Georgia lawmakers pass big state budget but school speed camera ban and elections bill die
Georgia lawmakers pushed through a $38 billion state budget and Gov. Brian Kemp signed a “religious liberty” bill into law Friday, but several contentious measures failed before the General Assembly adjourned for the year.
Legislators didn’t pass hotly debated efforts to ban school speed cameras, overhaul election laws or prohibit the promotion of diversity in schools.
Instead, legislators prioritized government spending on school vouchers, mental health services, prisons and construction. They also established a new $250 income tax credit for each child under age 6 and expanded existing tax credits for child and dependent care.
“We look forward to Gov. Kemp signing off on some very, very important bills that are going to make a difference in the lives of the people of Georgia and especially our children,” said House Speaker Jon Burns, a Republican from Newington. “We’re all Georgians, and we’re all trying to pull together.”
The budget and tax cuts came as the stock market plunged amid President Donald Trump’s tariffs and some legislators worried about the possibility of a recession and how it might impact state spending.
House Appropriations Committee Chair Matt Hatchett said the state budget is built to survive a drop in government revenue.
“Things have changed and are changing,” said Hatchett, a Republican from Dublin. “I would think this budget could stand if there are huge swings.”
The state budget for the 2026 fiscal year, which begins July 1, includes $141 million for a private school voucher program, giving money for students in struggling public schools to pay for private school tuition.
But the final day of this year’s legislative session might be more remembered for the bills that didn’t pass.
The final day of the session is typically a test of endurance, stretching past midnight. But this year the Senate clocked out at 9:11 p.m., declaring their work done. The House followed a little more than an hour later.
The Senate adjourned while the House was still debating a bill that would have reined in school speed zone cameras, a source of complaints from people who received automatic tickets and praise from those who say they crack down on fast drivers near children.
“We should not be policing for profit,” said state Sen. Timothy Bearden, a Republican from Carrollton.
This year’s Republican-led election law rewrite also failed to pass as the House declined to vote on it.
The bill would have withdrawn Georgia from a 24-state voter registration accuracy organization and banned absentee ballot drop-off the weekend before Election Day.
Without the new law, legislators created a study committee to review Georgia’s touchscreen voting system, a possible switch to hand-marked paper ballots and voter registration accuracy.
The House also declined to act on “culture war” bills, including a proposal to ban public schools and colleges from promoting or discussing topics that fall under the umbrella of “diversity, equity and inclusion.”
But the General Assembly passed a bill that could allow Trump to collect millions of dollars of attorney fees in the Fulton County election interference case.
Under the legislation, criminal defendants can collect reasonable attorney fees and costs if a prosecutor is disqualified from the case for misconduct and the case is dismissed.
The Georgia Court of Appeals disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in December, citing her romantic relationship with a top prosecutor in the case. Willis has appealed that decision to the Georgia Supreme Court.
Even before the 40th and final day of the 2025 legislative session, the General Assembly had passed many major bills.
The “religious liberty” bill that Kemp signed Friday morning ended a long battle over the measure, which supporters say protects the rights of religious Georgians and opponents say allows them to discriminate.
While the proposal drew boycott threats and a veto by Gov. Nathan Deal in 2016, it finally passed this year. The state law is modeled after a 1993 federal law that limits the government’s ability to enforce laws that conflict with religious beliefs.
“Georgians and the business community know that I’m not going to back down,” Kemp said. “It’s a common sense piece of legislation that mirrors what a vast majority of other states have done.”
Earlier in the session, legislators approved Kemp’s priority of a litigation overhaul aimed at limiting lawsuits and bringing down huge jury awards.
Legislators previously approved a bill to prohibit transgender student-athletes from playing K-12 and college team sports that align with their gender identity. Another bill bans gender-affirming care for transgender people in Georgia prisons, prompting a walkout by Democratic representatives earlier this week.
Lawmakers also passed measures to lower Georgia’s income tax rate, protect in vitro fertilization and improve school safety in the aftermath of last year’s deadly shooting at Apalachee High School. The bill would require public schools to create plans addressing the behavioral health needs of students and identify potential threats made by students.
All bills that passed the General Assembly go to Kemp for his signature or veto.
About the Authors
Maya T. Prabhu covers the Georgia Senate and statewide issues as a government reporter for The AJC. Born in Queens, New York, and raised in northern Virginia, Maya attended Spelman College and then the University of Maryland for a master's degree. She writes about social issues, the criminal justice system and legislative politics.
Michelle Baruchman covers the Georgia House of Representatives and statewide issues. She is a politics news and enterprise reporter covering statewide political stories.
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
