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Georgia Legislation Alert: What's Moving Under the Gold Dome

  • Mar 6
  • 9 min read

Georgia Legislation Alert: What's Moving Under the Gold Dome

The 2026 Georgia legislative session is moving fast, and several bills will directly affect the rights and safety of Georgians. Some of these bills need to be stopped. Others deserve your support. Here is what each bill does, what action to take, and what to say when you call.

Find your state representative and senator at https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/

For more scripts on these and other Georgia bills, visit https://gafasttrack.com/



HB 1223 | Letting Police Hide Body Camera Footage of People They Kill

OPPOSE | Call your state representative and senator


HB 1223 would create an exemption in Georgia's Open Records Act allowing law enforcement agencies to refuse to release any audio or video recording — including body camera footage — that depicts a person's death. If a police officer kills someone, the department could legally withhold the footage from the public. Permanently. No release. No accountability. No recourse.


Body camera footage exists precisely for situations like this. It is the public's most direct tool for verifying what happens when someone dies at the hands of the state. This bill would hand law enforcement the legal right to operate in complete darkness the moment a situation turns fatal. There is no reading of this bill that serves the public interest.


Tonight is Crossover Day, which means HB 1223 must pass the House today to stay alive. We don't have final results yet — keep calling regardless. If it passed the House tonight, it moves to the Senate and your calls need to follow it. If it failed, your pressure made a difference, but dead bills can come back. Stay vigilant.


Call Script: "Hi, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city]. I'm calling to urge [Rep./Sen. Name] to oppose HB 1223. This bill would allow police departments to legally hide body camera footage any time someone is killed by law enforcement. That is a direct attack on government transparency and public accountability. We cannot hold law enforcement accountable if we cannot see what happened. Please vote NO on HB 1223. Thank you."




SB 568 | Sweeping Election Law Overhaul

OPPOSE | Call your state senator and state representative


SB 568 is a wide-ranging overhaul of Georgia election law that would make it harder to vote, harder to count votes accurately, and easier to challenge and remove voters from the rolls. Key provisions include: requiring a public posting of all eligible voters before each election; mandating a switch to hand-marked paper ballots after July 1 for the November midterm; restricting voters in multi-site counties to just one assigned early voting location; expanding State Election Board authority to conduct audits and rule on voter challenges with a $10,000 fine per registration not removed; expanding automatic recounts to any race within a 2% margin (up from 0.5%); replacing risk-limiting audits with full manual counts; requiring all recounts to be done by hand; and requiring time-stamped posting of all voters immediately upon poll closing.


Tonight is Crossover Day, which means SB 568 must pass the Senate today to advance. We don't have final results yet — keep calling regardless. If it passed tonight, it moves to the House and your calls need to follow it. If it failed, your continued pressure matters because these provisions could return in another vehicle before the session ends April 4.


Call Script: "Hi, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city]. I'm calling to urge [Sen./Rep. Name] to vote NO on SB 568. This bill would restrict early voting access, require error-prone hand counts, and dramatically expand the State Election Board's power to purge voters. These changes would make Georgia elections slower, less accurate, and less accessible — especially for voters in counties with multiple early voting locations. Please vote no on SB 568. Thank you."




HB 54 | Trans Healthcare Ban

OPPOSE | Call your state representative


HB 54 started as a routine update to nursing and home healthcare regulations. Senate Republicans added last-minute amendments banning puberty blockers for transgender minors and restricting gender-affirming care for people enrolled in the State Employee Health Benefit Plan. There were no hearings on the amendments, no public notice, and no opportunity for affected families or medical providers to testify. The bill has returned to the House for a concurrence vote on those Senate amendments.


These are medical decisions. They belong to patients, families, and doctors — not legislators.


Call Script: "Hi, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city]. I'm calling to urge [Rep. Name] to reject the Senate amendments added to HB 54. These amendments were inserted without public notice and ban medical care that doctors and families rely on to support transgender youth. Medical decisions belong to patients and their doctors, not the General Assembly. Please vote to reject the Senate amendments on HB 54. Thank you."


SB 74 | Librarian Criminalization

OPPOSE | Call your state representative


SB 74 removes the legal protections that currently shield librarians from criminal prosecution for doing their jobs. Under this bill, a librarian could face misdemeanor charges, fines up to $5,000, and up to 12 months in jail for allowing a minor access to materials deemed "harmful." Georgia's legal definition of harmful material includes depictions of "homosexuality" — meaning books with LGBTQ characters could be flagged and used to prosecute library staff. The bill has passed the Senate and cleared a House committee.


The chilling effect on libraries would be immediate. Librarians would face a choice between doing their jobs and staying out of jail.


Call Script: "Hi, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city]. I'm calling to urge [Rep. Name] to vote NO on SB 74. This bill would criminalize librarians for doing their jobs and expose them to jail time and fines for providing access to books. Georgia's broad definition of 'harmful' materials includes content about LGBTQ people, meaning entire sections of library collections could be used as the basis for prosecution. This is an attack on public libraries and free access to information. Please vote no on SB 74. Thank you."



SB 116 | Forced DNA Collection from Immigrants Without Conviction

OPPOSE | Call your state senator


SB 116 requires DNA samples to be collected from anyone in a Georgia detention facility who is subject to an immigration detainer notice and has been charged — not convicted — with any misdemeanor or felony. Immigration detainers are not proof of any crime; they are voluntary requests from ICE that are frequently issued in error, including against U.S. citizens.


This bill expands the state's DNA database by targeting immigrants specifically, even when they have not been found guilty of anything. DNA profiles contain sensitive genetic data, including health information and ancestry, and once collected, they are accessible to any law enforcement agency nationwide. The bill also does not require deletion of DNA profiles when detainers are later found to be issued in error.


