2026 Legislative Session: Week 12 Review from Rep. Bruce Williamson

Dear Friends,
The 2026 Legislative Session is complete! What a great session it has been! House Republicans aimed to address multiple priorities, including income tax relief, early childhood literacy, insurance reform, support for public safety, and more.

Fiscal Year 2027 Budget

The General Assembly passed a balanced budget, its only constitutional duty. The FY 2027 budget is set by a revenue estimate of $38.5 billion, an increase of $738 million (1.95%) over the FY 2026 budget.
This budget includes:
$100 million to support a statewide literacy initiative to improve reading outcomes for students in K through 3rd grade.
$70.4 million for statewide elementary school-based literacy coaches.
$4 million to strengthen student mental health.
$9.7 million to expand access to Pre-K programs.
$100 million to give state retired employees a cost-of-living adjustment.
$11.2 million to increase graduate medical education opportunities for medical students.
$3.7 million to expand the Department of Public Health’s maternal home visiting program to an additional 33 counties.
$13.6 million for local infrastructure projects across the state.

Income & Property Tax Relief

Income Tax Relief, HB 463, received final passage and would deliver significant tax relief to Georgians by gradually reducing the state’s individual income tax rate from 4.99 percent to 3.99 percent over time. The bill would also increase the personal exemption for dependents from $4,000 to $6,000, raise the standard deduction from $24,000 to $36,000 for married couples and from $12,000 to $18,000 for single filers, and increase the income exclusion for retirees aged 65 and older from $65,000 to $70,000 per eligible taxpayer. Additionally, HB 463 would exempt the first $1,750 of income earned on tips and the first $1,750 of income earned on overtime, allowing Georgians to keep more of what they earn, while maintaining the state’s long-term fiscal stability.”

Property Tax Relief, SB 33, will establish the Local Homestead Option Sales Tax (LHOST) to shift a portion of the tax burden from property taxes to a locally controlled sales tax. The bill also aims to streamline how local governments use collected tax revenue, ensure school tax calculations accurately reflect homestead exemptions, and strengthen protections for taxpayers by preventing retroactive tax bills when exemptions are granted in error. Overall, this measure is designed to provide meaningful tax relief while preserving essential local services.

Education

Dream Scholarship Act, SB 556. This legislation will establish Georgia’s first needs-based scholarship program for Georgia students.

Georgia Early Literacy Act, HB 1193. This legislation will improve literacy rates throughout Georgia by providing for literacy coaches in every public school to ensure that every student is reading at grade level by the 3rd grade. This bill also provides the tools for teachers to apply the science of reading into instructional materials. This legislation also establishes the Georgia Literacy Task Force within the Office of Student Achievement. This task force will be selecting the high-quality instructional materials.

Education Omnibus, HB 1396. This bill incorporates several bills into one, SB 425, HB 114, HB 1269, SB 498, and HB 971. This omnibus includes the teaching of cursive writing, establishes age-appropriate digital literacy courses throughout all grades and financial literacy courses for high school students, and establishes security measures for weapons detection at schools. This bill also includes clean-up language from Ricky and Alyssa’s law from last year, which provides for a mobile panic alert system to connect emergency services with schools in the event of an emergency.

Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act, HB 1344

From Speaker Burns press release:
ATLANTA – Today, House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) applauded the final passage of a priority for the 2026 Legislative Session, House Bill 1344, the Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act. HB 1344 was drafted based on the findings and recommendations of the House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Insurance Rates appointed by Speaker Jon Burns and chaired by Rep. Matt Reeves (R-Duluth).

“Georgia’s families, homeowners, drivers and businesses depend on their insurers to help them face life’s most difficult moments with confidence and security,” said House Speaker Jon Burns. “The passage of the Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act is a direct reflection of the Georgia House’s unwavering commitment to making life more affordable and insurance more accessible for the citizens of our great state.”
HB 1344 aims to address insurance costs by:
●      Increasing around 40 fines on insurance companies when laws or insurance policy provisions are violated during the insurance claim process
●      Enforcing uninsured motorist laws
●      Cracking down on insurance fraud
●      Improving storm claim processing
●      Enhancing the Fortified Homes program to help Georgians protect their homes from storm damage
●      Requiring local governments to report how their premium tax revenue is used to lower citizens’ insurance premiums
●      Limiting premium tax refund requests to three years
●      Restricting how insurance companies can use aerial imaging
●      Ensuring that at least two years are allowed to make property and casualty claims
●      Enacting provisions concerning short-term rental insurance policies

“The Insurance Affordability Act will make insurance more affordable for every hardworking Georgian across the state by making claims processing faster, fairer and more transparent. Georgia is leading the nation in addressing insurance affordability, and we look forward to delivering this critical relief when it’s needed most,” said Rep. Matt Reeves.The full text of HB 1344 can be found at the following link:https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73286

Other Bills that received Final Passage

SB 587, Animal Cruelty Database Registry, establishes a database of individuals convicted of animal cruelty to prevent them from adopting more animals.

