ATLANTA – Today, House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) highlighted a number of House priorities that will take effect on July 1, 2025, the beginning of the 2026 fiscal year in Georgia.
“This year, the Georgia House had an incredibly successful legislative session where we passed strong, conservative legislation that puts Georgians and their families first,” said Speaker Burns. “From another historic tax rate reduction, increased school safety measures, stronger educational resources, strengthened public safety policies and greater access to healthcare resources for new and growing families—these accomplishments reinforce the House’s unwavering commitment to keeping Georgia the best place to live, work and raise a family for generations to come.”
Highlights of House priority legislation going into effect on July 1, 2025, include:
- HB 111 – another historic tax cut that reduces the state personal and corporate income tax rate from 5.39 percent to 5.19 percent.
- ‘The Riley Gaines Act’ – a bill that protects the integrity and fairness of women’s sports by banning biological males from participating in female sports or from receiving athletic scholarships designated for women.
- HB 268 – the House’s comprehensive school safety legislation that mandates stronger physical school security infrastructure, increases access to student mental health resources and strengthens penalties for terroristic threats.
- HB 340 – legislation aimed at fostering a distraction-free learning environment in Georgia schools by banning the use of cellphones in K-8 classrooms.
- HB 428 – a bill codifying access to in vitro fertilization for Georgia families facing infertility.
- ‘Fentanyl Eradication and Removal Act’ – legislation building on our efforts to make Georgia safer by increasing penalties for the distribution of the deadly drug fentanyl.
Highlights of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget include:
- $22.7 million to implement recommendations from the Georgia Council on Literacy to bolster literacy rates and provide a quality education to every child in the state.
- $19.6 million for every public middle and high school to receive ‘Student Support Service Grants’ for mental health resources.
- $108.9 million for every public school to receive $47,000 for school security improvements and upgrades.
- $14 million in lottery funds to expand and improve Georgia’s Pre-K education programs.
- $8.8 million to increase access to maternal healthcare across the state, particularly in rural and underserved areas where access to care is limited.
- $7.4 million for graduate medical education programs to attract and retain physicians to practice here in Georgia.
- $9.4 million for a new behavioral health crisis center in North Fulton, building on our efforts to increase access to mental healthcare for individuals and families when they need it most.
For more information regarding legislation passed during the 2025 session to take effect beginning July 1, 2025, please visit the following link:
https://gov.georgia.gov/executive-action/legislation/signed-legislation/2025
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