Georgia House Speaker seeks to balance budget, reform adoption laws

ATLANTA - In just four days, lawmakers from all over Georgia will head back to the State Capitol for the start of the 2018 legislative session.

House Speaker David Ralston met with reporters Thursday to lay out his priorities for this year including passing a balanced budget.

But the speaker said one of his biggest priorities is getting the adoption bill passed.

The legislation would modernize Georgia’s adoption laws, something that hasn't been done in almost three decades.

The bill stalled in the Senate last year after some members added language that many saw as discriminatory against LGBT families.

Now, Speaker Ralston has called on the Senate to pass a "clean" version of the bill as soon as possible.

The session officially begins Monday morning.