Georgia CommonsGeorgia General Assembly
Meetings on March 25, 2026
Machine-readable: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-25.md
Senate Rules Committee, March 25, 2026
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee approved substitutes for two study committee resolutions, HB 79 and HB 485, then unanimously approved a group of bills for the Senate calendar. Presentations covered taxes, education, insurance, veterans’ benefits, transportation and other subjects. Members questioned whether HB 1178, which would put a House oversight committee into law, duplicated existing powers and should also cover the Senate. A vote followed, but the result was not clearly announced. The committee also voted on an artificial intelligence-related substitute for HB 171, without a clear announcement of the result. During calendar consideration, one speaker opposed the transit referendum provisions substituted into HB 583. The final calendar included that bill, the budget and numerous other measures.
Senate Appropriations Committee, March 25, 2026
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee unanimously approved three measures: SR 978, creating a study committee on higher education funding; a substitute for HB 1193, addressing early literacy; and the Senate version of HB 974, the fiscal year 2027 budget. The chair described the budget as totaling $38.5 billion, with investments in literacy coaches, disability services, state retirees, health care and public safety. Members asked about autism services, borrowing for school safety, retiree benefits and reduced university funding for online courses. The chair also recognized budget staff and marked what the chair expected would be the committee's final appropriations hearing in its current room.
Senate Transportation Committee, March 25, 2026
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee approved three measures with changes. It removed a duplicate road dedication from HR 1300 and approved the amended resolution. It unanimously approved HB 1277, which the sponsor described as updating transportation cost thresholds and reporting, after adding a delay for electric-vehicle charging requirements. The longest discussion concerned a substitute for HB 297 to reorganize state transit agencies. Members questioned local representation, the governor’s influence, transportation oversight and the proposal’s review late in the session. A MARTA witness requested transparency about federal transit funds. The committee changed the proposed board’s membership and unanimously approved the substitute as amended.
House Rules Committee, March 25, 2026
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed eight measures on the day's House calendar, including SB 306 after approving a substitute concerning low-income housing tax credits. Members questioned whether that substitute clarified existing limits or substantially changed the amount of credits available. The substitute passed by voice vote with opposition. The committee also returned SB 382 to the Ways and Means Committee without objection. Members heard requests to advance SB 594, concerning digital identity fraud, and SB 89, described by the requesting member as allowing liquor stores to sell cannabis drinks. Neither received a calendar vote during this meeting.
Senate floor session, March 25, 2026 (legislative day 37)
Summary by Georgia Commons: The Senate passed bills on education scholarships, elections, retirement benefits, tax credits, courts, boating and military scholarships. After debate, it passed HB 328, expanding education tax credits, 30 to 20, and HB 369, changing certain county elections to nonpartisan elections, 32 to 21. It tabled HB 1185 after discussion of business court rules and several amendments. Senators approved revised school-zone camera rules in HB 651 and agreed to House changes on reckless stunt driving, pharmacist access to HIV prevention medicine, school discrimination complaints, insurance decisions involving artificial intelligence and DeKalb County compensation. The session also included bill readings, committee referrals and ceremonial recognitions. The Senate adjourned until March 27 at 10 a.m.
House floor session, March 25, 2026 (legislative day 37, AM)
Summary by Georgia Commons: The House heard first and second readings and committee reports, then passed the uncontested local calendar by a vote of 164 to 0. Before that vote, members removed HB 1567 and SB 359 from the calendar and returned them to committee without objection. Members also recognized autism acceptance and advocacy through HR 1885, honored a former public safety leader through HR 1581, and recognized technical college award winners through HR 1276. Much of the remaining session consisted of guest recognitions, condolences and a departing member's remarks about service and future civic engagement work. The House recessed until 1:45 p.m.
House floor session, March 25, 2026 (legislative day 37, PM)
Summary by Georgia Commons: The House passed bills on school financial oversight, artificial intelligence, criminal penalties, tourism taxes, insurance and property taxes. It approved SB 472, allowing stronger state intervention over school financial problems, 96-58 after debate over accountability and local control. It also passed SB 540 on AI companion chatbots and SB 594 on digital impersonation, election advertising and AI-generated child sexual material. The House agreed to Senate changes on district attorney pay and retirement, homeowner tax relief, soil amendments and state property transactions. Members approved a foster care cost study and a referendum on consolidating Quitman with Brooks County. They returned SB 475 to the Rules Committee and postponed three bills. The session also included honorary resolutions, a retiring committee chair's farewell and recognition of Georgia's relationship with Canada. The House adjourned until March 27 at 10 a.m.
House Judiciary Committee, March 25, 2026
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee brought SB 111 off the table and considered a substitute concerning eligibility for the Rural Hospital Tax Credit. The presenter said the changes would add seven rural hospitals to the program and prevent federal funding from affecting eligibility. After brief supportive comments and no substantive questions, the committee approved the bill by voice vote, with no opposition heard, and adjourned.
House Rules Committee, March 25, 2026
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee approved substitutes for SB 411, SB 540 and SB 594, addressing professional licensing and medical practice, AI chatbot safeguards, and AI-related election content and child sexual images. Members also heard presentations on school district financial oversight, charter school funding and school consolidation referendums, and teacher tax credits. The committee placed SB 472, SB 475, SB 540, SB 594 and SB 566 on a supplemental calendar for that day. Members voiced opposition to adding the two school-related measures, but both carried by voice vote. No calendar action was shown for SB 411 or SB 515.
House Judiciary Committee, March 25, 2026
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee considered a motion to take HB 183 off the table. A member asked what procedural options remained for the bill at this point in the session. The chair said the committee first needed to take it off the table before discussing it. After an initial voice vote, the chair called for a show of hands. The transcript does not state the result, and the meeting adjourned without substantive discussion of the bill.
Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee, March 25, 2026
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee unanimously approved a committee substitute for HB 63 that the sponsor described as providing a transferable tax credit of up to $200 million for a facility that turns timber into electricity. Members discussed mill closures, financing and the time needed to build such a facility. The committee also heard HB 529, which the sponsor described as giving consumers a limited opportunity to cancel certain automatically renewed contracts and receive a partial refund after a substantial price increase. Supporters emphasized missed renewal notices and difficult cancellations. An industry witness opposed government involvement in subscription contract terms, and members questioned coverage and refund deadlines. The committee voted 3 to 2 to table HB 529. The sponsor requested another hearing, but no date was set.
Senate Finance Committee, March 25, 2026
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee discussed property-tax changes, housing tax breaks, conservation credits and timber-tax relief. Members unanimously approved HB 1132 and approved HB 1209 by a 6-1 vote. During discussion of HB 1116, members unanimously approved an amendment removing language the chair said had passed separately in the House, but the transcript does not show a final vote on the underlying bill. The committee postponed a vote on HB 1148 after questions about appraisals, fraud safeguards and administration costs. Members also heard HR 1000, a proposed constitutional amendment providing timber-tax relief, without taking a vote.
Senate Health and Human Services Committee, March 25, 2026
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee approved a substitute for HB 1393 by an 8 to 5 vote, combining rural hospital cooperation provisions with repeal of most certificate-of-need requirements. Members returned HB 350 to consideration, adopted seven amendments concerning safe surrender of infants, and voted on the amended bill, though the chair did not explicitly announce the result. The committee unanimously approved HB 291, HB 334, HB 657 and HB 1211. The approved substitute for HB 657 included provisions from SB 440 updating Department of Public Health law. The chair removed HB 1296 from the agenda at the sponsor's request for further work.