2026 Capitol Update - Week 1
2026 Capitol Update - Week 1
January 12, 2026
Welcome back, fans of acronyms and amendments!
Today, the Georgia General Assembly gaveled in to begin the 2026 legislative session. This is the second year of the biennial 2025-2026 legislative session, which means a few things:
Any legislation introduced last year has another chance at life! (for a list of what we are watching that has rolled over from last year, scroll to the bottom of this news letter); and
It’s an election year!
But it’s not just any election year, it’s a midterm election with every legislator and statewide constitutional officer on the ballot. In other words: shenanigans are on the horizon, and your Capitol insiders are here to protect you from it!
While there is much political theater ahead this session, not all will be lost. There will be many bipartisan topics that lawmakers will consider and, as is usually the case in Georgia, 90% of the legislation that hits the floor will pass in an overwhelmingly bipartisan manner.
There are several key issues the legislature will focus on. Education and childhood literacy have been a hallmark of the Speaker’s tenure and there will likely be proposals addressing areas of improvement. Continued infrastructure investment has been rumored to be a key priority for the Governor’s supplemental budget. And housing affordability and regulatory reforms will also be on the table. Chief among those proposals will be House Bill 812 by Rep. Mike Cheokas, which proposes to amend the manner in which local governments approve land disturbance permits and limit the rounds of edits a local government can allow before a permit is issued or denied.
Of course, the only constitutional requirement for the General Assembly will be to pass the budget, which may have a budget increase for the Professional Engineers and Land Surveying Licensure Board that we have advocated for.
Our #1 legislative priority remains the final passage of the Qualifications Based Selection initiative, Senate Bill 51 by Senator Ed Setzler. SB 51 proposes to add local governments to the existing “mini-Brooks Act” which requires that QBS be used for A/E procurement on the state level for projects that have a total cost estimate of $1 million or for services where professional fees are in excess of $75,000. The legislation allows for the continuation of any existing relationship between a local government and a qualified A/E firm. Last year, the bill passed the Senate 54-1 and then subsequently passed the House Governmental Affairs Committee twice only to be stalled in House Rules. The bill will need to have its effective date changed to July of 2027 (to give local governments time to implement education and training), but no other changes will be recommended. We feel nauseously optimistic about the proposal’s chances for passage. If you’d like to help, please send us your QBS story!
Lastly, the legislature passed an adjournment resolution, setting the 40-day legislative calendar over the next 3 months. The calendar sets Crossover Day on Friday, March 6, and Sine Die on Thursday, April 2, ensuring a busy session that may turn Christy’s hair gray.
If you want to come down and see the legislative process in person, please join us for our annual Engineers at the Capitol Day!
For a more in-depth analysis of what may come this session, check out our most recent Political Pulse.
LEGISLATION ACEC GEORGIA IS FOLLOWING: 
 
Local Government  
HB 152 by Representative Matt Reeves (R-Duluth): would extend the existing Mini Brooks Act to local governments. This would require Qualifications-Based Selection for the procurement of A/E services for projects where professional services are estimated to be $75,000 or more or for any project with a total preliminary construction cost of $1 million. 
Status: Assigned to the House Governmental Affairs Committee 
Position: SUPPORT 
 
HB 168 by Representative Mitchell Horner (R-Ringgold): would revise the way in which SPLOST can be reinstated. Current law allows local governments to reimpose a SPLOST in the original way in which it was enacted, however this legislation would require that any reimposition of such SPLOST must also go through the general assembly as a local bill.  
Status: Assigned to the Ways & Means Committee 
Position: Reviewing  
 
HB 317 by Representative Ron Stephens (R-Savannah): would create a new option for local governments to help finance essential infrastructure needs called a “Workforce and Residential Infrastructure District (WRID). If approved by the local government, this would allow landowners within the district to self-impose taxes to fund these public infrastructure projects & improvements. A constitutional amendment would be required for the enactment of the legislation, HR 192 by Representative Ron Stephens (R-Savannah). 
Status: Assigned to the House Ways & Means Committee (was originally assigned to Governmental Affairs). The sponsor and advocates agree that this should be a 2 year bill, as it requires a constitutional amendment. This bill will come back next session.  
Position: SUPPORT  
HB 531 by Representative Matt Reeves (R-Duluth): proposes to extend the period for plaintiffs to provide notice (ante litem notice) for an intent to sue a city from six months to twelve months. The legislation also has a provision to limit the liability for cities at $3 million per person and $5 million per occurrence. 
Status: Passed the House Judiciary Committee; Passed the House 161 to 13; Passed the Senate Judiciary Committee; it did not pass the Senate and will be sent back to the Senate Judiciary Committee  
Position: Monitor 
  
