Georgia lawmakers are moving forward with several bills this session aimed at improving child welfare services, supporting foster children with autism and related disorders, and strengthening legal protections for victims of abuse.
An update has been released on the health and campaign status of Republican State Senate candidate and former Trion Mayor Lanny Thomas following a recent medical emergency.
Georgia lawmakers have approved House Bill 1000, a measure that would provide a one-time state income tax rebate for eligible taxpayers, and the bill is now headed to Governor Brian Kemp for his signature.
Under the proposal, taxpayers who filed timely Georgia income tax returns for both the 2024 and 2025 tax years would qualify for the rebate. The bill sets the rebate at $250 for single filers or married people filing separately, $375 for heads of household, and $500 for married couples filing jointly.
The rebate would be funded using part of the state’s budget surplus, which lawmakers say currently stands at around $14 billion.
If signed into law, the measure would mark another round of tax relief for Georgia residents, continuing a series of rebates issued by the state in recent years as lawmakers return surplus revenue to taxpayers.
Democratic State Senate District 53 candidate Jack Zibluk has announced he is suspending campaign activities following the recent medical emergency involving his opponent, Republican candidate Lanny Thomas.
Lanny Thomas, Republican candidate for Georgia State Senate District 53 and former mayor of the Town of Trion, has undergone emergency surgery after what his family described as a sudden and unexpected medical emergency. He is currently recovering in the hospital.
A statement released by the Thomas family says prayers and well wishes are appreciated as he continues his recovery. Before surgery, Thomas spoke with his family and expressed his determination to return to the campaign as soon as possible.
The statement says he remains committed to serving Northwest Georgia and providing honest and effective representation. Updates on his condition are expected to be shared as they become available.
Thomas, along with Democrat Jack Zibluck are on the ballot in a runoff election for State Senate District 53 on April 7.
Voters in the 53rd Georgia State Senate District and the 14th U.S. Congressional District will return to the polls for a runoff election that will be held on April 7th.
A Georgia state senator has stepped down from office to focus on her campaign for lieutenant governor.
Democratic Sen. Nabilah Parkes, who represented part of Gwinnett County, announced her resignation in a public statement Friday. Parkes first launched a campaign for Georgia insurance and fire safety commissioner in January before shifting to the lieutenant governor’s race on March 5.
Parkes now joins state Sen. Josh McLaurin of Sandy Springs and Richard Wright in the Democratic field for lieutenant governor. In her resignation letter to Gov. Brian Kemp, Parkes sharply criticized the Georgia Legislature, calling it “a place where good ideas go to die and where extremists continue to attack our freedoms.” Georgia’s primary election is scheduled for May 19.
State Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome, says rising housing costs are one of the biggest threats facing Georgia families and argues that lawmakers must act to protect homeownership opportunities across the state.
As fuel prices continue to rise amid fighting in Iran, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp says he is not ready to suspend the state gas tax just yet.
Kemp told reporters Tuesday that previous gas tax suspensions were “targeted and strategic,” and he does not want to overreact to what could end up being a short-term spike in prices.
The latest jump in fuel costs follows military strikes in Iran on February 28 involving U.S. and Israeli forces, which pushed oil prices sharply higher.
Kemp noted that oil briefly climbed to around $115 a barrel before falling back to about $90 a barrel. He also said the United States is producing record levels of oil and gas, which he believes provides strong long-term energy security even while prices remain vulnerable to global events.
The governor said he plans to keep watching the markets for several more days before making any decision on whether to suspend the gas tax.
Kemp has taken that step three times before. In 2022, he suspended the gas tax as prices climbed during the war in Ukraine. In 2023, he again suspended the tax as inflation hit a 40-year high. In 2024, Kemp suspended the gas tax in response to Hurricane Helene.
For now, Georgia drivers will have to wait and see whether the recent rise in gas prices becomes severe enough to prompt another temporary tax break.
State Representative Eddie Lumsden of Armuchee says the Georgia House experienced one of the busiest weeks of the 2026 legislative session as lawmakers worked toward Crossover Day, the deadline for bills to pass out of their original chamber in order to remain eligible for final passage before the session ends. By the end of the week, the House had passed 97 bills and resolutions, sending many measures to the Georgia Senate for further consideration.