---
title: SR 1. Senate Rules; adopt
collection: bills
id: 2026-special/sr1
cite_as: SR 1, 2026 Special Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special/sr1
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special/sr1.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special/sr1/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74750
date: 2026-06-17
status: passed
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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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 583
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special/sr1.md?full=1
bill_number: SR 1
session: 2026 Special Session
session_slug: 2026-special
chamber: Senate
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2026-06-17
last_action: Senate Passed/Adopted
sponsors:
  - Larry Walker
  - Jason Anavitarte
  - Randy Robertson
  - Shawn Still
  - Clint Dixon
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR1/2026/X1
upstream_id: 2154066
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - legislative procedure
  - Georgia Senate rules
  - special session
  - committee deadlines
---

# SR 1. Senate Rules; adopt

## Text

Senate Resolution 1EX
By: Senators Walker III of the 20th, Anavitarte of the 31st, Robertson of the 29th, Still of the
48th and Dixon of the 45th
A RESOLUTION
Adopting the Rules of the Georgia Senate for the 2026 special session of the General
Assembly of Georgia; and for other purposes.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the Rules of the Georgia Senate in effect at the
adjournment of the 2026 regular session of the General Assembly are hereby adopted as the
Rules of the Georgia Senate for the 2026 special session with the following amendments:
SECTION 1.
Senate Rule 2-1.5 is amended by revising subsection (a) as follows:
"(a) A committee may act upon a bill, resolution, or other matter when the Senate is in
session or during a recess or adjournment after the opening day of a regular <ins>or special
</ins> session and prior to the last day of that session. When a committee so acts during a day of
recess or adjournment, the Secretary of the Senate may accept the report of the committee
on such day, and the committee report shall be received and read by the Senate on the next
day when the Senate is in session. A standing committee may not take official action after
the adjournment sine die of a session and prior to the convening of the next session unless
authorized by statute or by the Senate."
S. R. 1EX
SECTION 2.
Senate Rule 2-1.10 is amended by revising subsection (a) as follows:
"(a) The Committee on Rules shall arrange and fix the calendar for each day's business
after the fifth (5th) legislative day of each regular session <ins>and after the first (1st) day of a
special session</ins> of the General Assembly. The committee shall post the calendar as soon
as practicable following the setting of the calendar."
SECTION 3.
Senate Rule 2-8.3 is amended by revising subsection (b) as follows:
"(b) All Committee of Conference reports shall be printed and distributed to the Senators
<del>on the legislative day prior to consideration of the same during the first thirty-six (36) days
of any regular session. During the thirty-seventh (37th) through the fortieth (40th) days of
any regular session, such reports shall be printed and distributed to the Senators</del> at least two
(2) hours prior to consideration of the same; provided that this two (2) hour requirement
may be suspended by the affirmative vote of a majority of the members to which the Senate
is entitled."
SECTION 4.
Senate Rule 2-8.4 is amended by revising it as follows:
"2-8.4 Time Limit; Discharge; Appointment of New Members
After a Committee of Conference has been in existence for five (5) days <ins>twenty-four (24)
hours</ins> and has failed to make a report to the Senate on the question under consideration, <ins>the
President of the Senate may discharge the conferees and appoint new conferees, or after
forty-eight (48) hours,</ins> the Senate, on motion and by a majority vote of all members elected
to the Senate, may discharge the Senate conferees and new conferees shall be appointed
as provided in Rule 2-8.1, instruct said Senate conferees, or make any other motion not
contrary to the Rules of the Senate; <del>provided that, after the thirty-fifth (35th) legislative
</del> S. R. 1EX
<del>day, the above motions may be made and passed at any time, but not more often than every
twenty-four hours."
</del> SECTION 5.
Senate Rule 3-1.2 is amended by revising subsection (a) as follows:
"(a)(1) <ins>Except for bills providing for Senate, House, or Congressional districts and except
as otherwise provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, no</ins> <del>No</del> bill or resolution
requiring the concurring vote of the House for passage shall be introduced unless the
same shall have been filed in the office of the Secretary before 4:00 P.M. on the previous
business day; provided that the same shall be filed before 2:00 P.M. on Fridays.
<ins>(2) On the first (1st) day of a special session, a bill or resolution requiring the concurring
vote of the House of Representatives for passage may be introduced if it has been filed
with the Secretary prior to the time for first reading and reference of Senate bills and
