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
FEDERAL BILLS
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.
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Position: Tracking
Summary: SB 21 was stripped of its original language. Previously, SB 21 would strip local governments of sovereign immunity, allowing them to be sued if there are allegations against them of noncompliance with immigration enforcement or having ‘sanctuary city’ policies.
Status: Passed Senate (33-18) | Reassigned to House Governmental Affairs Committee. Did not pass both chambers.
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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 (33-20), House Public Safety Committee Favorably Reported. Did not pass both chambers.
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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, Did not make it pass Crossover Day
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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, Did not make it pass Crossover Day
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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. Did not make it pass Crossover Day
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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. Did not make it pass Crossover Day
Call to Action:Demand a Committee Hearing for SB 397
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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 (45-3) | House Passed by Substitute (165-2)| Senate Agreed to House Substitute (46-4)
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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 Passed by Substitute (41-14) | House Passed by Substitute (98-59). Did not receive an agree/disagree vote on the house to move on to the Governor, which it needed because it was amended in the second chamber.
TAKE ACTION: Contact the Senate Public Safety Committee and tell them to vote NO on SB 442.
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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. Did not make it pass Crossover Day
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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 (49-0), Assigned to House Ways & Means Committee. Did not pass both chambers.
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Position: Oppose ❌
Summary: Entitles property owners to file claim against local governments 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. The bill was also amended to allow individuals to petition the superior court for what is called a mandamus relief for violations of anti-sanctuary policies. A mandamus relief is a court order that compels local government officials to abide by state laws.
Status: House Passed (98-75) | Senate Passed by Substitute (30-22) | House Agrees to Senate Amendment as House Amendments (93-76) | Senate Agrees to House Amendment to Senate Amendment (34-19)
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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: Passed House by Substitute (95-66), Assigned to Senate Agriculture & Consumer Affairs. Did not pass both chambers.
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Position: Oppose ❌
Summary: HB 960 was stripped of its original language and now takes language from HB 568, which failed to make it pass Crossover Day. The substitute bill would require Georgia elections transition to pre-printed, hand-marked paper ballots by the November 2026 midterm elections, requiring hand-recounts for federal elections, and certain state elections.It creates a public voter registration list of who voted, which creates privacy concerns. It would also penalize county governments with civil fines if they do not remove purge challenged voters, which would disenfranchise eligible voters.
Status: Passed House by Substitute (169-1) | Passed Senate by Substitute (32-21)* Did not receive an agree/disagree vote on the house to move on to the Governor, which it needed because it was amended in the second chamber.
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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. Did not make it pass Crossover Day
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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. Did not make it pass Crossover Day
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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. Did not make it pass Crossover Day
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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: Recommitted to House Health Committee. Did not make it pass Crossover Day
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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. Did not make it pass Crossover Day
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Position: Support ✅
Summary: Requires local governments to adopt zoning ordinances to require special use permits for the operation or development of immigration detention facilities, or the transfer of any real property for a detention facility.
Status: House Second Readers, Assigned to Governmental Affairs Committee. Did not make it pass Crossover Day
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.
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Position: Oppose ❌
Summary:Though sold as increasing transparency about campaign contributions from “hostile foreign countries,” in reality, this bill dramatically expands the state’s oversight of individual and organizational political activity. The broad language in this bill makes it a vehicle for suppressing political voices, particularly dissent. If reporting requirements are not met under the provisions of the bill, the Attorney General would have unqualified discretion to investigate, penalize, and criminalize grassroots advocacy organizations and open up the potential for expanding scrutiny of civil rights organizations and student activist groups.
Status: Senate Passed (36-16) | House Passed by Substitute (98-16)*
Did not receive an agree/disagree vote on the house to move on to the Governor, which it needed because it was amended in the second chamber.
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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 Passed by Substitute (35-17) | House passed (96-69)*
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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. Did not make it pass Crossover Day
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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
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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 Passed (140-24) | Senate Ethics Committee Favorably Reported | Did not pass both chambers.
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Position: Support ✅
Summary: Repeals HB 1105, which passed in 2024 requiring local law enforcement 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 Readers, Assigned to House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee. Did not make it pass Crossover Day
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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. Did not make it pass Crossover Day
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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
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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 Passed by Substitute (139-16) | Senate Passed (31-20) | House Sent to the Governor
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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. Did not make it pass Crossover Day
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]
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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. Did not make it pass Crossover Day
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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. Did not make it pass Crossover Day
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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. Did not make it pass Crossover Day
FEDERAL BILLS
⬇️ Use the dropdown boxes below to learn more.
[more info coming soon]