Georgia 2026 Special Session
The Georgia General Assembly met for a Special Session starting on June 17, 2026. The governor’s proclamation authorized legislators to explore redistricting, examine local bills related to property tax reform, address an open question related to QR codes on Georgia ballots, and to ratify the May 2026 gas tax suspension. Several committees took advantage of the session to hold meetings including the Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Youth Exposure to Kratom and the House Health Committee.
What Happened
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The May 2026 gas tax suspension was ratified;
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The use of QR codes on state ballots was extended to 2028, with a new requirement that mandates hand recounts on the top 2 statewide races within 0.5% and an advisory committee that will make recommendations for changes to the 2027 session;
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Redistricting was taken off the table;
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And lawmakers did not reach sufficient consensus on referendums that would allow local governments to raise sales taxes, through a local homestead option sales tax (LHOST), to pay for property tax exemptions.
House Health
On Tuesday the 23rd, Chairman Lee Hawkins convened the House Health Committee to begin discussion on several issues. The agenda included testimony related to recent guidance issued by the Composite Medical Board about physician compensation and advanced practice registered nurse protocols, a recent 20% rate reduction to therapy codes, diabetes-related amputations, and patient access to hospital dental procedures requiring anesthesia.
Access to operating room time is an advocacy priority for several dental organizations including the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists, and Georgia Dental Association’s (GDA) president Dr. Peter Schatz joined Dr. Jordan Blankenship-Sniker and GDA’s government relations team to offer testimony at the hearing. Several dentists in the Atlanta metro area report dwindling operating room time, and work is under way to address this challenge. Earlier this year, GDA joined others in supporting a recent code change designed to improve access for Medicaid eligible individuals, particularly children and special needs adults, by improving facility reimbursement for hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers.
Get Involved
Advocacy for state policies that promote improved access to dental care is always ongoing at the Georgia Dental Association. To stay informed, continue to tune into our legislative updates. In these articles, we also like to offer a reminder that the Georgia Dental Association offers many opportunities to get involved in policy advocacy through our contact dentist network, LAW Day, and supporting GDAPAC. Your support makes all the difference.