Georgia CommonsHouse · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 978: General appropriations; State Fiscal Year July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027
Last action January 16, 2026 · House Second Readers
House Bill 978 is Georgia's proposed state budget bill for the fiscal year running from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, setting spending levels for state government agencies and programs.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
House Bill 978 is the General Assembly's annual general appropriations bill, which sets the state budget for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027. The text supplied here contains the bill's opening structure rather than the detailed spending tables: it states that money is appropriated for the operation of state government, its departments, boards, and agencies, the university system, common schools, counties, municipalities, and other authorized activities, contracts, and grants. The bill is organized into three parts. Part I appropriates the funds for the fiscal year. Part II sets the effective date, saying the law takes effect once the Governor signs it or it otherwise becomes law without his signature. Part III repeals any existing laws that conflict with this Act. The actual dollar figures for specific agencies and programs are not included in the text provided.
What the bill does
- Appropriates state funds for the fiscal year running from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 to cover state government operations.
- Covers funding for state departments, boards, bureaus, commissions, and institutions, as well as the university system and common schools (K-12 public education).
- Authorizes funding for counties, municipalities, and other political subdivisions, plus leases, contracts, agreements, and grants allowed under law.
- Sets the law's effective date as the moment the Governor signs it, or the date it becomes law without his signature if he does not act.
- Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with this appropriations Act.
Who it affects
This bill affects every part of Georgia's state government that relies on state funding, including state agencies, the university system, K-12 public schools, counties, municipalities, and any organizations or programs that receive state grants, contracts, or leases.
Why it matters
This bill determines how much money Georgia state government, schools, universities, and local governments have to operate for a full year. The specific dollar amounts, which agencies gain or lose funding, and which programs are prioritized would directly shape state services Georgians rely on, though those figures are not present in the supplied text.
Key provisions
- Part I states that the appropriated sums are for the state fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027, though the specific dollar amounts by agency are not included in this text.
- Part II sets the effective date as the date the Governor approves the Act or the date it becomes law without his approval.
- Part III repeals all laws and parts of laws that conflict with this appropriations Act.
From the bill
“This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval.”
Discussed in meetings (2)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
Status timeline
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Jon Burns (R, HD-159)
- Jan Jones (R, HD-47)
- Chuck Efstration (R, HD-104)
- Matt Hatchett (R, HD-155)
Topics
- state budget
- government funding
- appropriations
- public schools funding
- state agencies