The General Assembly returned this week for two full committee work days and legislative days 26 through 28. Crossover Day was Friday, March 6, the last day a bill must pass out of either chamber to still be considered. Governor Brian Kemp signed HB 973, the Amended Fiscal Year 2026 budget into law this week.
Lawmakers will return to the Capitol next week for a Committee Work Day and Legislative Days 29 through 31.
Qualifying week concluded last week for the 2026 election cycle. In Gwinnett, County Commissioners Ben Ku and Matthew Holtkamp will be up for re-election. Commissioner Holtkamp drew a republican challenger in the May primary. In the nonpartisan elections for Gwinnett School Board, both incumbents drew challengers.
Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners
District 2
Ben Ku, D (i)
Rodolfo Ochoa, R
District 4
Arefeen Chowdhury, R
Benjamin Culberson, D
Matthew Holtkamp, R (i)
Gwinnett County Board of Education
District 2
Chelsea Hutchings
Steve Knudsen (i)
District 4
Dr. Adrienne Simmons (i)
Camille Roberts Christopher
Bills to Watch
Economic Development & Business Climate
HB 812, sponsored by Small Business Development Chairman Mike Cheokas, would offer more efficiency and transparency in building permit applications and review processes. Did not cross over.
HB 880, sponsored by House Ways and Means Chairman Shaw Blackmon, would, under certain conditions, incrementally reduce the state income tax rate each year to until it reaches 3.99 percent, the individual standard deduction to $18,000, and dependent deduction to $6,000. It also increases the senior exemption to $70,000. Crossed over.
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. Crossed over.
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. Crossed over.
HB 1063, sponsored by House Special Committee on Resource Management Chairman Brad Thomas, would require electric utility companies to not pass on data center construction and operation costs to residential and retail customers. Crossed over.
HB 1074, sponsored by Rep. Matt Reeves, would provide a homestead exemption from City of Suwanee ad valorem taxes in the amount of $15,000 if city residents vote to approve in the November elections. It was adopted through the local consent calendars in the House and Senate.
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. Did not cross over.
HB 1116, sponsored by House Ways and Means Chairman Shaw Blackmon, originally would have exempted 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. On Crossover Day, the House substitute version changed the bill to cap property tax increase to three percent or the rate of inflation max. It would also limit local governments from imposing sales tax to five percent but could utilize sales tax revenue to offset property tax. The bill passed out of the House on Crossover Day. HR 1114, would have created a statewide ballot referendum. The resolution requires two-thirds majority vote from both chambers. The House voted on HR 1114 on Tuesday but it did not receive the two thirds required vote.
HB 1185, sponsored by House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, would require certain shareholder-related business disputes to be filed in the Georgia State-wide Business Court. Crossed over.
HB 1228, sponsored by Rep. Derrick McCollum, would tax single family rental properties at 100% of the home’s assessment. It requires a constitutional amendment. Did not cross over.
HB 1274, sponsored by Rep. Matt Reeves, would require insurance companies to file for rate decreases if they exceed anticipated profits for 3 consecutive years by 5% or more. Crossed over.
HB 1344, sponsored by Rep. Matt Reeves, would strengthen the enforcement authority of the Commissioner of Insurance and clarifies regulations on insurance, insurance fraud, uninsured motorists, excluded drivers, premium tax, insurance rates, claims processing, and uninsured or unregistered motor vehicles. It also partners the Insurance Commissioner and Economic Development Commissioner to work together to recruit and retain insurance company headquarters in Georgia. The Blue Ribbon Study Committee on Insurance Rates held several hearings last year, including one at the Gwinnett Chamber in December. Crossed over.
HR 1243, sponsored by House Higher Education Chairman Chuck Martin, would establish the Georgia Next Generation 9-1-1 Fund to help pay exclusively for the expansion, maintenance, and operation of 9-1-1 systems throughout the state, including the transition to Next Generation 9-1-1. It would require two-thirds support in both the House and Senate and then appear as a statewide ballot measure in November. Crossed over.
SB 382, sponsored by Senator Chuck Hufstetler, 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. Crossed over.
SB 410, sponsored by Sen. Matt Brass, would sunset the tax exemption for new data centers by 2031 and the tax exemption for high-technology data equipment by 2028. It would prohibit the issuance of new certificate of exemption upon the date of bill’s signing. Crossed over.
SB 437, sponsored by Senate Majority Caucus Vice Chair Clint Dixon, would allow applicants for building, plumbing or electrical plan reviews to use a private professional provider to conduct them and have that work recognized in place of review by a city or county. It also shortens the timeframe for plan and inspection reviews to 10 days and eliminates or reduces certain fees. The bill passed in the Senate this week. Crossed over.
