State Representative Eddie Lumsden (R-Armuchee), who represents Chattooga County and part of Floyd County, says the Georgia House completed a busy seventh week of the 2026 legislative session as lawmakers approach the important Crossover Day deadline. The week included extensive committee work and the final passage of the Amended Fiscal Year 2026 state budget, which totals about $43.6 billion and includes billions in surplus funding. According to Lumsden, the budget prioritizes taxpayer relief, transportation improvements, expanded mental health services, and investments in the state’s prison system, along with a one-time $2,000 salary supplement for educators and state employees.

The House also focused heavily on education legislation during the week. Lawmakers passed the Georgia Early Literacy Act, designed to strengthen reading instruction for students in kindergarten through third grade, and the Math Matters Act, which increases instructional time and expands advanced math opportunities for students. Additional bills approved by the House address issues such as cell phone restrictions in schools, new weapon detection systems for school buildings, expanded after-school programs, improvements to special needs scholarships, and initiatives to support teacher recruitment and career academy access.

The House also approved legislation aimed at preventing homelessness and improving insurance affordability, including measures intended to strengthen enforcement against insurance fraud and help homeowners protect properties from storm damage. Lumsden says lawmakers will return to the State Capitol to continue reviewing legislation ahead of Crossover Day, when bills must pass out of their original chamber to remain eligible for consideration this session.

Complete report from Rep. Lumsden: 

On Monday, February 23, 2026, my House colleagues and I returned to the Georgia State Capitol to begin the seventh week of the 2026 legislative session. Monday was dedicated to our first committee workday of the session, where many long hours were spent in committee and subcommittee meetings carefully reviewing, debating and advancing legislation so that eligible bills can be placed on a Rules Calendar and considered by the full House. These workdays are critical to ensuring proposed legislation is thoroughly vetted before reaching the House floor. By the end of the week, we reached Legislative Day 25 and are now just two legislative days away from Crossover Day—the key deadline for bills and resolutions to pass out of their chamber of origin in order to remain eligible for final passage before the General Assembly adjourns Sine Die on April 2.

Perhaps the most notable action that the House took this week was giving final passage to House Bill 973, the Amended Fiscal Year 2026 (AFY 2026) budget—fulfilling our constitutional obligation of passing balanced budgets—through the adoption of a conference committee report. HB 973 is set by a revised revenue estimate of $43.6 billion and includes $4.5 billion in unrestricted surplus funds, along with $145 million in lottery surplus funds, for a total infusion of $5.9 billion—representing a 15.6 percent increase over the original Fiscal Year 2026 (FY 2026) budget. The AFY 2026 budget seeks to prioritize taxpayer relief, major investments in the state’s prison system, expanded mental health services and transportation infrastructure improvements. Key allocations include $850 million for the Homeowner Tax Relief Grant program, more than $400 million to construct a new state mental health hospital and more than $2 billion for various transportation initiativesacross the state. HB 973 also allocates more than $600 million to provide state employees and educators with a one-time $2,000 salary supplement, as well as $29.8 million to establish a first of its kind College of Optometry at Georgia Southern University to help meet a critical workforce need.

Other notable appropriations include restoring $325 million to the Georgia Student Finance Commission for state-matching funds to support the need-based DREAMS scholarship program. This funding reflects a shift from the governor’s original recommendation, which proposed a $300 million endowment to the University System of Georgia (USG), along with $25 million for awards in the next fiscal year. After further discussions with the governor’s office and USG, the endowment and scholarship funds will instead be administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission. With enabling legislation advancing to establish the scholarship framework, the AFY 2026 budget now provides the $25 million for next year’s awards and utilizes $145 million in excess undesignated lottery reserves to fund a portion of the $300 million endowment. Additionally, HB 973 would increase support for out-of-school care with $15.75 million for the BOOST 2.0 program. Infrastructure investments include $250 million for local road improvements through the Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant and the Local Road Assistance Administration program, $11 million in airport aid and $8.4 million for shortline rail upgrades. In public safety and behavioral health, the AFY 2026 budget appropriates $20.7 million for a 40-bed forensic restoration facility at East Central Regional Hospital in Augusta, along with $409 million for a new 300-bed facility at Georgia Regional Hospital in Atlanta, which will significantly improve the state’s mental health and forensic capacity. Additionally, $150 million is appropriated to expand jail-based restoration services at the Cobb County Jail for additional prison bed capacity. The final version of this budget also includes $81 million to address the deficit within the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) and restore various foster care support contracts. The General Assembly’s final version of the amended budget also appropriates $45 million for the State Housing Trust Fund to address homelessness, $5 million through the Department of Veterans Service to assist homeless veterans, alongside $100 million to strengthen the funded ratio of the Employees’ Retirement System of Georgia to support long-term pension stability.

