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Majority Leaders Anavitarte and Efstration Announce Unified Legislative Calendar Ahead of 2026 Session

ATLANTA (January 11, 2026) — Georgia Senate Majority Leader Jason Anavitarte (R–Dallas) and House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration (R–Mulberry) today announced their intent to pass an adjournment resolution drafted through close coordination, formally establishing the legislative calendar for the 2026 Regular Session of the Georgia General Assembly.

The resolution is the result of sustained collaboration between both chambers to align priorities, expectations and timelines well ahead of the session. By working together to develop a comprehensive calendar, House and Senate leadership aim to ensure a smooth, efficient and transparent legislative process that keeps the focus on delivering results for hardworking Georgians and their families.

“This resolution reflects the kind of coordination and collaboration that Georgians expect from their legislative leaders,” said Majority Leader Anavitarte. “I want to personally thank Majority Leader Efstration for the time and effort he and his team put into this process. By working closely together from the outset, we’ve have laid out a clear, responsible roadmap for the 2026 session that allows us to focus on what matters most, passing sound policy for families and delivering results for all Georgians.”

“For a historic fourth year in a row, I’m proud to bring an agreement on the 40-day Legislative Calendar, which helps our constituents, the press, staff and lawmakers to know well in advance when we will be in session,” said Majority Leader Efstration. “I want to thank Senate Majority Leader Jason Anavitarte for working together on this to provide an open and accessible legislative process for all Georgians.”

The draft adjournment resolution is attached.

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Sen. Jason Anavitarte serves as Senate Majority Leader. He represents the 31st Senate District, which includes Polk County and a portion of Paulding County. He may be reached via email at Jason.Anavitarte@senate.ga.gov.

Representative Chuck Efstration represents the citizens of District 104, which includes portions of Barrow and Gwinnett counties. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2013 and currently serves as the House Majority Leader. He also serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Judicial, Ethics, Insurance, Judiciary, Judiciary Non-Civil, Judiciary Juvenile, Reapportionment and Redistricting and Ways & Means committees, as well as an Ex-Officio member of the Rules committee.

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

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Sen. Billy Hickman Celebrates First Annual Georgia Literacy Night Under the Gold Dome

ATLANTA (December 23, 2025) — On Tuesday, December 16, educators, literacy advocates and community leaders gathered under the Gold Dome for the first annual “Georgia Literacy Night.” Cohosted by Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives John Burns (R–Newington) and his wife, Dayle Burns; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Youth Sen. Billy Hickman (R–Statesboro) and his wife, Jo Ann Hickman; and Chairman of the House Committee on Education Rep. Chris Erwin (R–Homer) and his wife, Laurie Erwin, in partnership with the Georgia Literacy Council, the evening highlighted the importance of early literacy and the collective efforts underway to improve reading outcomes for Georgia’s youth.

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Sen. Emanuel Jones Responds to Henry County’s Ethics Board Investigation

ATLANTA (December 22, 2025) — Today, Sen. Emanuel Jones (D–Decatur) issued the following statement in response to the Henry County Ethics Board’s decision to investigate Commission Chair Carlotta Harrell for removing subpoenaed county employees from a November ethics hearing:

“The Henry County Ethics Board’s decision to advance an investigation stemming from the November ethics hearing raises serious concerns about its investigatory process and overreach. The Ethics Board was never intended to investigate human resources disputes arising from county employee matters. Its purpose is to hold public officials accountable when there is an allegation of a betrayal of the public’s trust.

This matter centers on a dispute over subpoenas and internal administrative authority involving county employees, an area outside the Ethics Board’s intended scope. After thorough consideration by the Henry County local delegation, and following consultation with both the Henry County Ethics Department and county government officials, Senate Bill 359 was introduced and supported by both the Senate and House Henry County Delegations to clarify this division of authority.

As the sponsor of SB 359, I have been clear that the bill establishes that the Ethics Board does not have purview over county employee matters and reinforces clear, consistent standards for handling ethics complaints involving elected officials. The Ethics Board itself agreed with this framework and supported SB 359. The bill is currently awaiting final passage on the House local consent calendar.

Given the agreement among the Ethics Board, county government and the Henry County Senate and House delegations, I firmly believe the Ethics Board should not have held a hearing that gave rise to the complaint against the commission chair. I am calling on the Henry County Ethics Board to honor the spirit and intent of SB 359 that all parties have already agreed to and allow this matter to be resolved under a clear and consistent framework.”

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Sen. Emanuel Jones represents the 10th Senate District, which includes a portion of DeKalb County.  He may be reached at 404-656-0502 or via email at Emanuel.Jones@senate.ga.gov.

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