2026 Policy Updates

Bill Tracking for the 2025-2026 Legislative Session

Advancing Justice-Atlanta aims to engage community members in the policy process through community education and by creating opportunities for individuals to be involved in advocacy. Legislation we track may affect AAPI, AMEMSA and other immigrant communities in Georgia and relate to the following values: 

  • Full Democratic Participation, including the right to vote in the way that is most accessible to you.

  • An inclusive and reflective democracy that upholds each individual’s right to make their voice heard. 

  • Equal and safe communities where immigrant individuals’ rights, freedoms, and humanity are recognized and protected.

For high-priority bills, you can find resources to email or call your representatives below. But you can always reach out at any time. Find your state representatives’ contact info by entering your address here: https://www.legis.ga.gov/find-my-legislator.

2026 Bill Tracking For the 2025-2026 Legislative Session:

STATE BILLS

⬇️ Use the dropdown boxes below to learn more.

Protecting Immigrant and Civil Rights

We fight back against harmful policies that erode immigrants’ rights and demand every Georgian is treated fairly as an equal member of their community.

  • Position: Oppose

    Summary: SB 116 requires the Department of Corrections to collect DNA samples from people charged (not convicted) with misdemeanor or felony offenses and who are subject to immigration detainer requests if such samples were not already taken by ICE. The bill was amended to only require DNA taken if the individual was not taken into custody by ICE within 48 hours of their ICE detainer being issued.

    Status: Passed Senate by Substitute, House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee

  • Position: Support ✅

    Summary: Prohibits federal immigration officers from wearing face coverings and requires officers to wear a badge that visibly displays officers’ last names and identification numbers while performing public-facing immigration activities in Georgia.

    Status: Read and Referred to Senate Public Safety Committee

    Learn More: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72172

  • Position: Support ✅

    Summary: Prevents armed military from another state, territory, or district from entering Georgia without the permission of the Georgia Governor

    Status: Read and Referred to Senate Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security Committee

    Learn More: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72173

  • Position: Support ✅

    Summary: Prevents immigration enforcement from taking place at sensitive locations, including school grounds, college campuses, public places of worship, hospitals, libraries, and family violence shelters, without a valid judicial warrant.

    Status: Read and Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee

    Learn More: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72174

  • Position: Support ✅

    Summary: Allows any Georgia resident to file civil suits against immigration enforcement officers for violations of their constitutional rights and/or reprehensible behavior.  Factors in determining “reprehensibility” include whether the officer was wearing identification insignia, wearing face coverings, operating a motor vehicle that was missing a license plate, using crowd control equipment, or failing to properly comply with a court order.

    Status: Read and Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee

    Call to Action: Demand a Committee Hearing for SB 397

  • Position: Support ✅

    Summary: Creates criteria that allows certain internationally-trained physicians to apply for limited provisional license to practice medicine in Georgia.

    Status: Senate Passed by Substitute, Assigned to House Health Committee

  • Position: Oppose

    Summary: Revokes non-citizens' Commercial Driver's License (CDL) upon the expiration of such persons’ visa or five years, whichever occurs first. Non-citizens would be required to retake and pass the knowledge and skills test in order to renew their CDL.

    Status: Senate Public Safety Committee Reported Favorably by Substitute

  • Position: Support ✅

    Summary: Prohibits federal immigration agents from using biometric surveillance data and technology, such as those that use data from fingerprints, voice prints, retina or iris images, or DNA profiles, to identify individuals to determine their immigration status.

    Status: Read and Referred to Senate Public Safety Committee

  • Position: Tracking

    Summary: Disqualifies businesses from all tax credits if they claim undocumented workers for tax credit purposes.

    Status: Senate Finance Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute

  • Position: Oppose

    Summary: Entitles property owners to file claim against municipalities for monetary compensation if owners experienced a decline in property value or incurred expenses that they attribute to 1) lack of enforcement around homelessness, or 2) adoption of “sanctuary polities” or noncompliance with immigration verification policies.

    Status: House Public Safety Committee Reported Favorably; Currently in House Rules Committee

  • Position: Oppose

    Summary: Requires the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) to verify data from other agencies and registries to determine SNAP applicants’ and participants’ eligibility. Also requires all household members to verify their U.S. citizenship status in order to qualify for SNAP benefits.

    Status: House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee Reported Favorably by Substitute, Currently in House Rules Committee

  • Position: Support ✅

    Summary: Allows any Georgia resident to file civil suits against immigration enforcement officers for violations of their constitutional rights and/or reprehensible behavior. Factors in determining “reprehensibility” include whether the officer was wearing identification, insignia, face coverings, operating a motor vehicle that was missing a license plate, using crowd control equipment, or failing to properly comply with a court order.

    Status: House Second Readers, Assigned to House Judiciary Committee

  • Position: Support ✅

    Summary: Requires school administrators to require judicial warrants in order to allow ICE agents onto school grounds or to access student data. Each school must designate administrators to interact in person with ICE should they appear. Also protects school administrators who enforce this policy from discipline, termination, or other punishment.

    Status: House Second Readers, Assigned to House Judiciary Committee

  • Position: Support ✅

    Summary: Removes authority of law or immigration enforcement from detaining any individual if the officer either covers his face, fails to verbally identify themself, or fails to display visible identification. Contains exceptions for COVID-19 masks. Requires that an officer is allowed to use deadly force to apprehend a suspect only when a suspect threatens the death or serious bodily injury of another person.

