by Dave Williams | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Georgia lawmakers will be focusing this summer and fall on some unfinished business left over from this year’s General Assembly session.
House Speaker Jon Burns Thursday announced the creation of three “blue-ribbon” study committees that will consider further reforms to Georgia’s election procedures and examine the state’s hemp policies and insurance rates.
“During the 2025 legislative session, members of the General Assembly considered a number of bills aimed at providing clarity on these issues that directly impact the lives of our fellow Georgians and the future of our state,” said Burns, R-Newington. “During the interim, these study committees will meet to gather the facts, hear from stakeholders, and determine a path forward for 2026.”
For the first time since 2020, when President Donald Trump claimed without proof that widespread election fraud had occurred in Georgia in that year’s presidential election, Georgia lawmakers did not approve major changes in the state’s election laws this year. The state House and Senate were unable to agree on provisions in a comprehensive election bill, and the measure died when lawmakers adjourned for the year early this month.
Likewise, legislation aimed at banning beverages containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the intoxicating component from hemp, did not make it past the finish line.
The study committee on insurance rates involves an issue the legislature did act on during the recently concluded session. Gov. Brian Kemp is scheduled to sign a comprehensive tort reform bill next week with restrictions on civil litigation aimed at curbing the rise of liability insurance premiums. The panel’s work could lead to recommendations for protecting consumers from predatory pricing to make sure Georgia’s insurance market operates fairly and transparently.
