UNDER THE GOLD DOME

LEGISLATIVE WEEK 9

PASSAGE OF THE BUDGET

This week, the House returned to the Gold Dome on Monday, March 9, following a long legislative day on Friday that stretched into the early hours of Saturday morning. By the end of the week, the Georgia General Assembly reached Legislative Day 31, meaning that only nine legislative days remain in the 2026 legislative session. Following a very busy Crossover Day, the House turned its attention to reviewing Senate bills that our counterparts passed out of their chamber, with some of those measures reaching the House floor for a vote. As we move closer to Sine Die on April 2, my House colleagues and I have continued working diligently during this ninth week of the legislative session to pass several measures, most importantly the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY 2027) budget.

OUR BUDGET PRIORITIES

My colleagues and I hit a major milestone in our legislative work this week with the bipartisan passage of the FY 2027 budget. Passing a balanced budget is the General Assembly’s sole constitutional responsibility, and the FY 2027 budget appropriates funding for state operations for the upcoming fiscal year, beginning July 1, 2026. House Bill 974, the House’s version of the FY 2027 budget, is set by a revenue estimate of $38.5 billion, an increase of $738 million, or 1.95 percent, over the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY 2026) budget. HB 974 makes significant investments in education, including fully funding the Quality Basic Education (QBE) program at a total of $14.9 billion in state funds, providing $5.5 million for the Special Needs Scholarship and allocating more than $60 million to a statewide literacy initiative. The House’s version of the FY 2027 budget also addresses key areas such as Medicaid, providing funding for the state’s correctional system, fully funding the state’s pension obligations, supporting economic development and continuing to make noteworthy investments for Georgia’s transportation needs. 

EDUCATION UPDATE

PRIORITIZING EDUCATION

Education represents the largest area of state spending each year, and the House’s version of the FY 2027 budget reflects this priority through targeted investments, particularly in early education. A central focus in our budget is early childhood literacy, with appropriations that would go toward implementing K-3 literacy coaches in Georgia schools—an approach supported by research showing that reading proficiency by the end of third grade is strongly linked to future academic achievement and life success. To advance this goal, the House’s version of the FY 2027 budget includes more than $60 million to support a statewide literacy initiative aimed at improving reading outcomes for students in kindergarten through third grade. This includes $31.2 million in newly appropriated QBE funds to provide school systems with the resources needed to implement elementary-based literacy coaches in schools across the state. The remaining funds needed to support the newly hired coaches will be distributed to school systems through the amended budget. The House’s version of the FY 2027 budget also includes $18.4 million to repurpose Regional Education Service Agencies (RESA)-based literacy coaches. Together, these investments support the implementation and objectives of House Bill 1193, the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026, passed by the House earlier this legislative session. 

SPONSORED LEGISLATION

Because the Georgia General Assembly operates on a two year cycle, bills introduced last year are still "alive" during this second year of the biennium. You can click on the red text of the bill number to read the text of each bill.

HOUSE BILL 372 -- This bill will allow teachers who have attained 30 years of creditable service to return to the classroom after certain qualifications have been met. This will allow school districts to ensure that quality teachers are in our classrooms. This program is already in place in Georgia, but it ends this June. HB 372 will ensure this program continues. This bill PASSED THE HOUSE unanimously. It was heard in the Senate Retirement Committee, but no vote was taken on the bill.

HOUSE BILL 487 --This bill will require that computer science become a graduation requirement beginning in 2031. At the end of last session this bill was merged with SB 179 sponsored by Senator Clint Dixon, and is now listed under that bill number. The Senate added another amendment, and therefore this bill will have to return to the House for us to agree to it.

HOUSE BILL 1181 -- This bill will cut red tape in the titling process when a family member inherits an an automobile. HB 1181 PASSED THE HOUSE. This bill was heard in the Senate Public Safety Committee, and passed out of that committee unanimously.

HOUSE BILL 1220 -- This bill allows military students and students with IEPs, 504 plans, and other disabilities to waive some requirements for student scholarship organizations. HB 1220 PASSED THE HOUSE, and it has been put into the Senate Education Committee.

HOUSE BILL 1325 -- This bill would require local boards of education to provide both parents and teachers opportunities to be involved in developing and updating student codes of conduct. This bill was not picked up in committee.

HOUSE BILL 1429 -- This bill would require juvenile court judges to collect and report data on monetary sanctions assessed to juvenile offenders. This bill passed out of the Judiciary Juvenile Committee, but did not receive final passage in the House before Crossover.

HOUSE RESOLUTION 1529 -- This resolution proposes the formation of a House study committee that will examine the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) that measures school district performance. This resolution passed the House Special Rules Committee unanimously.

HOUSE PAGE PROGRAM

If your child is between the ages of 12 and 18 and would like to come participate in a House floor session, I would love to have them work with me one day as a House Page. They will see the inner workings of our governmental process, meet students from across the state, participate in a tour of the Capitol, and have fun! Their day at the Capitol will not be counted as a school absence. Please reach out to my administrative assistant at the link below to arrange this special day for your child. I can't wait to meet them!

LINKS AND INFORMATION

You can click the link below for our website and watch all our floor session days and committee meetings on livestream. If you want to catch up with previous years, all the meetings and floor sessions can be found in our archives. I look forward to continuing to represent your families, and I encourage you to contact me if you need assistance.