House and Senate members were back under the Gold Dome this week Monday through Friday for Legislative Days 10 through 14.  The heavy influx of newly introduced bills continued this week, with over 100 pieces of new pieces of legislation being dropped into the House and Senate hoppers.  Committee action also picked up considerably this week, with dozens of House and Senate hearings throughout the week, with some committee hearings going well into the evening.   Legislators have one more month to get their bills passed out of at least one chamber ahead of the March 6 Crossover Day deadline. 

Both chambers also took action on a handful of bills this week, including several contentious bills on the Senate floor, and the Amended Fiscal Year 2026 budget on the House floor.  

On Wednesday, the House and Senate convened for a joint session for the State of the Judiciary address, during which Chief Justice Nels Peterson emphasized the importance of an independent judiciary, the preservation of the rule of law, and the potential for artificial intelligence to help bridge the “justice gap” in Georgia’s rural counties that lack access to legal services.  

The legislature will be back in session next week Monday through Thursday for Legislative Days 15 through 18.  

Amended Fiscal Year 2026 Budget

After a series of Appropriations subcommittee hearings last week, on Wednesday Appropriations Committee Chairman Matt Hatchett (R-Dublin) convened the committee to review and vote on the House’s version of the Amended Fiscal Year 2026 budget, House Bill 973.   

In his presentation, Chairman Hatchett noted that the AFY26 budget is set by a revised revenue estimate of $42.3 billion, which accounts for a total revenue adjustment of 11.9 percent over the original Fiscal Year 2026 budget. 

The House agreed with many of Governor Kemp’s budget recommendations, including a one-time $2,000 supplement for all state employees, as well as funding for large transportation projects on I-75 in Henry County and on State Route 316 between Athens and Atlanta.  However, the House removed $1.2 billion recommended by Governor Kemp for a one-time tax refund, and redirected those funds to provide one-time property tax relief for homeowners. 

Governor Kemp’s budget recommendations also included $325 million for the new needs-based DREAMS Scholarship, which included a $300 million endowment and $25 million for scholarship funds.  The House agreed with the inclusion of $300 million of the proposed $325 million.  

In addition to funding most of the governor’s recommended projects, the House budget also included funding for:

The House took up the ‘little budget’ on the floor on Thursday morning, approving it 167 to 5.  Next, Senate Appropriations subcommittees will begin convening to allow them to develop their own AFY26 budget recommendations, and the House will turn its attention to the ‘big budget,’ which covers Fiscal Year 2027.  

Georgia Families First Initiative

On Wednesday Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) and Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones (R-Milton) held a joint press conference to announce a package of bills and budget recommendations that will make up the House’s ‘Georgia Families First’ legislative initiative.  

Those measures include:

Appropriations that are part of the initiative include:

Last week Speaker Burns announced the HOME Act, which would eliminate property taxes on homesteads by 2032.  House Bill 1116 and House Resolution 1114 would pose a ballot referendum question to Georgia’s voters if approved by two-thirds of both the House and the Senate. 

After a lengthy debate on the floor, this week the Senate passed their own property tax relief bill mostly along party lines, with the exception of Senator Jaha Howard (D-Smyrna), who voted with Republicans in support of the bill.  Senate Bill 382 by Senator Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome) would cap annual increases in the assessed value of homes at the rate of inflation and would not allow local governments or school systems to opt out.  A similar bill from 2024 included an opt-out provision for local governments and school systems, which more than 300 entities took advantage of.  

All three measures are awaiting hearings in the House Ways and Means Committee. 

Literacy 

This week, House Education Chairman Chris Erwin (R-Homer) introduced House Bill 1193, the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026.   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 K-3 public schools, and implement first grade readiness assessments.   It would also create the Georgia Literacy Task Force to provide recommendations to the State Board of Education and would enhance funding for literacy coaching.  It would also create the Georgia Literacy Coordinating Committee to oversee statewide literacy programs.

Across the hall, Senator Billy Hickman (R-Statesboro) introduced a companion bill, Senate Bill 459, also called the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026.

Elections 

This week the House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Election Procedures released its report and recommendations.  The study committee, which was chaired by Representative Tim Fleming (R-Covington) recommended the committee extend its work through the end of 2026.  It also recommended that, to ensure compliance with the intent of Senate Bill 189 (2024), the General Assembly should adopt legislation to provide voters with the option to utilize pre-printed, hand-marked paper ballots on Election Day, beginning with the 2026 General Election.  Under the committee’s recommendations, the legislation should require all ballots that contain a QR code of any kind to be hand counted for the purposes of official tabulation.  Scanner tabulation of QR code ballots would be used for unofficial results only.

Further, the committee recommended that the General Assembly adopt legislation during the current session to provide for the procurement of Georgia’s next statewide voting system and that the funds for the new system be provided in the FY 2027 budget.