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1. March 2, 2026 · House Health Committee · 1 h 34 min

   House Health Committee, March 2, 2026

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee considered five bills and gave each a favorable recommendation. Members approved HB 382, addressing drug classifications and pharmacy rules, and amended HB 1332 on preferences for American-made medicines, HB 1309 on dispensing medicines in medical offices, and HB 298 on hospital nurse staffing committees. The longest discussion concerned HB 1393, which would let certain rural hospitals collaborate while remaining independent. Members questioned its proposed protections from antitrust liability. The chair initially designated it for a hearing only, but later allowed a vote after consulting legislative counsel. The committee approved that bill with an amendment limiting part of its antitrust language to the powers granted in the legislation. All five bills passed by voice vote, with no numerical totals stated.

2. March 2, 2026 · Senate Finance Committee · 1 h 18 min

   Senate Finance Committee, March 2, 2026

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee approved four bills: SB 566, addressing property assessment notices, homestead exemptions and newspaper publication errors; SB 515, revising teacher tax credits; SB 410, combining data center tax exemption changes with electric utility cost provisions; and SB 576, allowing higher property tax assessments for large single-family rental owners. The chair described the votes on SB 566 and SB 410 as unanimous. SB 515 advanced with one opposed. After extensive discussion about housing affordability, rents and institutional ownership, the committee amended SB 576 to lower its ownership threshold from 2,000 homes to 500, then approved it with one opposed.

3. March 2, 2026 · House Rural Development Committee · 1 h 05 min

   House Rural Development Committee, March 2, 2026

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee voted to advance HR 656, creating a study committee on homeownership and institutional investors; HB 1394, making Rosenwald Schools eligible for historic preservation grants; and HB 1451, creating a grant program to help communities attract households from outside Georgia. Rental housing companies opposed the housing study, while real estate and county government representatives supported it. Members also discussed forestry mill closures and their effects on landowners, workers, loggers and haulers. One member proposed a joint letter seeking federal support for using woody biomass as renewable fuel, and the chair suggested a resolution to Congress. No vote was taken on the forestry proposal.

4. March 2, 2026 · House Special Rules Committee · 38 min

   House Special Rules Committee, March 2, 2026

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee considered four measures. It approved HB 1082 with a substitute removing school instruction provisions and retaining an annual Victims of Communism Day designation. It also approved HR 1445, urging continued preservation of the State Capitol, and HR 1475, creating a joint study committee on modified vehicle exhaust systems and noise enforcement. A motion to approve HR 1299, supporting dissolution of the U.S. Department of Education and returning educational authority to states, failed for lack of a second.

5. March 2, 2026 · Senate Public Safety Committee · 43 min

   Senate Public Safety Committee, March 2, 2026

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee unanimously approved all five bills it considered: SB 570 on human trafficking prevention training for lodging workers, SB 587 on an animal cruelty database, SB 586 on honors for public safety animals, SB 442 on commercial driver's licenses for noncitizens, and SB 569 on red-light permits for certain towing companies. Members amended SB 570 to include representatives of short-term rental hosting platforms and approved a substitute version of SB 442. Discussion included license renewal and testing requirements, along with concerns about which tow trucks could use emergency lights. The chair said the committee would not meet Wednesday and that this was its last meeting before crossover day.

6. March 2, 2026 · House Education Committee · 1 h 21 min

   House Education Committee, March 2, 2026

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee approved seven bills covering school technology purchases, financial literacy, digital literacy and online safety, teacher planning time, emergency access to school buildings, and excused absences for Capitol visits. Members amended HB 1244 to remove required hourly compensation for teachers who agree to supervise students during protected time. Members also amended HB 1232 to include Boy Scouts of America, despite the sponsor's objection to expanding the bill beyond Girl Scouts. The committee postponed consideration of HB 1281 when the sponsor was unavailable. The chair said another meeting was planned.

7. March 2, 2026 · Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee · 1 h 08 min

   Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee, March 2, 2026

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee considered a proposed substitute for SB 553, which the sponsor described as replacing subjective licensing standards for five construction trades with measurable requirements written into law. Members questioned how work experience would be verified, what authority local governments would retain, and how licensing balances public safety with access to work. Trade association witnesses supported the proposal. The committee approved the substitute 8-0 and sent it to the Rules Committee.

