Current Updates

GA State Legislature

The Georgia State Legislature opened its 2026 session on Mon., Jan. 12.  Governor Kemp gave his final State of the State address on Thurs., Jan. 15, but failed to address health care affordability or access in his plans for this year.  Coastal Georgia stands to lose $1.4 Billion over the next 10 years in Medicaid State Directed Payments.  For an analysis of health care losses affecting Georgia, read this article from The Current editor, Margaret Coker.

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Significant Resolutions & Bills 1/12/26 - present

SB 21:  This bill removes sovereign immunity protections from local governments that fail to comply with immigration detainer requests or maintain sanctuary policies. It exposes municipalities to legal liability if they don't actively participate in federal immigration enforcement efforts.

SB 24:  This bill would criminalize librarians for sharing books that contain any remotely sexual content, including LGBTQ+ characters.  This bill has passed the Senate -- contact your House Representative.

SB 92:  This bill creates the "Georgia Red Flag Protective Order Act," allowing family/household members or law enforcement officers to petition a court for a risk protection order to temporarily remove firearms from individuals deemed a significant danger to themselves or others. It outlines procedures for hearings, temporary ex parte orders, firearm surrender, and penalties for violations.  This bill has not yet passed the House.

​SB 389: Sponsored by Senator Kim Jackson

Requires visible identification and prohibits masks, with limited medical and safety exceptions. This raises serious concerns about surveillance, protest rights, and selective enforcement.

SB 390: Sponsored by Senator Harold Jones II

Would require permission from the Governor of Georgia before the National Guard can be stationed in our state, unless there is a valid presidential reason. This bill addresses who controls militarized presence inside Georgia.

SB 391: Sponsored by Senator Nabilah Parkes

Requires a judicial warrant before any state, local, or federal agency can conduct immigration enforcement at schools, college campuses, houses of worship, hospitals, public libraries, or family violence shelters. This is about protecting sacred and essential spaces from fear-driven enforcement.

SB 397: Sponsored by Senator Josh McLaurin

Allows Georgians to bring civil action against federal officials who violate constitutional rights. This creates accountability when federal power crosses legal lines.

SR 558​: "...[C]hanges to apportionment and districts of the General Assembly and Congress shall only be made in the first odd-numbered year subsequent to each United States decennial census; to provide that additional changes shall only be made when necessary to comply with a court order...."  That is: no redistricting outside of the usual time following a US census.

SB 568: 

• Requires voter lists to be posted and made public before each primary or election.

• Imposes civil fines up to $10,000 for registrars failing to remove ineligible voters after a challenge.

• Revises the uniform system of election equipment to be used after July 1, 2026, mandating hand-marked paper ballots.

• Allows timing marks on ballots to determine an elector's marked selections.

• Specifies that if multiple advance voting locations are utilized, designated precincts shall be assigned to each location, restricting voters to their assigned location.

• Requires posting of a list of electors who cast ballots after the polls close and mandates the Secretary of State to maintain an archival database of such lists.

• Revises data that must be posted with scanned ballots, including cast vote records, security logs, and system log files.

• Modifies provisions for recounts and risk-limiting audits.

• Shifts responsibility for overseeing the administration of election audits to the State Election Board and removes the Secretary of State's role in conducting audits.

Contact your State Senator now and tell them to vote NO!

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HB 54: The amended HB54 seeks to end access to doctor-prescribed, puberty delaying medication for trans youth. Every major U.S. medical and mental health organization supports access to gender-affirming care for transgender young people and adults. 

HB 397: This elections overhaul bill contains numerous provisions that would restrict voting access, including: removing Georgia from ERIC (the Electronic Registration Information Center), allowing counties to opt out of Saturday voting in municipal elections, prohibiting county election boards from designating pop-up voting sites for absentee ballot collection after early voting ends, and requiring video surveillance at drop boxes with footage retained for two years. These changes would make voting less accessible, particularly for working people and those with limited transportation options.

HB 441: The 'Georgia Prenatal Equal Protection Act' would amend Georgia Code to include an unborn child at every stage of development from fertilization as a 'human being'. While abortion is already illegal in Georgia after six weeks, this bill would go much further by establishing full personhood from fertilization. This could criminalize all forms of abortion without exception and potentially impact certain forms of contraception. The bill would also severely threaten IVF (in vitro fertilization) treatments, as the process typically involves creating multiple embryos, some of which may not be implanted. Under this bill, discarding or freezing these embryos could potentially be considered homicide.

HB 994:  Increases penalties for the offense of rioting, reclassifying it as a felony. It also adds rioting to the list of offenses for which bail is required. This change may disproportionately affect individuals participating in protests or demonstrations, particularly those from marginalized communities.

HR 1023:  This resolution proposes a constitutional amendment establishing a fundamental right for parents to direct the upbringing, education, care, and control of their children. It specifies that this right does not authorize child abuse or neglect, nor does it limit the state's authority to protect children's health and safety. The amendment will be submitted to voters for ratification.  This resolution's vague and broad-sweeping language could negatively impact young people trying to receive gender-affirming care.

 

​For more bills, including those recommitted from 2025, please visit gafasttrack.com.