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Sixteenth legislative day - Tuesday, February 10, 2026

The legislature is in session Wednesday and Thursday for Days 17 and 18.

House Retirement Committee passes bill
to extend law that allows TRS
beneficiaries to return to teaching

The House Retirement Committee today advanced HB 372, sponsored by Rep. Bethany Ballard, R-Warner Robins, a bill that extends a program that allows retired teachers to return to teaching in subject areas that are difficult to fill. The law and the bill require educators to have been retired for one year and have 30 years' of teaching experience. The bill removes the Georgia Regional Education Service Agencies (RESA) from the determination of those "high needs" subject areas and places that responsibility with local school districts.

Senate committee bans mask mandates

The Senate Education and Youth Committee passed legislation today, SB 471, that states: "... no local board of education, local school superintendent, or school administrator, teacher, or other school personnel shall make or enforce any rule that requires a student to wear a face mask or face covering while present on school property unless such rule provides that a parent or guardian of such student may elect for his or her child to be exempt from such rule."

Newly introduced legislation

HB 1239 would allow two excused student absences to attend or participate in "a civic or political event." SB 479 is a similar bill in the state Senate but allowing only one day.

HB 1256 - the "Georgia Appreciation for Educators Act" - proposes student loan repayment by the state for public school teachers who graduated from an eligible post-secondary educational institution in Georgia and who have taught for at least five years in a public school in this state.

HB 1257 proposes to provide incentive grants for local boards of education to approve charter school petitions, a total proposed expenditure of $2.25 million.

GAE Day at the Capitol on March 5!

Former GAE President Sid Chapman with
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff at the senator's campaign rally Saturday.

The next Legislative Alert will be Wednesday, February 11

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