PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA EDUCATORS

The 27th day of the 2026 Legislative Session was dominated by lengthy floor sessions in both chambers. The House worked late, while the Senate abruptly adjourned shortly before 5 p.m., leaving several bills on the calendar. Friday, March 6, is Crossover Day, the deadline by which a bill must pass its chamber of origin to remain eligible to progress during the remainder of the legislative session. House Floor Action Senate Floor Action Senate Passes Antisemitism, Cursive Wr

Both chambers held lengthy floor sessions today and voted on a variety of issues, including property tax reform. Few education bills saw floor votes, and several bills still await consideration as the Crossover Day deadline approaches Friday. Another notable event was Gov. Brian Kemp signing the AFY 2026 Budget. House Floor Action Senate Floor Action Georgia Reads Day at Capitol - Congrats to READBowl Champs! Students, educators, and policymakers from throughout Georgia gathe

Though the House and Senate were not in session today, committee work continued on school-related legislation. The House Education Committee approved seven bills, including HB 1244 by Rep. Akbar Ali (D-Lawrenceville), which protects teacher planning time and duty-free lunch from being waived. When the bill was heard in subcomittee, at which public testimony is allowed, PAGE testified in support of the bill. An additional PAGE-supported measure was approved by Senate Finance,

Rep. Carmen Rice, Sponsor of the Excellent Teacher Preparation Act The House and Senate continued their focus on education bills, with the House approving two education bills: HB 1107 , the Excellent Teacher Preparation Act, by Rep. Carmen Rice (R-Columbus), which would require the GaPSC to develop and annually report comprehensive performance measures for all educator preparation providers (EPPs) in the state, among other changes. Click HERE for more on HB 1107. The bill wa

After significant negotiation, the House and Senate reached final agreement on a version of the AFY 2026 Budget which includes the full $2,000 one-time salary supplement payment. Many thanks to the educators who reached out to legislators, in conjunction with PAGE efforts, in support of restoring the proposed supplement, which at one point in the budget process was reduced to $1,250. If you contacted a legislator about this issue, please follow up and thank him or her for ens

The House had an agenda packed with education bills; thus, several House members referred to today as "Education Day." The House voting calendar included PAGE-supported legislation banning student use of personal devices in grades 9-12, a grant program for student teachers, and the House’s return-to-work (RtW) legislation. The House also approved the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026. The Senate passed one education bill, and multiple school-related bills were considered in

Though the House and Senate were not in session today, many education bills were considered in committee. In follow-up to today's robust education-related committee action, a very busy education day is expected tomorrow on Legislative Day 23, when the House is slated to vote on literacy legislation, high school cell phone bans, a return-to-work bill, a student-teacher grant pilot, a weapons detection system mandate, and more school-related legislation. Education Subcommittees

The midpoint of the 2026 session came and went during a busy sixth week of the legislative session that culminated today in brief morning floor sessions. House Floor Action Senate Floor Action Senate Passes AFY 2026 with Reduced Educator Pay Supplement The Senate approved the Amended Fiscal Year (AFY) 2026 budget , which covers the current school year. Sen. Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, highlighted the inclusion of Gov. Brian Kemp’s

Neither chamber considered education bills on the floor today, but this relative lull in education-related floor action is unlikely to continue as many education bills continue to pass committee. Beyond legislative action, the most notable event of the day was an announcement by longtime Speaker Pro Tempore and House Education Committee Member Jan Jones (R-Milton) that she will retire at the end of her term. Jones has served in the House for more than two decades and has held

Legislative Day 20, the midpoint of the 2026 legislative day session, saw few education bills in committee but several on the House and Senate floor. Senate budget writers' proposal to reduce the $2,000 one-time pay supplement for educators and state employees in the Amended Fiscal Year 2026 (AFY 2026) state budget generated signifigant interest. The House approved HB 970  by Rep. Rick Townsend (R-St. Simons), which requires a qualified healthcare professional who conducts a

