2026 Capitol Update - Week 10
2026 Capitol Update - Week 10
March 16, 2026
Peach state legislators took a bit of a breather this past week to recover from the late evenings they spent gearing up for the Crossover deadline. Despite shorter days than the previous week, lawmakers took up their constitutional duty for the session: the budget. The House passed the $38.5 billion Fiscal Year 2027 Budget (which is not subject to the Crossover deadline) on Tuesday, and the Senate quickly commenced Appropriations hearings which began at 7am on Wednesday morning.
PELS Board Funding
We have helped advocate for an increase in funding for the Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors Licensing Board to fund three positions (an attorney, an investigator, and a workforce recruiter) and an “HR fee” that the Secretary of State has imposed on the Board. The House fully funded the attorney and investigator positions and the fee in the amount of $413,083—a major step forward for the Board! During Executive Director Eric Lacefield’s presentation on the PELS Board budget, he testified on the importance of the workforce recruiter position with a startling statistic: there are 1,085 licensed land surveyors in the state, and nearly 40% of those have been licensed for 25 or more years.
We will continue to advocate to preserve the House’s funding increase for the Board and educate Senate appropriators on the importance of the recruiting position.
Permitting Reform
SB 447 by Senator Clint Dixon (R-Mulberry) is the Senate’s version of permitting reform and will likely be the vehicle for any permitting reform on land disturbance permits that the legislature passes this year. The proposal aims to tighten the timeline for permitting applications and standardize the method by which local governments submit comments about an application. SB 447 was assigned to the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee. During a hearing Thursday morning, many members of the committee had questions about the bill, and it was assigned to a subcommittee for further discussion.
Transportation
House Resolution 1527 by Representative Lauren McDonald (R-Cumming) was introduced last week to create the “House Study Committee on Georgia Department of Transportation Contracting”. While the title and some of the resolution’s descriptions are somewhat vague, the study committee’s main purpose is to study and analyze the effect of utility relocation on roadway and highway construction projects and to ultimately propose solutions.
This week, legislators will meet Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, for Legislative Days 32-35, with a committee work day on Tuesday.
LEGISLATION ACEC GEORGIA IS FOLLOWING: 
 
Local Government  
HB 531 by Representative Matt Reeves (R-Duluth): proposes to extend the period for plaintiffs to provide notice (ante litem notice) of an intent to sue a city from six months to twelve months. The legislation also has a provision to limit the liability for cities to $3 million per person and $5 million per occurrence. Read more about the cities’ liability appeal here.
Status: Passed House Judiciary Committee; Passed the House 161-13; Passed the Senate Judiciary Committee; Recommitted 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.  This language is also included in HB 377.
Status: Passed Senate State and Local Governmental Affairs Committee unanimously; passed the Senate 54-1; passed the House Governmental Affairs Committee; recommitted to the House Governmental Affairs Committee; passed the House Governmental Affairs committee again on 2/18; currently pending in Rules
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 appointed by the committee.  
Status: Passed out of Senate State and Local Governmental Affairs Committee; passed the Senate 32-23. 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 in 2025. With Senator Beach’s resignation to serve as US Treasurer, it is unclear what is happening to this measure.
Position: Monitor 
SB 437 by Senator Clint Dixon (R-Mulberry): would clarify that virtual inspections of dwellings are allowed by law, would reduce the timeframe for local governments to determine if an application is complete from 30 days to 15 days, and would streamline the private plan review and inspection process. This bill was amended to apply only to single family residences under 3 stories.
Status: Assigned to Senate State and Local Governmental Affairs Committee; passed SLGO on 2/9; passed the Senate 52-1; assigned to House Governmental Affairs Committee
Position: Monitor
SB 447 by Senator Clint Dixon (R-Mulberry): aims to tighten the timeframe for comments by a local government on a pending application and requires specific citation of the local, state, and federal law that the application violates. The proposal would require local issuing authorities to publish criteria for approval of permits, states that a completed application for any permit must be denied or approved within 45 days and that a comment period may only last 14 days, and states that if the permit is not accepted or denied within 45 days, the application shall be accepted and any fees remitted shall be refunded to the applicant.
Status: Assigned to Senate State and Local Governmental Affairs Committee; received a hearing on 2/9; passed SLGO; passed the Senate 46-4; assigned to House Natural Resources & the Environment Committee
Position: Support
 
Industry & Professions 
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 31-23. Passed Senate Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight Committee; recommitted to Senate Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight Committee.
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 55-0. Passed House Judiciary Committee; Passed the House 170-0; Senate agreed to the House version with a Senate floor amendment, so it needs an agree on the House side before it can pass. Still pending an agree.
Position: SUPPORT  
 
Transportation  
HB 1070 by Representative Leesa Hagan (R-Lyons): would increase the tax credit for Class III railroad maintenance expenditures from $3500 to $5000 and would move the sunset from December 30, 2026 to December 30, 2031.
Status: Passed House Ways & Means Committee; passed the House 167-2; referred to the Senate Finance Committee
Position: Monitor
HB 1277 by Representative Matt Barton (R-Calhoun): would raise the environmental evaluation threshold exemption from $100 million to $200 million for road and airport projects. The bill also creates a mechanism for inflation adjustments for the threshold, which would be capped at the CPI annual inflation rate. Additionally, the bill repeals the threshold that limits design-build projects to only 50% of the total number of construction projects in a fiscal year and creates a new guidelines for GDOT to sell remnant right-of-way property upon completion of a project.
Status: Passed House Transportation Committee; passed the House 149-16; assigned to the Senate Transportation Committee
Position: Support
HR 1527 by Representative Lauren McDonald (R-Cumming): creates a study committee on utility relocation for highway and roadway projects.
Status: Assigned to Special Rules
Position: Support
 
Water & the Environment 
HB 1063 by Representative Brad Thomas (R-Holly Springs): would codify many of the provisions adopted by the PSC to prevent the recuperation of costs for data center construction on retail consumers.
Status: Assigned and passed out of Special Committee on Resource Management; passed the House 159-5; Assigned to the Senate Regulated Industries & Utilities Committee
Position: Monitor
SB 410 by Senator Matt Brass (R-Newnan): would prohibit electric utilities from recuperating the costs of data centers from residential and retail customers. It would also prohibit new certificates of exemption from sales and use tax from being issued upon the signature of the Governor.
Status: Passed Senate Finance Committee; passed Senate 32-21; awaiting committee assignment on the House side
Position: Under Consideration