State Rep. Rob Leverett has unveiled a bill in the Georgia House that seeks to reform civil trial methods and establish uniform scheduling standards for most non-domestic cases across the state, the Georgia State House reports.
The legislation, known as HB1407 and introduced on Friday, Feb. 20, during the 2026 regular session of the 158th General Assembly, is titled: ‘Civil Practice Act; scheduling of civil trials; provide’.
Below is our summary and interpretation after a review of the actual bill text to clarify its contents.
Essentially, the proposal would update Georgia’s handling of civil trials by mandating that non-domestic civil cases appear on a trial schedule only after all dispositive motions are decided or their submission deadline has passed. Jury trial calendars would be limited to 30 cases and would span three-week periods. The bill requires that calendars be served electronically at least 120 days before a scheduled trial, includes provisions for pretrial conferences and consolidated pretrial orders on request within defined timeframes, and lays out specific protocols for cases where key participants reside far from the courthouse. Rules for continuances, restrictions on consecutive calendars, and automatic continuances in the event of overlapping attorney trial settings are included.
Other sponsors are Rep. Joseph Gullett (Republican-19th), Rep. Stan Gunter (Republican-8th), and Rep. Matt Reeves (Republican-99th).
During the current session, Leverett has introduced 18 other bills, 7 of which have been enacted.
Leverett holds a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia.
A Republican, Leverett won election to Georgia’s 123rd House District in 2023, succeeding Mark Newton.
In Georgia, the legislative process starts with bill drafting, often prompted by constituents, and involves multiple cuts: drafting with the Office of Legislative Counsel, filing, readings before the chamber, committee examination and debate, followed by a third reading, debate, and chamber vote. Bills advancing through both bodies may be finalized in a conference committee before being delivered to the governor, who has six days during the session—or up to 40 days after Sine Die—to sign, veto, or take no action, letting the bill become law. The General Assembly holds a 40-day session each year starting the second Monday in January.
| Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| HB1364 | 02/18/2026 | Property; nonjudicial foreclosures on time-share estates; provisions |
| HB1195 | 02/04/2026 | Veterinarians; practice and provision of veterinary teletriage and veterinary telemedicine; revise provisions |
| HB1194 | 02/04/2026 | Insurance; clarify periods of time for transportation network company services |
| HB1111 | 01/29/2026 | Sales and use tax; new special purpose local option sales tax dedicated to certain healthcare purposes; provide |
| HB1084 | 01/29/2026 | Madison County; Probate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee |
| HB1083 | 01/29/2026 | Madison County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee |
| HB999 | 01/15/2026 | Magistrate courts; collecting sums and fees authorized by law; revise provisions |
| HB998 | 01/15/2026 | Public utilities; authorize certain Tier 2 local exchange companies to elect to become subject to rate of return regulation |
| HB997 | 01/15/2026 | Penal institutions; limit time that Department of Community Supervision can hold certain inmates in a county facility |
| HB530 | 02/19/2025 | Courts; authorization for electronic filing of pleadings in probate court; provide |
| HB406 | 02/11/2025 | Judicial Retirement System; increase retirement age of superior court judges first taking office on or after July 1, 2026 |
| HB377 | 02/10/2025 | Buildings and housing; manufactured homes; provisions |
| HB339 | 02/06/2025 | Motor vehicles; exempt ride share drivers or ride share network services from definition of motor carrier |
| HB327 | 02/06/2025 | Official Code of Georgia Annotated; amend various titles |
| HB86 | 01/16/2025 | Public officers and employees; calculating and setting the salaries of certain state officials; revise provisions |
| HB85 | 01/16/2025 | Superior Court Judicial Compensation Reform Act; enact |
| HB37 | 01/14/2025 | Education; require local school systems to notify employees regarding social security withholdings and eligibility for certain benefits |
| HB36 | 01/14/2025 | Guardian and ward; revise list of providers who are authorized to participate in the processes for appointment of a guardian for an adult |
The details in this article are sourced from the Georgia State House. For original records, access the data here.
