The buildup to Sine Die is always dramatic, with legislators scrambling to get their bills heard and passed. However, several key pieces of legislation did not pass before the 2025 legislative session’s sine die adjournment.
Notably, bills regarding public safety, gun storage, school safety, medical cannabis, sanctuary cities, gambling, to name a few.
Here are highlights of some House Bills still viable for passage in the 2026 legislative session:
• House Bill 127: Georgia’s public schools and colleges would be banned from having any programs or activities that advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion.
• House Bill 397: This bill originally spelled out how municipalities could opt in or opt out of advance voting on Saturdays; now withdraws Georgia from a multi-state compact, Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) that shares real-time voter-registration updates; 24/7 video monitoring of ballot drop boxes, and increasing the powers of the controversial State Election Board.
• House Bill 147: Would create Georgia’s first-ever state body to set best practices for how state and local governments use artificial intelligence (AI); would set disclosure requirements so the public understands how, when, and why local governments are using AI.
• House Bill 61: Initially authorized the state to issue special license plates for hearses and ambulances; senate added language from the failed House Bill 183, a measure to bolster innkeepers’ power over the length of guest stays, that anyone committing the misdemeanor of “unlawful squatting;” living in a house, apartment, hotel, or vehicle without express permission, “shall be subject to removal” by law enforcement within 10 days of being notified via legal affidavit by the property owner, legal occupant, or landlord.
• House Bill 225: Would ban school zone speed cameras entirely. A revision, however, would delay the law from going into effect until 2028.
• House Bill 651: Would enforce speed limits in school zones through the use of automated cameras that will capture speed violations over 10 miles per hour above speed limit one hour before and one hour after the school’s official start and dismissal times; the signs in the area will not only display the speed of approaching vehicles but also feature flashing yellow lights to indicate when the automated cameras are authorized to issue citations.
• House Bill 117: Would have required restaurants to place on their menu or on a placard in their physical location notification of the country of origin of seafood items.
• House Bill 163: Requires restaurants to conspicuously label any product containing cell cultured meat, and plant-based meat alternatives on their menu.
• House Bill 431: Would remove interchange fees on the sales tax portion of a credit card transaction for all merchants.
• House Bill 668: A measure aimed at enhancing the rights and protections for service animals and their handlers to align Georgia’s regulations with federal standards and those of neighboring states.
• House Bill 686: Would have set rules on who can place sports bets, what types of wagers they can make and how the Georgia Lottery Corp. should collect a 20 percent tax on sports-books annually, with revenues going to help pay for preschools and the state’s HOPE Scholarship.
• House Resolution 450: Required a constitutional amendment, which would have needed two-thirds majorities in both the House and Senate to pass. Georgia voters would have been asked in 2026 whether to legalize sports betting. Overwhelmingly in the referendum on elections last year, 81 percent of public poll said they want the right to gambling. Revenue would have gone to fund Georgia Lottery HOPE Scholarships, pre-kindergarten programs and other initiatives.
Three bills focused on regulations for medical marijuana and hemp products did not pass, however Georgia lawmakers plan to study medical marijuana policies in a special committee scheduled to meet later this year.
I have been assigned as a member of the Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Georgia’s Medical Marijuana Policies, House Resolution 885, as well as the House Study Committee on Gaming in the State of Georgia, House Resolution 753.
I will report next week on key Senate Bills that did not pass during the 2025 legislative session that are viable in the 2026 session.
Please feel free to call my Capitol office at 404-463-3793 or email alan.powell@house.ga.gov or lanpowell23@hotmail.com, if I can be of service on any matter of state government.
As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative.