Share this:
|
Tuesday, March 25 2025 - Day 35
Archive of past GAE Legislative Alerts this year
| |
5 DAYS REMAIN IN 2025 SESSION
ADJOURNMENT IS FRIDAY, APRIL 4
Today marked the close of the 35th day of the 40-day legislative session. Tomorrow is dedicated to the work of committees as they race to get bills out before the session ends.
Today, the House Education Committee met to consider three bills:
First up was SB 212, a bill to prohibit disclosure of public student directory information, K-12, to political candidates or campaigns. The bill is sponsored by state Sen. Shawn Still, who accused his opponent was trying to "harness" student information for the purpose of solicitation. A bill substitute added language that permits in-school voter registration drives and student contact with Selective Service. The bill passed out of committee.
The committee also considered SB 148, a perennial bill to establish a pilot program for outdoor learning spaces. An amendment in the Senate added language from HB 127, which would increase the number of personal days an educator may take from three to five if the individual has sick leave available. House Education Committee members voted to give the legislation a "do pass" recommendation.
SB 1, would "require transgender girls and women" competing in school team sports from K-12 to play on teams, dress, shower, and use restrooms according to the gender on their birth certificate" or "reproductive capacity." The bill passed committee on a voice vote. A similar bill, HB 267 - backed by House Speaker Jon Burns - is winding its way through the Senate.
| |
Bill to ban puberty blockers and hormone therapies for minors up in committee again tomorrow
SB 30, which would outlaw prescribing or administering certain hormone therapies and puberty-blocking medications to minors, will return to the House Public and Community Health Committee. The bill was heard in that committee last week but no vote was taken.
| |
Immigration bill could affect schools in House committee tomorrow
SB 21, which could expose school districts to lawsuits if they fail to cooperate with federal immigration officials or the police, is the subject a Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee meeting hearing tomorrow.
| |
|
| Senate Retirement met today
The Senate Retirement Committee met today.
No legislation related to the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) or the Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS) was heard.
| |
|
House passes absentee student bill
The House today passed SB 123, concerning school absenteeism. Among other things, the bill would add to Georgia law the following sentence: "No student shall be expelled from a public school in this state due solely to such student's absences from school." The legislation also includes reporting requirements.
| |
|
No vote on library bill today
No vote was taken on SB 74 in the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee but may occur at a future committee meeting.
SB 74 proposes to make librarians subject to a crime of a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature when furnishing "harmful" materials to minors.
| |
|
|
Committee passes bill that educators be notified of retirement options
The Senate Education Committee convened this afternoon. Among the bills heard and passed were HB 37, which would require local school systems to notify employees of all Social Security withholdings and eligibility for other retirement benefits.
An amendment was added to allow local school board members to elect family medical coverage under the state health benefit plan. Premiums for the coverage would be fully paid by the board member. The language permits but does not require districts offer family coverage for board members.
The committee also passed HB 200, which would establish a three-year pilot immersive writing program for eligible public elementary schools and established playground standards for those with disabilities. The bill now includes language from HB 198, which would provide for the use of public school facilities by "patriotic societies." It was stated by legal counsel at a House hearing on the bill that if schools allow one outside group access, they must allow all, regardless of viewpoint.
Lastly the committee moved favorably on HB 451, which would allow schools to offer classes in hunting safety.
| |
|
Senate passes bill to ban K-8 students' use
of cell phones during the school day
By a vote of 54-2, the state Senate passed HB 340, which would implement a statewide ban on the use of cell phones during the school day by students in grades K-8. It would be left to each local school district to implement a policy to comply with the bill.
The Senate is scheduled to vote tomorrow on HB 307, a literacy bill that expands on HB 538, the Georgia Early Literacy Act, which passed in 2022, both sponsored by state Rep. Bethany Ballard, R-Warner Robins.
Among other things, the bill proposes additional resources to support reading programs for dyslexic students, and the bill also limits the use of "three cueing" in teaching reading, stating that it could not be the "primary" method utilized. Three-cueing, or MSV, teaches reading by meaning drawn from context or pictures, syntax, and visual information, meaning letters or parts of words.
| |
REMINDER: CONTACT YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS
OPPOSE TRUMP ORDERS CLOSING THE
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
President Trump signed an executive order last week to start the process of dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. Trump previously announced a 50% cut in staff at the Department.
Congressional approval is required.
The White House has said that student loans, Pell grants and Title I, which provides financial assistance to school districts for children from low-income families, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) would be unaffected.
Dismantling the department will:
• Increase class sizes,
• Wipe out resources from our most vulnerable students,
• Eliminate services for students with ADHD, dyslexia, and other disabilities,
• Cut job training programs,
• Increase class sizes,
• Force layoffs of educators,
• Increase funding for private school tuition vouchers,
• Cuts to after-school and summer programs,
• Make higher education more expensive and out of reach, and
• Gut student civil rights protections.
IMMEDIATELY CALL OR EMAIL your Congressional representative to tell them you oppose the elimination of the U.S. Department of Education and the draconian cuts Trump has proposed to the Department's budget.
What percentage of public school funding for your school district comes from the federal government?
Found out here how much your school system receives from the federal government. Scroll down to the interactive map of Georgia, where you can click on your county for details.
| |
| Next Legislative Update: Thursday, March 27
| |
|
|
|
|
|
100 Crescent Center Pkwy, Suite 500 | Tucker, GA 30084 US
This email was sent to joe.fleming@gae.org.
To ensure that you continue receiving our emails, please add us to your address book or safe list.
manage your preferences |
opt out using TrueRemove®.
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
|
|
