The House has turned its attention to the Fiscal Year 2027 budget after passing their version of the Amended Fiscal Year 2026 budget, House Bill 973, last week. House Appropriations subcommittees will continue meeting next week as they work to finalize their FY27 budget recommendations. This week their Senate colleagues held Appropriations subcommittee hearings focused on the AFY26 budget.
Legislators have about three weeks left to get their bills passed out of their assigned committee and chamber of origin; Crossover Day is March 6. The General Assembly will convene next week Tuesday through Friday for Legislative Days 19 through 22.
Also quickly approaching is qualifying. During the week of March 2, all members of the General Assembly must formally file to seek reelection if they wish to run for their seats again in the May primary election and November general election. Sitting legislators who will be running for higher office will also officially qualify to do so during that time.
Income Tax Legislation
It would also establish a January 1, 2032 sunset for all tax credits taken against Georgia taxable net income. Additionally, it would repeal 29 existing tax credits and exemptions, including the data center tax sales and use tax exemption, a tax credit for businesses engaged in manufacturing cigarettes for export, a sales tax exemption on crab bait for commercial fishermen, and a tax credit for personal protective equipment manufacturers.
Under the Georgia Constitution, revenue-related bills must originate in the House. In addition to passing Senate Bill 476 earlier this week, the Senate Finance Committee also stripped language from Representative Beth Camp’s (R-Concord) House Bill 134 and replaced it with language from Senate Bill 476.
Senate Bill 476 and House Bill 134 were both considered on the Senate floor on Thursday. Senate Bill 476 was passed 32 to 18 along a mostly party-line vote, and House Bill 134 passed 31 to 17 along a party-line vote. Both measures now head to the House. Senate Bill 476 would need to go through the committee process on the House side, and House Bill 134 is in the posture for an agree/disagree motion from the House.
Senate Bill 477, which was also taken up on the floor on Thursday, offers an alternative plan to lower the state income tax. It would reduce the personal income tax rate from 5.19 percent down to 3.99 percent by 2028 as long as specific revenue triggers are met.
It would also establish a flat tax rate of 4.99 percent for corporations and partnerships. The standard deduction for individuals would increase from $12,000 to $16,000, and from $24,000 to $32,000 for married couples filing jointly.
Just as language from Senate Bill 476 was substituted into House Bill 134, the Finance Committee also stripped Ways and Means Committee Chairman Shaw Blackmon’s (R-Bonnaire) House Bill 463 and it replaced it with language from Senate Bill 477.
Senate Bill 477 and House Bill 463 were both considered on the Senate floor on Thursday. Senate Bill 477 passed 31 to 14, and House Bill 463 passed 32 to 14, with one Democrat voting with Republicans in support of the bill. Both measures now head to the House. Senate Bill 477 will be assigned to a House committee for consideration, and House Bill 463 is in the posture for an agree/disagree motion from the House.
Next Generation 9-1-1
The measure was approved unanimously by the House Public Safety Committee. Next, it goes on to the Rules Committee. Because it is a constitutional amendment, it will require approval by two-thirds of both the House and the Senate before it would go to a ballot referendum.
On Thursday morning, the House Education Committee took up House Bill 1193 by House Education Committee Chairman Chris Erwin (R-Homer).
The measure would require all children to attend kindergarten before entering first grade, establish Quality Based Education (QBE) funding for school-based literacy coaches in kindergartens in public schools, and implement first grade readiness assessments. It would also overhaul how reading is taught in schools to ensure that instruction aligns with the science of reading, and would change how future teachers are trained to teach fundamental reading skills. School districts would be required to create a unified literacy plan under the legislation.
The measure was passed unanimously by the Education Committee, so it is now eligible for selection by the Rules Committee for a vote on the House floor.
Puberty Blocker Legislation
Nonpartisan Probate Judge Elections
Immigration
Another bill making its way through the legislative process is Senate Bill 116 by Senator Tim Bearden (R-Carrollton), which would require the collection of DNA samples from individuals in detention facilities who are charged with a misdemeanor or felony and are subject to an immigration detainer notice. The measure was passed out of the Public Safety Committee earlier this session, and then later by the Standing Committee on Rules. It is now eligible for selection by the Rules Committee for a floor vote.
This weekly Legislative Update report is courtesy of the Regional Business Coalition of Metropolitan Atlanta (RBC), an organization of over a dozen of the largest and most active Chambers of Commerce throughout the metro Atlanta region. RBC member chambers represent over 15,000 member companies who employ millions of metro Atlanta residents. The RBC’s primary goal is to represent the interests of RBC Chamber members on regional public policy issues impacting our transportation, water and air quality and to advocate for solutions that improve metro Atlanta’s quality of life and economic vitality.
DeKalb Chamber of Commerce
Frankie Atwater President & CEO
Legislators were in session Monday through Thursday this week for Legislative Days 15 through 18. While most bills are still making their way through the committee process at this point in the session, the House and Senate took floor votes on approximately two dozen pieces of legislation this week, as well as a handful of special actions (agrees/disagrees).
On Thursday the Senate considered Senate Bill 476, the ‘Income Tax Reduction Act of 2026,’ after passing it out of the Finance Committee earlier this week. The measure, which is a product of the work done by the Senate Special Committee on Eliminating Georgia’s Income Tax, would reduce the personal income tax rate from 5.19 percent to 4.99 percent for 2026. The bill, authored by Appropriations Committee Chairman Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia), would also exempt the first $50,000 from state income tax for individuals, or the first $100,000 for married couples filing jointly.
This week the House Public Safety Committee considered House Resolution 1243 by Representative Chuck Martin (R-Alpharetta). The legislation is the product of the House Study Committee on Funding for Next Generation 9-1-1, which Representative Martin chaired. It would amend Georgia’s Constitution to establish the Georgia Next Generation 9-1-1 Fund, which would be exclusively allocated for the expansion, maintenance, and operation of 9-1-1 systems across the state, including the transition to Next Generation 9-1-1. It would not increase 9-1-1 fees.
Early Literacy Act
Last week Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) announced one of his legislative priorities for this session: the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026.
On Tuesday the Senate took up House Bill 54 by Representative David Clark (R-Buford). The underlying measure would allow advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants to order home healthcare services for patients of licensed home health agencies. The legislation was amended on the Senate Floor to include language from two Senate bills relating to gender dysphoria:
After a contentious floor debate, the bill passed 30-18 along party lines. Because the Senate changed language in House Bill 54, it must next go back to the House for an ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’ motion.
On Wednesday the House took up House Resolution 251 by Representative Kimberly New (R-Villa Rica). The measure would amend Georgia’s Constitution to require probate judges to be elected through nonpartisan elections. This would align the election of probate judges with the election process of superior court and state court judges, who are also elected on a nonpartisan basis. House Resolution 251 passed 147 to 20 and now heads to the Senate. Because the resolution proposes amending Georgia’s Constitution, two-thirds majority votes are required in both the House and Senate before the question could go to the voters through a ballot referendum.
There are several immigration-related bills that are in play this session. Senator Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega) introduced Senate Bill 465, which would disqualify any business enterprise from claiming state income tax credits for large-scale projects if they are found to have hired illegal immigrants. The measure, which has 21 Republican cosponsors, has been assigned to the Senate Finance Committee for consideration.