That’s a wrap: What did and didn’t happen on the final day of Georgia’s 2026 legislative session

Georgia lawmakers put a bow on their 2026 legislative session after 1 a.m. Friday. You never really know what is going to happen on sine die, the final day of Georgia’s annual legislative session, or what’s not going to happen. Something that happened: Georgia lawmakers selected a new heritage cattle breed – the pineywoods cattle. […]

Georgia lawmakers put a bow on their 2026 legislative session after 1 a.m. Friday.

You never really know what is going to happen on sine die, the final day of Georgia’s annual legislative session, or what’s not going to happen.

Something that happened: Georgia lawmakers selected a new heritage cattle breed – the pineywoods cattle.

And some things that didn’t happen: Lawmakers failed to meet a self-imposed deadline to eliminate QR codes on ballots, setting Georgia up to be out of compliance with its own law. They also did not take any action to rein in data centers despite consumer concerns over rising power prices.

Here are some of the more significant things that happened or pointedly did not happen on sine die.

Did happen: Contraception expansion

A bill seeking to expand access for hormonal contraception is headed to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk, though a provision that would have required corn masa to be fortified with folic acid was stripped from the bill before it gained final passage on the last day of the 2026 legislative session.

House Bill 1138 was introduced by Rep. Beth Camp, a Concord Republican who said she was inspired to propose the legislation after her daughter faced a two-month delay renewing her birth control prescription.

If it gets the governor’s signature, pharmacists will be able to prescribe contraception like birth control pills and shots directly to patients without needing a doctor to sign off.

It was sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, a Marietta Republican and surgeon by profession.

A separate bill allowing Georgia residents to access HIV prevention medicine at their local pharmacy gained final passage a few days before the end of the 2026 session.

Didn’t happen: Ivermectin expansion

If you want to take ivermectin in Georgia without a prescription, you will need to be a horse, or shop like one.

Ivermectin is a medication used to kill parasites in humans and livestock and sometimes falsely claimed to be a miracle drug that can help treat cancer or COVID-19, despite no scientific evidence supporting those claims.

Senate Bill 440, a bill that would have made ivermectin available over the counter, passed the House but the Senate did not bring it up.

Proponents like Waycross Republican state Rep. James Burchett characterized the bill as harm reduction.

“If currently we have folks already taking a veterinary grade, and that’s probably not the correct medical term, of ivermectin right now, and what we’re asking is we allow them to take a pharmaceutical grade for human consumption, so it’s an access — and not only an access, but a public health — issue. They’re going to the vet store and taking this medicine,” he said.

Johns Creek Democratic state Rep. Michelle Au, who is also a physician, called that a false choice.

“The choice is not between having to take human formulation ivermectin versus veterinary grade ivermectin. The real choice is whether or not people should take medications for the wrong reasons,” she said.

Did happen: Budget passed

​​The House and Senate agreed on a $38.5 billion budget that leaders say is a compromise.

“The House gave on its priorities, the Senate gave on its priorities, and the governor’s office and (Office of Planning and Budget) was very kind to give on a lot of their priorities,” said Senate Appropriations Chair Blake Tillery in a joint press conference with the House appropriations leader Rep. Matt Hatchett.

The Senate had proposed changes to how online classes are funded, with Tillery previously suggesting that online classes cost less to offer than in-person classes and can provide more instructional hours with the same funding. The agreed-upon budget between the House and Senate decreases next year’s proposed budget for the University System of Georgia Board of Regents by about $34 million “to reflect increased credit hour productivity for online courses,” according to the budget.

The compromise budget will include $11.6 million for 500 NOW/COMP waivers, which are Medicaid waivers designed to help people with disabilities access services in their communities and avoid care in a facility that may be far from home. The Senate had proposed about $21 million for about 1,200 waivers, which is about the number of people on a waitlist with urgent needs.

The budget also provides funding for 124 new medical residencies slots in the state and includes several increases in some billing codes for Medicaid services.

“We’ve heard time and time again about the shortage of physicians, and this budget addresses that too,” Hatchett said on the House floor, where the House agreed to it on a 153-5 vote. The Senate passed it unanimously.

Did not happen: Bill targeting Jackson Healthcare

The race for Georgia governor peeked out a little bit when the Senate passed a bill aimed at wealthy healthcare executive and Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson.

Jackson’s late entry into the race has complicated life for Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who was previously seen as the frontrunner in the GOP primary.

Jones raised eyebrows last month when, from the Senate dais, he accused Jackson’s company, Jackson Healthcare, of “monopolizing” the healthcare industry and unfairly benefiting from no-bid state contracts and pledged to stop the alleged unfairness.

Senate Bill 586 was the Senate’s attempt at doing so, by barring anyone who has a financial interest in a state agency, including state contracts, from running for office.

On sine die, the Senate unanimously passed the bill, but the House did not take it up.

Jackson Healthcare has held nearly a billion dollars in state contracts since 2020, according to a Healthbeat analysis. Much of that came from health care staffing services after the pandemic.

In a floor speech on sine die, Savannah Republican Sen. Ben Watson accused Jackson of benefitting off of the suffering of Georgians.

“Their business model has driven up health care calls exponentially, hurt Georgians’ access to quality care and left taxpayers holding the bill, all while operating with little to no oversight. The fox was in the hen house. This vendor had a green light to the state bank account, and nobody was watching.”

In a statement, Jackson campaign spokesman Brian Robinson accused Jones of self-dealing while in office and “corruptly trying to keep his opponent off the ballot.”

“Burt Jones uses public office to benefit himself,” Robinson said. “That’s exactly why Rick Jackson is running; to stand up for the Georgians who don’t have a voice at the Capitol and make government work for the people.”

Did happen: DREAMS Scholarship

Georgia’s first significant needs-based financial aid program passed both chambers on sine die and is on its way to the governor’s desk.

The DREAMS Scholarship, companion to the merit-based HOPE Scholarship, crossed the finish line as part of Senate Bill 556, a bill combining multiple pieces of higher education legislation, including placing Narcan at colleges and universities and raising the contribution limit to education savings plans.

It is set to include $25 million to disperse to students in the next two years and a $300 million endowment to fund future students.

Georgia is one of only a small number of states that does not have significant needs-based funding. Georgia Budget and Policy Institute senior education analyst Ashley Young called the new funds a watershed moment for the state.

“We didn’t know if this would happen this session or 40 years from now,” she said. “And so we really are thankful that our top education leaders understand the importance of need-based aid. It’s a racial equity advancement as well, and we finally have the support, bipartisan support to move forward, so this is certainly a transformative time in Georgia.”

The bill also makes advanced fine arts courses eligible for a student’s GPA average for the HOPE Scholarship. That means if the bill becomes law, students who take courses like advanced placement music theory will have those grades help them toward earning HOPE.

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