Over seven days in December, Georgia Republicans passed new maps to protect GOP incumbents, forced Democrats to take sides on Israel’s war against Hamas and the Atlanta public safety center, and pressed to speed up a popular cut to the income tax rate.

That brief bout of lawmaking could be a taste of what’s to come starting Monday when legislators kick off an election-year session that will span the March 12 presidential primary and end weeks before the state’s 236 legislators are set to face their own May primaries.

Over the 40-day session, Republicans are likely to push policies to energize conservative voters to help the party’s ticket compete against President Joe Biden and his allies in November. Democrats will push their own vision for the state, though they lack the political power to force action on their priorities.

The next few months will also serve as a prelude to 2026, when a term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp can’t seek reelection, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is up for another term and every statewide constitutional office is on the ballot.

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger are all likely contenders for higher office, and each has promoted attention-grabbing policies that could form the basis of his campaign agenda.

Kemp, a potential challenger to Ossoff, is sure to send notice during the session that he’s no lame duck. He jammed most of his priorities through an agreeable Legislature in 2022, and he followed up in 2023 with successes on every major policy save for a still-pending school voucher expansion.

Consequential measures are on the table, including a potential compromise to expand Medicaid and loosen hospital regulations, a renewed attempt to make antisemitism a hate crime, new fights over election-related legislation, the next phase of a campaign to improve mental health care and a battle to limit jury awards in plaintiffs’ lawsuits.

And culture war debates over guns, reproductive rights and other polarizing issues could bubble up suddenly under the Gold Dome. Few Democrats forget, for instance, that in 2019 Kemp initially supported a weaker version of anti-abortion legislation before he forcefully endorsed more sweeping restrictions.

“I honestly don’t know what to expect. There’s a lot of big things on the table, and some monumental things could happen,” said Kyle Wingfield, president of the conservative Georgia Public Policy Foundation .

“It could be a kick-the-can-down-the-road year or a finish-the-drill year,” Wingfield said. “The range of possibilities spans from ‘holy cow’ to ‘well, they got in, got out and passed a budget.’ And everything in between.”

‘Good news coming’

As always, much of the session will center on the state’s $33 billion budget, which lawmakers will often remind their colleagues is their sole constitutional requirement each session.

But unlike past budget fights dominated by hard decisions over what programs to cut, lawmakers now face far different decisions about how — or whether — to spend the state’s $16 billion in “rainy day” and undesignated reserves.

Already, Kemp has sent $1,000 year-end bonuses to state employees and teachers, pledged to speed up an income tax break and promised a $45,000 grant to improve security at every K-12 school. A new round of property tax rebates and other incentives could soon be announced.

If history is a lesson, Kemp’s budget will be approved with grudging bipartisan support, with Democrats urging the governor and GOP leaders to use the surplus to expand the health care system, raise pay for state employees and strengthen programs for lower-income residents.

“I believe in fiscal responsibility and saving,” Democratic state Sen. Nikki Merritt said, “but I also believe that hoarding resources that could support Georgians’ needs is the wrong approach.”

Credit: Associated Press

Credit: Associated Press

Kemp and legislative leaders will begin to unfurl more specifics during a series of events highlighted by the governor’s State of the State address on Thursday. But with much legislation already pending, Kemp isn’t expected to unveil far-reaching new programs.

Instead, he’s likely to frame his legislative agenda much as he did during his 2022 reelection campaign: as an effort to insulate Georgians from what he describes as the “disastrous” effects of Biden’s policies.

“We’ll keep working hard to put money back into the pockets of Georgians and bring relief to families burdened by Bidenomics,” said Kemp, who promised “more good news coming” in the weeks ahead.

Some of the more attention-grabbing proposals may come from those who could compete to succeed him. Jones, who as lieutenant governor is president of the state Senate, has already taken aggressive steps to court the party’s base.

He’s unveiled recent proposals to pay teachers $10,000 to carry weapons at schools, roll back business regulations and require kids to get their parents’ permission to create social media accounts.

Credit: TNS

Democrats will look for victories in halting legislation they abhor. It was no coincidence, after all, that U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, a potential statewide candidate, was one of the first Democrats to slam the lieutenant governor’s firearms plan.

“Georgia is a battleground state, and we’re about to find out if Georgia is purple or if we’re red,” said Joel Alvarado, a nonprofit executive with deep roots in state politics.

“I hope we don’t waste this moment in the spotlight,” Alvarado said, “and work to realize a better Georgia that allows all people to benefit from the good that Georgia has to offer.”

No ‘given’

While politics may shape the session, which usually lasts about three months, interviews with more than a dozen lawmakers and analysts were peppered with frequent reminders that the bulk of the measures are bipartisan accords approved with little controversy.

State Rep. Scott Hilton, a Peachtree Corners Republican, said he learned the hard way not to take a session for granted. He hopes to use this one to pass measures that support Georgians with special needs and encourage safe storage of firearms.

“As someone who has both won and lost elections, I’ve learned that no session is a given and you work hard with the time you have,” said Hilton, who lost his 2018 bid for reelection and then won the seat back in 2022 after the district’s lines were redrawn.

For others, the next few months will be their swan song under the Gold Dome.

Forced into the same district as a fellow Democrat, state Rep. Greg Kennard opted not to seek another term. But he hopes to first pass legislation allowing first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder to collect workers’ compensation.

“Most of what we work on is compromise-oriented. In an election year, there will be a lot of levers pulled and stunts to get ready for campaigns,” Kennard said. “But I’m optimistic we’ll get meaningful measures passed.”