---
title: HB 1597. Georgia Dream Expansion and Housing Affordability Act of 2026; enact
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1597
cite_as: HB 1597, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1597
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1597.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1597/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74373
date: 2026-03-27
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1598.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 132
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1597.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1597
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-03-23
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
  - Derrick Jackson
  - Billy Mitchell
  - Teddy Reese
  - Jasmine Clark
  - Debra Bazemore
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1597/2025
upstream_id: 2137403
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - housing affordability
  - down payment assistance
  - Georgia Dream program
  - homeownership
  - first-time homebuyers
---

# HB 1597. Georgia Dream Expansion and Housing Affordability Act of 2026; enact

## Text

House Bill 1597
By: Representatives Jackson of the 68th, Mitchell of the 88th, Reese of the 140th, Clark of the
108th, and Bazemore of the 69th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 8 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the
Department of Community Affairs, so as to provide for maximum loan amounts for certain
home buying assistance programs; to provide for loan structure and forgiveness; to provide
for certain qualifications for eligibility; to provide for certain minimum fund allocation; to
provide for definitions; to provide for a short title; to provide for legislative findings; to
provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Georgia Dream Expansion and Housing
Affordability Act of 2026."
SECTION 2.
The General Assembly finds that:
(1) Homeownership is the primary vehicle for generational wealth building in this state;
(2) Rising interest rates and historic increases in home prices have placed the "Georgia
Dream" out of reach for a significant portion of the workforce, including, but not limited
to, teachers, healthcare workers, and veterans;
(3) The current home down payment assistance levels of $10,000.00 to $12,500.00 are
no longer sufficient to bridge the affordability gap in a market where median home prices
in metropolitan areas exceed $400,000.00; and
(4) Providing bold, front-end financial support reduces the long-term need for state
subsidized rental assistance and helps stabilize local economies.
SECTION 3.
Chapter 8 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the Department
of Community Affairs, is amended by adding a new article to read as follows:
<ins>"ARTICLE 14
50-8-310.
As used in this article, the term:
(1) 'First-generation homebuyer' means an individual who has not owned a home in the
last three years and whose parents or guardians do not currently hold an ownership
interest in a residential property.
(2) 'Qualified public service professional' means any educator, law enforcement officer,
firefighter, emergency medical technician, or healthcare professional employed full-time
in this state.
50-8-311.
For department managed loan programs providing technical assistance and financing
options for the purchase of a residence, including, but not limited to, the Georgia Dream
Loan Program, the department shall provide to applicants of the program:
</ins>
<ins>(1) Down payment assistance consisting of a loan of $30,000.00 to be applied to the
purchase price of a primary residence; and
(2) Closing cost assistance consisting of a loan of $15,000.00 to be applied to loan
origination fees, inspections, and other standard closing costs.
50-8-312.
(a) To encourage community stability, loans granted pursuant to this article shall be
structured as zero interest, nonamortizing loans. Ten percent of the total balance of such
loans shall be forgiven annually on the anniversary of the closing date of the purchase of
the primary residence. After ten years of primary residency, any remaining loan balance
shall be forgiven.
(b) The department shall adjust income eligibility limits of department managed loan
programs providing technical assistance and financing options for the purchase of a
primary residence to applicants who earn up to 140 percent of the area median income of
high-cost counties in this state to ensure middle-income families in rapidly growing
districts remain eligible.
(c) Not less than 20 percent of annual program funding shall be reserved for
first-generation homebuyers and qualified public service professionals."
</ins> SECTION 4.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.

House Bill 1597 would raise Georgia's home down payment and closing cost assistance loans to $45,000 total, forgivable over ten years, and reserve part of the funding for first-time buyers and public service workers.

### Plain-language summary

Georgia currently offers home buyers down payment assistance of $10,000 to $12,500 through programs like the Georgia Dream Loan Program. This bill says that amount no longer covers the gap between wages and rising home prices, especially in metro areas where median prices exceed $400,000.

The bill creates a new article in state law directing the Department of Community Affairs to offer eligible buyers a $30,000 down payment loan and a separate $15,000 closing cost loan, both at zero interest and not requiring monthly payments. Ten percent of the loan balance would be forgiven each year the buyer stays in the home, with any remaining balance wiped out after ten years. The department must also raise income eligibility to 140 percent of the area median income in high-cost counties, and must set aside at least 20 percent of program funding for first-generation homebuyers and public service workers like teachers, police, firefighters, EMTs, and healthcare workers.

### What it does

- Increases down payment assistance loans through Georgia's home buying programs to $30,000, up from the current $10,000 to $12,500 range.
- Adds a separate $15,000 closing cost assistance loan for loan origination fees, inspections, and other standard closing costs.
- Requires these loans to carry zero interest and no monthly payments, with 10 percent of the balance forgiven each year until fully forgiven after ten years of living in the home.
- Raises income eligibility limits so buyers earning up to 140 percent of the area median income in high-cost counties can qualify.
- Requires at least 20 percent of annual program funding to be reserved for first-generation homebuyers and qualified public service professionals.
- Defines 'first-generation homebuyer' and 'qualified public service professional' for purposes of the new program rules.

### Who it affects

Prospective home buyers using Department of Community Affairs programs like the Georgia Dream Loan Program, especially first-generation buyers and public service workers such as teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs, and healthcare workers, as well as the Department of Community Affairs, which administers the funds.

### Why it matters

Buyers who qualify would get access to much larger upfront loans that do not accrue interest and disappear entirely after ten years of staying in the home, potentially making homeownership reachable in high-cost metro areas where current assistance falls short of covering typical down payments and closing costs.

### Key provisions

- Section 2 states legislative findings that current down payment assistance of $10,000 to $12,500 is insufficient given median home prices over $400,000 in metro areas.
- New Code Section 50-8-310 defines 'first-generation homebuyer' and 'qualified public service professional' for the new program.
- New Code Section 50-8-311 requires the department to provide a $30,000 down payment loan and a $15,000 closing cost loan to program applicants.
- New Code Section 50-8-312(a) sets the loans as zero-interest and non-amortizing, forgiven 10 percent annually until fully forgiven after ten years.
- New Code Section 50-8-312(b) requires raising income eligibility limits to 140 percent of area median income in high-cost counties.
- New Code Section 50-8-312(c) reserves at least 20 percent of annual program funding for first-generation homebuyers and qualified public service professionals.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2026-03-23)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2026-03-27)
- Sponsors: Derrick Jackson, Billy Mitchell, Teddy Reese, Jasmine Clark, Debra Bazemore
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74373

> The history, votes, and amendments (132 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1597.md?full=1