Georgia lawmakers send final slate of bills to Kemp’s desk

Lawmakers worked late last Thursday to pass several bills before time ran out. Now, the bills that made it head to the governor’s desk. 

Gov. Brian Kemp will have 40 days to sign, veto or allow the bills to become law. As it is his last term, this is his last opportunity to decide what goes and what fails.

House Speaker Jon Burns spoke with GPB News after adjournment.

“I believe we’ve passed a lot of excellent legislation that protects taxpayers in this state. We would like to always do more,” he said. “We passed an incredible literacy bill, so we’re excited about that and the difference it’s going to make.”

Legislation failed to pass that would either delay the July 1 deadline to remove QR codes from ballots or move to hand-marked paper ballots by the midterms. This means there’s a possibility that there will be no legal way to count most votes at the midterms raising the question of a special session.

Here are some of the bills that passed Thursday that are now on the governor’s desk.

The Georgia General Assembly passed the 2027 budget that is nearly $39 billion. In addition, they passed a bill to lower the state’s income tax rate to 3.99% if certain fiscal conditions are met and exempt taxes on tips and overtime up to $1,750.

House Bill 1138, or the Increasing Access to Contraceptives Act, passed with a large majority vote. The bill will allow pharmacists to dispense birth control without a prescription from a doctor and also allow patients to receive more than one month of birth control pills at a time.

House Bill 1112 also passed with a large majority and would allow businesses to round cash purchases to the nearest nickel.

House Bill 295 narrowly passed the Senate. The bill would allow property owners to sue cities and counties for financial harm due to a loss in property value if the local governments are found liable. This would include cities and counties that fail to enforce laws related to homelessness, immigration or public safety.

House Bill 297 dissolves two state transit authorities: the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and the ATL Board. It also extends MARTA sales tax another 10 years through 2067.

The Senate passed a bill that will lead the way to a needs-based scholarship program for low-income students attending postsecondary institutions in Georgia.

Early in the morning Friday, lawmakers passed a bill known as the “Epstein amendment” before adjournment. The bill would require the disclosure of sexual harassment settlements by members of the General Assembly.

Several other pieces of legislation passed throughout the session. Check out the AJC’s tracker to see what all made it through the General Assembly.