***PASSED!!! THE GEORGIA RELIGIOUS FREEDOM RESTORATION ACT***

SB 36 — Georgia’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) — This bill is modeled after the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Put simply, this law gives Georgians their “day in court” to challenge a local or state law restricting the free exercise of religion and makes it so the local or state government must prove why it is necessary for them to infringe on Georgians’ religious beliefs. Status: Signed into law by Governor Kemp!

After working for over a decade on RFRA, Citizen Impact is overjoyed to announce that it has been signed into law. RFRA would not have passed without your efforts to make calls, share information, meet with your legislators, and pray. Thank you for laboring alongside us to protect religious freedom in Georgia!

***NO VOTE EXPANDING PREDATORY, STATE-SPONSORED GAMBLING***

A committee to study gambling was introduced in the House on 3/21, but it was not approved. This study committee would help determine, in meetings during the next several months, “how legalization of gaming…would contribute to the economy and workforce development of this state as to revenue expectations and quality of jobs being available when weighed against what social and societal ills may come to Georgia…if gaming is approved by the citizens of this state.”

HR 450 is a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize sports betting in Georgia by changing Georgia’s Constitution. Because it is a constitutional amendment, it must pass by a 2/3 majority in both the House and Senate and then be voted on by Georgia citizens. Status: Did not pass by Crossover Day (3/6).

HB 686 is the enabling legislation for HR 450 which means it contains the detailed information on how the law is carried out. Status: Did not pass by Crossover Day (3/6).

Although no gambling legislation passed this session, the legislative cycle runs for two years which means these bills could be considered next year. We will be ready to fight against these bills, and any new gambling legislation, in 2026!

Other bills we are tracking:

• SB 1 was combined with HB 267 to be the Riley Gaines Act. This law prohibits biological males from participating in female sports and entering female locker rooms and restrooms in Georgia public schools. In the bill, male and female are defined according to a person’s reproductive system. Status: Passed in the House and Senate. Governor Kemp is expected to sign this into law by May 14th.
• SB 74 repeals a previous exemption which protected libraries and librarians from liability when providing obscene materials to minors. Status: Passed in the House and was added to another bill in the Senate, but it did not come up for a vote.
• SB 30 would prohibit hospitals and other medical facilities from prescribing or administering, sex reassignment surgery; hormone therapy; or puberty blocking medications, for minors. The bill was amended to allow minors officially diagnosed with gender dysphoria to take puberty blockers with parental consent. Status: Passed in the Senate on 3/3. Never came to a full vote in the House.
• SB 39 would prohibit state health benefit plans or state funds in general from being used for gender-affirming care. Additionally, it would prohibit state operated healthcare facilities AND healthcare providers employed by the state from providing gender-affirming care. Status: Passed by the Senate on 2/11. Never came to a full vote in the House.
• HB 171, or the Ensuring Accountability for Illegal AI Activities Act is a bill that would prohibit distributing obscene images of children and provide mandatory minimum sentences for those who do. Status: Passed in the House on 2/26. Never came to a full vote in the Senate.
• HB 328 deals with the “Qualified Education Tax Credit” used by so many of our schools. This bill would increase the annual aggregate cap on available tax credits from $120 million to $200 million and double the amount of time that donors have to submit their donation (from 60 days to 120 days). Status: Passed in the House on 3/6. Never came to a full vote in the Senate.
• The Georgia Promise Scholarship is fully funded ($141 million) in the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget (HB 68). Status: Passed in the House and Senate. Governor Kemp is expected to sign this into law by May 14th.