Georgia House passes $37.7 billion FY2026 budget (HB 68), sends bill to Senate

The Georgia House of Representatives on March 12 passed House Bill 68, the fiscal year 2026 General Appropriations Bill, by a recorded vote of 171-4 and ordered the measure transmitted immediately to the state Senate.

Chairman Hatchett, who presented the bill in the Committee of the Whole, told members the package is “set by [a] revenue estimate of $37,700,000,000 in state funds,” an increase of $1,500,000,000, or about 4.4%, over the FY2025 original budget. “I’ve made no secret about this budget. Things are tight,” he said during the floor presentation.

The bill’s sponsors and the committee described HB 68 as a narrowly expanded spending plan that prioritizes education and public safety while preserving the state’s strong debt position. Key allocations and changes cited by Chairman Hatchett include an increase of roughly $250,000,000 for the Department of Corrections, $9,900,000 to raise the county correctional institution per diem to $30 a day, and $28,500,000 for private prisons to address pay parity and price-index adjustments. The House also added $3,100,000 for a 4% juvenile correctional officer salary increase, about $9,500,000 for additional community supervision officers, and approximately $8,100,000 to offset the loss of federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding to victim…