resolutions in the order of business."
</ins> SECTION 6.
Senate Rule 4-2.6 is amended by revising it as follows:
"4-2.6 Order for Second Reading
<del>Any general bill or resolution shall be automatically passed to a second reading</del> <ins>Every
general bill and resolution shall be read a second time</ins> on the <ins>same</ins> legislative day <del>following
the day</del> <ins>that</ins> the bill or resolution is reported by the committee to which it was referred.
<del>Except that after the thirty-fifth (35th) day of any regular session, every bill and resolution
shall be read a second time on the same legislative day that the bill or resolution is reported
by the committee to which it was referred.</del> No debate shall be admitted upon any bill at the
first or second reading."
S. R. 1EX
SECTION 7.
Senate Rule 4-2.8 is amended by revising subsection (c) as follows:
"(c) The number, authors, and title of each bill on the Local Contested Calendar shall be
read, considered and voted on as provided in the Rules for general legislation, except that
the proponents and opponents shall each be limited to <del>ten (10)</del> <ins>three (3)</ins> minutes."
SECTION 8.
Senate Rule 4-2.9 is amended by revising subsection (b) as follows:
"(b) The Committee on Rules shall arrange and fix the calendar for each day's business
after the fifth (5th) legislative day of each regular session of the General Assembly <ins>and
after the first (1st) day of a special session.</ins> Such calendar shall be a standing and
continuing special order during said period. No matter shall be taken up or acted on
otherwise than in the order and manner fixed by such calendar, except by a <del>three-fourths
</del> <ins>three-fourths'</ins> vote of those voting, provided such three-fourths constitutes a majority of the
members elected to the Senate. This Rule may not be suspended by a <del>two-thirds
</del> <ins>two-thirds'</ins> vote of the Senate."
SECTION 9.
Senate Rule 4-2.13 is amended by revising it as follows:
"4-2.13 Transmittal to the House
No bill or resolution shall be transmitted to the House on the day of passage thereof unless
two-thirds of the Senators voting, provided the total vote constitutes a quorum, shall so
order; provided, however, that, after the thirty-seventh (37th) legislative day of any regular
session, <ins>and anytime during the 2026 special session,</ins> any bill, resolution, or other matter
which requires action by the House shall be immediately transmitted to the House by the
Secretary of the Senate. The Secretary shall also immediately transmit Senate bills and
S. R. 1EX
resolutions requiring House action on the crossover day after any notice to reconsider is
disposed of."
SECTION 10.
Senate Rule 6-7.1 is amended by revising subsection (c) as follows:
"(c) A notice of motion to reconsider a bill or resolution shall take precedence over a
motion to transmit and shall have the effect of defeating the motion to transmit; except on
the crossover day, <del>and</del> on legislative days thirty-eight (38) through forty (40) of any regular
session, <ins>and during the 2026 special session,</ins> a Senator must give notice immediately of his
or her intention to move to reconsider, and the President or the designee of the President
shall set a time during the day when the motion will be entertained, so stating the time to
the Senate; the time shall be at the discretion of the President or the designee of the
President, but not less than ten <ins>(10)</ins> minutes. If the Senate is considering any other
business at the time the motion to reconsider has been set to be entertained, the motion will
be taken up upon conclusion of that business."
SECTION 11.
Senate Rule 6-7.5 is amended by revising it as follows:
"6-7.5 Effect of Motion; Return to General Calendar
All bills and resolutions reconsidered shall take their place at the foot of the calendar of
bills then in order for a third reading; <del>however, after the fifth (5th) legislative day of each
session, a reconsidered bill or resolution which was passed or adopted shall take its place
at the foot of the Rules Calendar, and a reconsidered bill or resolution which was defeated
shall be placed on the General Calendar."
</del> SECTION 12.
Senate Rule 7-1.10 is amended by revising subsection (b) as follows:
S. R. 1EX
"(b) Upon a motion by any Senator, a special order or a Special Order Resolution may be
taken up by the Senate at any time following the conclusion of the current business before
the Senate; <del>provided, that, during the first thirty-five (35) days of any regular session,
before any motion specified in paragraph (a) of this Rule may be made respecting action
taken by the House which requires a recorded vote for passage, notice of intention to so
move must have been given to the Senate during the previous legislative day."
</del> SECTION 13.
Senate Rule 8-1.7 is amended by revising subsection (c) as follows:
"(c) On all points of personal privilege, individual speeches shall be limited to five <ins>(5)
</ins> minutes, except that, <ins>in a special session, and</ins> after the <del>20th</del> twentieth (20th) day of a
<ins>regular</ins> session individual speeches shall be limited to three <ins>(3)</ins> minutes."
S. R. 1EX