Call Script: "Hi, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city]. I'm calling to ask [Sen. Name] to vote NO on SB 116. This bill would force DNA collection from immigrants who have only been charged — not convicted — of a crime, based on an ICE detainer that may be issued in error. ICE detainers are not convictions. Collecting DNA without due process violates basic rights and expands a surveillance database in ways that will harm innocent people. Please vote no on SB 116. Thank you."



HB 441 | Total Abortion Ban

OPPOSE | Call your state representative


HB 441, the so-called Georgia Prenatal Equal Protection Act, would define personhood as beginning at fertilization, effectively banning all abortions in Georgia with no exceptions for rape or incest. Anyone who terminates a pregnancy — including the pregnant person — could face murder charges. Medical professionals could lose their licenses and face criminal prosecution.


The bill also puts IVF at serious legal risk, since the process often involves fertilizing multiple embryos, not all of which result in live births. Georgia already has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country with its six-week ban. HB 441 goes far beyond that, and it has drawn opposition from fertility specialists, medical advocates, and even some Republican lawmakers who support IVF.


Call Script: "Hi, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city]. I'm calling to urge [Rep. Name] to vote NO on HB 441. This bill would ban all abortions in Georgia with no exceptions for rape or incest and could result in murder charges against patients and doctors. It also puts IVF at serious legal risk. Georgia already has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. This bill goes far beyond what most Georgians support and would put lives at risk. Please vote no on HB 441. Thank you."



SB 21 | Punishment for Sanctuary Policies / Forced ICE Cooperation

OPPOSE | Call your state senator and state representative


SB 21 strips sovereign immunity from local governments, officials, and employees who fail to comply with immigration enforcement mandates, opening them to costly civil lawsuits. It also requires sheriffs and jailers to honor all ICE detainer requests — even when those detainers are issued in error, as they frequently are. The bill passed the Senate in 2025 but was withdrawn from the House and carried into the 2026 session.


It effectively forces local schools, governments, and law enforcement to act as federal immigration agents. Critics warn it will make immigrant communities afraid to report crimes, seek medical care, or send their children to school. Georgia's economy depends on immigrant workers in agriculture, construction, and the service industry — and this bill creates the kind of fear and instability that harms everyone.


Call Script: "Hi, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city]. I'm calling to ask [Rep./Sen. Name] to vote NO on SB 21. This bill punishes local governments for not acting as federal immigration agents. It forces compliance with ICE detainers that are often issued in error, exposes teachers and local officials to lawsuits, and will make immigrant families afraid to use schools, hospitals, and public services. That does not make Georgia safer — it makes our communities more fearful and less trusting of government. Please vote no on SB 21. Thank you."



SB 389 | ICE Identification and Accountability

SUPPORT | Call your state senator


SB 389 requires federal immigration agents to display visible identification badges and prohibits them from covering their faces during public-facing immigration enforcement operations in Georgia. Introduced by Sen. Kim Jackson (D-Stone Mountain), this is a basic accountability measure. Georgians have a right to know who is detaining people in their communities.


Call Script: "Hi, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city]. I'm calling to urge [Sen. Name] to support SB 389. This bill simply requires federal immigration agents to show their badges and not cover their faces when operating in our communities. Georgians have a right to know who is detaining people in our state. Accountability is not a partisan issue. Please vote yes on SB 389. Thank you."



SB 390 | National Guard Deployment Oversight

SUPPORT | Call your state senator


SB 390 prohibits the deployment of Georgia's National Guard within the state without the governor's authorization unless deployment is explicitly federally mandated. As the federal government increasingly seeks to use state National Guard units for domestic operations including immigration enforcement, this bill protects Georgia's right to control its own armed forces and prevents unauthorized use of state military resources.


Call Script: "Hi, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city]. I'm calling to urge [Sen. Name] to support SB 390. Georgia's National Guard belongs to the people of this state. This bill ensures that our Guard cannot be deployed within Georgia without the proper authorization from our elected leadership. State sovereignty over our own armed forces is not a radical idea — it is a basic constitutional principle. Please vote yes on SB 390. Thank you."



SB 391 | Protecting Sensitive Locations from Immigration Enforcement

SUPPORT | Call your state senator


SB 391 requires a judicial warrant — signed by a federal judge — for any state, local, or federal agency to conduct immigration enforcement operations at a school, college campus, place of worship, hospital, public library, or domestic violence shelter. ICE currently does not need a judicial warrant to enter many of these spaces. This bill, introduced by Sen. Nabilah Parkes (D-Duluth), would change that for Georgia.


Call Script: "Hi, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city]. I'm calling to ask [Sen. Name] to vote yes on SB 391. Children should not be afraid to go to school. People should not be afraid to seek medical care or go to church. This bill requires federal agents to get a real judicial warrant before conducting immigration operations in schools, hospitals, places of worship, and shelters. That is basic due process. Please support SB 391. Thank you."



SB 397 | Civil Accountability for Federal Constitutional Violations

SUPPORT | Call your state senator


SB 397 creates a legal pathway for Georgians to file civil lawsuits directly against federal officials — including ICE agents — who violate their constitutional rights during immigration enforcement. Currently, ICE agents operating in Georgia face no such legal accountability under state law. This bill, introduced by Sen. Josh McLaurin (D-Sandy Springs), would put them on the same footing as Georgia's own law enforcement when it comes to civil rights violations.


Call Script: "Hi, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city]. I'm calling to urge [Sen. Name] to support SB 397. Right now, federal immigration agents who violate Georgians' constitutional rights during enforcement actions cannot be held accountable under state law. SB 397 changes that by allowing civil suits against agents who break the rules. No one is above the law — including federal officers. Please vote yes on SB 397. Thank you."


For more scripts on these and other Georgia bills, visit https://gafasttrack.com/

 
 
 

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