Thank you to those who attended and presented at 2026 PAGE Day on Capitol Hill. The informative and productive day included educator advocacy and comments from candidates seeking to lead the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE). The Senate passed education legislation, and multiple school-related bills were considered by committees. House Floor Action Senate Floor Action Educators Engage in 2026 PAGE Day on Capitol Hill Nearly 300 educators attended PAGE Day on Capitol Hi

A PAGE-supported bill to provide grants to student teachers passed out of committee today, as did HB 1193, the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026. House Floor Action Senate Floor Action House Ed Passes Literacy and Student Teacher Grant Bills The House Education Committee passed three bills today. Chair Dubnik and Chair Erwin present HB 1193 The Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026, HB 1193 , *  was jointly presented by House Education Chair Chris Erwin (R-Homer) and House Educ

The House passed two education bills: HB 907 , which makes changes to completion special schools, and HB 383 , which codifies the current Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) provisions. The House Education Committee is scheduled to meet early Thursday (Feb. 12) morning to consider HB 1193 by Rep. Chris Erwin (R-Homer), the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026, as well as HB 310 by Rep. Phil Olaleye (D-Atlanta). HB 310 is a PAGE-supported bil

While there were no education bills on the House or Senate floor today, there was plenty of action in education committees. House Floor Action Senate Floor Action House Return-to-Work Bill Approved by Committee Rob Aycock from PAGE Legislative Services shares PAGE support for HB 372. The House Retirement Committee approved HB 372 , by Rep. Bethany Ballard (R-Warner Robins), which extends the sunset date of the return-to-work (RtW) program for retired educators to 2030. If a s

Monday saw multiple positive developments regarding education legislation. PAGE-supported initiatives passed with bipartisan support on the Senate floor and in committees. House Floor Action Senate Floor Action Literacy Act of 2026 Passes Subcommittee, Submit Feedback Now The Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026, HB 1193 , * sponsored on behalf of House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) by House Education Chair Chris Erwin (R-Homer), was unanimously approved by the House Educati

After a busy week of activity under the Gold Dome, Friday was punctuated by movement on several education-related proposals. The House passed HB 629 , by Rep. Lee Hawkins (R-Gainesville), which removes the requirement that schools include licensed physicians on teams that oversee automatic external defibrillators (AEDs). The bill now moves to the Senate. The Senate passed a bill requiring expedited school enrollment of children in foster care. After lunch, the House Judiciary

It was a jam-packed legislative day in the education sector. By a vote of 167-5, the House approved the Amended Fiscal Year (AFY) 2026 budget . It now moves to the Senate for consideration. Apart from the midterm budget, the House and Senate did not consider education-related legislation on the floor, but there was plenty of education action under the Gold Dome in the afternoon. House Floor Action Senate Floor Action New Early Literacy Act Announced in Joint News Conference

Following an early morning House Appropriations Committee meeting and a quick vote by the House Rules Committee, the Amended Fiscal Year (AFY) 2026 budget was scheduled for a floor vote by full House of Representatives tomorrow, Feb. 5. Today's House and Senate floor sessions were light on bill activity, as most of the floor session was devoted to the State of the Judiciary Address. The halls of the Gold Dome were packed with many Georgians visiting the Capitol, including lo

Senate committee meetings were postponed today as the Senate engaged in a lengthy debate on SB 382 , which changes property taxes collected by county governments, including school boards. Once the Senate floor session concluded, several major education bills, including SB 150 , which would expand and reauthorize the return-to-work program for retired educators, were approved in committee. The House had a short floor calendar, with no education bills on the agenda, and no educ

Though Legislative Day 10 did not include education bills on the House or Senate floor, it did see plenty of school-related action by House Education subcommittees. The subcommittees considered several education bills, including HB 1009 , PAGE-supported legislation that would extend existing K-8 bell-to-bell bans on student mobile phones and personal devices to grades 9-12. House Floor Action Senate Floor Action Subcommittee Approves PAGE-Supported Ban on Cell Phones in Grade