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COLUMN: Walker: Week 10 Under the Gold Dome

By: Sen. Larry Walker, III (R–Perry)

Ten weeks into the 2025 Legislative Session, we reached several major milestones, delivering real results for our farmers, job creators and hardworking Georgians.

One of the most significant victories was the final passage of Senate Bill 68 through both chambers of the General Assembly, a major step forward in tort reform, which has been a top priority for Governor Brian Kemp. After extensive debate and deliberation in both chambers, this bill now heads to the Governor’s desk for final approval. SB 68 cracks down on lawsuit abuse, prevents bad actors from double-dipping on litigation expenses and shields small businesses from predatory legal tactics. With excessive verdicts and frivolous lawsuits running rampant in our state, this legislation will provide real relief for families and business owners alike.

We also took action to cut taxes and put more money back into your pockets. The Senate passed House Bill 111, which lowers the state income tax rate from 5.39% to 5.19% beginning in 2025. The bill ensures additional tax cuts annually until the rate reaches 4.99%, delivering long-term relief for Georgia taxpayers. Additionally, House Bill 112 provides a one-time tax credit of $250 for individuals, $375 for heads of households, and $500 for married couples filing jointly. Both bills are now on their way to Governor Kemp’s desk, fulfilling yet another promise to ease the financial burden on Georgia families.

Meanwhile, work continues on the state budget as Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearings move us closer to finalizing the Fiscal Year 2026 budget. As the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Natural Resources Chairman, I led discussions on aid allocations to rural communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. Our hearing helped ensure that our budget remains fiscally responsible while prioritizing the needs of our state.

On the legislative front, I’m proud that my bill, Senate Bill 35, passed unanimously through the House this week. SB 35 is my nonrenewal policy legislation, increasing the days’ notice required to be given to a policyholder before their homeowners’ insurance policy is not renewed. By providing more time for consumers to find alternative coverage or successfully manage concerns with their provider, this bill ensures that more Georgians maintain uninterrupted insurance coverage. Having passed both the Senate and House, SB 35 now awaits the Governor’s approval before it becomes law.

Additionally, my bill to enhance our skilled workforce, SB 125, passed through the House Committee on Regulated Industries. Historically, our future engineers have completed their academic pathway but had to wait until they had worked in the field to take the professional engineering exam and earn their accreditation. This bill decouples the sequential order of experience and examination requirements for professional engineers, allowing them to take their professional engineering exam directly after their studies. SB 125 will encourage more skilled workers to come to Georgia and improve pass rates for the professional engineering exam, ultimately improving the field on the whole in our state. I am confident that the House will show SB 125 the same bipartisan support it received in the Senate. 

Finally, I am carrying House Bill 579, which will revise provisions for professional licensing in Georgia. This bill empowers the professional licensing boards division to review and grant applications for the issuance, renewal or reinstatement of licenses on behalf of the profession’s licensing board. Notably, HB 579 also allows the division director to license an individual before taking an examination, encouraging the growth of their profession, business, or trade. With this legislation, we are streamlining professional licensing standards to protect all Georgians’ safety and welfare. I will always support legislation that allows qualified, trained workers to properly function without excessive red tape.

With just two weeks remaining in this legislative session, I encourage everyone to stay engaged and visit the Gold Dome to see the legislative process in action. If you have questions, concerns, or ideas, please don’t hesitate to contact my office. Serving the 20th Senate District under the Gold Dome is an honor.

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Sen. Larry Walker serves as Secretary of the Majority Caucus and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Insurance and Labor. He represents the 20th Senate District, which includes Bleckley, Dodge, Dooly, Laurens, Treutlen, Pulaski and Wilcox counties, as well as portions of Houston County.  He may be reached by phone at (404) 656-0095 or by email at Larry.Walker@senate.ga.gov.

For all media inquiries, please reach out to SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.

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COLUMN: Walker: Week Nine Under the Gold Dome

By: Sen. Larry Walker, III (R–Perry)

We’re in the final stretch of the 2025 Legislative Session, and things are getting down to the wire. Last Thursday was Crossover Day, the last chance for bills to clear their first major hurdle. With less than 10 legislative days left, Senate Republicans are doubling down to push through real, commonsense legislation that puts Georgians first and stands up to the continued nonsense coming from the radical left.