    Status: House Second Readers, Assigned to House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee

  • Position: Oppose

    Summary: Prohibits Medicaid participants from providing self-attestation for income, residency, identity, household composition, and U.S. citizenship/immigration status–meaning that Medicaid participants would have to provide written documentation of income and residency. The bill also requires more frequent data checks on gross income, child support enforcement data, and residency information that could disenroll Medicaid participants.

    Status: House Health Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute, House Rules Committee

  • Position: Oppose

    Summary: Prohibits and restricts certain foreign persons from owning or leasing property within five miles of critical infrastructure in Georgia. Critical infrastructure includes 1) energy systems, including electric power generation, transmission, and distribution; 2) water and wastewater systems; 3) transportation systems; 4) communication systems; 5) chemical facilities; and 6) any facility owned or operated by an electric membership corporation. The bill requires that certain foreign persons get approval from the Attorney General to purchase or lease restricted property. The restrictions in this bill would apply to residential property.

    Status: House Second Readers,  Assigned to House Judiciary Committee

Affirming Democratic Values

We affirm principles of inclusion and the protection of civil liberties for all, in response to increasing attacks on immigrants, civil society and other vulnerable groups in the name of national security. 

  • Position: Oppose

    Summary: Punishes obstruction of highways, streets, sidewalks, and other public passages with high and aggravated charges. Any such instance that also results in another person’s bodily injury or property destruction will be a felony punishable by no less than $5,000 or imprisonment of at least five years.

    Status: Senate Read and Referred, Assigned to House Judiciary Committee

  • Position: Support ✅

    Summary:Prohibits the use of immigration detention facilities for two years between the dates of July 1, 2026, and July 1, 2028 in order to allow the state time to develop a plan that promotes dignity and justice.

    Status: Senate Read and Referred, Assigned to Senate Public Safety Committee

  • Position: Support ✅

    Summary: Recognizes the importance of transparency, community engagement, environmental stewardship, and congressional oversight regarding the proposed development or expansion of federal immigration detention facilities in Georgia, and expresses support for federal efforts to ensure accountability in the siting of such facilities.

    Status: Senate Read and Referred, Assigned to Senate Public Safety Committee

  • Position: Oppose

    Summary: Prohibits non-U.S. citizens and non-legal permanent residents from participating, either financially or civically, in political campaigns and any proposed amendments or referenda at the state, county, or municipal levels.

    Status: House Governmental Affairs Committee Reported Favorably, Currently in House Rules

  • Position: Support ✅

    Summary: Repeals HB 1105, which passed in 2024 requiring local law enfocement to apply for agreements with ICE and facilitate deportations. Also requires law enforcement to provide timely certification forms for individuals who need it for U and T-Visa applicants, who are survivors of violence and seeking permanent U.S. residency based on  humanitarian grounds.

    Status: House Second Reader, Assigned to House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee

  • Position: Oppose

    Summary: Requires that all non-U.S. citizen driver’s license, permit cards, or identification cards are marked with the words 'BEARER NOT A U.S. CITIZEN - NOT  VOTER ID’.

    Status: House Second Readers, Assigned to House Governmental Affairs Committee

  • Position: Oppose

    Summary: Prohibits and restricts certain foreign persons from owning or leasing property within five miles of critical infrastructure in Georgia. Critical infrastructure includes 1) energy systems, including electric power generation, transmission, and distribution; 2) water and wastewater systems; 3) transportation systems; 4) communication systems; 5) chemical facilities; and 6) any facility owned or operated by an electric membership corporation. The bill requires that certain foreign persons get approval from the Attorney General to purchase or lease restricted property. The restrictions in this bill would apply to residential property.

    Status: House Second Readers, Assigned to House Judiciary Committee

  • Position: Oppose

    Summary: Requires each public education institution to provide a report detailing all funding received from a foreign source to the Attorney General and the Department of Accounts and Audits. Funds received from foreign sources of concern must disclose any influence or control over curriculum, research, or academic affairs.

    Status: House Higher Education Committee

  • Position: Support

    Summary:  Establishes annual audits of detention facilities and the treatment of detainees. Substantial and ongoing noncompliance with federal detention standards that pose harm to detainees would result in withholding of state funds, prohibition or limit on police agreements with the federal government, and withholding of state license or permits.

    Status: House Second Readers, Assigned to House Public and Community Health Committee

Protecting Voter Rights & Voter Access

We work to advance reforms that make voting more accessible for Asian American and other immigrant communities, and to defend and protect the rights of immigrant voters. 

[more info coming soon]

  • Position: Oppose

    Summary: Furnishes systems of hand-count voting methods for counties that must be maintained only by U.S. citizens.

    Status: House Second Readers, Assigned to House Governmental Affairs Committee

  • Position: Support ✅

    Summary: Restricts Limited Liability Corporations from contributing money to influence electoral or ballot activities. Also prohibits the use of commentary or editorial language in ballot questions.

    Status: House Second Readers, Assigned to House Judiciary Committee

  • Position: Support ✅

    Summary: Also named the “Henry Mcneal Turner, Georgia Voting Rights Act,” provides for state-level protections against voter suppression and vote dilution.

    Status: Senate Read and Referred, Senate Ethics Committee

FEDERAL BILLS

⬇️ Use the dropdown boxes below to learn more.

 [more info coming soon]