Georgia Legislative Update – Week 1 Ending January 17, 2026
We are back! The Georgia General Assembly returned on Monday, January 12, 2026, for the first day of the 2026 legislative session and the start of the second year of the 158th Session. The House celebrated the first day of the 2026 session with a special performance by Miss Georgia 2025, Audrey Kittila, she delivered a violin rendition of “Georgia on My Mind,” The memorable rendition was a great way to begin the session and to prepare us for the business before us.
In addition to the special performance, we also took time to recognize the work completed during the 2025 interim to restore and renovate the House Chamber. Over the past several months, the Georgia Building Authority (GBA) and other key personnel worked diligently to complete a thorough restoration of the Chamber. It was designed to preserve the Capitol’s original character, while ushering in modern improvements. From locally produced carpet manufactured in Dalton to gold leaf accents sourced from Dahlonega, the project reflects a deep commitment honoring the legacy and historical integrity of Our State Capitol. The renovations to our beautiful Chamber were completed in an astonishing timeframe, and GBA shared a timelapse video capturing the restoration process from start to finish. We hope you all can take a moment this session to visit the “People’s House” to see the beauty of the House Chamber.
We moved on with our business Monday as the House voted to adopt House Resolution 998, the Adjournment Resolution establishing the legislative calendar for the entire 2026 legislative session. Georgia’s Constitution requires the Georgia General Assembly to convene for 40 non-consecutive legislative days, and the final day of this year’s session—also known as “Sine Die”— is scheduled for Thursday, April 2, 2026. With the goal of ensuring a smooth and efficient legislative process, this calendar provides a clear schedule for the session, allowing legislators, staff and visitors to plan ahead as we conduct the people’s business.
On Wednesday, members of the General Assembly attended the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s annual Eggs & Issues breakfast, where Gov. Kemp gave a preview of some of his priorities for the year. He announced plans for a one-time $35 million natural gas infrastructure fund through the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority. He also proposed major transportation projects, including $1.8 billion for the always congested McDonough Area at I-75 Henry County Express Lanes; $250 million for local roads and $100 million for rural bridge improvements. The governor also unveiled a one-time $50 million Homeless Response Grant.
Later in the week, members of both Houses of the General Assembly, gathered in the House Chamber for a joint session to hear the governor deliver his final State of the State Address as Georgia’s 83rd governor. Each year the General Assembly provides the governor an opportunity to share his assessment of the state’s condition and outlines his legislative priorities for the year ahead. Gov. Kemp’s final address centered on lowering the cost of living for Georgians, while prioritizing education, workforce training, school safety, strengthening retirement security for law enforcement and intensifying efforts to combat human trafficking and gang-related crime across Georgia.
Gov. Kemp began his final address by reflecting on the state’s finances, noting that since 2021, Georgia has delivered more than $3.2 billion in one-time tax relief, nearly $1 billion in property tax relief, more than $2.2 billion through motor fuel tax suspensions and nearly $3.4 billion in permanent income tax savings—totaling almost $9.7 billion—returned to Georgians. He also focused on the impact of rising costs on Georgia families and businesses, emphasizing that his budget proposals are a direct response to those pressures. To provide additional relief, he announced that his budget proposals include a fourth one-time $1 billion tax rebate—averaging $250 for single filers and up to $500 for married couples—bringing the total surplus revenue returned to taxpayers over the next four years to more than $7.5 billion. He also noted plans to propose a 20-basis-point reduction to the state’s personal and corporate income tax rate, lowering it to 4.99%.
The governor’s address also highlighted his continued investment in Georgia’s state employees and the state’s broader economic development efforts, reflecting his view that state government should serve all Georgians, regardless of party affiliation or zip code. He praised state employees and also pointed to his Administration’s sustained focus on economic development and job creation, noting that over the past seven years Georgia has seen more than 219,700 new jobs and over $118 billion in investment through projects supported by the state’s economic development team, with many of those jobs and investment dollars directed to communities outside the metro Atlanta region. To further recognize the efforts of the state workforce, Gov. Kemp announced that his Amended Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposals include a one-time $2,000 pay supplement for full-time state employees, including educators and state public safety officers.
Gov. Kemp highlighted his Administration’s efforts to improve Georgia’s education system and bolster our state’s education workforce. He also noted that as of the current fiscal year, the state has fully funded the Quality Basic Education Act (QBE) seven times and added an additional $368 million to programs and initiatives to prepare Georgians for the workforce. He also spoke of the state’s efforts to support school safety. The governor noted, in his first year, the state began with three campus security grants, totaling more than $184.5 million, and since then, the state has added $109 million into the base budget with the objective of providing funds to improve safety in Georgia’s classrooms. He also stated that his proposals would bring the total amount allocated to public safety during his time in office to more than $511 million. He then touted that during his tenure as Governor; his Administration has raised teacher pay by $9,500—increasing the starting salary for a Georgia teacher by almost 28%.
