2026 Legislative Update: Four Weeks Into The Session

On Monday, February 2, 2026, my colleagues and I returned to the Georgia State Capitol for the fourth week of the legislative session. The first three weeks of the session included Governor Kemp’s State of the State followed by a week of budget hearings in preparation for the Fiscal Year 2027 budget. Each legislative session, the Georgia General Assembly’s sole constitutional obligation is to pass a balanced budget, which underscores the importance of our work thus far.

Following “budget week,” the Georgia House of Representatives began the third week of the 2026 legislative session on Monday, January 26, with a pro forma session due to Governor Brian Kemp’s State of Emergency declaration after Winter Storm Fern swept across much of North Georgia over the weekend. As soon as road conditions improved, my colleagues and I returned to the State Capitol on Tuesday to resume our legislative business. Throughout the remainder of last week, several House Appropriations subcommittees continued to meet to review specific portions of the Amended Fiscal Year 2026 (AFY 2026) and Fiscal Year 2027 (FY 2027) budget proposals. Other House committees are hard at work this week, holding meetings to take up legislation that was not passed or signed into law during the 2025 legislative session and is still eligible for consideration, as well as newly introduced legislation. The House Rules Committee also convened last week for the first time this session to consider legislation and set our first Rules Calendar and subsequent floor vote. By the end of last week, we passed and adopted our first pieces of legislation of the session in the House Chamber.

Winter Storms

Winter Storms Fern and Gianna severly impacted North Georgia. As of Sunday morning, 5,300 homes and businesses statewide remained withouth power. Fern had a substantial impact on communities, infrastructure and public safety across parts of the state. As such, the House took a moment last Tuesday to recognize the efforts of electric utility crews, our state agency partners and local law enforcement who worked around the clock under challenging conditions to restore power, respond to emergencies and ensure the safety of families and communities across Georgia that were affected by the storm. We are hopeful everyone remained warm and safe this past weekend.

House Appropriations Sub-Committee Meetings

With the joint meetings of the House and Senate Appropriations committees now behind us, House Appropriations subcommittees have begun meeting—with some convening last week and several more this week—to examine individual sections of the budget proposals in greater detail and assess state agency funding needs more closely. Once each subcommittee passes its respective portions of the AFY 2026 and FY 2027 budgets, we will have two comprehensive bills that will be considered by the full House Appropriations Committee. Once approved by the full House Appropriations Committee, each bill will be sent to the House Rules Committee to be considered and scheduled for a vote on the House floor. If passed in the House, the bills will then be transmitted to the Senate, where they will undergo a similar review process before a Senate floor vote takes place. If the House and Senate pass differing versions of these budget bills, conference committees will be appointed to resolve the differences so that both chambers pass identical versions before the legislation is sent to Gov. Kemp, where he may sign the bills into law or veto them. Like the budget process, all legislation that is considered throughout the session must go through the same legislative process. I will continue to keep you informed about both budget bills and provide updates on other important measures as they move through the legislative process.

House Rules Committee

Last Wednesday, the House Rules Committee met for the first time this session. This committee plays a key role in overseeing the flow of legislation by determining which measures will be scheduled for a debate and vote on the House floor after advancing from their assigned committees. Before the committee set our first Rules Calendar of the session, members paused for a moment of silence to honor the memory of our former colleague, State Representative Mandi Ballinger (R-Canton), who faithfully served as secretary of the House Rules Committee and chair of the House Judiciary Juvenile Committee and passed away last fall after a hard-fought battle with cancer.

House Action

Last week, the House voted on and passed its first bill of the 2026 legislative session—House Bill 443—legislation introduced last session that would establish an annual fee for reef or migratory fish endorsements for Georgia recreational fishing licenses. Requested by coastal fishermen, HB 443 seeks to regulate both recreational and commercial offshore fishing. Revenue generated by these fees would enable the state to conduct its own fishery surveys rather than relying solely on federal surveys, which currently assess fish stocks across the entire Atlantic coast and often do not reflect conditions specific to Georgia waters. Additionally, HB 443 would set an annual fee of $10 for Georgia residents and $20 for non-residents who participate in offshore fishing, and all funds would be retained by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The bill would also require these reef or migratory fish endorsements to be added to saltwater fishing licenses for fishing certain species in Georgia. This legislation passed the House nearly unanimously during the 2025 legislative session and later passed in the Senate by substitute. Because the Senate made changes to the bill after it initially passed in the House, it returned to our Chamber for further consideration to review the Senate’s version of the bill. Then, this week, the House further amended the bill and voted on it again, resulting in its House passage. The House’s amended version of HB 443 has been sent back to the Senate for consideration.