Over the next three weeks, we’ll work in House committees to get Senate bills across the finish line. That means defending Georgia values, making our communities safer, cutting bureaucratic red tape, and pushing back against the destructive policies that have left hard-working Georgians struggling to make ends meet. I’m proud to report that my bill, SB 35, made it through the House Committee on Insurance and is one step closer to becoming law. This legislation increases the number of days’ notice required to be given to a policyholder before the nonrenewal of their homeowners’ insurance policy, which helps Georgians maintain coverage and address any concerns with their provider. SB 35’s progress is a win for our district, and I’ll keep you updated as we get it over the finish line.

On Thursday, the Senate took up the House’s budget recommendations for 2025-2026. Let’s be clear: this is your money. You work hard to put food on the table, and it’s our job to make sure the government isn’t wasting a single penny of it. Our Senate Appropriations Subcommittees focus on holding agencies accountable and making sure taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely. We’re cutting waste, prioritizing law enforcement and ensuring your kids can get their education safely.

Beyond the budget, we ramped up committee work to pass meaningful, conservative legislation. I supported House Bill 182 in the Senate Committee on Insurance and Labor. This bill, originally introduced by Rep. Eddie Lumsden (R–Armuchee), would ensure that group life insurance policies cannot exclude active-duty service members solely based on that military status. Currently, an active-duty service member can get into an accident driving to the grocery store but lack coverage by group life insurance. This legislation streamlines insurance policies so that normal incidents affecting everyday Georgians will also be protected for the men and women actively serving our country. This is exactly the type of policy we need, emphasizing real solutions to real problems.

I’m also carrying House Bill 81 to better support the mental health of our students. HB 81 allows Georgia to join the Interstate Compact for School Psychologists, making it easier for skilled professionals outside the state to fill the gaps in our schools. Many students lack access to mental health resources, particularly in rural areas, and this bill is a critical step toward improving the quality of care for students statewide.

Finally, the Senate proudly welcomed our United States Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, to the State Capitol. Secretary Rollins held a round table with state legislators to hear about issues affecting Georgia’s farmers and ranchers, including H-2A policies, which govern the temporary agricultural employment of foreign workers. We also discussed President Donald J. Trump’s planned tariffs, with Secretary Rollins assuring our farmers that Georgia’s agricultural community will likely receive assistance to protect our state’s strong interstate and global trade relations. In combination with federal disaster relief soon headed to revitalize areas affected by Hurricane Helene, Secretary Rollins’ visit proves promising for the future of our rural communities, and I wish her the best in her new role.

Whether it’s small business owners, law enforcement officers, or hard-working Georgians just trying to make a living, your voices are why I’m here. We need more of you stepping up, speaking out, and staying engaged because the fight for Georgia’s future isn’t just happening at the Capitol—it’s happening in our communities, our schools and at our kitchen tables.

With just a few weeks left in this session, if you have concerns, ideas, or just want to know more about what’s happening under the Gold Dome, reach out. Your voice matters, and I’m here to make sure it’s heard.

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Sen. Larry Walker serves as Secretary of the Majority Caucus and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Insurance and Labor. He represents the 20th Senate District, which includes Bleckley, Dodge, Dooly, Laurens, Treutlen, Pulaski and Wilcox counties, as well as portions of Houston County.  He may be reached by phone at (404) 656-0095 or by email at Larry.Walker@senate.ga.gov.

For all media inquiries, please reach out to SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.

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COLUMN: Walker: Week Six Under the Gold Dome

By: Sen. Larry Walker, III (R–Perry)

With Legislative Day 20 behind us, we have officially reached the halfway mark of the 2025 Legislative Session.

One of our biggest legislative priorities this session has been lawsuit reform. Reining in the costly legal environment that burdens small businesses, healthcare providers, and consumers has been long overdue, and I am proud to report that the Senate has taken a significant step forward with the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 68. These commonsense reforms will help stabilize insurance costs, prevent frivolous litigation and ensure that businesses—especially small, family-owned operations—can operate without the constant threat of excessive verdicts. By curbing lawsuit abuse, we protect jobs and keep costs down for Georgia consumers. I look forward to working with our colleagues in the House to send these bills to the Governor’s desk.

