State Legislative Sessions Advance Tax, Budget and Election Measures in Georgia and Kansas

In Georgia, the state legislature's 2026 40-day session concluded in early April with lawmakers passing bills on education, health, housing, insurance, policing, taxes, and transportation, while other measures, including a Confederate monuments protection bill, failed. House Bill 973, the amended budget, allocated nearly $2 billion for improvements to I-75 south of Atlanta and State Route 316 connecting metro Atlanta to Athens. House Bill 463, which continues annual income tax rate reductions of roughly 10% until reaching a flat rate of 3.99%, passed and was sent to Governor Brian Kemp; a separate Senate proposal to eliminate income tax on the first $50,000 of income did not pass. House Speaker Jon Burns indicated lawmakers would consult with Kemp on whether unresolved election reform concerns might warrant a special session. Separately, voting machine companies increased lobbying activity in 2026 as lawmakers debated the future of the state's voting equipment and vote-counting procedures. In Kansas, the Republican supermajority Legislature convened its 2026 session in January alongside Democratic Governor Laura Kelly, who delivered her eighth and final State of the State address during her last year in office due to term limits. Lawmakers faced a constitutional obligation to pass a state budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. Senate President Ty Masterson and House Speaker Dan Hawkins had previously attempted to advance mid-decade congressional redistricting in November but lacked sufficient support among House Republicans to proceed. Georgia's session has concluded, with tax legislation awaiting Kemp's signature and the possibility of a special session on election issues still under discussion; no confirmed decision on a special session has been reported. In Kansas, the 2026 gubernatorial election is scheduled for November 3, with primaries set for August 4; Kelly is ineligible to run again due to term limits, and the race is among five Democratic-held governorships up for election in a state former President Trump won by double digits in 2024. Details on Georgia's Fulton County Commission chair's criticism of Kemp's appointments, including that seven of eight appointees were white, are reported by a single source and remain unconfirmed elsewhere. The specific outcome of Kansas redistricting efforts and any further legislative action on election administration in Georgia remain unresolved.