After we voted to adopt the conference committee report on the amended budget, HB 973 was immediately transmitted to the governor’s desk for consideration, signifying the timeliness of these investments for our state and its citizens. I was proud to work alongside my colleagues on this budget that reflects many long hours of collaboration to prioritize responsible, targeted investments that strengthen Georgia’s economy, support the state’s healthcare system, invest in workforce development and address critical priorities for all Georgia families.

On Tuesday, our work centered on strengthening our state’s education system and supporting Georgia’s students and teachers, with several key education measures taking priority. Among them was a House priority for this session—House Bill 1193, the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026—which passed the House overwhelmingly with bipartisan support. HB 1193 would promote and advance comprehensive early literacy and reading education efforts across grades K-3. Specifically, the legislation would provide Quality Basic Education (QBE) funding for school-based literacy coaches in all Georgia public schools that serve students in kindergarten through third grade—impacting more than 1,000 schools statewide. School-based literacy coaches would be certified teachers or professionals holding a literacy coaching endorsement from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. In addition to school-based coaches, the bill would fund regional literacy coaches and leadership literacy coaches within Georgia’s 16 Regional Education Service Agencies (RESAs). These regional leaders would work alongside school-based literacy coaches to strengthen collaboration across communities and regions and ensure consistent implementation of literacy best practices. The bill would also provide comprehensive, curriculum-based professional learning grounded in the science of reading at no cost to K–3 teachers and literacy coaches with the goal ofstreamlining professional development standards and creatinggreater consistency in statewide literacy planning. Furthermore, HB 1193 would require local school systems to offer full-day kindergarten programs and clarify early grade entry and readiness expectations by requiring children to attend kindergarten before entering first grade. This legislation would update placement, promotion and retention policies for kindergarten and first grade students by strengthening intervention strategies and parent notification requirements when students are not meeting reading proficiency benchmarks. Under this bill, students identified as at risk for reading difficulties would receive targeted support and would not advance to the next grade. Additionally, the bill would establish the Georgia Literacy Task Force and a director of literacy within the Office of Student Achievement to ensure oversight. This standing 12-member task force—comprised of science of reading experts and led by the Georgia Director of Literacy—would play a critical role in selecting high-quality instructional materials (HQIMs), professional learning programs and universal reading screeners. The legislation would also amend the Georgia Early Literacy and Dyslexia Act by requiring unified literacy plans for districts and charter schools, mandating that all K-3 HQIMs align with the science of reading and restructuring the process for selecting and updating universal reading screeners. Currently, a majority of Georgia’s third graders are not reading on grade level. HB 1193 represents a major milestone in the House’s efforts to address this challenge and strengthen literacy outcomes in our public schools. The Georgia House recognizes that reading proficiency is foundational to success across all academic subjects and is a key determinant of students’ future academic and professional achievements. The Georgia Early Literacy Act would make substantial strides toward ensuring that Georgia’s students are equipped for lifelong success.

In addition to prioritizing literacy, the House also focused on strengthening mathematics education in Georgia with the unanimous passage of House Bill 1030, the Math Matters Act, marking the first step in a bipartisan effort to improve student outcomes in math. The bill would expand advanced learning opportunities, increase core instructional time and improve teacher preparation by guaranteeing access to advanced math for students who are ready. Specifically, by the start of the 2027–2028 school year, seventh-grade students who score at the “distinguished learner” level on the statewide math assessment would be automatically placed on a pathway to take eighth-grade math alongside Algebra I and begin geometry as early as ninth grade. Importantly, local school systems would be required to provide a process for parents to opt their child out of automatic advanced math placement or request placement for students who score “proficient learner” at the end of grades seven, eight or nine—provided the student meets local eligibility requirements, such as their math grade point average or demonstrated academic growth. HB 1030 would also require at least 60 minutes of daily core math instruction for fourth and fifth-grade students. Additionally, the bill would update teacher certification standards to ensure educators have both strong math content knowledge and evidence-based instructional strategies. These strategies would be designed to develop all four strands of mathematical proficiency, including real-world problem-solving skills that connect math to students’ lives; procedural fluency, or the ability to perform math accurately, efficiently and flexibly; conceptual understanding of how and why math works; and productive dispositions that encourage students to view math as sensible, useful and worthwhile. Our passage of the Math Matters Act underscores the importance of math proficiency by establishing measures to provide students with rigorous instruction in essential math skills. Through this legislation the House seeks to set a higher standard for math education in Georgia and equip students with the knowledge and abilities needed for success in high school, higher education and future careers.

