This is a legislative update from State Representative Lehman Franklin.
Welcome to Under the Gold Dome, where I break down what’s happening during the 2025 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly! It is my goal to keep you informed as much as possible about how your tax dollars are being spent and how our state government is best serving you and our community. As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative in Atlanta.
If you need anything at all, have questions about a piece of legislation, or want to discuss issues that are important to you or your family, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
-Lehman
Week 6 Highlights:
On Tuesday, February 18, the House convened for another exciting week. In total, we passed 25 bills during week 6 of the legislative session.
- We began the week by unanimously passing House Bill 223, which reaffirms our commitment to addressing agricultural losses from Hurricane Helene. The bill provides much-needed relief to hardworking Georgians who are working to rebuild from the storm’s damage.
- We also unanimously passed legislation that strengthens Georgia’s First Offender Act, which extends a second chance to those who commit first-time non-violent criminal acts. House Bill 162 requires that anyone sentenced under this act will automatically have their records sealed and restricted.
- My colleagues and I also passed House Bill 192, which further solidifies Georgia’s position as a leader in workforce readiness.
- The bill repurposes a grant program to help schools adjust their career, technical and agricultural programs to match the High Demand Career list.
- The bill also works to cut redundancy, ensuring that Georgia students don’t have to repeat coursework for skills they’ve already mastered.
>>> Go here to learn more about all the votes we took this week!
Digging Deeper
- I’m excited to announce that for Bryan County homeowners, property tax relief is on the way!
- On Friday, the House unanimously passed HB 476, which provides a floating homestead exemption from Bryan County School district ad valorem taxes.was proud to sponsor the bill, along with Reps. Jesse Petrea and Ron Stephens
- This week, The House Education Committee passed the Riley Gaines Act – a major step in protecting women and girls in Georgia.
- The bill simply levels the playing field and ensures women have fair and safe competition in sports
- HB 267 would also change the word “gender” to “sex” in state code
- You can read more about the bill, and Riley Gaines’ testimony before the committee, here.
- The bill now goes before the full chamber for a vote.
My capitol office is located at:
501-F Coverdell Legislative Office Bldg
Atlanta, GA 30334,
My office phone number is:
404-656-0178
My official email address is:
lehman.franklin@house.ga.gov.