8. March 2, 2026 · House Rules Committee · 1 h 25 min

   House Rules Committee, March 2, 2026

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee heard requests to move forward a wide range of measures covering taxes, housing, health care, education, public safety, workforce development and state symbols. Members questioned proposals on self-defense cases, income tax cuts, Medicaid eligibility checks, development permits and airport funding. The chair announced that HR 114 and HB 1116 were returned to Ways and Means without opposition, although a subsequent exchange created uncertainty about the first measure's number. Most other measures received brief presentations without questions. No floor calendar selections or votes on those requests were recorded. The chair adjourned the meeting and announced another meeting for 5 p.m.

9. March 2, 2026 · House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee · 48 min

   House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee, March 2, 2026

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee heard updates from the agriculture commissioner on farmland conservation, Hurricane Helene relief and avian flu. The commissioner said farmland conservation applications were open through May 20 and applications for roughly $531 million in hurricane relief would run from March 16 through April 27. Members asked about eligibility, insurance, audits and assistance outside designated counties. The committee also reconsidered HB 1224, which concerns automatic contract renewals. The sponsor requested raising the price-increase threshold requiring customer consent from 25% to 50%, citing business opposition to the lower threshold. Members favored keeping 25%. No motion to change the bill was made, and the committee voted by voice, with no opposition heard, to send it back to Rules unchanged.

10. March 2, 2026 · Senate Ethics Committee · 2 h 40 min

    Senate Ethics Committee, March 2, 2026

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee approved four measures: SB 573 on nonpartisan elections for certain county offices, SB 423 on campaign contributions and disclosure, SR 838 on constitutional voting requirements, and SB 568 on voting equipment and election procedures. District attorneys opposed limiting the nonpartisan election changes to five counties and disputed the proposal’s constitutionality. The longest discussion concerned SB 568, with supporters seeking hand-marked paper ballots and stronger voter registration enforcement, while opponents warned about implementation time, costs and voter confusion. The committee amended that bill, rejected a proposed delay until 2027 and approved it 8-4. The committee also approved the Senate India Caucus.

11. March 2, 2026 · House Transportation Committee · 1 h 26 min

    House Transportation Committee, March 2, 2026

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee approved amended versions of two bills. HB 1377 would require an eight-year wait after a failed transit sales tax referendum and restrict using transportation sales tax revenue for free or reduced fares. Members narrowed the waiting-period provision after discussing its statewide reach and effects on future local officials. HB 1434 would require local governments to protect federally defined airspace around airports. Members discussed property rights, local zoning and funding penalties, then adopted an amendment allowing transportation funds to be withheld temporarily rather than immediately lost. Both bills received approval by voice vote, with no numerical counts stated.

12. March 2, 2026 · Senate Natural Resources and the Environment Committee · 1 h 02 min

    Senate Natural Resources and the Environment Committee, March 2, 2026

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee discussed HB 946, which would loosen restrictions on killing feral hogs and allow drones to locate them on private property. The chair asked the sponsor to return with revised language addressing coyotes and possibly other invasive species. The committee also held hearings on two PFAS proposals: SB 577, which would put local governments’ contamination claims under state control, and SB 538, which would require certain industrial users to disclose PFAS use to public wastewater systems. Members questioned the loss of local control under the first proposal and disclosure requirements under the second. No votes on the bills were recorded. The chair said public input on the Senate proposals would come later.

13. March 2, 2026 · House Industry and Labor Committee · 39 min

    House Industry and Labor Committee, March 2, 2026

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee considered HB 1318, which would authorize a study of a possible statewide paid family and medical leave insurance program. The sponsor said the study would examine costs and feasibility without committing Georgia to create a program. Five organizations spoke in support, citing workforce retention, small-business competitiveness, child health and family caregiving needs. The committee approved a do-pass motion by voice vote and sent the bill to the Rules Committee. No opposition was heard.

