2026 Georgia Legislative Session - Week 5-6 - Jaclyn Ford

Weeks five and six of the legislative session have been productive and fast-paced. As the legislative session moves along, our days on the House floor are getting longer and busier. With a full schedule of committee hearings and floor votes this week, we continued working diligently to advance meaningful bills through the legislative process.

We’re working toward Crossover Day, Legislative Day 28, which is the big deadline for bills and resolutions to pass out of their original chamber if they’re going to stay alive this session and have a chance at becoming law.

Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Insurance Rates

I was honored to serve on the House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Insurance Rates. Over the summer, we held a series of meetings to hear testimony from industry leaders, business owners, ratepayers, and policy experts as we examined the challenges facing the insurance market. Our goal was to identify a common-sense path forward that will help make insurance more affordable. Insurance costs have risen around 60% nationwide since 2020, placing a significant financial strain on Georgia drivers, homeowners, and ratepayers. Here in Georgia, we’ve taken proactive steps to bring stability and transparency to our insurance markets, starting with the passage of landmark lawsuit reform in 2025. There are four bills that came out of that committee.

HB 1344 – The Insurance Affordability & Claims Integrity Act

Increases nearly 40 insurance fines in Georgia’s insurance code
Strengthens enforcement of uninsured motorist laws
Enacts Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones’ excluded driver reform
Cracks down on insurance fraud
Creates collaboration between the Insurance Commissioner and Economic Development to recruit and expand insurance headquarters in Georgia
Places guardrails around local insurance premium tax payments
Implements the Fortified Homes program to shore up homes against storm damage
Tightens up Georgia law about claims processing following storms

HB 1274 – Excess Auto Insurance Profits Act

If a company profits 5% above expected profit for 3 straight years, it must file a rate decrease.
Florida and several other states do this, and in one case, it reduced rates by $1 billion for a single company.

HB 1262 – Fine Increase Bill

Surprise Billing, Mental Health, and General Fine authority is increased from $2,000 to $10,000 and from $10,000 to $25,000.
This is in addition to the 40 or so fine increases in the Insurance Affordability & Claims Integrity Act

HB 1263 – The Premium Tax Clawback Act

Currently, insurance companies can pursue refunds for premium tax payment “errors” over long periods of time. One company pursued a $150 million refund seven years after the payment was made.
This bill shortens the clawback period to 3 year

Cotton as the Official Fabric of Georgia

I was excited to introduce HB 1310 to designate cotton as the official fabric of Georgia. My goal is to highlight the environmental benefits of cotton, especially compared to synthetic materials that contribute to the growing microplastics problem. Cotton is also deeply woven into Georgia’s rural economy, with significant infrastructure and jobs tied to its production. Protecting and promoting this industry is important to the long-term health of our state.

Remembering the life of Louis Perry Jr.

We were honored to deliver a morning order remembering the life of service of Louis Perry Jr. The Perry Family joined us while we honored the late Louis Perry Jr. for his contributions to Georgia Agriculture.

Chaplain of the Day- Pastor TJ and Taylor Mauldin from Tifton First Baptist Church

I was honored to introduce Chaplain of the Day, Pastor TJ Mauldin from First Baptist Church – Tifton. We were grateful to have Pastor TJ and his wife Taylor join us in the House Chamber to bring the morning message.

House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee met on HB 947

This week, the House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee voted to move forward with HB 947, the “Georgia SNAP Healthier Choices Act of 2026,” sponsored by Rep. Martin Momtahan. The bill looks at changing what items can be purchased with SNAP benefits, with the goal of encouraging healthier food options. If it ultimately becomes law, the changes wouldn’t kick in until 2029. After a good bit of discussion, the committee voted to pass the bill and send it to the House Rules Committee, which will decide whether it heads to the full House for a vote.

*Rep Ford with House Appropriations Chair Matt Hatchett.*

An overview of some of the bills that passed the House these past two weeks:

HB 1161 – Later in the week, we focused on improving safety on our roadways by passing House Bill 1161. This bipartisan legislation would require drivers to move as far as possible to the right-hand side of the roadway when an emergency or law enforcement vehicle approaches in an official capacity to conduct a traffic stop.

HB 970 – On Wednesday, we unanimously passed House Bill 970 to expand the list of qualified healthcare professionals who can conduct sports physicals to include licensed medical physicians, doctors of osteopathic medicine, nurse practitioners or physician assistants.

HB 943 – We continued to focus on policies impacting children in foster care with the passage of House Bill 943, which would further support Georgia’s foster children, particularly those who may identify as having autism spectrum disorder. Under this measure, DFCS would be charged with creating a five-year pilot program to provide autism spectrum disorder screenings and clinical evaluations for children in foster care.

HB 256 – On Tuesday, the Georgia House passed House Bill 256, legislation that would rename the “Foster Parents Bill of Rights” to the “Foster Placements Bill of Rights,” meaningfully expanding protection of foster care providers under state law. Collectively, these provisions seek to support foster placement caregivers as they navigate the complex fostering process while caring for some of Georgia’s most vulnerable children.

HB 419 – We passed House Bill 419 this week, which would require institutions within the University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia to make opioid antagonists, such as naloxone, readily available to students and university personnel.

HB 1063 – We passed legislation that would ensure Georgia families and small businesses are not left paying for the construction and operation costs of large data centers as these facilities expand throughout our state. House Bill 1063 would prohibit electric utilities from passing along costs tied to building and maintaining data centers with annual electricity demand of 100 megawatts or more to residential or retail customers.

HB 657 – The Georgia House passed House Bill 657—a meaningful step toward enhancing mental health and substance use recovery services in our state. This bipartisan bill would formally define certified peer specialists in state law as those who have lived experience and are trained to provide ongoing support to individuals and families receiving mental health or substance use recovery services.

SB 162 – The bill would require the Georgia Composite Medical Board to implement an automated licensing data management software system for physicians, physician assistants and anesthesiologist assistants, with the goal of getting qualified providers into Georgia’s workforce much faster.

HB 383 – Last Wednesday, we unanimously passed House Bill 383, bipartisan legislation that would regulate Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) compensation for prospective and current Georgia high school student athletes. Currently in Georgia, high school student athletes can earn compensation through NIL opportunities, and this bill would provide clarity to high schools and establish guardrails to protect these students from exploitation.

HB 907 – Last week, we also unanimously passed legislation that seeks to improve educational outcomes and graduation rates in Georgia. House Bill 907 would make several updates to the Completion Special Schools Act by revising certain procedures for Georgia’s completion special schools—formerly known as alternative schools.

SB 195 – Senate Bill 195 also passed out of the House Chamber this week to modernize an increase access to HIV prevention medications by allowing pharmacists to dispense preexposure (PrEP) and postexposure (PEP) prophylaxis under certain conditions.