SB 51 by Senator Ed Setzler (R-Acworth): this legislation would require qualifications-based selection for the procurement of A/E services for local government projects where the professional services cost is estimated to be $75,000 or more, or if the project cost is estimated to be $1 million or more. This is not a prohibition on cost being a factor, this simply shifts the consideration of cost to a second stage of negotiation after the firms have been ranked, rather than cost being an initial evaluation.  
Status: Passed the Senate State and Local Governmental Affairs Committee unanimously; passed the Senate 54 to 1; passed the House Governmental Affairs Committee; did not pass out of House Rules and will be sent back to the House Governmental Affairs Committee.  
Position: SUPPORT 
 
SB 151 by Senator Brandon Beach (R-Alpharetta): proposes the creation of a “Joint Development Authority of North Fulton Municipalities”. A committee of seven directors would be created with one representative each from Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton, Mountain Park, Roswell, and Sandy Springs, with a seventh member being appointed by the committee.  
Status: Passed out of the Senate State and Local Governmental Affairs Committee; passed the Senate 32 to 23. Passed the House Intragovernmental Coordination Committee. The House passed this with a substitute, however the substitute did not receive a final agree on the Senate side. With Senator Beach’s new role as US Treasurer, it is unclear what will happen to this measure next year.  
Position: Monitor 
 
Industry & Professions 
HB 34 by Representative Dale Washburn (R-Macon): would allow the professional licensing board division to utilize a continuing education tracking solution software that would monitor compliance of licensees with their respective continuing education requirements. Currently, this legislation does not affect the PELS Board.  
Status: Passed the House Regulated Industries Committee; passed the House 171-2; passed the Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee. This legislation was put on SB 125 which did pass.  
Position: Monitor 
HB 107 by Representative Bethany Ballard (R-Warner Robins): would require all professional licensing boards in the state to adopt a process by which spouses of military members or transitioning service members may obtain a digitally verifiable license.  
Status: Passed the House Defense & Veterans Affairs Committee 
Position: Monitor 
 
SB 28 by Senator Greg Dolezal (R-Forsyth County): this legislation aims to reduce red tape and reconfigure how the regulatory environment operates in Georgia by allowing the legislature to take a more active role in regulatory activities.  
Status: Passed the Senate Economic Development & Tourism Committee; passed the Senate 31 to 23. Passed the Senate Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight Committee but was sent back. This legislation remains alive for next session.  
Position: Monitor 
 
SB 207 by Senator Brian Strickland (R-McDonough): would provide a preclearance process for the licensing of individuals with criminal records who apply for a professional license in the state. 
Status: Passed the Senate Judiciary Committee; passed the Senate 55 to 0. Passed the House Judiciary Committee; Passed the House 170 to 0; Senate agreed to the House version with a Senate floor amendment, so it needs an agree on the House side before it can pass.  
Position: SUPPORT  
 
Transportation  
 HB 76 by Representative Stacey Evans (D-Atlanta): would require the Department of Transportation to host public hearings for local transportation projects of significant impact. 
Status: Assigned to House Transportation Committee 
Position: REVIEWING  
 
HB 387 by Representative Brad Thomas (R-Holly Springs): would require a service delivery agreement to include a growth boundary agreement component. 
Status: Assigned to the House Governmental Affairs Committee 
Position: Monitor 
 
Water & Environmental 
HB 559 by Representative John Carson (R-Marietta): this legislation would revise the sunset date on the sales tax exemption for the equipment used in data centers from 2031 to 2026.  
Status: Assigned to the House Ways & Means Committee 
Position: Monitor  
 
SB 34 by Senator Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome): would prohibit an electrical utility provider from recovering the cost of servicing a data center from regular ratepayers.  
Status: Assigned to Senate Regulated Industries & Utilities Committee 
Position: Monitor