2026 Legislative Update - 2/9/26

The Georgia House of Representatives returned to the Gold Dome last Monday, February 9, 2026, for Legislative Day 15. We are now more than a quarter of the way through the session, and the pace under the Gold Dome is certainly picking up as we begin zeroing in on key policy priorities. Last week, the House Appropriations Committee met midweek to pass House Bill 973, the House’s version of the Amended Fiscal Year 2026 (AFY 2026) budget, which provides state funding through the end of the current fiscal year on June 30, 2026.

House Amended Fiscal Year 2026 Budget (AFY2026) – HB 973

The House’s version of AFY 2026)budget is based on a revised revenue estimate of $42.3 billion, including $3.3 billion in surplus funds, for a total infusion of $4.5 billion—an 11.9 percent increase over the original Fiscal Year 2026 (FY 2026) budget.

HB 973 priorities:

Taxation

$850 million from the state’s undesignated surplus to fund the Homeowner Tax Relief Grant (HTRG) program, allowing for the maximum exemption on assessed home values for each qualifying homestead in the 2026 tax year.

Infrastructure investments

$1.7 billion to the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) to fund the extension and bidirectional expansion of Interstate 75 express lanes in Clayton and Henry counties, a critical congestion corridor for both freight and commuters
$85 million for the rehabilitation and replacement of rural bridges across the state. With bridge construction costs rising significantly in recent years, this funding would allow the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to prioritize repairs and replacements for bridges that are especially vital to rural Georgia’s agribusiness and timber operations

Education

$300 million in state-matching funds for the first-of-its-kind need-based DREAMS Scholarship program designed to help Georgia students and their families access postsecondary education, expanding opportunities for students who might not otherwise be able to pursue higher education.
$366 million in pay supplements of $2,000 for teachers, administrative staff, custodians, nutrition workers, school nurses and bus drivers
$43.9 million to the Department of Education (DOE) for the Quality Basic Education (QBE) midterm adjustment to reflect current enrollment numbers

Healthcare

$1 million to the Department of Veterans Services for the treatment of traumatic brain injuries and mental health conditions for veterans and active-duty military members. Our service members have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our country, and it’s crucial that we support those Georgians whether they are active-duty or veterans$17.8 million to the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce for graduate medical education expansion programs in South Georgia, which would create more than 103 new residency slots.
$4.8 million to the Department of Community Health to establish a new grant program to support the development of rural medical and dental clinics, with the goal of increasing healthcare access in underserved communities
$29.8 million to design, construct and equip a College of Optometry at Georgia Southern University, which would provide a local pathway for training the next generation of optometrists.
$2.5 million to increase funding for spinal injury services and $155,251 for portable ultrasound equipment to support the training of internal medicine residents
$20.7 million to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to establish a 40-bed forensic restoration facility at East Central Regional Hospital in Augusta, along with a historic $27 million investment to begin the design and construction of a new Georgia Regional Hospital in Atlanta. Currently, more than 750 individuals are waiting for a state hospital bed, with average wait times of 9.8 months for males and 8.8 months for females. The new Atlanta hospital would include 300 psychiatric beds, with 200 dedicated to forensic patients and 100 for adults with acute mental health needs. This $27 million investment would serve as a crucial down payment, enabling the state to immediately begin facility design once the budget is signed by the governor, while positioning the state to fund future phases.
$82.7 million to fully fund the deficit within the Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), prioritizing reunification services, assessments and specialized services for high-acuity youth.

Higher Education

$11 million to fund Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally (HOPE) scholarships at public institutions, which would provide awards to more than 100,000 students throughout the state – this brings the total FY 26 budget investment of $907 million appropriated for Hope scholarships
$9 million for the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) to develop a statewide Career Navigator System, a new digital tool that would connect students, jobseekers and employers to strengthen workforce readiness

Public Safety

$92.9 million for the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC), including $19.7 million in new funding, for safety, security and technology upgrades to detect and prevent contraband.
$32.9 million for physical, mental, dental and residential substance abuse treatment services for inmates
$220 million in undesignated surplus funds to design and construct a new 480-bed, single-celled private prison facility for low-to medium-security inmates to help alleviate projected capacity pressures as the state prison population is expected to exceed 55,000 by 2029

Economic Development

$10.9 million for the Georgia Forestry Innovation Initiative, in partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology, to help expand the timber industry into emerging markets through research, product testing and private-sector partnerships

House Passed Legislation:

HB 659 – Expands funding for medical education by including optometrists in the state’s loan repayment and financial assistance programs, placing them alongside other healthcare professionals who take part in service cancelable loan programs to serve the healthcare needs across underserved communities.

