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Twelfth legislative day - Wednesday, February 4, 2026

The House and Senate briefly met this morning but adjourned to hear Supreme Court of Georgia Chief Justice Nels S.D. Peterson give the annual State of the Judiciary address.

Senate votes to cap property taxes

The Georgia state Senate approved a bill, SB 382, to limit residential property increases to no more than the rate of inflation. Public schools rely heavily on property taxes. School systems can recoup some of the lost revenue through a one-cent sales tax.

Earlier in the session, House leaders called for the complete elimination of residential property taxes by 2032. Senate leaders are also advocating for an end to the state personal income taxes, which is the source of funding for 42% of the state budget.

The House Appropriations Committee passed the amended 2025-2026 budget out of committee this morning. The committee's budget does away with Gov. Brian Kemp's proposal to cut income taxes by $1.2 billion, preferring to cut property taxes by $850 million.

House Republicans introduce "Georgia
Families First Legislative Initiative"

EXPANDS PAID PARENTAL LEAVE FOR FULL-TIME, STATE-EMPLOYEE MOTHERS

At a news conference today, House Speaker Jon Burns and Speaker Pro-Tempore Jan Jones announced several measures, two in particular of interest to GAE members. HB 1118, that would increase the amount of paid parental leave for full-time, state-employee birth mothers (including educators) from six to nine weeks. HB 1123, if enacted, would require public schools that offer after-school programs and that have Georgia Pre-K programs include Pre-K students in the after-school programs.

Burns and Jones also pledged $8.9 million to expand the Department of Public Health's Home Visiting Nurse Program to expectant and new birth mothers from 75 counties to 154 counties and $9.7 million to fully fund before-school, after-school, and holiday-care for low-income and priority eligible Georgia pre-K students.

House Education Committee meets Thursday

The full House Education Committee will meet Thursday to consider five bills that passed out of subcomittees earlier this week. The bills are:

HB 383, the "Georgia High School NIL Protection Act," which would set new rules and regulations for high school athletes receiving Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation.

HB 907 concerns "completion schools," once known as "alternative schools." The bill would require greater cooperation between the resident school and the completion school.

HB 971 would allow home-schooled and private school students to enroll in college and career academies located in certain RESA service areas and adjacent local school systems.

HB 1009 requires school systems to adopt policies to prevent high school students from using their cell phones during school day, effective for the 2027-2028 school year.

HB 1023 requires weapon detection systems in schools with multiple entrances. The bill proposes an exemption for "any point of entry to such buildings that remain locked, are equipped with alarms, and are not intended for student use or are intended for student use only on an emergency basis." Some school districts have expressed concern over the costs of implementation.

GAE DAY at the Capitol in 30 Days!

The next Legislative Alert will be Thursday, February 5

100 Crescent Center Pkwy, Suite 500 | Tucker, GA 30084 US

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