This year’s legislative session ended Friday, April 4 as the General Assembly gaveled out for Sine Die. Typically ending through midnight, both the House and Senate adjourned by 10:30 PM and 9:10 PM respectively.
The House and Senate conference committees settled budget differences early Friday for the State Fiscal Year 2026 budget, HB 68. The nearly $38 billion budget fully restores Governor Kemp’s recommended funding for the Georgia Promise Scholarship, fully funds the state’s Quality Basic Education formula, postpones security and infrastructure funding for major sporting events expected in 2028 and 2031, and increases funding for the Georgia Department of Corrections. Passing a balanced budget is the only constitutional requirement.
The House agreed to the Senate substitute to SB 69 that deals with third-party litigation funding. SB 69, along with SB 68 which passed earlier this session, heads to the Governor’s desk where he will sign both tort reform bills into law. Passing meaningful tort reform has been a priority for Governor Kemp and the Georgia business community. The Gwinnett Chamber thanks the Governor, Lt. Governor Burt Jones, Speaker Jon Burns, President Pro Tempore John F. Kennedy, Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, and members of the Gwinnett Legislative Delegation who supported its final passage.
Governor Kemp has until May 14 to sign or veto bills that made it to his desk. If no action is taken, the bill becomes law on its effective date.
HB 34 sponsored by Rep. Dale Washburn would create a continuing education tracking solution to monitor compliance of professional licenses with applicable continuing education requirements. It was favorably reported in the Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee. This bill did not pass.
HB 111 sponsored by Governor’s Floor Leader Soo Hong would reduce the state income tax rate from 5.39 to 5.19 and will continue to reduce the rate by 0.1 percent annually until it reaches 4.99. The bill passed in the Senate and now heads to the Governor’s desk.
HB 112 sponsored by Governor’s Floor Leader Lauren McDonald III would provide a one-time tax credit to Georgia taxpayers who filed state tax returns in 2023 and 2024. Single filers would receive $250, married filing jointly would receive $500, and heads of households would receive $375. This bill passed out of the Senate and heads to the Governor’s desk.
HB 113 sponsored by Governor’s Floor Leader Lauren McDonald III would prohibit state agencies from purchasing goods from foreign companies or country of concern. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate by substitute and the House agreed to the Senate substitute. The bill heads to the Governor’s desk.
HB 129 sponsored by Rep. Chas Cannon provides a 20% tax credit to a postproduction company spending at least $500,000 on qualified expenditures. The House agreed to the Senate Substitute. The bill heads to the Governor’s desk.
HB 136 sponsored by Rep. Mark Newton would increase the tax credit for certain childcare expenses. It would also create a new state tax credit for families and offer tax credits for employers providing child care. The bill added language from SB 89. The bill passed in the House and heads to the Governor’s desk.
HB 137 sponsored by Rep. Victor Anderson would increase the bid limits for public works purchasing projects from $100,000 to $250,000. It passed in the Senate and now heads to the Governor’s desk.
HB 147 sponsored by Rep. Brad Thomas would allow the Georgia Technology Authority to take annual inventory of artificial intelligence usage by state agencies. The bill passed out of the House 172-0. It was favorably reported by substitute in the Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee. This bill did not pass.
HB 192 sponsored by Governor Floor Leader Matthew Gambill would streamline the High-demand Career List published by the State Workforce Development Board in the development of the Department of Education’s programs. The bill passed in the Senate and now heads to the Governor’s desk for consideration.
HB 217 sponsored by Governor Floor Leader Soo Hong would extend the Technical College System of Georgia’s Dual Achievement Pilot Program by five years and expands opportunities and accessibility for students. The bill passed in the Senate as amended and the House agreed to the Senate amendment. This bill heads to the Governor’s desk.
HB 266 sponsored by Rep. Steven Sainz would tax exempt the retirement income benefit up to $65,000 for Georgia’s retired military personnel. The bill passed and now heads to the Governor’s desk for consideration. The Gwinnett Chamber joined a sign on letter led by the Metro Atlanta Chamber to support tax exemption for military retirement income.
HB 475 sponsored by Governor Floor Leader Matthew Gambill is an agency clean-up language bill on the state’s film tax credit. It passed in the Senate as amended and the House agreed. The bill heads to the Governor’s desk.
HB 539 sponsored by Rep. Matt Reeves would increase the existing homestead exemption on Gwinnett School property taxes to $10,000. Gwinnett County Board of Education unanimously voted to opt-out of the statewide homestead exemption. There would be a referendum before Gwinnett voters on the general primary 2026 ballot. The bill passed in the Senate and now heads to the Governor’s desk.
HB 540 sponsored by Rep. Matt Reeves would increase the homestead exemption for school taxes in Gwinnett County for healthcare workers, first responders, military, disabled veterans, and school employees. There would be a referendum before Gwinnett voters on the general primary 2026 ballot. It passed in the Senate and now heads to the Governor’s desk.
HB 579 sponsored by Rep. Matt Reeves would streamline the professional business licensing process and reduce inefficiencies. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate and now heads to the Governor’s desk for consideration.
SB 12 sponsored by Sen. Frank Ginn would require any open records request to be made to the government entity that has control over such records. It passed in the House after a committee substitute to hide communication between state agencies and lawmakers was removed. The Senate agreed to the House Substitute. The bill heads to the Governor’s desk.
SB 28 “Red Tape Rollback Act of 2025” sponsored by Sen. Greg Dolezal aims to streamline the state’s regulatory process and strengthen public and legislative oversight of any rule-making process. Among the requirements include reducing burdensome regulations on small business. It was favorably reported by substitute in the House Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight Committee but never received a vote in the House.
SB 79 “Fentanyl Eradication and Removal Act” sponsored by Sen. Russ Goodman would increase penalties for crimes and offenses relating to the possession, selling, distributing, and manufacturing of fentanyl. It passed in the House after being passed by substitute in committee. It was transmitted back to the Senate where they agreed to the House substitute. The bill heads to the Governor’s desk.
SB 82 sponsored by Sen. Clint Dixon would encourage local school boards to approve high value charter schools. It passed in the House by substitute and the Senate agreed. The bill heads to the Governor’s desk for consideration.
SB 111 “Georgia Consumer Privacy Protection Act” sponsored by Sen. John Albers would limit certain businesses from data collecting and first obtain consent for sensitive info. Excluded are entities covered by HIPAA and financial regulators. It was recommitted to the House Committee on Technology and Infrastructure Innovation. It did not pass.
SB 180 sponsored by Sen. Clint Dixon would allow apprenticeship sponsors in high demand apprenticeship programs to apply directly to apprenticeship programs with the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia, giving more access and awareness to apprentices. It passed in the House and now heads to the Governor’s desk.