Georgia Legislature Closes 2025 Session, Leaves Dozens of Bills on Kemp’s Desk

Tort Reform, School Safety, and Trans Sports Ban Among Measures Awaiting Governor’s Pen

Georgia lawmakers may have wrapped the 2025 session early, but the work isn’t over yet—not for Governor Brian Kemp, anyway.

With over a dozen high-profile bills passed in the final days, Kemp now has 40 days to either sign, veto, or let them quietly become law. It’s the calm after the storm, and the clock is ticking.

A Session That Ended Not With a Bang, But a Shrug

This year’s legislative finale was anything but dramatic.

No all-nighters. No heated floor debates echoing into sunrise. Just a quiet exit—well, sort of. The Georgia Senate clocked out around 9 p.m., leaving the House still grinding through votes. The mood? Tense.

Brian Robinson, a Republican strategist, didn’t sugarcoat it: “A session that had shown a lot of cooperation and got a lot of big-ticket items done like tort reform ended with dissension between the two houses.”

One sentence here, just to let it sit.

It was an odd ending for a session that, on paper, got a lot done. But political vibes don’t lie—something felt off.

Here’s What Passed—and What Didn’t

The 2025 session saw movement on some of the GOP’s biggest priorities. With a Republican-controlled legislature, many conservative bills flew through both chambers.

Here’s a quick look at what made it to Kemp’s desk:

• A school safety bill focused on enhancing security on campuses statewide

• A tort reform bill, long sought after by business leaders

• A bill banning biological males from participating in girls’ sports

• A religious freedom protection measure, stirring concern among civil rights advocates

But not everything made the cut. Two of the most polarizing proposals—the DOGE bill and the anti-DEI bill—crashed in the House. Whether that was political calculation or pressure from advocacy groups depends on who you ask.

Democrats Didn’t Win the War, But Claimed a Skirmish

Democrats were outnumbered. That’s no secret. But they didn’t leave the session empty-handed.

Tharon Johnson, a Democratic strategist and FOX 5 contributor, pointed to one win in particular: blocking the anti-DEI bill. That legislation, had it passed, would’ve rolled back diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in state universities and agencies.

“Senate Democrats and House Democrats should be proud,” Johnson said. “They spoke up and spoke out… it would have hurt us and set us back.”

The phrase “set us back” is doing a lot of emotional heavy lifting here. And it landed.

One sentence. To let that sink in.

Kemp’s 40-Day Window: Sign It, Veto It, or Let It Ride

Under Georgia law, the governor has 40 days from the end of the session to act on bills. That means:

• If he signs a bill, it becomes law.

• If he vetoes it, the bill is dead.

• If he does nothing, it still becomes law—automatically.

There’s a bit of strategy in that third option. It lets Kemp avoid picking a side publicly on hot-button issues while still allowing the legislation to move forward. Political judo, basically.

The 40-day period ends May 16, so we’ll be watching.

Republicans Flex, But Tensions Simmer

This session was supposed to be clean and cooperative. And for the most part, it was. But beneath the surface, some tension was clearly brewing.

Robinson noted the friction between the House and Senate in the final hours. It’s not unheard of, but it’s not great optics either—especially in a session where the GOP had all the numbers.

Some insiders blamed it on power struggles between chamber leaders. Others said certain bills got rushed, leaving no time for tweaks or fixes. Whatever the cause, it left a few lawmakers walking away with a bad taste in their mouths.

This wasn’t chaos. Just a quiet awkwardness.

Final Bill Watch: What Kemp May Tackle First

Of the bills on Kemp’s desk, a few stand out as the ones most likely to grab headlines—either for their controversy or their symbolism.

Here are five that could be among the first addressed:

There’s also plenty flying under the radar—tax tweaks, funding packages, and zoning laws that could affect everything from housing to hospitals.