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Georgia House advances judgeships, expands optometry loan program and reassigns electricity bill
Summary
The House passed multiple bills on Feb. 2, 2026, including measures adding judgeships in two circuits and expanding loan-repayment eligibility to optometrists; it also voted to move a power-generation bill to a special committee. Vote tallies and committee actions were recorded on the floor.
The Georgia House of Representatives moved several items on its rules calendar on Feb. 2, 2026, voting to add judgeships, expand a health workforce loan-repayment program and reassign a bill on electricity generation to a special resource committee.
House members passed House Bill 557, a committee substitute to add a sixth judge to the Northeastern judicial circuit, with the clerk announcing the yeas were 169 and the nays 0. Chairman Lee Hawkins presented the substitute and said the change reflected timing and scheduling from judges and prior filings.
Representative Jasmine Clark presented House Bill 960 to add a twelfth superior-court judge in the Gwinnett Judicial Circuit, citing workload figures: "Currently, the Gwinnett judicial circuit has almost 100,000 residents per superior court judge, which is almost twice the state average of 50,000 residents per judge," she said on the floor. Members questioned the bill's impact; Representative Clark said judicial council data demonstrated a need and that the Gwinnett delegation supported the measure. The House passed HB 960, the clerk reported, with yeas 169 and nays 1.
The chamber also approved House Bill 659, which expands eligibility for loan repayment and service-cancelable loan programs to include optometrists to increase rural access to eye care. Chairman Green said the bill grew from the rural development committee and aimed to strengthen statewide vision and eye-care access. The clerk recorded the vote on HB 659 as yeas 168 and nays 2.
On committee assignments, Representative Chaz Cannon moved to withdraw House Bill 10-63 from the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology and recommit it to the Special Committee on Resource Management. The motion faced objection and was put to a vote; the clerk announced yeas 123 and nays 10 and the reassignment was approved.
Votes at a glance: House Bill 10-29 (local calendar for City of Holly Springs) passed, yays 161, nays 0; House Bill 557 (Northeastern Circuit sixth judge) passed, yays 169, nays 0; House Bill 960 (Gwinnett twelfth judge) passed, yays 169, nays 1; House Bill 659 (optometry loan repayment expansion) passed, yays 168, nays 2; motion to reassign House Bill 10-63 passed, yeas 123, nays 10.
The House concluded the day's business and stood adjourned until 10:00 a.m. on 02/03/2026.
