With Crossover Day behind us, the Senate is now turning its attention to House legislation and one of our most important responsibilities: crafting a fiscally responsible Fiscal Year 2027 state budget. This week, Senate leaders met with agency heads and stakeholders from across Georgia’s industries to review funding needs and ensure our state remains on a strong financial path.
This process may take time, but it’s one of the reasons Georgia is consistently recognized for responsible financial management. Every dollar we approve is taxpayer money, and we take that responsibility seriously. That means asking tough questions, carefully reviewing requests and making sure we are investing in programs that truly benefit Georgia families.
We are also working to make sure state policies do not place unnecessary burdens on our local communities. This week, I voted to pass House Bill 244, which will allow smaller local governments with annual expenditures under $2.5 million to complete a streamlined audit process. Right now, many small towns are required to conduct full audits every year, which can be expensive and difficult for communities with limited staff and resources. This legislation maintains accountability while giving smaller governments more flexibility so they can spend more time focusing on the services their residents rely on.
Protecting your finances is another priority we addressed this week. The Senate passed House Bill 945, which strengthens protections against financial exploitation. Unfortunately, scams targeting seniors and vulnerable individuals have become more common and increasingly sophisticated. This bill allows banks to place a temporary 15-day hold on transactions if they suspect someone is being financially exploited. Financial institutions are often the first to notice suspicious activity, and this legislation gives them the ability to step in and help prevent someone from losing their hard-earned savings.
We also took an important step toward helping more children find permanent homes. The Senate adopted Senate Resolution 771, creating the Senate Study Committee on Adoption and Permanency Affordability. For many loving families, the cost of adoption can be a major barrier. This committee will study ways to make adoption more affordable and accessible so that more children in Georgia have the opportunity to grow up in safe, stable homes.
To further advance our mission of affordability and security, I introduced Senate Resolution 927 to establish the Senate Pharmacy Benefits Managers and Consumer Access to Prescription Medications Study Committee. The cost of prescription drugs continues to rise, and pharmacy benefits managers play a major role in negotiating between insurers, pharmacies and drug manufacturers. However, their practices can sometimes negatively affect both patients and pharmacists by steering customers to affiliated pharmacies and driving up medication costs. This committee will study those impacts and help ensure Georgia’s pharmaceutical industry operates in a fair and transparent way that protects everyone involved.
Finally, we were pleased to welcome several special visitors to the Capitol this week. I had the pleasure of meeting with leaders from Towns, Banks and Stephens Counties. It is always valuable to hear directly from local government leaders, and we thank them for their continued service to our Northeast Georgia communities. Our legislative body was also honored to welcome Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. My colleagues and I appreciate the work these leaders do for our state and nation, and we were grateful for the opportunity to host them under the Gold Dome.
As always, hearing directly from you is one of the most important parts of my job. If you have questions, concerns or ideas about issues affecting our community, please do not hesitate to contact my office. It is an honor to serve you under the Gold Dome.
Sen. Bo Hatchett serves as a Governor’s Administration Floor Leader. He represents the 50thSenate District, which includes Banks, Franklin, Habersham, Rabun, Stephens and Towns counties, as well as portions of Hall, Jackson and White counties. He may be reached by phone at (404) 656-7454 or by email at Bo.Hatchett@senate.ga.gov.
