Lawmakers returned to the Capitol on Monday and were back at work for the final push after Crossover Day. With Thursday’s adjournment, lawmakers have just 9 days remaining in the 2025 legislative session.
Here is a recap of what happened this week:
- The House overwhelmingly adopted a $37.7 billion state budget for fiscal year 2026 on Tuesday. This is an increase of more than $1.6 billion over the previous year’s FY 2025 budget. The budget removed nearly $100 million in funding for Georgia’s Promise Scholarship Program. You can read full details here. It now moves to the Senate, where Lt. Gov. Burt Jones has stated he will add back the money back to the program.
- Last week, Gov. Brian Kemp signed the amended midyear budget for FY 2025, which was a record $40.5 billion. It also used $2.7 billion of the state’s $16 billion surplus to finance what is often referred to as the “baby budget.”
- Tax relief measures advanced in the Senate Finance Committee. House Bill 111, sponsored by Rep. Soo Hong, R-Lawrenceville, reduces the state’s flat income tax rate from 5.39% to 5.19% and adjusts the rate to reach 4.99% by 2027. And HB 112, sponsored by Rep. Lauren McDonald, R-Cumming, provides tax rebates of up to $500 to Georgia taxpayers.
- Senate Finance also advanced HB 266, which is sponsored by Rep. Steven Sainz, R-St. Marys. This would allow all military retirement income to be income tax free.
- Hours of hearings on tort reform were held this week, but no votes were taken. Senate Bill 68, sponsored by Sen. John F. Kennedy, R-Macon, is in the Rules Subcommittee on Lawsuit Reform awaiting further action. This bill would address several aspects of tort reform, including but not limited to reevaluating premises liability, requiring a truthful calculation of damages in personal injury cases (thereby eliminating “phantom damages”), and allowing a jury to know whether a plaintiff was wearing his or her seatbelt in an auto accident. The bill also proposes changes seeking to amend other procedures to ensure a fairer legal environment. SB 69, also sponsored by Sen. Kennedy, has not yet had a hearing. It would regulate third-party litigation funding with the hope of limiting outside influence on trials, which includes that from foreign governments, and predatory lending practices. The Foundation released a video on third-party litigation funding.
- Legislation intended to incentivize the local authorization of new charter schools advanced out of the Curriculum Subcommittee of the House Education Committee. SB 82, known as the Local Charter School Authorization and Support Act of 2025, is sponsored by Sen. Clint Dixon, R-Buford.
- The same subcommittee advanced SB 123, sponsored by Sen. Kennedy, which amends state law to ensure that no student is expelled solely due to absenteeism and to address chronic absenteeism in Georgia schools.
- Legislation to instruct the Georgia Composite Medical Board to institute a new data system by 2026 to accelerate its processing of licensure applications for physicians, physician assistants and nurse protocol agreements cleared the House Public and Community Health Committee. SB 162 is sponsored by Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome.
The legislature will reconvene for Legislative Day 32 on Tuesday, March 18.