This week, we also passed SB 52, the “Timberlands Recovery, Exemption, and Earnings Stability (TREES) Act,” which provides vital tax relief to timberland owners impacted by Hurricane Helene. The storm caused catastrophic damage, destroying an estimated $1.3 billion in standing timber across South Georgia. Many of these landowners depend on their timber harvest for income, and the economic impact has been devastating. This bill, sponsored by Sen. Russ Goodman (R–Cogdell), will help stabilize the market, ease the financial strain on affected families and support the long-term recovery of Georgia’s forestry industry—one of the largest in the nation.

Another key legislative win this week was the passage of SB 89, which expands Georgia’s Child Tax Credit to provide direct financial relief to families with young children. Sponsored by Sen. Brian Strickland (R–McDonough), this bill builds on the recommendations of the Senate Study Committee on Access to Affordable Childcare, which spent months gathering input from working parents, childcare providers, and business leaders. The bill increases the state tax credit for childcare expenses to 40% of the federal level and creates a new tax credit for families with children under seven. Additionally, SB 89 incentivizes businesses to help employees with childcare costs by raising the employer tax credit cap from 50% to 75%. With the rising cost of childcare making it harder for parents—particularly mothers—to remain in the workforce, this legislation will provide real relief for Georgia families and help grow our state’s economy.

In addition to these major policy advancements, I introduced SB 125 to address the arduous process that professional engineers face to obtain certification. SB 125 would decouple the current sequential order of experience and examination requirements, which would allow engineers to acquire their license more quickly. This reform would also help prepare engineers to enter the Georgia workforce and advance in their careers. SB 125 was passed out of the Senate Committee on Regulated Industries and Utilities, and I look forward to bringing it to the Senate floor in the coming weeks.

On a personal note, I was honored to celebrate Future Farmers of America (FFA) Day on Tuesday. Georgia is home to the third-largest chapter of this excellent organization, whose work is instrumental in directing young people to the forefront of agriculture and preparing them for career success. The future of farming depends on our youth, and with the help of FFA, Georgia agriculture will continue to be our state’s top industry.

As always, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the 20th Senate District. Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions, concerns, or ideas. Your input helps shape the policies that impact our state, and I value your voice in this process.

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Sen. Larry Walker serves as Secretary of the Majority Caucus and Walker: Week Six Under the Gold DomeChairman of the Senate Committee on Insurance and Labor. He represents the 20th Senate District, which includes Bleckley, Dodge, Dooly, Laurens, Treutlen, Pulaski and Wilcox counties, as well as portions of Houston County.  He may be reached by phone at (404) 656-0095 or by email at Larry.Walker@senate.ga.gov.For all media inquiries, please reach out to SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.

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Sen. Mangham: A Warm Welcome to the 2025 Legislative Session 

We’re now a quarter of the way through the 2025 Legislative Session, and every day under the Gold Dome, I am reminded why I fight for the people of the 55th Senate District. We began the legislative session on Monday, January 13, and we have hit the ground running with committee meetings, bill hearings and debates. This week marked a major turning point as committees met to take up some of our state’s most pressing issues, from education to healthcare to economic opportunity.

Continue reading “Sen. Mangham: A Warm Welcome to the 2025 Legislative Session “
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The Cowsert Column: Week Three Under the Gold Dome

The third week of the 2025 Legislative Session has concluded, and we remain focused on advancing commonsense legislation that prioritizes Georgia’s families, businesses and communities.

The General Assembly has been hard at work, carefully reviewing agency budget requests to ensure taxpayer dollars are allocated responsibly. As I mentioned last week, passing a balanced budget is our constitutional duty—and the foundation of a responsible government that serves its people.

This week, our focus shifted to committee meetings. As legislative committees ramp up their work, we are addressing issues that matter most to our communities, from safeguarding our schools to strengthening local infrastructure. I was pleased to participate in meetings of the Senate Rules, Finance, Health and Human Services and Insurance and Labor Committees. I have also been reviewing bills assigned to the Senate Regulated Industries & Utilities Committee, which I chair, to determine which bills should receive committee hearings.

Tort reform is a key issue that will take center stage in this legislative session. Governor Brian Kemp has made it his top priority for 2025—for good reason. Georgia businesses and their employees are being unfairly burdened by civil lawsuits that result in excessive payouts and create a legal environment that is anything but fair and welcoming to businesses that provide jobs to our citizens. The Governor’s proposals aim to pass meaningful reforms to our civil justice system to make the rules fair for both parties. I’m proud to stand with Gov. Kemp as we work to level the playing field and protect businesses from skyrocketing insurance rates resulting from continued outlandish court rulings and crippling financial judgments.

