The House returned to the Gold Dome on Monday, March 9, following a long legislative day on Friday that stretched into the early hours of Saturday morning. By the end of the week, the Georgia General Assembly reached Legislative Day 31, meaning that only nine legislative days remain in the 2026 legislative session. Following a very busy Crossover Day, the House turned its attention to reviewing Senate bills that our counterparts passed out of their chamber. Most importantly we passed the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY 2027) budget. Below, I will highlight several key components of the House’s version of the FY 2027 budget, as well as other important pieces of legislation that the House passed this week.
Passing a balanced budget is the General Assembly’s sole constitutional responsibility, and the FY 2027 budget appropriates funding for state operations for the upcoming fiscal year, beginning July 1, 2026. House Bill 974, the House’s version of the FY 2027 budget, is set by a revenue estimate of $38.5 billion, an increase of $738 million, or 1.95 percent, over the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY 2026) budget. HB 974 makes significant investments in education, healthcare, medical education-especially focusing on rural areas, public safety, transportation, veteran care, and agriculture. The budget passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and I am proud of all the work each member did to ensure our state is financially sound, while striving to meet the needs of our growing state.
The House also focused on addressing the rising challenges in prescription drug costs and accessibility. As these issues continue to affect patients, providers and pharmacies across Georgia, the House took steps to further examine the role of pharmacy benefits managers in the prescription drug marketplace with the adoption of House Resolution 948. HR 948 would create the House Study Committee on Pharmacy Benefits Managers and Consumer Access to Prescription Medications to investigate rising drug costs and how pharmacy benefits managers impact costs, findings and recommendations to help address these concerns and ensure Georgians have reliable and affordable access to the medications they need.
The House also gave final passage to Senate Bill 420 to support Georgia’s coastal fishing industry. Georgia relies primarily on federal surveys to assess fish populations. These surveys evaluate fish stocks across the entire Atlantic coast and often do not accurately reflect conditions in Georgia waters. SB 420 would set an annual fee of $10 for Georgia residents and $20 for non-residents who participate in offshore fishing, and all funds would be retained by DNR. Revenue generated through the endorsement fees would allow the state to conduct its own fishery surveys in order to collect more precise data. Overall, this legislation seeks to protect our coastal fishing industry and allow for more accurate data collection. Now that the legislation has received final passage, it has now been sent to Governor Brian Kemp for consideration.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.
