With just four legislative days left before Sine Die on April 2, the end is nigh for the Georgia legislative session. Here’s a look at housing and free-speech bills we’ve been tracking that have passed or are still viable, along with some good governance legislation that failed to make it.
As a reminder, Crossover Day on March 6 was the last day for a bill to pass in either the House or Senate and cross over to the other side for consideration. Both the House and Senate must pass a bill for it to go to Gov. Brian Kemp, who either signs it into law or vetoes it.
Click here to view our full bill tracker. Here’s a summary of where things stand with less than a week to go before the 2026 session ends.
What bills have passed?
Both the Senate and House have passed this bill that affects free speech.
Senate Bill 443: Increases protest penalties
The House passed the Republican-backed Senate Bill 443 on March 23, which increases the criminal charge and penalties for blocking a roadway — a charge used against political protestors — to a high and aggravated misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $5,000, plus a year in jail. SB 443 also allows Georgians affected by a roadblock to file civil lawsuits against the protestors for lost wages or other damages. The ACLU and many Democratic lawmakers opposed the bill, saying it infringes on First Amendment rights. The House voted 96-69 in favor, after it passed the Senate by a vote of 35-17 on March 3.
What bills are still alive?
These bills successfully crossed over but still await a vote by either the House or Senate.
House Bill 61: Makes it easier to evict extended-stay hotel residents
The Senate passed the controversial “anti-squatting” House Bill 61 by substitute in a 32-18 vote on March 20. Housing advocates warn it will jeopardize the housing security of people living in extended-stay hotels by treating even long-term residents as guests instead of tenants. HB 61 classifies nonpayment of a hotel fee as criminal trespass, making the resident subject to removal by law enforcement without an eviction court proceeding.
Since the Senate substituted its own language, the bill returns to the House for a final yes or no vote to pass. The House unanimously approved its original version of the bill on Feb. 11.
House Bill 414: Empowers State Ethics Commission to investigate non-resident entities that influence Georgia elections
This bipartisan bill would allow the Georgia State Ethics Commission, which enforces campaign finance and transparency laws, to investigate entities located outside Georgia for influencing state or local elections. That could be out-of-state donors, consultants, or political organizations. HB 414 authorizes the Ethics Commission to ask Georgia superior courts for subpoenas to pursue such investigations. Currently, it can’t investigate people, records, or financial activity outside of Georgia..
House Bill 295: Allows property owners to seek compensation from local governments for not enforcing anti-homelessness laws
This Republican-backed bill would allow property owners to sue local governments for loss of property value or expenses if they don’t enforce laws aimed at keeping unhoused people off the streets. Critics say the bill would pressure cities to criminalize unhoused people, plus divert local government funds away from housing and supportive services for unhoused people toward legal fees.
Senate Bill 463: Limits institutional homebuyers to 500 rental homes
This Republican-led legislation would cap ownership of single-family rental properties at 500 houses for institutional homebuyers. It would also bar foreign investors from owning single-family rental properties in Georgia. It awaits a House vote.
What bills are dead?
Here are some of the more notable bills we were tracking – from criminalizing librarians to regulating data centers and AI – that failed to cross over to the other side. Barring last-minute surprises, they’ve stalled out for this session.
- Senate Bill 74: This controversial bill would have created criminal penalties, including jail time, for librarians who knowingly allow minors to check out materials deemed harmful to them under Georgia’s obscenity law.
- Senate Bill 421: The bipartisan Data Center Transparency Act would have banned non-disclosure agreements between data centers and local governments about electricity and water usage. The bill never made it out of the Senate’s State and Local Government Operations Committee back in January.
- House Bill 147: The House unanimously approved this bipartisan bill last year to set best practices and disclosure requirements on using artificial intelligence (AI) for local governments. The Senate revived HB 147 this session, but a substitute version stalled out in its Science and Technology Committee.
