On Friday, the Georgia Senate passed its version of the Amended Fiscal Year 2026 (AY26) state budget by a vote of 49-1. The Senate version takes a different approach to several major health-related investments than the House. Most notably, the Senate goes significantly further than the House in funding mental health infrastructure.

Here is what the Senate version means for health care, human services, and the programs Georgians rely on:

The Big Picture

The Senate budget’s largest, and arguably most significant, investment is the $409 million added for a new 300-bed state mental health hospital, the first built in Georgia since the 1960s. The Senate also increases Medicaid funding above House levels, reverses a proposed $25 million reduction to the state’s reinsurance program, and includes $20 million for graduate medical education at three facilities. At the same time, it scales back the House’s largest foster care investment and reduces the Housing Trust Fund. Statewide, the Senate reduces the one-time salary supplement for state employees from $2,000 (House) to $1,250.