It’s hard to believe, but the 2025 legislative session has come to a close. As your state representative for Georgia’s 30th House District, I’m proud of the work we accomplished over the past 40 legislative days. From early morning hearings to late-night floor votes, I stayed focused on the issues that matter to our families, our schools, and our communities. In this final session update, I’ll walk you through some of the most important bills we passed in the last week—especially those that will impact public safety, education, health care, and our state’s budget.
Let’s get into the details.
Final Session Update: Big Wins for School Safety
As a former Marine and firefighter, I know how critical it is to be prepared when lives are on the line. That’s why I supported House Bill 268, the most important school safety bill to pass this year.
This bill covers several major changes designed to protect students and teachers. It includes a measure we call “Ricky and Alyssa’s Law,” which was originally part of Senate Bill 17. It requires Georgia’s schools to adopt a mobile panic alert system. When there’s a threat, this system will help emergency responders connect and respond faster — cutting down on confusion during a crisis.
HB 268 also requires schools to get updated mapping data by July 1, 2026. This data will be shared with state and local law enforcement to improve response time when there’s a credible threat. As someone who has answered emergency calls myself, I can’t stress enough how valuable this kind of planning is.
The bill also addresses mental health and student behavior in meaningful ways. Starting in the 2026–2027 school year, students in grades 6–12 will receive:
- One hour of suicide awareness and prevention education
- One hour of youth violence prevention education
Schools must develop plans that deal with behavioral health needs for both students and staff. These plans must include behavioral threat assessment management (BTAM) processes by January 1, 2027.
Finally, HB 268 helps children in state custody by requiring schools to transfer their educational and behavioral records within five school days. This will help new schools better support these students from day one.
This is a smart, comprehensive approach to keeping schools safe, and I was proud to vote yes.
Funding Georgia’s Future: The FY 2026 State Budget
Passing a balanced budget is the most important thing we do each year. In fact, it’s the only bill the Georgia Constitution requires the General Assembly to pass. House Bill 68, the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, made it across the finish line during the final days of session. This budget covers everything from education and public safety to health care and rural development.
The total budget is $37.8 billion, which is a $1.6 billion increase over last year. That may sound like a big jump, but it reflects the growing needs of our state—and the solid financial footing Georgia has built. If you’d like to read the entire budget, you’ll find it here.
Key investments in the FY 2026 budget include:
- More funding for K-12 public schools and teacher training
- Expanded support for mental health services
- Increased pay for law enforcement and public safety officers
- Resources for improving the court system and reducing case backlogs
This budget lays the groundwork for a stronger Georgia. I’ll keeo a close eye on how these dollars are spent and how they impact our district.
Common-Sense Legislation
The final session update wouldn’t be complete without a few more bills that passed out of the House last week will make life better for hardworking Georgians.
Senate Bill 1 – This bill includes provisions from the Riley Gaines Act and would amend various titles in state law to provide for separate restrooms and changing areas for males and females during athletic events in schools and postsecondary institutions. The bill would provide for separation according to sex for sleeping arrangements on school trips. All public schools, local school systems and private schools participating in competitions or athletic events would be required to designate each team, competition or athletic event as for males, females or coed;
Senate Bill 36 – Known as the Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which would permit state and local governments to substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion only if the entity demonstrates that the application of the burden to the person is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest, and it is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest. This bill does not affect the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution;
Senate Bill 101 – This bill requires insurance plans to cover medically necessary orthotic and prosthetic devices. These are critical tools for people recovering from injuries or living with disabilities. With this new law, they’ll have better access to the care they need—without facing unfair costs.
Senate Bill 100 – Following payment of a fee, an adult who was adopted is permitted to request and receive a copy of their original Georgia birth certificate. A parent, sibling or descendant of a deceased person could receive a copy of the decedent’s birth certificate under the same procedure;
Senate Bill 125 – This bill would provide a modernization update to the licensing code for electrical contractors, plumbers, conditioned air contractors, low voltage contractors and utility contractors;
Senate Bill 201, which would protect homeowners entering into contracts with contractors in the wake of a natural disaster. Contractors entering into a contract with a homeowner within one year of a natural disaster will be required to accept contract cancellation if all or part of the homeowner’s insurance claim does not cover their loss. Contractors would also be required to notify homeowners of their right to cancel;
Senate Bill 204 – This bill prohibits counties and municipalities from regulating the storage of firearms;
Senate Bill 259, which would require a physician holding a child in temporary protective custody to make reasonable efforts to inform the child’s parents of their right to obtain an independent medical evaluation or pediatric specialty consultation. The bill also requires the physician to inform the Division of Family and Children Services of the basis of their determinations regarding suspected abuse or neglect and whether a physical examination was conducted and what medical records were reviewed;
House Bill 307 – We updated the Georgia Early Literacy Act to include dyslexia. It shifts reading instruction to align with proven methods based on the science of reading. The bill also bans the outdated “three-cueing” method and creates a statewide council to help schools stay on the right track.
Senate Bill 93 – This bill ensures that educator training programs teach reading based on the science of reading. That helps us support struggling readers from the very start.
Senate Bill 185, which would prohibit the use of state funds or resources for sex reassignment surgeries, hormone replacement therapies or sex characteristic altering cosmetic procedures or prosthetics for state inmates;
House Bill 266 – As a veteran myself, this one hit close to home. HB 266 increases the income exclusion for military retirement benefits to $65,000 for veterans under age 65. It’s a great way to support those who’ve served our country, and I was proud to stand behind it.
What Comes Next After Sine Die
Now that the session is over, Governor Kemp has 40 days to either sign or veto the bills we passed. If he signs them, they become law. If he doesn’t act within 40 days, many will still go into effect automatically.
Because they weren’t passed by both the House and Senate, some bills won’t become law this year. That doesn’t mean they’re finished. Since this was the first year of a two-year term, they may still be considered when we return next session. The next legislative session begins on January 12, 2026.
In the meantime, my colleagues and I will be traveling across the state for study committees and public meetings.
I Want to Hear from You
Although the session has ended, I’m still working for you. I always welcome your thoughts and ideas. What matters most to your family? What challenges are you facing?
Feel free to contact me anytime by email at [email protected] or check my website at DerrickMcCollum.com for updates and news.
As your representative, it’s my job and my honor to fight for the people of Georgia’s 30th District. Thank you for trusting me to do that work. I’ll keep showing up, listening, and pushing for smart solutions.
Until next time, stay safe and stay connected.