Friends,
In this moment, the most powerful tool at our disposal is information. The majority party’s strategy of “flooding the field” is designed to overwhelm and disorient, and they know that when voters are less engaged, harmful policy can be more easily pushed through.
One of the key goals of our newsletter (and frankly the reason it ends up being so long) is to arm you with the information you need. Government works best when everyone participates, and on Crossover Day, one of the most significant milestones in the legislative session, we want to point you to the most important pieces of legislation to watch.
Let’s dive in.
CROSSOVER DAY 2025
So…what is “Crossover Day”?
Source: Carl Vinson School of Government, University of Georgia
Technically, Crossover Day is the last day of the annual legislative session by which a bill must pass out of its originating chamber in order to “cross over” to the opposite chamber and ultimately have a chance to pass into law.
That’s the theory.
In practice, there are several ways for the majority party to pass bills even without making this cutoff. Bill language is added or spliced into other bills that have already crossed over, some bills are eviscerated totally and remade into completely different bills with the same bill number–there are ways to pass your priority issues (if you have enough pull) and get around the Crossover deadline. But generally speaking, Crossover is the point at which you watch to see whether individual bills live or die for the year.
Here are some key bills to watch on Crossover Day, Thursday, March 6th, and in the weeks that follow until Sine Die (via the AJC’s 2025 Bill Tracker). We have highlighted bills of particular interest.
Georgia Bill Tracker 2025
| Bill | Description | Passed 1 chamber | Passed 2 chambers |
| HB 1 | Makes it a crime to store firearms improperly around children. | ||
| HB 18 | Students must have legal status to participate in school dual enrollment programs. | ||
| HB 58 | Bans flying drones within 400 feet of large ticketed gatherings such as a sporting event or music festivals. | ||
| HB 79 | Provides tax credits of up to $300 per person for taxpayers who purchase a gun safe or enroll in an in-person course on safely handling a firearm. | ||
| HB 81 | Allows school psychologists licensed in other member states to practice in Georgia. | ||
| HB 83 | Increases the Georgia state cigarette tax from 37 to 57 cents per pack | ||
| HB 105 | Increases the indemnification payout for teachers and school workers, who are killed or disabled. | ||
| HB 111 | Accelerates tax cuts originally approved in 2022, reducing the income tax rate for individuals and corporations from 5.39% to 5.19% for 2025. If certain financial benchmarks are met, the rate would fall to 4.99% by 2027 — two years ahead of the original schedule. | ||
| HB 112 | Refunds taxes to individuals who filed income tax returns in 2023 and 2024. Individuals or married people filing separately would receive a refund of up to $250. Heads of household would get up to $375, while married couples filing jointly would receive up to $500. | ||
| HB 113 | Restricts state agencies from buying goods from foreign companies deemed a security threat. | ||
| HB 150 | Requires quarterly reports of funding from China to Georgia universities. | ||
| HB 156 | Establishes the Department of Transportation as the authority over “vertiports,” which are areas designed for the takeoff, servicing and landing of drones. | ||
| HB 173 | Requires the state Department of Education to provide middle school parents with information on recommended vaccines for meningococcal meningitis, human papillomavirus (HPV), and tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (TDAP). | ||
| HB 183 | Allows hotel owners to enlist law enforcement to evict people who fall behind on payments or try to claim occupancy as tenants. | ||
| HB 205 | Require the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency to compile a list of approved drones that state and local government officials could operate and purchase. | ||
| HB 211 | Grants broad immunity to carpet companies and municipalities accused of tainting the public water supply with the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. | ||
| HB 215 | End Georgia’s participation in ERIC, a 24-state partnership that aims to increase voter list accuracy. Since 2021, the organization has identified over 1.9 million registrations of voters who likely moved or died. | ||
| HB 218 | Allows hospitals to offer the flu and pneumonia vaccines to patients starting at age 18, lowered from 50, prior to their discharge. | ||
| HB 223 | Relief payments for agricultural losses suffered due to Hurricane Helene would be exempt from taxes and certain timber companies would receive refundable income tax credits. | ||
| HB 225 | Makes automated speed detection cameras in school zones illegal. | ||
| HB 237 | Makes it tougher for prosecutors to use artists’ “creative or artistic expression, whether original or derivative,” against them. This bill is in response to Fulton County prosecutors using rap lyrics and tattoos as evidence of gang affiliation in the lengthy trial of Atlanta rapper Young Thug and his alleged associates. | ||
| HB 268 | Parents could be criminally charged for aiding and abetting their child who made a threat against a Georgia school. It also calls for critical information about a student to be available for school administrators, mental health counselors and law enforcement within a few days of a child arriving at their new school. | ||
| HB 313 | Requires schools to display the Ten Commandments, as well as a “separate context statement.” | ||
| HB 326 | Requires Georgia’ State Health Benefit Plan and Medicaid to cover non-opioid based pain therapies at rates no less favorable than they cover opioid-based medications | ||
| HB 374 | Mandates disclosure of ownership of rental property by foreign adversaries, including China. | ||
| HB 428 | Amends the state health code to formally establish in vitro fertilization as a legal right, preventing future restrictions on the procedure. It also defines the IVF procedure as it is widely practiced today, which supporters say will help eliminate any legal ambiguity. | ||
| HB 561 | Aimed at preventing mining from expanding near the Okefenokee Swamp, it prohibits the Georgia Environmental Protection Division from issuing, modifying or renewing any mining permits on Trail Ridge after July 1. | ||
| HB 562 | Aimed at preventing mining from expanding near the Okefenokee Swamp, it prevents the Georgia Environmental Protection Division from considering new permits for mines on Trail Ridge or tweaking existing ones until mid-2030. | ||
| HR 160 | Commends Taiwan and criticizes China for “economic coercion” and military drills. | ||
| SB 1 | Bans transgender girls from competing on teams that do not match their sex assigned at birth. | ||
| SB 9 | Criminalizes the distribution of sexually explicit, AI-generated content involving children. | ||
| SB 16 | Allows bail bond business owners to be elected to a city council or a county commission. | ||
| SB 17 | Requires local school systems to implement a panic alert system to ensure real-time coordination between first responders in the event of a school security emergency. | ||
| SB 21 | Removes protections that cities and counties currently have against lawsuits if they adopt do not follow federal immigration law. | ||
| SB 27 | Makes doxxing a crime. Doxxing is defined as maliciously publicizing private or identifying information online that would cause the victim to be in fear of mental or physical danger, monetary loss or other significant life disruptions. | ||
| SB 28 | Requires state agencies to review their rules and regulations every four years to find less restrictive and less costly alternatives. | ||
| SB 29 | Requires collection of DNA samples of individuals arrested for the commission of a felony at the time such individuals are booked or otherwise processed by a detention facility | ||
| SB 34 | Requires Georgia Power to charge data centers for the costs they incur to serve them. The state has seen a surge in data centers, which can require new infrastructure, power plants and fuel expenses. | ||
| SB 39 | Prevents the state health insurance program and Medicaid from covering some medical care for transgender people. | ||
| SB 47 | Creates an 11-day sales tax holiday in October to coincide with the beginning of hunting season where sales tax is not collected for sales of guns, ammunition, gun safes, trigger locks and other accessories, such as scopes and magazines. | ||
| SB 50 | Expands Medicaid by instructing the state to seek a waiver to provide health care for Georgians making up to 138% of the federal poverty level, which is about $41,000 for a family of four. | ||
| SB 52 | Relief from taxes levied for harvest or sale of standing timber damaged or destroyed in disaster areas. | ||
| SB 54 | Establishes a statewide database, housed in the state Department of Education, that captures threats to safety made on school property or impacting school campuses. | ||
| SB 61 | Mandates felony charges for anyone who threatens to kill people at a school. | ||
| SB 64 | Restricts Georgia from purchasing or operating drones under 55 pounds manufactured or assembled by companies in China or Russia. | ||
| SB 68 | Part of Gov. Brian Kemp’s litigation overhaul plan. It limits when businesses can be sued for some injuries that occur on their properties, regulates how damages are calculated in personal injury cases and allows juries in some cases to consider whether someone was wearing a seat belt in determining awards. | ||
| SB 69 | Part of Gov. Brian Kemp’s litigation overhaul plan. It restricts outside groups from funding litigation. | ||
| SB 89 | Create a new child care income-tax credit and expand some existing credits. | ||
| SB 95 | Provides exceptions to the certificate of need program for certain retirement or senior care facilities. | ||
| SB 103 | Bans artificial intelligence technology associated with China from being installed on Georgia government equipment. | ||
| SB 104 | Prohibit companies from Iran from submitting bids for state contracts. | ||
| SB 116 | Requires the collection of DNA samples from any individual in a detention facility charged with a misdemeanor or felony who is subject to an immigration detainer notice | ||
| SB 132 | Require a hearing before a court orders an evaluation of the mental competency of an accused person to stand trial. | ||
| SB 165 | Requires kids ages 14-15 to have parental permission before opening a social media account. It also requires social media platforms to terminate the accounts of anyone who is or is suspected to be younger than 14 years old. | ||
| SB 182 | Creates the Georgia Music Office to support and promote music production in the state, attract music-related investment and workforce development opportunities and serve as a liaison between music companies and governmental agencies. | ||
| SB 199 | Shields the home addresses of elected officials and candidates from public disclosure. It also changes campaign and lobbyist reporting requirements. |
SAFE STORAGE TAX CREDIT PASSES THE HOUSE
Tuesday I was pleased to see HB 79, the bill offering up to a $300 tax credit for purchase of firearm safe storage equipment or gun safety classes pass with overwhelming bipartisan support out of the House again this year.
While I have long made the point that I had always intended a safe storage tax credit to be a companion to a safe storage requirement like HB 1, I appreciate the implicit concession of the majority party in putting their muscle behind this bill: that safe storage works, safe storage is a priority, and safe storage is important enough to put money behind.
Here were my remarks speaking in favor of the bill, and urging my colleagues to go further, especially in the wake of the deadliest school shooting in Georgia’s history, in which the shooter was only 14 years old.
“As we pass HB 79, let’s commit also to close the loop.
Incentivize responsible behavior while creating a culture and expectation of exactly what that responsible behavior should look like.
Hear and vote on HB 1, the Pediatric Health Safe Storage Act.
You may disagree with HB 1. You may ultimately vote no on it. That’s OK, that’s how the democratic process works.
But at least give the issue the respect it deserves, and don’t go home today after passing this current bill, HB 79, patting yourselves on the back and thinking that we’ve done enough.
We haven’t done enough.
Don’t walk away from that responsibility. That’s why we’re here.”
DEFEATED: A BILL CARVING OUT PHYSICIAN RESPONSIBILITY FROM PERIOPERATIVE CARE
Like at a hospital, the Georgia General Assembly is packed with specialists in different fields. I have colleagues I go to when I have questions about law, about agriculture, about real estate, and education, among many, many other areas.
My field of specialty is medicine, and in particular, anesthesiology. And last week I was pleased to be able to help my colleagues see why HB 251, heard in House Regulated Industries, was a bad bill that would compromise perioperative care, particularly in rural or underserved areas.
I appreciated the chance to talk with Donna Lowry on GPB Lawmakers about this bill. Watch the full segment here.
THE NON-OPIOID COVERAGE PARITY ACT
As a co-Chair of the Georgia General Assembly’s Working Group on Addiction and Recovery, I was honored to be able to speak to addiction treatment and recovery stakeholders this week at the 2025 Addiction Awareness Recovery Day at the Capitol! Addiction is a medical condition and should be treated as such, stripped of the stigma and barriers that preclude our patients from getting the prevention and care they need.
In particular, I cited my bill HB 326, the Non-Opioid Coverage Parity Act, which would ensure that state insurance plans like the State Health Benefit Plan and Medicaid cover non-opioid based pain treatments at rates no less favorable than they cover opioid-based treatments.
Read my Op-Ed in James Magazine about the importance of such opioid risk mitigation legislation here.
PRE-CROSSOVER TOWN HALL
Every year I try to host a series of Town Halls through the legislative season, including one pre-Crossover Town Hall to let constituents know what to watch.
Our pre-Crossover Town Hall this year had maybe our highest attendance to date, and we had many questions about not just state issues, but decisions being made at the federal level and how they might impact Georgia.
Thank you to everyone who attended, asked questions, and asked how they could get more involved. If you missed our Town Hall, no problem, we also live-streamed it, and the archived video can be found here.
Look for our post-Sine Die Town Hall mid-April, after the legislative session wraps!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Our second GOLD DOME BLOOD DRIVE of the 2025 legislative session is in one week, on Thursday, March 13th!
As usual, the blood mobile will be parked directly outside the Capitol, between the Gold Dome and the Coverdell Legislative Office Building. You can’t miss it! (And that’s…kind of the point )
Stop by anytime between 8:00am and 5:00pm, our friends from Life South will be there all day to help you help patients who need blood transfusions!
TEAM AU IN ACTION
GEORGIA ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
There’s never been a more important time for scientists, researchers and healthcare professionals to engage with our government.
I was honored last week to speak with the Georgia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics about the social determinants of health and how they can help advocate for patients. Welcome to your state Capitol!
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TEAM AU STUDENTS IN ACTION
Here at Team Au we are so lucky to have so many students connected to our office, and we got to work with many, many of them last week!
- I was honored to present students and mentors from Communities in Schools Atlanta with House Resolution 413, commending their work in helping students overcome barriers and achieve academic success
- Students from Decatur High School came to talk with us about our gun safety work and a pathway to public service and how that harmonizes with a career in medicine
Students from HD 50’s own Johns Creek High School came with an AP U.S. Government and Politics class field trip to get a first hand look at the working of their state legislature
We were also lucky to have several pages come work with us in the House Chamber this week, including HD 50 students Rassi Wisepearl and Joshua Malizioso. Welcome to The People’s House!
Are you a student interested in connecting with our office, or just want to come visit the Capitol? Email [email protected]!
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It has never been more important to pay attention to the work of state legislatures. Thank you as ever for your support so that we can keep doing this most important work together.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to our office should you need any assistance, or if you have any concerns you’d like me to address on your behalf.
It is my honor to be your voice in the Georgia House of Representatives.
In service,