But what exactly is tort reform? A tort is a civil wrong for which an aggrieved or injured party can seek monetary compensation through litigation. The most common type of tort is based upon the negligence or carelessness of a person or company that causes harm. The “reforms” are changes in the civil justice system aimed at reducing frivolous lawsuits and limiting excessive damages in personal injury and other civil cases. This complex issue has plagued our state for far too long, and as a result, Georgia has been labeled a “judicial hellhole” by the American Tort Reform Association.

Consider a few examples of how our current legal system is tilted against hardworking Georgians. Under existing rules of evidence, Georgia jurors are prohibited from knowing whether an injured party in an automobile accident was wearing a seatbelt—a crucial piece of information when evaluating the full context of a case. This is especially important when a person is thrown from a vehicle and killed or severely injured, or when a person slams into the windshield and sustains disfiguring facial scars or a closed head injury. There is a criminal law that requires you to wear your seatbelt for your personal safety. It is negligent for a person to disregard this law and place themselves in danger of injury. However, this information is hidden from the jury and cannot be mentioned by the defense in court. This evidentiary rule will be changed to allow juries to hear evidence of seatbelt use at trial.

Similarly, under rules of evidence, jurors are often led to believe that plaintiffs are paying medical bills entirely out of pocket when, in reality, insurance may have already covered significant portions of their medical expenses. All Americans are now required to have medical insurance under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The cost of premiums is subsidized if they cannot afford them, and this coverage applies to pre-existing injuries. Medical providers negotiate with insurers to accept discounted payments from insurers as full compensation for their services. However, juries are only informed of the inflated original amounts of the bills. This allows plaintiffs and their attorneys to receive windfalls by recovering damages for expenses never incurred. This rule will be changed to allow juries to hear the truth about medical expenses actually incurred by plaintiffs and reflect the true amount of their damages awarded in verdicts.

Another important provision of the civil justice reform bill is relief for businesses from lawsuits brought to recover for injuries while on the premises of a business open to the public. Existing laws allow persons injured by criminal actions committed on business premises to hold the business responsible if the business failed to make their premises safe for customers. This duty to keep the premises safe for customers arises when the property owner is aware of criminal activity in the area and fails to take reasonable steps to protect the safety of its customers. The result is that businesses end up having to spend significant amounts on private security to protect customers from criminal harm since if someone is injured or killed they sue both the property owner and the criminal actor. The jury is allowed to apportion the verdict between the defendants in accordance with their respective percentage of fault. However, juries know that the business has the deep pockets to pay a verdict whereas the criminal probably doesn’t. As crazy as it seems, skillful trial attorneys have been able to persuade juries that the business is 95% at fault while the criminal is held to be only 5% at fault. This bill will guarantee that business owners are not responsible for criminal acts occurring off of the premises. In addition, under no circumstances shall a business be held more than 50% responsible for the defendant’s injuries caused by a criminal on its property. These, and other changes, will help make sure that businesses do not close in high crime (often primarily minority) neighborhoods. This is one reason that Democratic legislators will join with Republicans in protecting all Georgians from business closings caused by the current legal environment.

I was honored to stand alongside Gov. Kemp this week as these issues were addressed at one of the largest press conferences ever held under the Gold Dome. There were citizens from many professions (truck drivers, factory workers, medical professionals and business owners) that came to the Capitol to express their support for this civil justice reform legislation. This issue is critically important to countless hardworking Georgians. I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues to advance meaningful civil justice reform throughout this legislative session in an effort to restore balance and fairness for the civil justice system.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas about our work at the Capitol, please do not hesitate to reach out. It is an honor to serve you, and I appreciate your trust as we continue working together throughout the 2025 legislative session.

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Sen. Bill Cowsert serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Regulated Industries and Utilities. He represents the 46th Senate District which includes portions of Barrow, Clarke, Gwinnett, Oconee and Walton Counties. He may be reached at (404) 463-1366 or via email at bill.cowsert@senate.ga.gov

For all media inquiries, please reach out to SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.