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Georgia 2025 legislative session ends early with new bills passing, others on hold until 2026

SINE DIE: What’s going to the governor’s desk and what still needs to be voted on It’s the final day of the Georgia legislative session and late Friday afternoon, the General Assembly finally approved a nearly $38 billion budget. (WSBTV.com News Staff)
(WSBTV.com News Staff)

ATLANTA — The motion to adjourn by Republican Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch came just before 9:30 p.m. with none of the usual buildup.

Georgia lawmakers can pick up bills in 2026 where they left off Friday, the second year of a two-year session, but they left plenty on the table.

Two measures on the future of school zone speed cameras were passed by the Georgia senate. Sen. Randy Robertson says one measure would mandate new signage to alert drivers.

Georgia lawmakers gave final approval to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), a measure that supporters say is aimed at protecting religious liberty but critics argue that it could open the door to discrimination.

Gov. Kemp signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act act into law on Friday, while opponents have argued that the bill will lead to discrimination.

Among items that didn’t pass were a push to establish more legislative control over rules enacted by state agencies, an effort to ban diversity programs in public schools and colleges and a bill to let people sue local governments for not cooperating with federal immigration officials.

Some top proposals won final passage earlier included Kemp’s effort to limit lawsuits and a school safety bill that came as a response to last year’s deadly mass shooting at Apalachee High School.

The bill’s passage came as school safety concerns remain front and center. Just as lawmakers were voting, Acworth police arrested a 17-year-old student at North Cobb Christian School for allegedly making terroristic threats. Authorities say a tip from Snapchat helped identify the suspect.

House Bill 268 would have created a database for districts to share information about students if and when they change schools. However, a committee has removed that language.

The Senate left right as the House was discussing new changes to the proposal to regulate how school zone speed cameras function.

Here is a look at what bills have passed and what bills did not pass:

Passed:

Child Tax Credit: Parents of children age 5 and under could claim a $250 state income tax credit under House Bill 136, which also expands the state income tax credit for child care expenses.

Religious Liberty: State and local governments wouldn’t be able to “substantially burden” a person’s religious freedom under Senate Bill 36, but opponents say it would enable discrimination. Kemp signed the measure Friday.

Income Taxes: An already-planned state income tax cut will be accelerated under House Bill 111, giving the state a flat 5.19% income tax rate retroactive to Jan. 1. And Georgians will get income tax rebates between $250 and $500 under House Bill 112.

Hurricane Aid: House and Senate members agreed to spend more than $850 million on aid after Hurricane Helene did billions of dollars of damage in Georgia in September.

School Cell Phones: Public school students in kindergarten through eighth grade would be banned from using cellphones during the school day under House Bill 340.

Lawsuit Limits: Senate Bill 68 would make it harder to bring lawsuits and win large verdicts while Senate Bill 69 limits who can finance lawsuits.

Transgender Rights: Both Senate Bill 1 would ban transgender girls and women from playing girls’ and women’s sports, while Senate Bill 185 would ban state prisons from spending on “sex reassignment surgeries,” hormone replacement therapy, or other surgeries “intended to alter the appearance of primary or secondary sexual characteristics.”

America First Plate: Senate Bill 291 would create an America First license plate for Georgia vehicles.

Did not pass:

Public Records: A discarded version of Senate Bill 12 would have exempted Georgia state legislators and police departments from some requirements to disclose public records.

Library Crimes: Librarians in public libraries, K-12 schools and colleges could have faced prosecution for providing sexually explicit materials to minors under House Bill 483.

Gun Tax Breaks: House Bill 79 would have offered a four-day sales tax holiday on guns, ammunition and safety devices, while offering income tax credits of up to $300 for paying for gun safety courses.

Clarence Thomas Statue: The state would have put up a privately financed statue of the U.S. Supreme Court Justice and Georgia native under House Bill 254.

Elected Official Pay Increase: Lawmakers abandoned a proposal to increase pay for statewide elected officials including paying Gov. Brian Kemp $250,000 a year.

Sports Betting: Georgians would have gotten a chance in 2026 to vote on a state constitutional amendment authorizing sports gambling under House Resolution 450.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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