Originally posted by MCO Group on February 13, 2026

The Georgia General Assembly convened this week on Monday, February 9th, for legislative day fifteen and completed legislative day eighteen on Thursday, February 12th. The General Assembly will be in recess on Friday and Monday and will reconvene on Tuesday, February 17th, for day nineteen. It will be in session for four days next week, concluding on Friday, February 20th.

01. January Net Tax Revenues Down 0.6%

The State of Georgia’s net tax collections in the month of January totaled $3.03 billion, for a decrease of $18.1 million, or 0.6%, compared to January 2025, when net tax collections totaled $3.05 billion for the month. Year-to-date, net tax revenue collections through seven months totaled roughly $19.75 billion, for an increase of 345.6 million, or 1.8%, compared to FY 2025, when net tax collections totaled almost $19.41 billion. 

02. Govenor Candidate Rick Jackson Sues Over Campaign Finance

Rick Jackson's campaign filed a lawsuit against Lt. Governor Burt Jones, Attorney General Chris Carr, and other state officials, alleging that Jones' position as incumbent lieutenant governor provides him a unique and unconstitutional advantage in raising money to support his campaign. Two other similar legal challenges filed by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s and Chris Carr’s campaigns were unsuccessful.

03. Puberty Blocker Ban Passed by Georgia Senate

Senate Republicans added two last-minute amendments to House Bill 54, which was initially aimed at increasing access to home health care and passed on Tuesday. The first, by Sen. Ben Watson, R-Savannah, would ban doctors from prescribing puberty blockers to minors with gender dysphoria. The second, by Sen. Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, would prevent Georgia’s health insurance from covering gender-affirming care for state employees and dependents and block state hospitals from providing such care. This language mirrors Senate Bill 39, approved in 2025 but not voted on by the House. 

04. Senate Passes Personal Income Tax Reduction Package

Georgia state senators passed four bills reducing the state income tax on Thursday, rapidly advancing the legislative package to the House.

• SB 476 deducts $50,000 from individual filers and $100,000 from joint filers’ taxable income. It sunsets all income tax credits by 2032 and repeals many credits to fund the tax cuts.
  
• SB 477 reduces the personal income tax from 5.19% to 4.99% in 2026, 4.49% in 2027, and 3.99% in 2028, unless revenue decreases. The corporate tax drops to 4.99%.
  
• The Senate Finance Committee replaced HB 134 and HB 463 proposals with SB 476 and SB 477 to avoid procedural issues, as budget laws must originate in the House.
  

05. DeKalb County Could Close 27 Schools

The DeKalb County School District released a list of nearly three dozen schools on Thursday morning that could be closed or repurposed. Administrators say hard choices have to be made to address declining employment. They report that over the last decade, they have lost 20,000 students. The decisions to close or change schools have not been finalized. The school district says the list is just a potential scenario.