Legislators

House Bill 1302 reorganizes Georgia’s educational and workforce development infrastructure by reconstituting the Office of Student Achievement as the Office of Education and Workforce Strategy. It consolidates workforce and education data governance, enhances coordination of apprenticeship programs, and establishes comprehensive planning and reporting mechanisms to align education outcomes with high-demand workforce needs. The bill also designates the Technical College System of Georgia as the state apprenticeship agency, repeals the Alliance of Education Agency Heads, and enacts data sharing and accountability enhancements to improve workforce readiness and educational efficacy statewide.

House Bill 1193, the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026, establishes a comprehensive statewide framework to enhance literacy education for students from birth through grade three. It mandates funding and employment of school-based and regional literacy coaches, adoption of unified literacy plans by all public schools and local school systems, certification and endorsement requirements for literacy coaches, utilization of approved universal reading screeners and high-quality instructional materials aligned to the science of reading, and strengthens oversight via establishment of the Georgia Literacy Coordinating Committee and the Georgia Literacy Task Force. The bill also revises student placement, promotion, and assessment policies to ensure readiness for early grades and support for students at risk of reading deficiencies, including dyslexia.

House Bill 1185 expands the jurisdiction of the Georgia State-wide Business Court to include internal entity claims arising under Titles 14 and 15 related to corporations, partnerships, and associations. It allows corporate governing documents to mandate that such internal claims be exclusively heard by this court, prescribes procedures for claim removal and transfer to the Business Court, and sets parameters for attorney’s fees and costs. The bill aims to centralize business-related litigation in a specialized court to improve efficiency and consistency in corporate law matters.

House Bill 134 (with the original support position on language from HB 1085), known as the “Keep Georgia Forested Act,” introduces a suite of tax credits designed to incentivize forestry manufacturing facilities across Georgia. The bill defines forestry manufacturing, establishes tax credit amounts based on county tiers, permits transfer or sale of unused credits, and caps the aggregate credits at set limits, while requiring legislative supermajority approval for future changes. The act takes effect July 1, 2026, applying to taxable years starting January 1, 2026.

Senate Bill 207 establishes a comprehensive preclearance, notification, and adjudication process for applicants with criminal records seeking professional and occupational licenses in Georgia. It requires licensing boards to consider the direct relationship of criminal convictions to the occupation, mandates hearings prior to denial, allows for predetermination petitions regarding eligibility, and requires reporting and transparency related to criminal records in licensing decisions.

House Bill 136 (with the original support position on language from SB 89) revises and creates several Georgia state tax credits related to child care and support, including increasing credits for child and dependent care expenses, establishing new credits for taxpayers with children under six, employers paying child care costs for employees, and insurance companies contributing to organizations supporting foster children and justice-involved youth. The bill also expands qualifying organizations, adds new expenditure categories like mentorship and wraparound services, and sets limits, certification, reporting, and enforcement protocols for these credits.

The Georgia Courts Access and Consumer Protection Act establishes a regulatory framework for third-party litigation financing in Georgia. It requires litigation financiers to register with the state, prohibits foreign and certain affiliated entities from providing financing, mandates detailed contract disclosures and consumer protections, and imposes limitations on litigation financiers’ control and financial interactions with consumers and attorneys. The Act also permits discovery of litigation financing agreements in civil actions and adjusts admissibility of seatbelt evidence in motor vehicle cases.

Senate Bill 68 makes comprehensive amendments to Georgia’s civil practice, tort, and motor vehicle statutes, focusing on revising rules on civil procedure, evidence admissibility, attorney’s fees, negligent security liability, and damage recoveries in personal injury and wrongful death cases. It limits arguments about noneconomic damages, sets procedural timelines, establishes an exclusive remedy framework for negligent security claims, and clarifies recoverable medical damages and trial procedures including bifurcation of fault and damages.

Senate Bill 12 revises Georgia’s public records laws to clarify the definition of custodians responsible for records and to establish that custodians must obtain public records even if those records are held by private entities acting on behalf of an agency. The bill mandates that private entities storing or managing public records cooperate by producing those records to custodians upon request within specified retention periods.

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 43 of the O.C.G.A., relating to professions and businesses, so as to revise provisions relating to licensure to engage in the practice of a profession, business, or trade in this state; to amend Title 49 of the O.C.G.A., relating to social services, so as to conform a cross-reference; to provide for an effective date; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

House Bill 111 proposes a graduated reduction in Georgia’s individual income tax rate starting in 2025, lowering it from 5.39% to 4.99% over several years. The rate reduction is subject to annual fiscal conditions including revenue growth, prior tax collections, and reserve fund levels, which may delay reductions to ensure state fiscal stability.