Legislative Update – Pre-Sine Die Legislative

2025 Pre-Sine Die Legislative Update 

So far this week, legislators have convened Monday and Wednesday for Legislative Days 38 and 39. Friday, April 4 is the final day of the 40-day session, Sine Die. The House and Senate have already voted on dozens of measures on the floor this week, and both chambers are slated to take dozens more votes on Friday.   The House was voting on legislation on Wednesday until approximately 11pm, and the Senate adjourned just after midnight.   

Any measure that successfully makes it through both chambers by the time the legislature gavels out for the year will be sent to Governor Kemp’s desk for his consideration.  The Senate has already set its full legislative calendar for Friday—the Senate selected a list of nearly 90 bills to consider between Wednesday (Day 39) and Friday (Day 40).  Any bill that did not receive a vote on Wednesday could be brought up for a vote at any time before the Senate adjourns on Friday.   To set its Day 40 calendar, the House Rules Committee will convene for the first time on Friday at 9am and will likely meet several more times throughout the day to set supplemental calendars.  

Any standalone bill that is not already slated for a vote or is not added to a supplemental calendar in the House on Friday is not eligible for final passage this session.  However, in the final days of the session, lawmakers will often seek to add language from their bills on to other related measures so that their bill’s contents still have a chance to make it to the governor’s desk.  Any bill that receives a last-minute change on Friday in one chamber must go back to the other chamber for an ’agree’ motion to receive final passage.  Any bill that is on a calendar and is not brought up for a vote, or any amended bill that does not receive the final ‘agree’ motion before the House and Senate adjourn on Friday is dead and must be taken back up in the 2026 Legislative Session when the legislature reconvenes in January.   

After the conclusion of the final legislative day, the governor and his team then have a 40-day bill review period to determine which bills he will sign into law and which bills he will veto.  Governor Kemp vetoed 12 bills after the 2024 session, 14 bills in 2023, three bills in 2022, one bill in 2021, four in 2020, and 14 bills after the 2019 session.   The governor also has the ability to line-item veto the budget passed by the legislature.  

Budget 

On Monday the House disagreed with the Senate’s proposal for the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, House Bill 68, and the Senate insisted on its position, triggering the creation of a six-member conference committee.  Conference committee members are tasked with working out any differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget so that the two chambers can finalize the version of the budget that will be sent to Governor Kemp.  President Pro Tempore John Kennedy (R-Macon), Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega), and Senate Appropriations Chairman Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia) were appointed to the conference committee by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, and Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones (R-Milton), House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration (R-Mulberry), and House Appropriations Chairman Matt Hatchett (R-Dublin) were appointed by Speaker Jon Burns.  Once an agreement is reached among conference committee members, the agreed upon version of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget must be approved by both the House and Senate before it can be sent to the governor’s desk.   The passage of a balanced budget is the only constitutionally required action item for legislators each session.  

Tort Reform 

Governor Kemp has been clear that the passage of meaningful tort reform was his top legislative priority for the 2025 Legislative Session, and both bills that make up his tort reform package are now sitting on his desk for his signature.  Senate Bill 68, the governor’s comprehensive tort reform measure, received final passage two weeks ago after the House voted 91 to 82 to approve the legislation, and the Senate voted 34 to 21 to agree to the changes made by the House.   

Senate Bill 69, the ‘Georgia Courts Access and Consumer Protection Act,’ which would regulate third-party litigation financing practices, received final passage this week.  Last Friday the Senate voted unanimously to approve the measure with the inclusion of a floor amendment introduced by Senator Bo Hatchett (R-Cornelia) that adjusted the effective date of the seatbelt admissibility provisions and the third-party litigation funding discovery provisions of Senate Bill 69 to ensure the bill would not impact pending legislation.  The House agreed to the Senate’s changes 120 to 42 on Monday, sending it to Governor Kemp’s desk.   

