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GAE Legislative Update - Thursday, February 27, 2025 - Day 24

Archive of past GAE Legislative Alerts this year

Today was the 24th day of the 40-day legislative session. 1,626 bills and resolutions have been introduced. The General Assembly meets tomorrow. Next week the legislature meets Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday is designated as a "committee work day." Thursday is Crossover Day, the day during the session in which bills must have passed the chamber in which the legislation was introduced to be considered by the opposite chamber.

Senate Retirement Committee advances
bill to give ESPs the option to join TRS

The Senate Retirement Committee took up SB 209, which would give ESPs (Education Support Professionals) in the Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS) the option of joining the Teachers Retirement System (TRS). The committee voted to advance the bill by referring the measure for an actuarial review. Under Georgia law, the bill then can be considered the next year. PSERS is a state pension plan for school custodians, bus drivers, nutrition employees, and maintenance personnel.

Second voucher bill passes Senate Ed Committee

The Senate Education Committee approved SB 124, a voucher bill that would allow any student whose parent is an active-duty military service member stationed in Georgia to qualify for a state-paid, private school voucher. The sponsor testified that 30,000 students would qualify.

SB 124 is the second private school voucher bill to pass out of this committee in the past two days. Yesterday, the Committee passed SB 152, which proposes to expand the recently enacted taxpayer-funded, private school tuition program to include the biological and adopted children of foster parents ... if the parents have served as foster parents any time in the last ten years. SB 152 also prioritizes these students above those from low income families in the order for receiving a voucher.

SB 152 is on the calendar for a vote of the state Senate tomorrow.

SB 120 would prohibit schools from promoting DEI

The Senate Committee on Higher Education heard SB 120, a bill that would prevent public schools, local education agencies, and public post-secondary institutions from promoting, supporting, or maintaining any programs or activities that advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. No vote on the bill was taken today.

House Education Committee advances 9 bills!

The following bills passed out of the House Education Committee this evening:

HB 12 - Would lower the millage rate threshold from 14 mills to 10 mills for school systems to qualify for equalization grants.

HB 37 - Would require local school systems notify employees regarding Social Security withholdings and eligibility for certain other retirement benefits. Committee chair Chris Erwin presented the bill.

HB 127 – Would increase from three to five the number of accumulated sick leave days that can be used as personal days for teachers and other school employees.

HB 175 – Would require comprehensive background checks for employees in Head Start programs and other federally funded pre-school programs.

HB 200 - Would establish a three-year pilot immersive writing program for eligible public elementary schools. The bill was amended in committee to add language concerning ADA requirements for school playgrounds.

HB 235 - Would give school employees leaves of absence for the donation of bone marrow and organs.

HB 335 - Would provide mental health information for student athletes and their parents.

HB 371 - Increases the amount of funding for school capital outlay projects.

HR 145 – Urges the Department of Education and the Department of Public Health to collaborate to prioritize the expansion of vision and hearing screenings of students.

One bill was tabled: HB 133, which would allow public school students to leave campus to attend a course in religious moral instruction, for credit, and as an excused absence.

House passes bill limiting student
sports team participation by sex

The state House of Representatives today passed HB 267, 102-54 and with the support of a few Democrats, to limit student participation on school sports teams that match the sex of a student as identified on the student's birth certificate, either male or female. The bill also requires separate locker rooms and showers for use by students according to their gender as recorded at birth.

The Professional Standards Commission (PSC) would be authorized to investigate violations, and private lawsuits against schools are permitted.

SB 1 is similar to a bill bill that passed the state Senate, also with support from a couple of Democrats. Speaker Jon Burns issued a statement today on the passage of HB 267.

Education bills recently introduced

HB 543 – "The Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water Act," to require testing of drinking water in child care learning centers and schools for lead contamination by July 1, 2026 and to require notice and the reporting of test results and remediation plans.

HB 546 – Would require public schools to accommodate home-schooled students when the school offers the PSAT/NMSQT, SAT, PreACT, ACT, Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), or another advanced placement exam. SB 63 is a similar bill that passed out of the Senate Education Committee today.

HB 550 – Would require private schools participating in the new voucher program to comply with certain school safety laws that currently require public schools to prepare a school safety plan.

HB 554 – Would establish the "APEX Now Program" to provide support for mental health services to students and school personnel experiencing incidents of violence, threats of violence, natural disasters, and other crisis situations.

HB 580 – "The Georgia Penmanship Act" would, beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, require schools to provide instruction in cursive writing.

HB 599 – Would extend the sunset on a state program that allows retired teachers to return to the classroom in subject areas where there is a shortage of teachers until 2030.

HB 602 – Proposes to deny "state funds for any loans, grants, or scholarships" to individuals convicted to certain criminal offenses.

SB 179 – Concerning student transfers, proposes to require the release of all academic and disciplinary records to the enrolling school administration within five days. The legislation also states: "Within seven days of a felony arrest of a school age youth in this state, the arresting agency shall provide a written report of such felony arrest to a school official of the public or private school in which such school age youth is currently enrolled or would be enrolled by virtue of his or her primary residence and to his or her parent or guardian."

SB 225 – Would prevent discrimination based on hair style.

SR 217 – Would create the Senate Study Committee on Combating Chronic Absenteeism in Schools. The resolution passed out of the Senate Education Committee today.

SB 236 – Would allow certain students whose parents or guardians are on active duty in the United States armed forces to be eligible for enrollment in the public school of the attendance zone in which they intend to reside regardless of whether they have entered into a lease, purchased a house, or otherwise secured housing within such attendance zone.

SB 247 – Similar to HB 127, would increase the number of personal days an educator may take from three to five if the individual has sick leave available. HB 127 received a "do pass" recommendation from the House Education Committee tonight.

SB 248 – The so-called "Clean Libraries Act," a 30-page bill, establishes the Georgia Council on Library Materials to review and rate books and instructional materials to determine whether or not they are "harmful to minors," inappropriate, or obscene.

The proposal also requires each school district to teach abstinence-based sex education and AIDS prevention instruction for grades six through 12. The bill also requires schools to disclose sex education curriculum to parents two weeks before it is taught.

SB 249 – Similar to HB 487 in the House, would require a course in "computer science" for graduation. Computer science is defined as " … the study of computers, algorithmic processes, coding, artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and logical critical thinking, including computer principles, their hardware and software designs, their implementation, and their impact on society."

SB 253 – Would establish a three-year pilot robotics program.

Next Legislative Update: Friday, February 28

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