--- title: HB 978. General appropriations; State Fiscal Year July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027 collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb978 cite_as: HB 978, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb978 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb978.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb978/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72238 date: 2026-01-16 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb977.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb979.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb978.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 978 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2026-01-15 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Jon Burns - Jan Jones - Chuck Efstration - James Hatchett text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB978/2025 upstream_id: 2083412 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - state budget - government funding - appropriations - public schools funding - state agencies --- # HB 978. General appropriations; State Fiscal Year July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027 ## Text House Bill 978 By: Representatives Burns of the 159th, Jones of the 47th, Efstration of the 104th, and Hatchett of the 155th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To make and provide appropriations for the State Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027; to make and provide such appropriations for the operation of the state government and its departments, boards, bureaus, commissions, institutions, and other agencies, for the university system, common schools, counties, municipalities, and political subdivisions, for all other governmental activities, projects, and undertakings authorized by law, and for all leases, contracts, agreements, and grants authorized by law; to provide for the control and administration of funds; to provide an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: PART I The sums of money hereinafter provided are appropriated for the State Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027, as prescribed hereinafter for such fiscal year. PART II This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval. PART III 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 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. ### Plain-language summary 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 it 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. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-01-15) - Last action: House Second Readers (2026-01-16) - Sponsors: Jon Burns, Jan Jones, Chuck Efstration, James Hatchett - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72238 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb978.md?full=1