With just weeks left in Georgia’s legislative session, lawmakers are racing to pass key bills, including Gov. Kemp’s tort reform effort, which faced strong opposition but narrowly advanced. Budget debates continue, with the Senate prioritizing scholarships for private schooling while the House focuses on public school funding, setting up a showdown before the session ends on April 4.

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Pamela Kirkland: Happy spring.

Donna Lowry: Same to you.

Pamela Kirkland: I'm excited. We've entered a new season, but at the state Capitol, we're down to the wire with just a couple of weeks left in the session. What's the energy like at the statehouse right now?

Donna Lowry: Pamela, it's pretty fast-paced. A lot of bills for each chamber to review, and time is running out. Last year, each side left bills on the table that they didn't have time to get to, and that left lawmakers who crafted the bills certainly disappointed, especially since it was the end of a two-year biennium. This year, any bill that doesn't make it, though, is still alive for next year's session. But everyone wants things done now, of course. And yesterday I spoke to a senator who seemed a bit overwhelmed by all that is left to do, but still energized. They'll get it — they'll get it done.

Pamela Kirkland: Yeah, they get it done one way or another, I guess. One of Gov. Kemp's top legislative priorities move forward this week — I guess more like squeaked forward this week. What were some of the biggest challenges that supporters had to overcome to keep that tort reform bill alive?

Donna Lowry: Yeah, well, overhauling Georgia's lawsuit system was an uphill battle from the start, and it's one reason leadership has talked about it for years but nothing's happened. And it's the battle between the business community and civil trial lawyers. And that's a big lobby. This week in a hearing, lawmakers heard emotional testimony from lots of people who fear they will be hurt if tort reform passes because they will have no legal recourse if they're harmed by a company. Among those — those who spoke: victims of human trafficking who worry they will not be able to, for instance, go after a hotel that knowingly allowed them to be victimized. In the end, the House came up with a carve out in that bill to protect their interests. But opponents say other potential victims need that same help. And now the bill goes back to the Senate.

Pamela Kirkland: OK. And beyond tort reform, how are the governor's other priorities faring as we head into this final stretch?

Donna Lowry: As you might imagine, they're doing well, Pamela. The House passed the Senate's bill that would allow for another lowering of the state income tax rate and also to give rebates to Georgians of $250 for singles and $500 to married couples. So that's moving along and a few others.

Pamela Kirkland: This week, you had the special budget episode on Lawmakers featuring the House and Senate appropriation chairs. What were some of the key takeaways in that conversation?

Donna Lowry: Pamela, right now, the Senate has the fiscal budget — the fiscal 2026 budget — and it's focusing on more money for Promise scholarships. They will allow certain low income students to take what they call vouchers — some call voucher, vouchers — to use them to pay for private schools or homeschooling. And that's vastly different from the House, which reduced the amount of those scholarships and wants a bond package to cover other needs in public schools, including mental health issues. And so we'll see what happens in the end. Pamela, we expect the budget may be down to the wire on sine die, April 4.

Pamela Kirkland: Oh, wow. Yeah. We'll see how they reconcile that, if they're able to. Donna, thanks for being here, as usual.

Donna Lowry: I love it. Thank you so much, Pamela.

Tags: Georgia  Lawmakers