SSA Capitol Report – Thursday, March 19 – – Legislative Day 34
The House of Representatives met and did not consider any bills we are tracking.
The Senate met and considered the following:
HB1293 (Jones – R) Provides updated eligibility requirements for the Dual Achievement Program 53-0 vote
HB1123 (Jones – R) Requires certain schools that offer afterschool programs to make such programs available to pre-kindergarten students 46-0 vote
House Education Committee 1 p.m.
SB369 (Still – R) “Charter Schools Act of 1998:” establishes definitions and rules for Completion Charter Schools: establishes a new definition for dropout recovery charter schools in the Georgia code, allows these schools to apply for local approval, and requires the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) to separately report on the performance of these schools. DO PASS TO RULES BY SUBSTITUTE
Substitute contained the following language from other bills:
- HB1257 which revises provisions for incentive grants for local board approval of charters
- HB1206 which requires local boards to consider the total costs of purchasing electronic devices
- HB1218 which allows virtual students in grades 6-12 to participate in extracurricular activities
SB513 (Dickerson – R) “Every Day Counts Act:”creates a multi-tier framework for addressing chronic student absenteeism with mandatory attendance intervention plans and consequences. Prohibits chronically absent students from participating in extracurricular activities and potentially obtaining driver’s licenses until compliance with attendance plans. HEARING ONLY
Discussion centered around Department of Driver Services (DDS) components of the bill.
House Ways & Means Committee 2 p.m.
SB382 (Hufstetler – R) Mandates that all local governments in Georgia provide the state-wide base year homestead exemption to property owners. TABLED
Chairman Blackmon tabled the bill as it did not contain amendments as he expected pertaining to exemptions in the tax digest that would benefit school districts.
SB446 (Dixon – R) Establishes Georgia’s participation in a federal tax credit program for contributions to scholarship granting organizations. DO PASS
Now contains language from HB1135 to align with federal law and to allow public school students to participate.
Senate Education and Youth Committee 3 p.m.
HB1220 (Ballard – R) Revises student eligibility and maximum scholarship amounts DO PASS
Exempts students with an IEP, a Section 504 plan, or a diagnosis of dyslexia, autism spectrum disorder, speech language delay and disorder or other identified condition from the requirement to attend a public school for six weeks to be eligible for a private school voucher awarded by a Student Scholarship Organization (SSO). Students whose parents are active military personnel stationed in Georgia would also be exempt from the requirement.
HB1114 (Yearta – R) Allows for students in ninth and tenth grade to complete the high school graduation financial literacy course requirement and provides for digital literacy requirements and standards grades K-8 DO PASS
HB451 (Clark – R) “Student Character Development Act:” provides for public school students to be permitted to attend courses in religious moral instruction provided by a person or organization independently of a public school; to receive academic credit for such courses; to require local education agencies to adopt certain policies; to prohibit students who participate in such courses from being counted as absent from school. DO PASS
This language was previously in HB133. The bill requires a local policy in this regard.
HB634 (Barrett – R) Amends the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Act to revise scholarship calculation methods and payment procedures for students with disabilities. DO PASS
Friday, March 20 will be Legislative Day 35.
GSSA Capitol Report – Friday, March 20 – – Legislative Day 35
The House Ways & Means Committee met and considered the following:
SB382 (Hufstetler – R) Mandates that all local governments in Georgia provide the state-wide base year homestead exemption to property owners. Removes certain requirements for special district sales tax referendums and revises property tax relief calculations. DO PASS BY SUBSTITUTE
The Committee approved a substitute which appears to contain the same provisions for school districts and school boards as HB1116, Homeownership Opportunity and Market Equalization Act of 2026; caps school district budget increases to 3% or CPI whichever is greater, requires a local referendum to exceed the 3% cap and increases the reserve fund cap from 15% to 25%. Allows for penny sales tax options for cities/counties.
The House of Representatives met and did not consider any bills we are tracking.
The Senate met and considered the following:
HB907 (Jones – R) Completion Special Schools Act: requires local school systems within completion special school attendance zones to either partner with such schools or provide comprehensive dropout prevention programs. Mandates local systems share contact information of students who stop attending or withdraw from grades 9-12 with completion special schools. 46-0 vote
Next week:
Monday, March 23, Legislative Day 36
Tuesday, March 24, Committee Workday
Wednesday, March 25, Legislative Day 37
Thursday, March 26, Committee Workday
Friday, March 27, Legislative Day 38
Editorial: With HB 1116 and SB 382 becoming extremely similar bills, GSSA will be sending out a legislative alert this afternoon with talking points for you to share with your legislators in the house and senate over the weekend and Monday.
GSSA
