Putting Georgia’s Patients First Act,” passed in a contentious 39-17 vote after more than an hour of debate in the Senate. The bill

• Replaces the term “low-THC oil” with “medical cannabis,” in Georgia code.
• Removes requirements that certain medical diagnoses like cancer or Parkinson’s disease be “severe or end stage,” and adds Lupus to the list of qualifying health conditions.
• Removes an existing prohibition against vaping cannabis oil and raises the percentage of THC that medical cannabis products may contain from 5% to 50%.

The bill was amended on the floor to include a provision allowing caregivers to pick up medical cannabis from pharmacies. Three other amendments aimed at reducing the amount of THC allowed in medical cannabis, removing the provision that allows for vaping, and removing PTSD and intractable pain from the list of approved diagnoses failed during a series of floor votes.

Hemp:

SB 33 and SB 254 passed the Senate in decisive votes on Crossover Day.

• SB 33, sponsored by Marietta Republican Kay Kirkpatrick, subjects chemical compounds like delta-8 THC, delta-10 THC, hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) and other cannabinoids to testing and labeling regulations that were added last year under Senate Bill 494. It passed in a 50-6 vote.
• SB 254, sponsored by Athens Republican Bill Cowsert, imposes new limits on THC-infused products after the Georgia Department of Agriculture raised the maximum amount of THC that can be included in a single beverage from 5 mg to 10 mg. A surprise Senate floor amendment offered by Randy Robertson, Majority Whip, that bans all drinks with THC barely passed 29-27. A maneuver to reconsider the motion failed, and then the Senate passed the amended bill with a large bipartisan majority.

Vape:

HB 577, the "Georgia Nicotine Vapor Products Directory Act," aimed at regulating nicotine vapor products sold in Georgia, passed the House just prior to adjournment on Thursday. The bill

• Requires the creation of a directory listing authorized products and prohibits selling any vapor products not listed.
• Mandates compliance checks for retailers, outlines penalties for violations, and provides for the seizure of unauthorized products.
• Stipulates that manufacturers must certify their products annually and report compliance to the state.

The act will take effect upon specific funding appropriations and aims to improve public health and safety around nicotine vapor products

Technology: AI & Data Privacy Bills Pass Senate

The Senate this week adopted measures regulating artificial intelligence and data privacy.  

• SB 9 rewrites the laws on obscene material, particularly focusing on computer-generated images of children, establishing stricter penalties, including imprisonment of 1 to 15 years for offenders.
• SB 111 enhances consumer privacy by regulating how personal data is handled by businesses. It establishes clear definitions, consumer rights regarding data, and obligations for controllers (those processing data) and processors. Consumers can request details about their information, corrections, deletions, and can opt out of data selling. The bill includes protections for sensitive data, stipulates how businesses must handle requests, and imposes penalties for non-compliance. It also preempts local governments from imposing stricter privacy laws.

Bills introduced seeking to sunset the data center tax incentive and to codify the PSC's rate making process for data centers were not considered by the full Senate.

Original source: Georgia Legislative Report - MCO Group

01. Legislature Completes Day 21

The General Assembly convened Tuesday through Friday this week, completing day 21 of the 40-day session. The legislature will reconvene Monday, February 24th, for legislative day 22, recess on Tuesday for a committee workday and reconvene on Wednesday and work through Friday, February 28th, completing day 25 of the legislative calendar.  

Committees are in full swing, and legislation continues to make its way through the sub-committee and committee process. By the end of next week there will only be 30 legislative days before crossover day (the day a bill must pass its Chamber of origin) and long days of committee hearings and floor deliberations will continue.

As a reminder, the adjournment resolution (SR 6) and House and Senate committee schedules are linked below.

Legislative tracking reporting through Legistracker is up to date. Please let us know if you have questions or trouble accessing your account.

02. Kelly Loeffler Confirmed to Lead Small Business Administration

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Kelly Loeffler, a Georgia businesswoman and former senator, to lead the Small Business Administration, returning a stalwart supporter of President Donald Trump to Washington.  At SBA, Loeffler will oversee the entity that describes itself as the only Cabinet-level federal agency "fully dedicated to small business” by providing “counseling, capital, and contracting expertise as the nation’s only go-to resource and voice for small businesses.” Typically, the agency, which was founded in 1953, offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs caused by a disaster, loans that can be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other expenses that would have been met if not for the disaster. 