HB 985 – Extends burial eligibility to Georgia residents who served honorably in the Hmong Laotian Special Guerrilla Unit between February 28, 1961, and May 7, 1975. These soldiers fought in the CIA-backed “Secret War” in Loas during the Vietnam era, carrying out dangerous covert missions, rescuing American pilots and protecting U.S. interests in Southeast Asia—efforts that are credited with saving roughly 50,000 American lives. My colleagues and I were honored to welcome several Hmong veterans to the House Chamber this week, where they were recognized alongside the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Veterans Services and representatives of the Veterans of Foreign Wars for their dedicated service. HB 985 expands on House Bill 53, legislation passed during the 2025 legislative session and later signed into law, which updated eligibility for burial in Georgia veterans cemeteries to include certain members of the Reserves and National Guard, including those who died during service. In addition to honoring members of the Hmong Laotian Special Guerrilla Unit, HB 985 would further update state policy with federal standards outlined in HB 53 by redefining a “full term of service” to include individuals who served in the U.S. armed forces or, if conscripted, served at least 24 consecutive months, ensuring these veterans receive dignity in death and reflecting their ultimate sacrifice.

HB 350 – Updates Georgia’s Safe Place for Newborns Act. This legislation would allow fire stations, medical facilities, police stations and ambulance services to implement newborn safety devices for use by mothers who need to safely surrender their newborns.

HB 946 – Allows hunters to trap feral hogs on private property without a hunting or trapping license, provided that the hogs are killed upon capture. The bill would also update current law to permit the use of unmanned aircraft systems, such as drones, to locate feral hogs on private property for this purpose. The feral hog population is an invasive species that causes significant damage to agriculture and native wildlife, with estimated losses to Georgia farms totaling approximately $150 million annually.

HB 945 – Protects elders from financial exploitation – this legislation is part of the Department of Banking and Finance’s annual housekeeping bill and would provide definitions and revise statute to give financial institutions the discretion to place holds on individual transactions of elderly or disabled adults for up to 15 days if the financial institution believes the transaction may be tied to financial exploitation of these individuals. Additionally, the bill would require virtual currency kiosk operators to disclose in clear writing that virtual currency is not backed or insured by the government, that losses due to fraudulent or accidental transactions may not be recoverable, that virtual currency volatility and unpredictability may result in significant losses and that transactions are irreversible;

HB 999 – Clarifies costs collected in court-connected alternative dispute resolution programs are in addition to fees and costs collected by magistrate courts. The bill would also clarify that legislation passed in 2026 for the nonpartisan election of magistrates would go into effect in 2027 regardless of whether a constitutional amendment related to the nonpartisan election of probate judges is ratified prior to 2027.

Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026

Later in the week, my House colleagues and I joined Speaker Jon Burns for a bipartisan press conference to introduce House Bill 1193, the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026. The bill would take a statewide approach to early literacy, providing QBE funding for school-based literacy coaches in every public school serving kindergarten through third grade, supported by regional and leadership coaches. HB 1193 would also provide free, curriculum-based professional learning for K–3 teachers and literacy coaches, ensure high-quality instructional materials aligned with the science of reading and establish the Georgia Literacy Task Force to guide assessments and instruction. Recognizing that learning to read is the foundation for all future learning, this legislation reflects the House’s ongoing commitment to providing every resource necessary to make literacy a top priority.

State of the Judiciary

Chief Justice Nels S.D. Peterson emphasized that Georgia’s judiciary is strong, highlighting that the rule of law depends on judges following the law impartially and independently. In his remarks, the chief justice encouraged the General Assembly to adopt House Resolution 251, a constitutional amendment that would end the partisan election of probate judges. He noted that HR 251 builds on similar legislation that the General Assembly passed last session—House Bill 426, which ended the partisan election of magistrate judges—and emphasized that HR 251 would be a decisive step toward ensuring that all elected judges in Georgia are chosen on a nonpartisan basis.

Additionally, he highlighted the Supreme Court of Georgia’s Court Improvement Program, which, in partnership with DFCS, is piloting a new model designed to reduce the time between removal and reunification for children in foster care. The chief justice noted that juvenile courts in select counties are also serving as pilot sites for Georgia THRIVE, a multi-year initiative aimed at addressing the needs of children under the age of three who enter the juvenile court system. The chief justice went on to discuss two important study committees that recently concluded their work: the Judicial Council Ad Hoc Committee on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Courts, which examined both the risks and opportunities AI presents to the judicial system, including concerns about AI-generated false recordings and images; and the Supreme Court Study Committee on Legal Regulatory Reform, which recommended that the Court consider a pilot project to allow trained nonlawyers to perform certain limited legal tasks. Finally, he addressed the growing national concern over threats against judges, noting that efforts are underway to track threats against Georgia judges to ensure that they can continue to do their jobs safely.

Rep. Stan Gunter pictured below greeting Georgia Court of Appeals Judges – Elizabeth Gobeil and Stephen Dillard.

I encourage you to reach out with any questions or concerns about the bills currently under consideration. You are welcome to schedule a phone call or a visit to the State Capitol to discuss matters that are important to you and our community. You can reach me at 404-656-5125 and via email at stan.gunter@house.ga.gov.

As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative.

Respectfully,

Stan Gunter

Representative of Georgia’s 8th District

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