2026 Capitol Update - Week 11
2026 Capitol Update - Week 11
March 23, 2026
The legislature met last week for Legislative Days 32 through 35, with a St. Patrick’s Day committee workday on Tuesday. The legislature has five Legislative Days left, and lawmakers are feeling the crunch to get their initiatives across the finish line and find vehicles for those proposals that didn’t make the March 6th Crossover Day deadline.
PELS Board Funding
The retained revenue bill, originally HB 1428 by Rep. Lauren McDonald (R-Cumming), clarifies that the PELS Board can retain revenue from “incidental” fees will likely find a home on SB 411 by Senator Shawn Still (R-Alpharetta). The House Health Committee will consider the legislation today to consider and (hopefully!) approve the addition of the language from HB 1428 which previously passed the House Regulated Industries Committee unanimously.
Permitting Reform
SB 447 by Senator Clint Dixon (R-Mulberry) passed the House Natural Resources & Environment Committee on Thursday morning. The bill is a hybrid version of the Senate’s approach to land disturbance permitting reform and the House’s version, which was HB 812. The bill creates a new time frame for permit review and decisions, strengthening the 45-day initial review period and providing for a 14-day resubmission period if the issuing authority has identified any shortcomings with the original application submission. The bill also includes a provision allowing an issuing authority five days to assess completeness before the 45-day shot clock begins.
Transportation
In a late evening Senate Ethics hearing Thursday, House Bill 583, which was originally a proposal that would provide free license plates for veterans, was stripped and replaced with HB 1377 by Chairman John Carson, which did not meet the Crossover deadline. HB 1377 places an eight-year moratorium on transit SPLOST referendums and would place a prohibition on using those dollars on free or reduced fares for public transportation. The proposal poses a number of challenges, particularly on the reduced fares portion which could potentially negatively affect individuals who enjoy free and reduced fares in counties that offer discounts to seniors or disabled individuals.
Local Government
HR 1748 by Representative Rob Clifton (R-Evans) was introduced this week. The resolution would create a study committee on “Local Government Professional Contracting”.
Gas Tax Suspension
Governor Kemp signed HB 1199 on Friday, which suspended the motor fuel tax for 60 days, which is roughly $0.33 on gas and $0.37 on diesel. The gas tax suspension will equate to roughly $450 million over the two months that the suspension will last. Historically, the Governor and General Assembly have backfilled the lost revenue resulting from gas tax suspensions in the following year’s amended budget (though there is no guarantee that will occur).
This week, legislators will meet Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, for Legislative Days 36-38, with committee workdays on Tuesday and Thursday.
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. The bill also includes a five day window for the issuing authority to assess completeness before the initial shot clock begins.
Status: Assigned to Senate State and Local Governmental Affairs Committee; received a hearing on 2/9; passed SLGO; passed the Senate 46-4; passed the House Natural Resources & the Environment Committee; pending in House Rules 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
HB 583 by Rep. Lydia Glaize (D-Fairburn): initially offered free license plates to veterans, but now contains language from HB 1377 by Rep. Carson (R-Marietta) which would place an 8-year moratorium on transit SPLOST referendums and would limit the ability to use those proceeds for free or reduced fares on public transportation
Status: Passed the Senate Ethics Committee, where it was stripped of its original language
Position: Oppose
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 Committee
Position: Support
HR 1748 by Representative Rob Clifton (R-Evans): creates a study committee on Local Government Professional Contracting, however the language of the resolution references “quality based selection”, we are told the study committee would primarily be focused on delegated design.
Status: Assigned to Special Rules Committee
Position: Under consideration
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