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

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

A Senate resolution adopts the Georgia Senate's regular-session rules for the 2026 special session, with amendments that shorten deadlines, debate times, and committee timelines to fit a short special session.

### Plain-language summary

When the Georgia Senate meets for the 2026 special session, it needs procedural rules to govern how bills move. This resolution adopts the Senate rules that were in effect at the end of the 2026 regular session as the rules for the special session, but changes several of them so they work for a shorter, compressed session.

The amendments let committees act during a special session recess, let the Rules Committee set the calendar starting the first day instead of the fifth, shorten Committee of Conference deadlines from days to hours, cut debate time on Local Contested Calendar bills and personal privilege speeches, and require bills needing House action to be transmitted immediately rather than waiting. It also allows a bill or resolution needing House concurrence to be introduced without the usual filing deadline on the first day of the special session.

### What it does

- Adopts the Georgia Senate's existing rules from the end of the 2026 regular session as the rules for the 2026 special session, with listed changes.
- Lets committees act on bills during a recess or adjournment in a special session, not just a regular session.
- Shortens the time a Committee of Conference has before it can be discharged from five days to twenty-four or forty-eight hours.
- Requires any bill or resolution needing House action to be transmitted to the House immediately at any point during the 2026 special session.
- Cuts debate time for proponents and opponents of Local Contested Calendar bills from ten minutes to three minutes.
- Limits personal privilege speeches to three minutes during a special session, instead of the usual five-minute limit for early regular session days.

### Who it affects

This resolution affects Georgia state senators and Senate staff, including the Secretary of the Senate and the President of the Senate, who must follow these procedural rules during the 2026 special session. It also indirectly affects any bills or resolutions senators introduce during that session.

### Why it matters

These rule changes speed up how quickly the Senate can move bills during the special session, shortening deadlines for committee reports, debate, and transmitting bills to the House. That means less time for senators to review conference reports or debate contested bills before votes happen.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 lets standing committees act on legislation during a recess in a special session, not only a regular session.
- Section 2 and Section 8 let the Rules Committee begin setting the daily calendar on the first day of a special session instead of the fifth legislative day.
- Section 4 shortens the time before a Committee of Conference can be discharged, from five legislative days to twenty-four or forty-eight hours.
- Section 5 allows a bill needing House concurrence to be introduced on the first day of a special session without the normal prior-day filing deadline.
- Section 7 cuts debate time on Local Contested Calendar bills from ten minutes to three minutes for each side.
- Section 9 and Section 10 require immediate transmittal of bills to the House and set notice rules for reconsideration motions during the special session.
- Section 13 limits personal privilege speeches to three minutes during a special session, shorter than the usual five-minute early-session limit.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-06-17)
- Last action: Senate Passed/Adopted (2026-06-17)
- Sponsors: Larry Walker, Jason Anavitarte, Randy Robertson, Shawn Still, Clint Dixon
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74750

> The history, votes, and amendments (583 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special/sr1.md?full=1