Originally posted by MCO Group on February 6th, 2026

The Georgia General Assembly convened on Monday, February 2nd, for legislative day ten and will complete legislative day fourteen today, Friday, February 6th.  The General Assembly will be in recess for the weekend and will reconvene Monday, February 9th for day fifteen, and will be in session for four days next week, completing day eighteen on Thursday, February 12th. 

01. Governor’s $37.7B 2026 Budget Passes House

Georgia Representatives overwhelmingly passed Gov. Brian Kemp's $37.7B fiscal 2026 state budget, 171-4, on Tuesday, a spending plan that prioritizes prisons and education. The budget is smaller than the record $40.5 billion fiscal 2025 mid-year budget lawmakers passed last week, which used $2.7 billion of the state's $16 billion surplus. The 2026 spending plan, which takes effect July 1, does not count on surplus funding, a recognition that economic headwinds likely lie ahead. 

02. Business Owner Rick Jackson Enters Governor’s Race

Health care business owner Rick Jackson announced his Republican run for governor in Georgia on Tuesday. Jackson, 71, is vying with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who has already been endorsed by President Donald Trump, as well as with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich backed Jackson, who is pledging to spend $50 million of his own money on his campaign.

03. 11th Congressional District Rep. Announces Retirement

Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., who represents the 11th Congressional District, announced Wednesday that he will not seek re-election to a seventh term. He is at least the 29th Republican to announce plans not to seek re-election at the end of the current term, part of a broader wave of departures from the House. Twenty-one House Democrats have also announced they will not seek re-election

04. Trump Endorses Clay Fuller to Fill Rep. Greene’s Congressional Seat

President Trump said he endorsed Clay Fuller, the former district attorney of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, to fill former U.S. Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene’s 14th Congressional District seat. Fuller finished fourth in the 2020 Republican primary that Greene won before being appointed as district attorney in 2023 and winning a full term in 2024. 

05. Chief Justice Nels S.D. Peterson Delivers State of the Judiciary Address

Chief Justice Nels S.D. Peterson delivered the State of the Judiciary address to the General Assembly this week in the House chambers of the Capitol. The Chief Justice addressed several topics, emphasizing the importance of an independent judiciary and the preservation of the rule of law.