[February 15, 2026] | We are in the 5th week of our 2026 legislative session. This week we met for four days. This time period is when activity really picks up. The committees that you're on meet at least once a week; some of them twice, working to get bills available for action on the House floor by what we call Crossover Day. That's when a bill has to cross over from the House to the Senate to be available for the other body to review. Crossover day is March 6, Day 28 of 40.
We had a building full of visitors every day this week. Farm Bureau members, forestry, the folks from KIA, a lot of folks from different colleges and universities wanting us to know what they've been up to, and plan to do. We had educators and interested parties from across the state. Our local police chiefs were there, as well as those in our community who work with mental health.
It does get a little crazy trying to see everybody and be on the House floor to vote and get to committee meetings. If you come to the Capitol, I will meet with you. I have a few pictures on my Facebook page of our visitors.
I pick a few bills you might like to know about, each week. There are always a lot of questions about paying athletes. We unanimously passed House Bill 383, bi-partisan legislation that would regulate Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation for prospective and current Georgia high school student athletes. Currently in Georgia, high school student athletes can earn payment through NIL opportunities, and this bill would provide clarity to high schools and establish guardrails to protect these students from exploitation. The bill would provide for the automatic expiration of NIL contracts once a student athlete graduates from or is no longer enrolled in a participating high school. Without this automatic expiration, these minors could be at risk of agreeing to a long-term, binding contract that could later impact their eligibility for collegiate NIL opportunities. The bill would also allow current and prospective high school student athletes to obtain professional representation and would require schools to provide written notice explaining how receiving money or other forms of compensation could impact future eligibility for intercollegiate athletics. Notably, HB 383 would prohibit student athletes from receiving NIL compensation as an incentive to attend or compete for a specific school, wearing school logos or references in NIL-related activities, promoting brands during games, or endorsing restricted or adult products such as alcohol, tobacco, and other items. This bill seeks to expand opportunities for high school student athletes, while providing clear guidance to students, their families, their high schools, and high school associations, and also protecting young athletes from long-term exploitation.
This House bill sounds boring, but it's not. We took steps this week to strengthen transparency and accountability in state government by passing House Bill 903 with bi-partisan support. HB 903 updates existing law to clarify that all executive branch agencies must follow the Georgia Administrative Procedures Act (APA) when adopting rules. This preserves the separation of powers between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches and safeguarding the General Assembly's legislative oversight. The Governor's three floor leaders voted against this bill; all other members voted for it.
Next week will be a busy one with many education bills coming to the floor. My Capitol office number is 404-656-7153. My email is rick.jasperse@house.ga.gov. As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your State Representative.