14. March 2, 2026 · House Judiciary Juvenile Committee · 49 min

    House Judiciary Juvenile Committee, March 2, 2026

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee considered HB 1429, which the sponsor said would expand reporting on juvenile court sentences, fines, fees and collections without changing judges’ sentencing authority. Members discussed collection costs, financial burdens on families, rehabilitation and when courts would report the information. An Administrative Office of the Courts representative explained changes intended to make reporting consistent with existing requirements, and a Deep Center witness supported the bill. The committee approved an amendment adding age and court jurisdiction to the information collected, then passed the substitute as amended by voice vote, with no opposition heard.

15. March 2, 2026 · House Judiciary Committee · 4 h 27 min

    House Judiciary Committee, March 2, 2026

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee heard seven bills. It tabled HB 899 after supporters and opponents disagreed over changes to transfer-on-death deeds. It approved HB 1403, concerning judges’ military legal service, and a substitute to HB 1223, restricting access to government recordings depicting a person’s death. It also approved HB 1028 after extending its compensation-system opt-in deadline to 2034, and HB 1397 after broadening protections against prosecution based on evidence from sexual assault examinations. The committee approved HB 1414, concerning related limited liability companies. It began discussing HB 1343, which would offer a streamlined process for establishing unmarried fathers’ legal status, but took no vote. The chair said that discussion would continue the next morning.

16. March 2, 2026 · House Economic Development & Tourism Committee · 32 min

    House Economic Development & Tourism Committee, March 2, 2026

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee revisited a substitute to HB 490, concerning human trafficking training for hotel workers. The sponsor described changes identifying the Office of the Attorney General as the responsible department and adjusting training exclusions for small operators and short-term arrangements. A Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association witness supported the bill but raised concerns about the wording of a less-than-15-day exclusion. Members also discussed hotel guest safety. The committee approved the substitute by voice vote and sent it to the Rules Committee. No vote count was stated.

17. March 2, 2026 · Senate Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security Committee · 55 min

    Senate Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security Committee, March 2, 2026

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee approved three bills. SB 299 would allow active-duty service members to use remote online notaries for certain documents. SB 555 would allow certain veterans’ spouses and Gold Star parents to enter a Georgia War Veterans’ Home as private-pay residents, while preserving veterans’ priority. Both were sent to Rules. The committee also heard testimony supporting SB 190 from veterans who described the benefits of outdoor recreation and removing financial barriers to park access. Members approved an amendment removing active-duty service members from that proposal, then approved the substitute as amended. No numerical vote counts were announced.

18. March 2, 2026 · House Motor Vehicles Committee · 1 h 00 min

    House Motor Vehicles Committee, March 2, 2026

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee approved HB 1380 with a January 1, 2027 effective date, approved a revised version of HB 1073, and approved HB 1465 with two members opposed. Discussion of HB 1465 focused on savings from ending annual registration decals and concerns about law enforcement's ability to identify expired registrations. The committee also heard HB 184, a proposal to change towing notices and create a public database for locating towed vehicles. No vote was taken on that proposal, and the chair scheduled further discussion for the next morning. The chair also announced that HB 1267 would be on the next morning's agenda.

19. March 2, 2026 · House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee · 1 h 39 min

    House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, March 2, 2026

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee advanced HB 1454, covering firearms records, shooting on private property and sales of unclaimed firearms, after reducing its acreage threshold from 10 acres to five. The committee also advanced HB 1436, which would deny state funding to local governments with standing policies allowing unsecured release for offenses that require bail. Members amended that bill’s reference to existing law. The committee held a hearing only on HB 1412, which would send 70% of certain State Patrol traffic-fine revenue to the state. Local-government and law-enforcement witnesses opposed that revenue shift, citing local costs. No vote was taken on that proposal.

20. February 26, 2026 · Senate Insurance and Labor Committee · 32 min

    Senate Insurance and Labor Committee, February 26, 2026

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee considered SB 324, which the sponsor described as helping people locate life insurance benefits and obtain information about their policies. Members discussed required searches of a policy locator system, access to policy records, annual reports and the time insurers would have to respond to a locator match. The committee unanimously adopted an amendment extending that deadline from 10 to 30 days, then unanimously approved the bill as amended as a committee substitute.

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