GSSA Capitol Report – Friday, March 27- – Legislative Day 38
House Special Rules met and considered the following:
HR1829 (Au – D) adoption of evidence-based discipline policies and procedures to address the public health crisis of student vape and e-cigarette use DO PASS
The Senate met and considered the following:
HB974 (Hatchett – R) General appropriations; State Fiscal Year July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027 PASSED 52-0 BY SUBSTITUTE; TO HOUSE FOR AGREEMENT
HB1284 (Silcox – R) Gakobe Milton Act – provides for awarding high school diplomas posthumously and to high school students who are at the end of life PASSED 48-0; TO GOVERNOR FOR SIGNATURE
HB1107 (Rice – R) Excellent Teacher Preparation Act: requires the Professional Standards Commission to develop annual performance measures evaluating all educator preparation programs in Georgia by January 2027. Mandates comprehensive reporting on program enrollment, graduate outcomes, job placement rates, and retention data to improve teacher preparation accountability. PASSED 49-0; TO GOVERNOR FOR SIGNATURE
HB1118 (Donatucci – R) Provides 120 hours of maternal birth leave PASSED 50-0; TO GOVERNOR FOR SIGNATURE
HB451 – 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; requires adoption of policy by August 1, 2026. The bill was amended to include language that these courses can occur on school campuses (PASSED 33-18 AS AMENDED; BACK TO HOUSE FOR AGREEMENT
SB284 (Walker – R) “Georgia Uniform Securities Act of 2008:” authorizes issuance of orders by the Commissioner of Securities directing persons who have violated certain securities provisions to return. 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 44-0 TO AGREE TO HOUSE SUBSTITUTE; TO GOVERNOR FOR SIGNATURE
SB566 (Hufstetler – R) Allows for the acceptance of tax digests in the event of a publication error made by a newspaper. Revises required information to be contained on a property tax bill and extends certain exemption application periods. PASSED 48-1 TO AGREE TO HOUSE SUBSTITUTE; TO GOVERNOR FOR SIGNATURE
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 andincludes provisions that require 10% rather than 25% of registered voters to petition to consolidate city and county school districts PASSED 29-17 TO AGREE TO HOUSE SUBSTITUTE; TO GOVERNOR FOR SIGNATURE
SB10 (Goodman – R) was stripped completely by Sen. Dixon and now contains language that allows local and state charter school petitioners to lease, utilize or buy facilities which have not been used by LEAs for the previous two school years and give the right of first offer and/or refusal to charter schools PASSED 38-7 TO HOUSE FOR AGREEMENT
The House met and considered the following:
SB150 (Hickman – R) Return to Work: 30 years or more of creditable service required; required to sit out of the classroom for one year and then return in high-needs areas: math, special education, science, CTAE, and reading, writing, or English language arts with a dyslexia or reading endorsement. The three areas of highest need will be determined based on vacancies per school district. If areas of highest need change, participants would remain eligible. Extends the sunset to June 2030 and requires a state audit by 2029. PASSED 159-0; BACK TO SENATE FOR AGREEMENT
SB369 (Jones – 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.
The bill now contains additional language:
- 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
PASSED 151-6; BACK TO SENATE FOR AGREEMENT
SB589 (Brass – R) Allows children who turn four or five by August 1 to enroll in Georgia’s Pre-K Program at their parent’s request. Now includes language 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 and language which allows students to be enrolled in either kindergarten or first grade at parents’ request. PASSED 156-3 BACK TO SENATE FOR AGREEMENT
HB974 (Burns – R) General appropriations; State Fiscal Year July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027 HOUSE DISAGREED WITH SENATE SUBSTITUTE/SENATE INSISTED; CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
HB1030 (Donatucci – R) Math Matters Act-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.HOUSE AGREED TO SENATE VERSION 158-0; TO GOVERNOR FOR SIGNATURE
Monday, March 30: Ways and Means Committee 1 PM
Tuesday, March 31: Legislative Day 39
Thursday, April 2: Legislative Day 40, Sine Die