We continued our focus on education policy, while also building on our efforts from the 2025 legislative session when the House championed House Bill 340, the Distraction-Free Education Act, banning cell phone use in Georgia’s K–8 schools. Although HB 340 will not take full effect until July 1, 2026, many elementary, middle and even high schools have already adopted similar policies, reporting positive and transformative results in our classrooms. As such, House Bill 1009 passed on Tuesday with bipartisan support and would extend this cell phone ban to high schools. HB 1009 would require that public-school students in grades nine through 12 be prohibited from accessing personal electronic devices during the school day, beginning no later than July 1, 2027. These devices would include smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, headphones and other portable devices capable of communication, internet access, messaging, recording or gaming, while excluding e-readers which are commonly used for instructional purposes. Importantly, students would be able to access devices as necessary if they have an Individualized Education Program (IEP), Section 504 Plan or medical plan that explicitly mandates the use of a personal electronic device for medical or educational purposes. HB 1009 would also require each school system to adopt and update policies that continue to prohibit bell-to-bell access to personal devices and continue to establish secure storage options like lockers, locked pouches or designated classroom locations by January 1 of each year. Recognizing the various responsibilities of high school students, HB 1009 would outline certain procedures for using devices for off-site events, transportation, extracurricular activities and instructional opportunities, such as dual enrollment, work-based learning and apprenticeships. This legislation would establish clear enforcement standards, parent communication protocols, progressive discipline measures and off-campus guidance, while continuing to allow the use of school-issued technology and ensuring consistent implementation across school systems.

Creating safe learning environments for Georgia’s students, teachers and faculty has always been a priority, and my colleagues and I continued these efforts on Tuesday by passing House Bill 1023 with bipartisan support. This legislation would require local boards of education and other public school governing bodies to implement one or more weapon detection systems at all main points of entry for permanent school buildings in Georgia’s public schools to prevent individuals from unlawfully bringing weapons onto school campuses. The requirement would specifically apply to buildings owned or leased by school systems during normal school operations, except for entry or exit points that remain locked, are equipped with an alarm or are intended for student use only in emergencies, such as designated emergency exits. Each local board of education and other public school governing body would be authorized to use available grants and other funding sources to meet the requirements outlined in the bill. Importantly, HB 1023 would not become effective until July 1, 2027, allowing school systems the necessary time to plan, procure and implement the weapon detection systems. This legislation takes proactive steps to ensure that every student, teacher and school personnel in Georgia can learn and work in an environment where safety is uncompromised—a commitment that reflects the highest priority of protecting our communities and fostering peace of mind in our schools.

Also on Tuesday, the Georgia House unanimously passed House Bill 1123, legislation that would expand access to after school programs to help working families. Under the bill, public schools that offer after-care programs to students in kindergarten, primary or upper elementary grades—and that also operate one or more pre-K programs—would be required to make those after-school programs available to their pre-Kstudents on the same basis. Most public schools in our state already offer these programs to their pre-K students, but this legislation would extend those services to more Georgia schools, recognizing how helpful these programs are and giving allfamilies across the state that option within their school system. Schools could request a one-year waiver from the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning if they can demonstrate extenuating circumstances that would prevent them from implementing this policy. The legislation originated from recommendations made by a House study committee that examined pre-K care access across the state and ways to expand and improve the quality of effective pre-K education in Georgia.Ultimately, this legislation would provide greater flexibility and support for working families who rely on after-school childcare services.

Also this week, we unanimously passed House Bill 634 toupdate the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Act to strengthen and modernize the law to better serve students and families. Enacted in 2007, the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Act provides scholarships that allow students with special needs to attend participating private schools, serving approximately 6,300 students a year. Under the bill, if a student’s first IEP was expedited but not active during the most recent enrollment count, the initial scholarship amount would be based on the IEP once it takes effect to ensure that funding more accurately reflects the services a student is receiving. This legislation would also modernize payment procedures by requiring the Georgia Department of Education (GDOE) to electronically deposit scholarship funds directly into participating schools’accounts in an effort to improve efficiency and reduce processing delays. The department would also be required to post the basic unit cost—the minimum scholarship estimate—on its website, provide estimated scholarship amounts within 30 days of the final enrollment count and issue final scholarship amounts no later than July 15 each year. Additionally, the Georgia Office of Student Achievement would submit an annual report to the General Assembly detailing program participation and publicly release the report. The report would include student enrollment numbers, student demographic information, the number of participating schools and the medical or behavioral conditions that the schools accommodate. This legislation would provide greater clarity on this process and reinforce transparency, improve efficiency and ensure scholarship funding more closely aligns with students’ educational needs—without requiring additional state dollars for the program.