The House unanimously adopted House Resolution 1008 this week. The resolution would ratify amendments to Georgia’s comprehensive statewide water management plan, which was originally developed in 2008 by the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) of DNR. Shortly after its development, the plan was adopted by the State Water Council and subsequently ratified by the General Assembly through House Resolution 1022. The original plan established 10 regional water planning councils across the state to address local water supply, wastewater, stormwater, water quality and conservation efforts, ensuring that regionally based stakeholders had a direct role in planning for their area’s specific water needs. In September 2025, the State Water Council reconvened to review the plan and determine whether updates were necessary. Following that review, EPD reported that the existing council appointment structure was impacting some regional councils’ ability to maintain good standing or achieve a quorum to conduct important business, and, as a result, EPD recommended changes to improve council functionality across the state. In response, the State Water Council adopted amendments in December 2025 and submitted them to the General Assembly on January 12, 2026, with HR 1008 serving as the ratifying legislation. Specifically, HR 1008 would reduce the number of council member appointments, eliminate alternate members and extend appointment terms from three years to six years. The resolution would also require each council to include at least one representative from each major water and wastewater demand sector, including municipal, industrial, agricultural and energy interests. HR 1008 was adopted with unanimous bipartisan support and has been sent to the Senate for consideration. These efforts also aligned with the General Assembly’s own focus on water policy as the House Special Committee on Resource Management Water Subcommittee held numerous meetings across the state during the fall of 2025 to study Georgia’s water challenges and their impact on the state’s economic development.

Headed to the Governor’s Office

The first bill of the 2026 legislative session to receive final passage from the General Assembly – Senate Bill 148. During the 2025 legislative session, the House adopted substitutions to make changes to Senate Bill 148, sending the bill back to the Senate for consideration. Although the updated version did not reach the Senate floor before the 2025 session adjourned, it was still eligible for consideration again this year and has now been sent to the governor’s desk for his signature or veto. If signed into law, SB 148 would bring several updates to Georgia’s public schools. The bill would allow local school boards to offer hunting safety lessons for students in grades six through 12, and DNR would help the school boards develop this curriculum using its existing hunting education courses. This provision of the bill seeks to promote safety and responsibility among students who participate in this popular outdoor activity. Additionally, SB 148 would establish an outdoor learning center pilot program for elementary and secondary schools to enhance educational environments by encouraging students and teachers to utilize learning opportunities beyond the traditional classroom. The bill would also increase the number of personal days public school personnel may use from accumulated sick leave from three to five days. Finally, SB 148 would remove the requirement for a physician to oversee automated external defibrillator (AED) programs in schools, which would make it easier for schools to obtain and use these life-saving devices in emergency situations.

Property Tax Relief

House Speaker Jon Burns held a press conference where he announced one of his legislative priorities for the 2026 legislative session—the Georgia Homeownership Opportunity and Market Equalization (HOME) Act of 2026, or House Bill 1116. The bill would enable the full elimination of homestead property taxes, or taxes on primary residences, by 2032 and would provide tools for local governments to make up for lost revenue. To help offset potential revenue losses, the legislation would authorize an optional, flexible five-penny local sales tax, as well as optional local assessments and fees. It would also cap revenue growth at three percent for non-improved, non-exempt properties, establish a homeowner tax relief grant and double the statewide homestead exemption every other year until 2032, providing phased-in tax relief for Georgia homeowners. HB 1116 was filed this week, and I’ll be sure to update you on its progress.

With the start of week four of the Legislative Session, the pace is expected to accelerate as committees continue to advance legislation and more measures come before the full House for floor votes. This is the time of year when much of the foundational work of the session takes shape, and long days of meetings and floor votes become the norm. I encourage you to continue to stay updated on future session proceedings and committee meetings—all live streamed on the House website – links are listed below. All House proceedings are also open to the public, so I would also encourage you to plan a trip to the Capitol to see the legislative process play out in real time.

House Floor Videos

View past or live video of the House Floor during the General Assembly Session – Click Here

House Committee Meeting Videos

View past or live video of the House Committee Meetings during the General Assembly Session – Click Hereand click on the committee you wish to view. I chair the House Judiciary Committee – Click Here to see the upcoming committee meeting schedule.

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

House Committee Assignments: