Day 12: House Sets Up AFY 2026 Budget for Floor Vote

Following an early morning House Appropriations Committee meeting and a quick vote by the House Rules Committee, the Amended Fiscal Year (AFY) 2026 budget was scheduled for a floor vote by full House of Representatives tomorrow, Feb. 5.

Today's House and Senate floor sessions were light on bill activity, as most of the floor session was devoted to the State of the Judiciary Address. The halls of the Gold Dome were packed with many Georgians visiting the Capitol, including local school board members participating in one of two Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) capitol days.

PAGE Director of Legislative Affairs Margaret Ciccarelli (left) is pictured here with Columbia County Board of Education members Judy Teasley (center) and Kristi Baker (right). In addition to her district board role, Teasley served in PAGE board leadership for many years. Ciccarelli visited with board members from several other school districts. PAGE staff love seeing education friends at the Georgia Capitol and appreciate their advocacy!

House Floor Action

Senate Floor Action

House Budget Writers Approve AFY 2026 Budget

The House Education Appropriations Subcommittee approved its version of the AFY 2026 budget, which covers the current academic year. The House version of the midterm budget retains the governor's proposal for a one-time $2,000 pay supplement for state-funded educators and state employees. Most of the changes made by appropriations committee members to the AFY 2026 budget are adjustments to funding formulas, including the Quality Basic Education (QBE) formula, based on updated data. In addition to the formula updates, changes in education funding in the AFY 2026 budget include:

• $1,150,000 increase for facilities under the Business and Finance Administration in the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE)

• $1,381,361 increase to cover state-funded Advanced Placement and PSAT exams

• -$6,157,248 decrease in funds for student advocacy specialist grants based on projected expenditures

• $550,000 increase in one-time funds for an emergency response system pilot program

• $50,000 increase in one-time funds for youth leadership programming in Technology/Career Education

• $50 million to invest in increasing the funded ratio of Employee Retirement System to improve its financial viability

After each appropriations subcommittee approved its portion of the AFY 2026 budget, the full House Appropriations Committee approved the full AFY 2026 budget. Shortly after, the House Rules Committee moved the budget, outlined in HB 973 by Jon Burns (R-Newington), for consideration and a vote by the full House of Representatives tomorrow.

House Appropriations Committee Recording

New Literacy Initiative to be Announced Tomorrow

Speaker Burns will hold a news conference at 1 p.m. tomorrow to introduce the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026.

Full details on the event can found here.

Register for PAGE Day on Capitol Hill Feb. 17

Please make your plans to join us for 2026 PAGE Day on Capitol Hill, in partnership with the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders (GAEL) and the Georgia Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (GACTE).

This free event will include breakfast, lunch, information sessions with key education-focused policymakers, advocacy opportunities under the Gold Dome, and a state school superintendent candidate forum.

Register and watch a brief informational video HERE.

Upcoming Schedule

Thursday, Feb. 5 - Legislative Day 13

• 1 p.m. House Education, 506 CLOB

• 1 p.m. Literacy Press Conference, Capitol South Wing Steps

Friday, Feb. 6 - Legislative Day 14