03. Gov Kemp Appointed to White House Council of Governors

Gov. Kemp is among ten governors President Donald Trump appointed to the bipartisan Council of Governors. The Council focuses on helping states and the federal government coordinate on issues related to national security, disaster responses, the military and more. The governors will serve a two-year term. Kemp’s appointment marks the first time a Georgia governor has served on the council. The other appointees include:

• Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, co-chair, Republican
  
• North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, co-chair, Democrat
  
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Republican
  
• Lousiana Gov. Jeff Landry, Republican
  
• Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Democrat
  
• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Democrat
  
• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Republican
  
• Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Democrat
  
• South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, Republican 

04. Duracell Establishing R&D Global Headquarters in Atlanta

Gov. Kemp announced this week that Duracell, one of the world’s leading battery manufacturers, will establish its new Global Headquarters for Research and Development at Science Square in Atlanta, creating 110 jobs and investing approximately $56 million. Duracell currently has a manufacturing facility in LaGrange, Georgia, that has been in operation since 1980 and a logistics and distribution plant in Fairburn, Georgia, that began operations in 2020 

05. House Passes Hurricane Helene Tax Relief Bill

Tuesday the House of Representatives passed HB 223, which would provide tax relief to agricultural and timber communities in areas of the state impacted by Hurricane Helene, by a vote of 173–0.

The bill was introduced by Majority Whip James Burchett and co-signed by Majority Leader Chuck Efstration and Governor Kemp’s House Floor Leaders State Representatives Lauren McDonald (R-Cumming), Soo Hong (R-Lawrenceville), Matthew Gambill (R-Cartersville) and Will Wade (R-Dawsonville). It mirrors legislation passed in the wake of 2018’s Hurricane Michael and would provide tax benefits to allow federal aid and crop insurance dollars to go further in rebuilding impacted Georgia communities. 

Original source: Georgia Legislative Report - MCO Group

01. Legislature Completes Day 13

The General Assembly convened Monday through Thursday this week, completing day 13 of the 40-day session. The legislature will reconvene Monday, February 10th and work through Thursday, February 13th, to complete days 14 through 17 of the legislative calendar.

Committees continued their organizational meetings, and we began to see legislation making its way through the sub-committee and committee process, and saw several bills debated on the floor of each Chamber. By the end of next week there will only be 11 legislative days before crossover day (the day a bill must pass its Chamber of origin) and we anticipate long days of committee hearings and floor deliberations in the coming weeks.   

As a reminder, the link to the adjournment resolution (legislative calendar ) and the committee meeting schedule can be found weekly in the footer below. 

Legislative tracking reporting through Legistracker is up to date. Please let us know if you have questions or trouble accessing your account.

02. Speaker Burns Introduces School Safety Bill

House Speaker Jon Burns announced Monday the House Republican Caucus will introduce a legislative package to enhance school safety following last year’s deadly school shooting in Barrow County. The bill (HB 268) calls for

A statewide database to track student mental health histories

Development of an app for anonymously reporting threats to schools

A requirement for school districts to create safety management plans

An additional $50 million in one-time school safety grants, which would give each public school in the state $68,000 for safety upgrades

Tax incentives for the purchase of firearm safes and other safety equipment

Strengthening criminal penalties for students and other individuals who target schools with terroristic threats

The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency would help develop the system tracking student mental health history and reported threats that would be investigated by school personnel, mental health professionals and law enforcement agencies to determine the seriousness. Burns said the plan would also create mandatory suspensions of students from school while the extent of their threats are investigated.

03. House Approves $40.5B AFY2025 Budget

The House voted today to approve the $40.5 billion AFY2025 budget that funds improvements to the state's prison system and provides disaster relief to victims of Hurricane Helene. The mid-year budget increases state funding by $4.4 billion over the original budget adopted in March 2024.  $2.7 billion of the increase is funded from reserve funds.  The House proposal fully funds the QBE formula for students in grades K-12 and Governor Kemp's one-time school safety grants, which makes every public school in Georgia eligible for $68,000 to spend as local school officials see fit.

The Senate will begin considering the House version next week. The House Appropriations Committee will begin hearings on the FY 2026 budget, which is expected to be more than $2 billion less than the AFY25 budget. 

04. Doug Collins Confirmed as Secretary of Veteran Affairs

Doug Collins, former Congressman and Air Force Reserve chaplain from Georgia, has been confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as the secretary of Veterans Affairs. Both Democratic Senators Jon Osoff and Raphael Warnock voted to confirm Collins. For Warnock, it was a show of support for a former opponent he beat during a 2020 special election. They said they felt confident after meeting privately with Collins that he would work in a bipartisan fashion to provide veterans with the services they need. Collins served in the House of Representatives from 2013-2021

05. Gov Kemp Makes Legal Staff Changes

Governor Kemp announced changes to his legal staff this week, following the announcement that current Executive Counsel Kristyn Long will depart the Governor's Office to serve as General Counsel for the Georgia Hospital Association, effective February 14. Sam Hatcher will then serve as Executive Counsel, as Christine Hayes and Rachel Byers continue to serve as Deputy Executive Counsel and Associate Executive Counsel, respectively. The Governor also announced Evan Meyers departed at the end of January following over three years of dedicated service as Deputy Executive Counsel. 

Legislative Day is quickly approaching, don't miss out. This year we have lined up so many great speakers.  This will be the best Legislative Day Event Ever!