(By Matthew Smith )
Last week, on March 6, the Georgia General Assembly faced an important deadline. Called Crossover, the date marks the last day that legislators can consider bills that originated in their house.
While most bills related to education and workforce development, the Georgia Partnership also tracks other topics covered through the EdQuest Georgia initiative, including health, housing, transportation, and tax law.
Governor Brian Kemp kicked off the week by signing the Amended FY 2026 Budget into law. House Bill 973 funds the government through June 30, 2026.
By 1 AM on Saturday morning, 82 bills that we tracked had crossed over, considerably less than the 400 bills available for consideration since the General Assembly first convened in January 2025.
Below, I have shared four Crossover Day observations. In the Crossover Report released this week, the Georgia Partnership summarizes three bills and provides recommendations for policymakers and practitioners.
- The House and Senate maintained focus on early literacy and student attendance.
House Bill 1193 would provide state funds for districts to place literacy coaches in each elementary school. Senate Bill 513 would require school systems to create multi-tier strategies to improve student attendance.
- The House passed legislation to strengthen district fiscal accounting.
Recently, GaDOE reported to the General Assembly that several districts were late submitting the district portion of health and retirement plan contributions to the state. In response, Rep. Will Wade introduced House Bill 1164, which would require the Department of Audits and Accounts (DOAA) to develop a program to monitor the fiscal condition of each local school system by July 1, 2026, with full implementation occurring by the beginning of SY 2028-29.
- No action was taken this year to revise or replace the K-12 funding formula.
The Quality Basic Education formula is turning 41 years old this year. While legislators introduced bills to fund programs to serve students living in poverty, the bills did not cross over.
- Taxpayers can expect income tax rebates in the mail this Spring. Additionally, homeowners will receive property tax relief.
The Amended FY26 Budget provides a one-time tax rebate for residents who have filed state income taxes during the last two years. If approved, individual filers should expect a $250 or $375 refund; joint filers $500.
Additionally, homeowners will receive higher homestead exemptions for their primary residences.
Expect another blog post and report for Sine Die, the deadline for bills and resolutions to be approved by both houses of the General Assembly. The legislature will meet for 11 more days in March and earlier April, adjourning no later than April 2.