SB 447, sponsored by Senate Majority Caucus Vice Chair Clint Dixon, would ensure permit applicants receive clear and timely reasons when their permits are denied. The bill also revises how counties and municipalities may accept, reject or deny permit applications. The bill passed in the Senate this week. Crossed over.
SB 476, sponsored by Senate Appropriations Chairman Blake Tillery, would exempt income tax for individuals making $50,000 or less and households making up to $100,000. It makes up the revenue loss by eliminating 29 economic development tax credits/exemptions, including the sales and use tax exemption on high-technology data center equipment. The bill is assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee. Crossed over.
SB 477, sponsored by Appropriations Chairman Blake Tillery, would reduce the state income tax rate to 3.99 percent by 2028 under certain state revenue conditions. The bill is assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee. Crossed over.
SB 553, sponsored by Floor Leader Bo Hatchett, would codify objective licensing requirements to streamline licensing process for the State’s Construction Industry Licensing Board’s five divisions. This includes electrical contractors, plumbers, conditioned air contractors, low voltage contractors, and utility contractors. Crossed over.
Transportation & Infrastructure
HB 1115, sponsored by Rep. Derrick McCollum, would limit institutional investor’s ownership of single family residences to 2,000. Did not cross over.
HB 1377, sponsored by House Retirement Committee Chairman John Carson, would prevent a county from calling a transit referendum for eight years upon a failed ballot referendum. Did not cross over.
SB 463, sponsored by Senator Greg Dolezal, would prohibit business enterprises from owning more than 500 single-family residential properties but excludes build-to-rent companies. It also bans foreign investors from purchasing single family homes for rental. Crossed over.
Education & Workforce
HB 372, sponsored by Rep. Bethany Ballard, would allow certain retired K-12 public educators to return as a teacher to help fill educational workforce needs. Crossed over.
HB 1009, sponsored by Rep. Scott Hilton, would ban the use of cell phones and other personal electronic devices to public high school students. Last year, Governor Kemp signed into law Rep. Hilton’s bill that banned cell phone use to public elementary and middle school students. Crossed over.
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. Crossed over.
HB 1030, sponsored by Rep. Sandy Donatucci, is also known as Math Matters Act. The bill aims to improve math proficiency, training, and instruction. Crossed over.
HB 1193, sponsored by House Education Chairman Chris Erwin, would require all children to attend kindergarten, places a dedicated literacy coach in every elementary school, and establish the Georgia Literacy Coordinating Committee to oversee statewide literacy programs. Crossed over.
HB 1254, sponsored by Rep. Matt Reeves, would Professions and businesses; move regulation of various professions from individual boards to Secretary of State. Crossed over.
HB 1302, known as the Education and Workforce Strategy Act, is sponsored by Floor Leader Matthew Gambill and would designate the Governor’s office of Student Achievement as the lead coordinator among Georgia’s existing state education agencies and boards to prepare a combined Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Plan and Perkins State Plan. Crossed over.
SB 515, sponsored by Senate Education and Youth Committee Chairman Billy Hickman, would increase the maximum number of participating teachers in the teacher recruitment and retention tax credit program and only applies to teachers in the lowest 25 percent performing schools teaching certain classes including Math, Special Education, Career and Technical, English and Language Arts. Crossed over.
Healthcare
HB 1110, sponsored by Rep. Scott Hilton, would create a tax credit for certain employers that offer individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements to employees. Did not cross over.
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. Crossed over.
SB 439, sponsored by Senate Majority Caucus Chair Shawn Still, would require referral agencies for assisted living communities and personal care homes to disclose referral fees to customers. Crossed over.
Arts, Tourism & Entertainment
HB 1077, sponsored by House Banks & Banking Chairman Noel Williams, Jr., would extend the sunset date for sales and use tax exemption for ticket sales in certain museums and fine arts performances or exhibitions at nonprofit facilities. Crossed over.
Policy
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. It passed through Local Consent Calendar vote and was read and referred in the Senate.
HR 251, sponsored by Representative Kimberly New, would propose a statewide constitutional amendment to change all probate judge elections to nonpartisan. This bill was introduced last year and passed by the Judiciary Committee before being recommitted. The bill is assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
SB 457, sponsored by Senate Majority Caucus Vice Chair Clint Dixon, would stagger the City of Mulberry councilmembers’ elections and terms of office, with Districts 1, 3, and 5 serving through 2031 and Districts 2 and 4 serving through 2029. It passed through the local consent calendar in the Senate.
