(The Center Square) – The state budget, speed cameras and regulations were among the topics that kept Georgia lawmakers at the state capitol until 1 a.m. on Friday morning.
Here’s a look at the status of bills that made the news during the 2026 session of the Georgia General Assembly.
The budget
A conference committee announced at 7 p.m. Thursday that it had reached an agreement on the $38.5 billion budget that gave both chambers some of what they wanted. All of Georgia’s K-3 elementary schools will have literacy coaches thanks to a measure championed by House Speaker Jon Burns, which includes $70.4 million.
The budget included other dollars for education, including $14.9 billion to fully fund the state’s school funding formula. Lawmakers added $9.7 million to expand the state’s pre-K program.
State retirees are expected to receive a cost-of-living adjustment thanks to $100 million included in the fiscal year 2026 spending plan.
Tax breaks
Georgians could see some income tax relief, but only if the state hits certain revenue targets. A property tax relief bill failed but both chambers passed bills that would allow local governments to implement a sales tax to offset property taxes.
Election reform
Lawmakers had two election bills on the table. One would have delayed the elimination of QR codes from ballots and required a new voting system by 2028. The other called for hand-marked ballots before the November midterm elections. Neither made it through both chambers.
School speed zone cameras
Local governments could put speed zone camera proposals to a vote before they are implemented under House Bill 651, as amended by the Senate. Another vote would be required in six years.
Rep. Dale Washburn, R-Macon, initially sought to ban the cameras that local governments operate in a bill introduced in 2025.
Washburn said the cameras had raised $200 million in fines, with $50 million going to corporations he said were located out of state. Washburn said he received a ticket from the cameras, but that was not why he brought the bill.
The House approved the Senate amendment in the midnight hour.
“Let’s get this thing out of our hair,” Rep. Alan Powell, R-Hartwell, said.
It goes to the governor for his signature.
The Georgia Bureaucratic Deference Elimination bill
House Bill 1247 codifies into state code a U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned what is known as the Chevron doctrine. The legal tenet was established in the 1984 case Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., in which the Supreme Court directed federal courts to defer to agency legal interpretations if statutory language was ambiguous.
Lawmaker also added what is known as the “Epstein amendment” to the bill that says any taxpayer money used to settle sexual harassment claims against General Assembly members must be disclosed.
Daylight saving time
A bill that could switch Georgia to Atlantic Standard Time failed to get a vote on the final day of the legislative session. House Bill 154 would have stopped the twice-yearly clock change for Daylight Saving Time.
