After the winter storm descended upon Georgia, lawmakers convened for a pro forma session on Monday with no legislative business. Tuesday was Gwinnett Chamber Day at the Capitol as the General Assembly welcomed Gwinnett’s business leaders to the State Capitol. Attendees met with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley, and Attorney General Chris Carr. HR 1069 and SR 606 were sponsored by Representative Matt Reeves and Senator Shawn Still, respectively, to officially recognize January 27, 2026 as Gwinnett Chamber Day.
With all the discussions surrounding income and property tax relief, the much-anticipated house bill to address property tax was introduced this week. HB 1116, sponsored by Representative Shaw Blackmon, would exempt homesteads from local property taxes by 2032. Local governments and school systems would be allowed to levy or repurpose sales taxes to cover the difference. The companion bill, HR 1114, would create a statewide ballot referendum. The resolution will require two-thirds majority vote from both chambers. This is a legislative priority of Speaker Jon Burns.
SB 382, sponsored by Senator Chuck Hufstetler, which was introduced last session, was approved by the Senate Finance Committee. The bill would mandate the statewide base-year homestead exemption for all local governments and streamline the process for calling a referendum on special district option sales and use tax. This bill is a Senate Majority Caucus priority for the 2026 Legislative Session.
Lawmakers will return to the Capitol next week for Legislative Days 10 through 14.
Bills to Watch
HB 1000, sponsored by Governor’s Floor Leader Matthew Gambill, would provide a one-time tax credit for Georgia taxpayers who filed state tax returns for tax years 2024 and 2025. The bill has been assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee.
HB 1001, sponsored by Governor’s Floor Leader Will Wade, would reduce the state personal and corporate income tax from 5.19 percent to 4.99 percent for 2026. The bill has been assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee.
HB 1009, sponsored by Rep. Scott Hilton, would ban the use of cell phones and other personal electronic devices to public high school students. The bill has been assigned to the House Education Committee. Last year, Governor Kemp signed into law Rep. Hilton’s bill that banned cell phone use to public elementary and middle school students.
HB 1012, sponsored by Rep. Ruwa Romman, would place a statewide moratorium on the construction of new data centers until March 2027. The bill has been assigned to the House Governmental Affairs Committee.
HB 1023, sponsored by House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, would require local boards of education and other public school governing bodies to utilize weapon detection systems. The bill has been assigned to the House Education Committee.
HB 1057, sponsored by Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick, would add an eight State Court Judge in Gwinnett County to help meet the demands of backlog cases.
HB 1078, sponsored by Rep. Scott Hilton, would require periodic review and automatic sunset of state agency rules, and require agencies to justify why each regulation remains necessary. The bill has been assigned to the House Governmental Affairs Committee.
HB 1115, sponsored by Rep. Derrick McCollum, would limit institutional investor’s ownership of single family residences to 2,000.
SB 410, sponsored by Sen. Matt Brass, would repeal the tax exemption for new data centers, but the 2032 sunset date would remain in place for data centers under contract. The bill has been assigned to the Senate Finance Committee. There have been several data center bills that have been introduced in the House and Senate.
SB 427, sponsored by Sen. Ben Watson, seeks to address Georgia’s shortage of healthcare workers by creating a process for limited provisional licenses and a pathway to full medical licensure for certain internationally trained physicians. The bill has been assigned to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
SB 439, sponsored by Senate Majority Caucus Chair Shawn Still, would regulate referral agencies for assisted living communities and personal care homes.