Social Bills 

On Wednesday evening the House took up Senate Bill 36, the ‘Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act,’ or ‘RFRA,’ by Senator Ed Setzler (R-Acworth).   The legislation would restrict state and local governments from burdening a person’s exercise of religion, even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability.  The bill includes language from the federal RFRA law that does not currently apply at the state or local levels.  After a lengthy debate on the House floor, the measure was passed 96 to 70.   It is now on its way to Governor Kemp’s desk.   On Wednesday night Governor Kemp released a statement congratulating the legislature on the passage of the measure and noting he has “always maintained I would support and sign a version of RFRA which mirrors the language and protections provided by federal law since 1993.” 

On Monday the House approved Senate Bill 1, the ‘Riley Gaines Act of 2025’ 100 to 64.   The final version of the bill included a combination of language from Senator Greg Dolezal’s (R-Cumming) Senate Bill 1 and Representative Josh Bonner’s (R-Fayetteville) House Bill 267. Addressing transgender individuals competing in sports was a top legislative priority for both Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones and Speaker Jon Burns this session.  The measure seeks to regulate participation in school and college sports based on biological sex and would prohibit self-identification of sex for sports participation.  The bill would mandate that sports teams are designated as male, female, or co-ed, and would prohibit males from participating on female teams and females from participating on male teams.   It would also require multiple-occupancy restrooms, changing areas, and sleeping quarters to be designated for only males or females.  The legislation establishes privates causes of action, which would allow students to sue school systems if the provisions of the proposed legislation are not followed.   Following the House vote, the Senate voted 34 to 20 to approve the House’s version of the bill, sending it to Governor Kemp’s desk.  

On Wednesday the House took up Senate Bill 185, which would prohibit the use of state funds for sex reassignment surgeries, hormone replacement therapies, and other treatments related to gender transition for state inmates.  After a lengthy debate on the House floor, the measure passed 100 to 2, with a majority of Democrats opting to walk off of the floor during the vote.  Three Democrats voted with Republicans for the measure, and two Democrats remained on the floor to vote against it.  The legislation is now on its way to Governor Kemp’s desk.  

In last week’s Senate Education Committee meeting, Representative Brent Cox’s (R-Dawsonville)  House Bill 127 was stripped and replaced with language from Senator Marty Harbin’s (R-Tyrone) Senate Bill 120, which would prohibit public schools, local education agencies, public colleges and universities, and the Technical College System of Georgia from promoting, supporting, or maintaining any programs or activities that advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion.  The Senate debated the measure for an hour and a half on the floor Wednesday night before gaveling out around midnight.  The bill was passed by the Senate 33 to 21 and now goes back to the House for a final ‘agree’ motion.  

School Safety 

On Monday the House’s comprehensive school safety legislation, House Bill 268, received final legislative approval.   The measure, which was a legislative priority for Speaker Jon Burns this session, would: 

• Require expedited transfer of records from a student’s previous school when he or she transfers;  

• Establish state grants to fund qualified student advocacy specialists;  

• Require law enforcement agents to report criminal actions committed by school-aged children to their schools;  

• Require training for teachers and students on behavioral health awareness;  

• Create an anonymous reporting pathway to alert school officials of potentially dangerous behavior; and 

• Require a threat management plan to be developed in schools.  

After the Senate approved the measure 45 to 9 on Monday, it was transmitted back to the House for a final vote.  The House voted 154 to 12 to send the bill to the governor’s desk.  

On Wednesday the House unanimously approved Senate Bill 17 by Senator Jason Anavitarte (R-Dallas), ‘Ricky and Alyssa’s Law.’   The measure would require mobile panic alert systems in all Georgia public schools and would require accurate mapping of school facilities that can be shared with law enforcement for improved emergency response.  A change made to the bill by the House would ensure that the mapping data is procured in coordination with local law enforcement.  Next the measure must go back to the Senate for an ‘agree’ motion before it can be sent to Governor Kemp’s desk.