The Georgia General Assembly adjourned Sine Die around 1:00am on Friday, April 3. The last two weeks of session was full of back and forth fighting between the House & Senate on various priorities including the FY 2027 State Budget, dueling property and income tax cut proposals, data center regulations, and election integrity. 

The main theme for SREA members and the energy world in general is what did not pass. Our lobbying team was heavily involved in influencing legislation to the final stretch of the general assembly: 

Landfill Politics 

• House Bill 320 by Rep. Trey Kelley (R-Cedartown), which was seeking to add regulations focused on the recycling of solar panels after they were damaged or decommissioned. HB 320 was a big favorite of Georgia-based panel manufacturers Q-Cells and Solarcycle, and got some momentum around St. Patrick’s Day. SREA, working in conjunction with Advanced Power Alliance (APA), worked together to introduce a grandfathering amendment, but ultimately HB 320 got caught up in the Senate and was tabled. There will be a recycling specific study committee this interim - Senate Resolution 610, a Study Committee on Improving and Increasing Recycling - which will focus on recycling and supply chain for the entire state of Georgia. 

• House Bill 1133, sponsored by Agriculture Chair Robert Dickey (R-Musella), aimed to enable the Georgia Environmental Finance Commission (GEFA) to allow local governments to invest in placing solar installments on closed landfills. HB 1133 ultimately died in the Senate when it failed to reach the floor after being laid on the table. 

Data Center Debate

• House Bill 1063, by Chairman Brad Thomas (R-Holly Springs), was aimed at protecting residential and retail electricity customers in Georgia from bearing the costs associated with data center construction, and operation demand and infrastructure investments. HB 1063 failed to make it out of the Senate committee, and is dead for the year. 
  
  
• Senate Bill 410, sponsored by Rules Chairman Matt Brass, initially was a measure that would immediately remove tax incentives for the data center industry upon signature from Governor Kemp. SB 410 was amended in the Senate Finance Committee to add the repeal of the tax exemption, grandfathering of existing certificates, and no new certificates after SB 410 goes into effect (upon signature from the Governor).  SB 410 failed to make it out of committee, and the general assembly ultimately did not end up passing any Data Center Regulations during the 2026 session. 
  
  
• Senate Resolution 482, sponsored by Senator Tim Bearden (R-Carrollton), would establish a Senate Study Committee on Advanced Nuclear Reactors. The Committee would consist of five Senate members, one House member, two members of the Public Service Commission, and six utility representatives (two from Georgia Power, two from EMCs, and two from MEAG). SR 482 unanimously cleared the Regulated Industries Committee and moved on to the Senate Rules Committee for approval. Senate Resolution 482 passed the Senate on Sine Die, and will be appointed later this summer. 

Primary Colors

• Attention now immediately shifts to a white hot political primary season featuring a heavyweight bout in the Governor’s race between Lt. Governor Burt Jones (R-Jackson) & Billionaire Rick Jackson (R-Alpharetta), both of whom are very publicly dueling on the airwaves. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R-Alpharetta) and Attorney General Chris Carr (R-Dunwoody) are working hard to chip away at the top of the ticket. Polling shows this race is still a very wide open contest with more than 35% of the electorate polling as undecided. We are likely to see some fireworks during the remaining six weeks leading up to the Tuesday, May 19 primary. 

• Incumbent US Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Atlanta) will look to extend his tenure another six years as he prepares to face off with one of the GOP’s hopefuls. Right now, District 10  Congressman Mike Collins (R-Jackson),, District 1 Congressman Buddy Carter (R-St. Simons), and former college football coach and son of legendary UGA coach Vince Dooley, Derek Dooley (R-Tiger) are still fighting for the Republican spot on the ballot in the May 19 primary. 
• PSC Commissioner Tricia Pridemore (R-Marietta) officially qualified to run for Congressional District 11, which opened up her District 5 seat. Currently, there are six qualified candidates, three on the GOP side and three on the Democrat side. 

Engineer & planner Dr. Joshua Tolbert, who initially planned to challenge Pridemore, qualified as a Republican, in addition to former FCC Regulatory Affairs Director Carolyn Tatum Roddy (R-Marietta), and mediator Bobby Mehan (R-Carrollton). On the Democrat side, engineer and lawyer Craig Cupid (D-Smyrna) (husband of Cobb County Chairwoman Lisa Cupid), Angelica Pressley (D-Mableton)  a professor and PSC intervener, and Sheila Edwards (D-Mableton), who previously challenged former PSC Commissioner Fitz Johnson in 2023, have all qualified. SREA has engaged the majority of these candidates and we are working with our trade partners on engagement opportunities with these candidates for our members. 

The Peach State will be a lively place for political observers from now until Christmas, so be sure to follow all the action by subscribing to updates from Powering Georgia to stay in-the-know.