SB 431 will ensure that foster care students are enrolled in school within a specified timeframe to promote timely school enrollment.

SB 23, Employees Retirement System of Georgia, this bill will enable the system to expand its investment opportunities to bring more money into the system to pay our state retirees.

SB 591 will prohibit the disruption of a religious service and set penalties for those who do so.

HB 328, School Choice, an increase in the SSO Student Scholarship program. This bill increases the number of tax credits available for these programs.

SB 515, Grants for Education. This bill expands the teacher recruitment and retention tax credit program to increase the number of teachers eligible to participate.

SB 402 creates a pilot program to screen foster children for autism and ensure proper placement. This bill incorporates similar language from HB 943.

SB 406 Georgia Property Owners Bill of Rights Act. This bill requires the registration of homeowners associations with the Secretary of State. It provides a system for aggrieved homeowners to submit complaints and limits the powers of the HOA.

SB 111, the Georgia Consumer Privacy Protection Act, establishes practices to protect the privacy of consumers’ personal data in our state. It also merges HB 662. This bill provides a tax credit to establish free-standing hospitals in rural areas.

SB 552, the True Patriotism and Universal Student Access (TPUSA) Act, aims to ensure that public schools offer equal access to clubs and organizations involved in political or philosophical expression. Its goal is to prevent discrimination based on the content of student speech.

SB 143, the Georgia Firefighters’ Pension Fund, will boost the firefighter workforce pipeline by allowing firefighters to retire at 55, collect a pension, and still choose to stay employed and receive that paycheck.

HB 1112, the Penny Bill, this bill will provide for rounding the total price of sales of goods and services due to the elimination of the penny.

HB 1275, Stem Cell Medical Treatments, will ensure that stem cell therapies are used to advance medical treatments and improve patient outcomes in an ethical manner that does not involve stem cells derived from aborted fetuses.

HB 659 establishes a student loan program for optometrists.

HB 1161 establishes the proper operation of a motor vehicle when approached by an emergency vehicle or law enforcement for the purpose of a traffic stop. This bill also provides penalties for fleeing or attempting to elude a pursuing vehicle or law enforcement officer while performing their duties.

House Bill 651, automated traffic enforcement safety devices would be exempt from regulation by the Department of Public Safety (DPS) and would instead be overseen by the Department of Transportation, including through the approval and issuance of permits for use of such devices by local governments. The devices would be required to include lights that flash yellow when authorized to issue citations. Beginning July 1, 2027, citations could only be issued when the speed of a motor vehicle exceeds the posted speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour, within an hour before and an hour after the school’s starting and dismissal times. Specifically, DPS would be authorized to issue a $2,500 fine for a first violation and $5,000 for a second violation to local governments or law enforcement agencies in violation of this chapter, and upon a third violation, DPS could suspend or revoke a local government’s device permit. Additionally, HB 651 would make several changes aimed at ensuring fairness and transparency in the use of automated traffic enforcement devices, including reducing the electronic processing fee for civil monetary penalties from $25 to $10 and requiring that citation notifications mailed to motorists prominently display the name and seal or logo of the governing body. Local governments would be prohibited from adding additional taxes or fees to these penalties or using the funds to pay law enforcement salaries. Contracts for such devices would require approval by local referendum every six years, giving communities a direct voice in whether these contracts continue. If a referendum is rejected, the question could not be resubmitted for three years. HB 651 would strengthen safety in school zones, while ensuring accountability, transparency and local control in the use of automated enforcement devices.

SB 458, the Home Inspectors Licensing Act of Georgia, will require home inspectors to receive a license to do business, thereby ensuring consumer protection.

HB 1238 addresses the growing problem of children being abandoned at hospitals and mental facilities. These facilities may contact the MATCH program, which will attempt to engage with family and legal guardians to identify service provider recommendations to meet the needs of the children as identified by the clinicians.

SB 411, the Georgia Community Health Act, which encompasses HB 291 and HB 662. The title of this bill says it’s to license dry-needling, but that language has been stripped. This bill now establishes the Georgia Community Health Worker Certification Committee to facilitate in-home maternal health care visits, among other provisions.

HB 52, Veteran Spouse Homestead Exemption, extends the homestead tax exemptions to unremarried surviving spouses of disabled veterans or their minor children. It covers any future homesteads, as families often relocate following a tragedy. The bill also allows a tax exemption equal to the greater of $32,500 or the maximum amount that may be granted to a disabled veteran.