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Rep. Lehman Franklin: Week 12 Under the Gold Dome

The 2025 legislative session officially wrapped up with the General Assembly’s 12th and final week, highlighted by the passage of key bills on education, public safety, healthcare, and Georgia’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
Special to Grice Connect
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Rep. Lehman Franklin

Week 12 Highlights:

  • The General Assembly reconvened on Monday, March 31, for the 12th and final week of the 2025 legislative session.

  • By the time the gavel fell on Sine Die, we had passed a number of bills and resolutions - several of which will now be sent to Governor Kemp for his signature.

  • Perhaps the most important bill we passed was HB 68 - the Fiscal Year 2026 budget.

    • This budget highlights our commitment to addressing issues that impact all Georgians: public safety, education, healthcare, and the judicial system.

    • The FY 2026 budget is a big step forward in promoting our state’s growth and long-term prosperity.

  • During this entire session, ensuring the safety and well-being of Georgia’s education system has been a top priority. To that end, we gave final passage this week to HB 268, which will require local school systems to implement a mobile panic alert system.

  • Other bills we passed this week include HB 266, which increases the income exclusion for military benefits to $65,000 for retired members under 65, and HB 136, which allows parents of kids ages 5 and under to claim a $250 state income tax credit.

Go here to  learn more about the bills the House and Senate took action on this session!

Digging Deeper

  • Just as a reminder, we passed a number of very important and consequential bills this session, including but not limited to:

    • The Riley Gaines Act - protecting female sports

    • HB 428 - protecting access to IVF treatment

    • SB 185 - protecting taxpayers from paying for gender reassignment surgery or treatment for inmates

    • SB 148 - allows local school boards to create hunting safety curriculums

    • SB 179 - updates high school graduation requirements to ensure all students complete a computer science or a career, technical and agricultural education course

    • SB 201 - protects homeowners when entering into a contract with a contractor within one year of a natural disaster

  • So, what’s next?

  • Now that the 2025 session has adjourned, Governor Kemp has 40 days to either sign or veto any legislation that received final passage by the General Assembly.

    • Any bills not signed or vetoed within the 40-day period will automatically take effect.

    • If you’d like to stay up to date on bills the governor does or doesn’t sign, go here.

  • As we head into the time in between legislative sessions, my colleagues and I will begin the study committee process later this year. At that time, we’ll take deeper dives into specific policy issues impacting Georgians. The goal is to gather insights and data that will help us craft legislation and policy goals for next year.

    • Study committees that have been approved include committees on the costs and effects of smoking, Georgia’s investment funds, student attendance, access to internal medicine in rural areas, election procedures, and much more!