Lawmakers to take up medical marijuana, taxes for 2026 session
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Taxes, medical marijuana and the debate over how to spend $14 billion in rainy-day funding are expected to dominate the Georgia General Assembly session that kicks off Monday morning.
Why it matters: All state lawmakers are up for election in November, and the 40-day legislative session has high potential to become a battle royale.
- Here are some issues to watch for the 40-day session:
💵 Budget: Lawmakers are eyeing Georgia's $14.6 billion budget surplus to serve a number of needs, including paying for tax cuts and other proposed programs and initiatives.
📖 Education: In his 2026 legislative agenda, House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) said the lower chamber will work on a proposal that would place a literacy coach in all elementary schools and bolster resources for children under 5.
- 65% of Georgia's third-grade students were reading at or above their grade levels, according to 2025 Georgia Milestone test results.
🚫 Cellphone ban: Burns also said the legislature will consider a bill that would ban cellphone use in class for high school students, CBS News reports.
- Lawmakers in 2025 passed the "Distraction-Free Education Act," which prohibits elementary and middle school students from using devices during the school day.
🌿 Medical marijuana: State lawmakers are also exploring an expansion of Georgia's low-THC oil medical marijuana program.
- The "Putting Georgia's Patients First Act," which failed to pass last year, would increase the THC limit in oil that can be vaped from 5% to as much as 50%.
- One doctor urged lawmakers to keep the cap at 10%, Fox 5 reported in October.
- That bill would also expand the list of conditions eligible for medical marijuana treatment to include any cancers (except for skin, unless it's metastatic), seizure disorders, ALS, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and others — regardless of disease severity or stage.
📈 Affordability: House and Senate Republicans plan to address voter concerns over rising housing costs with dueling proposals to eliminate property taxes for primary residences or eliminate income taxes.
- Income taxes make up nearly half the state's budget, and local governments depend on property tax revenue for basic services.
- Though politically popular, tax cut proposals could force a reckoning over what programs to cut — or how to raise revenue to offset the difference.
💰 Sports betting: State lawmakers could once again consider gambling, this time in the form of mobile sports betting.
💊 Contraceptive access: State Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-Marietta) and other women lawmakers want to codify into law Georgians' right to access any form of contraceptives before conception.