Next, Gov. Kemp turned his focus to higher education and scholarship programs. Over the last several years, the Kemp Administration has returned the HOPE scholarship to 100% of its promise, while the Board of Regents has worked to hold tuition rates to allow greater opportunity for students. Since approximately 2019, tuition in Georgia has increased by only 5%, which he highlighted as a success in comparison to other states. Gov. Kemp then announced that the state is putting an additional $2 billion toward higher education in Georgia, including $40.7 million in his budget proposals for healthcare education facilities and medical workforce training programs. Gov. Kemp stated that since he first took office, the state has spent more than $26 million for medical residency slots in Georgia, adding 897 positions, equaling 2,523 residency slots as of this fiscal year. His budget proposals add another $2.1 million to bolster this critical workforce need in our state.
Addressing the state’s scholarship programs, he announced that his amended budget proposals support need-based financial assistance by investing $326 million into the University of Georgia’s DREAMS scholarship program—the first needs-based scholarship of its kind in Georgia history. This scholarship program is a one-time endowment to create opportunities for generational economic advancement for students, with the goal of allowing students to complete college and begin careers without large student debt. The DREAMS scholarship complements the Georgia MATCH program, which was launched in 2023. During the first two years of MATCH, Gov. Kemp noted that the state has seen a 5.9% rise in University System of Georgia (USG) enrollment and a 7.1% increase in Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) enrollment.
The governor acknowledged the men and women who face danger on a regular basis protecting our communities, emphasizing how exceptional Georgia’s law enforcement officers are for answering the call to serve. To that end, Gov. Kemp proposed an enhanced retirement plan for state law enforcement officers. Under the proposed model, Georgia would provide a higher match to the 401(k) savings accounts of eligible public safety officers through a steeper contribution schedule, noting that not only would the state’s match increase at a higher rate, but the maximum percentage cap would also increase from 9% under the current plan to 15%, essentially doubling the state’s contribution for its law enforcement. Building on these efforts to support and protect those who serve, he also highlighted the importance of safeguarding the most vulnerable in our communities, including children and victims of exploitation. As one of the Kemp Administration’s top priorities and building on the work of the GRACE Commission—led by First Lady Marty Kemp—the Georgia General Assembly has passed ten pieces of legislation targeting human trafficking. In his remarks, Gov. Kemp announced that his team will soon introduce an eleventh bill designed to further protect Georgia’s children and hold abusers accountable. The governor further emphasized that his continued efforts to fight human trafficking are matched by his ongoing initiatives to tackle gang-related violence, touting that since 2019, his office has funded the Anti-Gang Taskforce within the GBI—and since then, the GBI has investigated more than 1,800 gang-related cases, arrested nearly 2,500 offenders with a gang affiliation and seized more than $95 million in drugs and illegal items associated with gang violence. Gov. Kemp closed his remarks by reaffirming his commitment to finishing the important work underway and ensuring continued support for all Georgia families. Gov. Kemp’s proposals will most certainly impact our work this legislative session.
To end the week, members of the General Assembly joined Gov. Kemp for a Celebration of Service event to honor the life and legacy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As we reflect on Dr. King’s mission, we are reminded of the enduring call to service that we and our colleagues strive to uphold as we continue working on behalf of you, our constituents and for the betterment of our great state. His legacy challenges all elected officials to lead with compassion and unity to ensure that our work at the Capitol continues to serve every Georgian.
Now that the 2026 legislative session is underway, we will spend much of the next three months, working on behalf of you, your families and our community’s needs. Following the observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, we will return to the Capitol on Tuesday, January 20, to begin work on one of the most important responsibilities of every session: the state budget. During what is often referred to as “budget week,” we will hear directly from Governor Kemp and state agency leaders as they present their budget requests to the joint House and Senate Appropriations Committees. These committees will continue meeting throughout the week, and we look forward to providing updates as we work through the budget process in the House.
As House committee meetings continue throughout the legislative session, you are invited and encouraged to attend meetings in person or watch live streams of all official House committee and subcommittee meetings on the House website. Meeting schedules and live streams are available at https://www.legis.ga.gov/schedule/house
Throughout this time here at the State Capitol,we look forward to continuing to work to support you and your family. You may reach out to me with any questions and concerns you may have as this legislative session progresses. Rep. Darlene Taylor may be reached at her office in the Capital Building 245-B or via email at darlene.taylor@house.ga.gov or by phone at (404) 463-2246.
Thank you for allowing us to serve as your state representative for the 2025-2026 legislative term.