GSSA Capitol Report Day 36
**** On Friday, Legislative Day 35, the House considered SB 284 (Walker – R) “Georgia Uniform Securities Act of 2008,” which authorizes issuance of orders by the Commissioner of Securities directing persons who have violated certain securities provisions to return. The bill now contains language from HB669, which awards low-wealth capital outlay grants to qualifying local school systems that award certain contracts for roofing improvements to suppliers that meet certain criteria. PASSED 155-0, BACK TO SENATE FOR AGREEMENT
Monday, March 23 – – Legislative Day 36
The House of Representatives met and considered the following:
SB179 (Dixon – R) Student records must be sent within five days. Requires computer science as a graduation requirement beginning with 2037 graduates; increases the cost for GAVS and encourages schools to facilitate access for students to participate in activities provided by a patriotic society for the purposes of encouraging civic education. PASSED 99-66. AGREED TO SENATE AMENDMENT TO HOUSE SUBSTITUTE
The Senate met and considered the following:
HB1009 (Hilton – R) requires local school systems to enact policies and procedures for the use of personal electronic devices at school and school-sponsored events by students in grades nine through twelve. PASSED 52-0
An amendment to allow for local districts to create policies for use during non-instructional time failed.
HB1030 (Donatucci – R) Math Matters Act PASSED 51-0
Requires the State Board of Education to adopt content standards for middle and high school advanced math courses and for local school districts to establish advanced math courses. Also provides for enrollment of students into and withdrawal from advanced math courses and requires minimum core math instruction time for students in grades four and five. Requires the Professional Standards Commission to revise standards for acquiring and maintaining teacher certification in elementary education. The bill now includes language from SB171 regarding advanced math pathways.
HB 1164 (Wade – R) requires the State Board of Education to appoint an audit committee. PASSED 49-2
Requires the State Board of Education to appoint an audit committee, meeting at least six times per year, to review and assess fiscal risks and request reports from multiple agencies. The bill also requires additional monitoring for “moderate” and “high risk” schools, outlines new evaluation and reporting requirements for the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, revises the school audit procedure, grants new responsibilities to the Department of Audits and Accounts, and prohibits public funds from being held in any school official or employee’s bank account.
The House Judiciary Committee met and considered the following:
SB552 (Watson – R) “True Patriotism and Universal Student Access (TPUSA) Act” establishes equal access rights for students to engage in political activities and expression in Georgia public schools and requires schools with limited open forums to provide the same opportunities for partisan and nonpartisan political groups as other noncurricular student organizations. DO PASS BY SUBSTITUTE
The House Education Committee met and considered the following:
SB589 (Brass – R) allows children who turn four or five by August 1 to enroll in Georgia’s Pre-K Program at their parents’ request. An amendment was made to include language from HB1045, which requires public schools issuing student ID badges for grades 6-12 to include 9-8-8 crisis hotline information on the badges. to promote mental health awareness among middle and high school students. DO PASS AS AMENDED BY SUBSTITUTE
SB472 (Hickman – R) provides for the suspension of School Board Members due to audit findings or findings by the state auditor of financial mismanagement or misconduct. The bill now includes provisions that require 10% rather than 25% of registered voters to petition to consolidate city and county school districts. DO PASS BY SUBSTITUTE
SB515 (Hickman – R) revisesgrants for educational programs and provisions relative to the teacher recruitment and retention tax credit program, increasing participating teachers from 1,000 to 1,200 annually while reducing new participant credits from $3,000 to $2,500. DO PASS
SB425 (Harbin – R) requires all schools that receive state funding with students in any of grades three through five to provide instruction in cursive handwriting to all students by no later than third grade. The bill now also includes language from HB629 requiring “bleeding control kits” (AKA “Stop the Bleed” kits) to be stored with AEDs in schools as part of emergency action plans and SB557 establishing mandatory policies allowing teachers to transfer to similar positions after experiencing physical violence from students or parents. DO PASS BY SUBSTITUTE
SB475 (Kemp – R) requires local boards of education to treat local charter schools no less favorably than other local schools regarding expenditure of the proceeds of a special purpose local option sales tax and provisions that require 10% rather than 25% of registered voters to petition to consolidate independent and county school districts. DO PASS BY SUBSTITUTE
SB431 (Kirkpatrick – R) requires enrollment of foster care students within two school days of a request for enrollment by such student’s parent or legal custodianand now includes language that removes the sunset for the Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSE) Grant. DO PASS BY SUBSTITUTE
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. An amendment was made and approved to exclude students of completion special schools. DO PASS BY SUBSTITUTE AS AMENDED
The Senate Health and Human Services Committee met and considered the following:
HB970 (Townsend – R) Expands the healthcare professionals who may conduct student athlete physical examinations to include nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Requires cardiovascular prescreening as part of these examinations beginning in the 2026-27 school year. DO PASS
The Senate Public Safety Committee met and considered the following:
HB1023 (Efstration – R) requires all public-school districts to install weapon detection systems at main entry points of school buildings where students are present. DO PASS AS AMENDED BY SUBSTITUTE
After much discussion, the substitute was amended to include “shall implement a weapons detection system” language and an effective date of January 2028.
The Senate Finance Committee met and considered the following:
HB1116 (Blackmon – R) “Homeownership Opportunity and Market Equalization act of 2026” HEARING ONLY
Language from SB566, which revises requirements for assessment notices, was added. Discussion centered around LHOST provisions for cities/counties. There are no significant changes for school districts in the latest version, which still contains language that mandates the floating homestead exemption, allows exemptions into the local digest for school funding formulas, caps increases at 3% or CPI, whichever is greater, and requires a referendum to exceed those caps.
The House Special Rules Committee met and considered the following:
HR1789 (Wade – R) Encourages dissolving the United States Department of Education (USDOE) and restoring educational authority to the states. DO PASS
Tuesday, March 24, Committee Workday
- House Appropriations: 8 AM; SB498 Georgia Charter Schools Facilities Authority
- Senate Appropriations HB1193 Subcommittee: 1 PM
- Senate Retirement: 1 PM HB372 Return to Work
- Senate Education and Youth: 2 PM, TBD
- House Retirement: 2 PM; SB150 Return to Work
Wednesday, March 25, Legislative Day 37
Thursday, March 26, Committee Workday
Friday, March 27, Legislative Day 38