We also passed several other education-related bills on Tuesday that aim to strengthen opportunities for Georgia students and support our educators. House Bill 310, the Student Teacher Promotion Act, would establish a program to encourage teacher recruitment by providing grant funds from public schools to student teachers participating in the required student teaching component of their teacher education programs. House Bill 385 also passed and would allow students who are concurrently pursuing a baccalaureate degree and a first professional degree—or who meet achievement standards and begin a graduate program at an eligible institution within 18 months of earning a baccalaureate degree—to fully use their HOPE scholarship eligibility. The House also passed House Bill 372, which would extend the sunset for retired educators to return to work from June 30, 2026, to June 30, 2030, and would require educators who return to work in literacy-related subjectsto hold a current dyslexia or reading endorsement approved by the Professional Standards Commission. Lastly, House Bill 971, which would expand access to college and career academies,passed with bipartisan support. Specifically, HB 971 would allow home study and private school students to enroll in eligible career, technical and agricultural education (CTAE) courses when space is available, and students could attend academies within their home district, within the same RESA area, or even in an adjacent school system, ensuring broader access to these career-focused programs.

By midweek, we passed House Bill 689 with bipartisan support to establish a state homelessness prevention program overseen by the State Housing Trust Fund for the Homeless Commission and formally define programs focused on preventing homelessness, eviction and stabilizing low-income households. Under HB 689, the State Housing Trust Fund for the Homeless Commission would be authorized to distribute trust fund money to qualified sponsors operating certified homelessness prevention programs. To qualify, sponsors would need to demonstrate the capacity to provide services like short-term rental and utility assistance, eviction diversion and mediation, legal representation in dispossessory proceedings or operate centralized portals for emergency rental aid. In reviewing applications, the commission would consider the number of individuals likely to be served, the applicant’s ability to leverage additional funding, geographic distribution of services, quality of assistance and likelihood of complying with contractual requirements. Under the legislation, funds could not be released until a formal contract is signed, and sponsors would be required to provide financial assurances to ensure compliance. While the State Housing Trust Fund has traditionally focused on residential development and accountability programs, HB 689 would shift the emphasistoward homeless prevention, reinforcing the idea that keeping families housed is often more cost-effective and socially stabilizing than responding after homelessness occurs.

To end the week, we passed legislation to address insurance affordability in our state. House Bill 1344, or the Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act, would increase nearly 40 fines within Georgia’s insurance code, strengthen the authority of the Georgia Office of the Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner to levy penalties, enhance enforcement of the state’s uninsured motorist laws, impose tougher consequences for insurance fraud and clarify claims-processing requirements following storms and other catastrophic events. HB 1344 reflects the hard work of the House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Insurance Rates, which held numerous meetings across the state during the 2025 interim to examine rate and claims issues within this industry. Specifically, the bill would establish a felony offense for individuals who financially benefit from directing motor vehicle accident victims to specific attorneys or medical providers to generate insurance claims, with penalties of up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $200,000. The bill would authorize the insurance commissioner to extend claim filing deadlines following a declared disaster and would require insurers to meet specific timelines for acknowledging, investigating, deciding and paying property claims arising from catastrophic events. HB 1344 would also create the Georgia Storm Damage Mitigation Program Act, which would establish a state-administered grant program to help eligible homeowners and certain local governments strengthen residential properties against storm damage. The legislation would also formalize the use of excluded drivers in auto insurance policies—defined as individuals expressly designated as not covered under a motor vehicle insurance policy—by requiring insurers to report such excluded drivers to the Georgia Department of Revenue, directing law enforcement to cite excluded drivers without valid coverage and creating misdemeanor penalties for vehicle owners who knowingly allow excluded, uninsured individuals to operate their vehicles. HB 1344 would also increase uninsured motorist lapses and restoration fees, raise penalties for gaps in required auto insurance coverage, escalate fees for repeat violations within five years and increase collection amounts retained by county tax commissioners. HB 1344 seeks to provide stronger consumer protections, increase accountability in the insurance industry and support Georgians recovering from catastrophic events.

On Monday, March 2, we will return to the State Capitol to begin the eighth week of session, starting with another committee workday. It will be a busy week of reviewing and advancing legislation, culminating with Crossover Day on Friday, March 6, where we expect to work late into the night to pass legislation before the deadline. As always, I encourage you to reach out with any questions or concerns about legislation being considered this year. Your input is invaluable, and I welcome the chance to connect—whether by phone or during a visit to the Capitol—to discuss the issues that matter most to you and your family. You can reach my Capitol office at 404-656-7850 and via email at Eddie.Lumsden @house.ga.gov.

As always, thank you for the privilege of serving as your state representative.

Eddie Lumsden