Education and School Safety:
As such, a large portion of HB 68 would support a statewide literacy initiative aimed at improving reading outcomes for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, recognizing that reading proficiency by the end of third grade is central to future academic success and beyond. Therefore, the House’s version of the FY 2026 budget appropriates $22.7 million $10 million of which includes new funding to support the recommendations of the Georgia Council on Literacy. HB 68 appropriates $18.5 million for 116 Regional Education Service Agencies (RESA) based literacy coaches, providing individualized teacher support to ensure that structured literacy and the science of reading would be implemented effectively.
Additionally, HB 68 allots $2 million for a free universal reading screener that would be available to all school systems as a result of the efforts outlined in House Bill 538, the Georgia Early Literacy Act, which Governor Brian Kemp signed into law in 2023. The House’s version of the FY 2026 budget also includes funding for a state-level coaching coordinator position that would support competency-based research and training for literacy coaches and educators. In addition to investing in literacy initiatives, HB 68 also demonstrates the House’s commitment to school safety, proposing a $25 million investment that would cover the first-year costs of the statewide School and Student Safety (S3) Database, a new tool that would collect and investigate school-based threats across state and local law enforcement agencies. This proposal would also support Behavioral Threat Assessment Management (BTAM) teams, which would address identified threats and enhance overall school safety. Additionally, HB 68 would once again fully fund the Quality Basic Education (QBE) program with a record $14.7 billion in state funds for K-12 education.
Technology:
In the Technology and Career Education program, the House’s version of the FY 2026 budget appropriates $1.25 million for high-demand equipment grants that would support new and expanding career and technical education labs, including grants for heavy equipment simulators.
While education funding is a substantial part of HB 68, the House’s version of the FY
2026 budget also prioritizes funding aimed at enhancing Georgia’s courts, correctional systems and public safety sectors. The House’s FY 2026 budget provides $1.6 million to the Council of Accountability Court Judges that would increase participation in accountability courts. This funding would enable an additional 843 Georgians to receive treatment and services for mental health and drug addiction, which offers an alternative to incarceration. Furthermore, since FY 2021, the Georgia General Assembly has made significant investments in Georgia’s correctional officers and juvenile correctional officers, recognizing their critical role in maintaining safety and security within the state’s correctional facilities.
This funding has resulted in a 63.9 percent salary increase for these dedicated public servants, with an additional four percent pay raise that is included in FY 2026; this would amount to $13.5 million for the Department of Corrections and $3.1 million for the Department of Juvenile Justice.
The House’s version of the FY 2026 budget also includes a $250 million increase for the Department of Corrections, with $45 million allocated to hire more than 700 new correctional officers, which would improve inmate-to-staff ratios, underscoring the state’s continued support for the hard work and sacrifices of correctional officers who play an essential role in Georgia’s justice system.
Public Safety:
The House is also working to address homelessness in our state, and this budget includes funding to aid in that effort. The House’s version of the FY 2026 budget allocates $6 million for homelessness initiatives, with an additional $4 million designated to leverage federal funding for the State Housing Trust Fund for the Homeless.
Health:
HB 68 also makes significant investments in maternal health as the House continues its work to improve healthcare outcomes for women across Georgia. More than $9 million in new funding is included in HB 68 to address maternal health needs, and $5 million is dedicated to expanding and sustaining labor and delivery services in rural areas of the state. Providing access to maternal healthcare in rural Georgia is paramount, as many rural communities across the state face significant healthcare shortages and barriers to maternal care. This funding would help build the necessary infrastructure to provide high-quality care to mothers in underserved communities. Additionally, HB 68 includes $1.2 million for the Department of Public Health’s Office of Cardiac Care that would be used to provide grants to hospitals to enhance cardiac care, as cardiac complications remain a leading cause of maternal mortality. To further improve maternal healthcare outcomes, $700,000 is set aside to support quality improvements at birthing facilities that would assist in increasing the number of facilities that meet verified maternal and neonatal care standards.
HB 68 is now awaiting consideration and action by the Senate, where it will undergo a similar committee review process. We expect that the Senate may make changes to the House’s version, which would lead to the appointment of a conference committee to reconcile any differences between the two versions. Once a final version is agreed upon and passed in both chambers, HB 68 will be sent to the governor’s desk for approval and signature into law.
Agriculture:
Senate Bill 144, which would allow pesticides registered with the Department of Agriculture commissioner that displays a label approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or is consistent with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act human health risk assessment to be considered a sufficient warning of health risk. Provisions regarding this new subsection would not be applicable when the EPA has discovered that a manufacturer has knowingly withheld, misrepresented, concealed or destroyed certain health risks to obtain EPA approval.
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