PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA EDUCATORS

Day 35 didn't disappoint on education action. It was a busy day on the House and Senate floor and in committees. The Senate passed HB 340 , by Rep. Scott Hilton (R-Peachtree Corners), which prohibits K-8 student use of cell phones during the school day. The legislation is supported by PAGE based on educator feedback. We appreciate the bipartisan group of senators who voted to move the bill forward to Gov. Brian Kemp. Two senators voted against it. The House passed SB 123 by

The penultimate week of the 2025 Legislative Session began with both chambers in recess. The committee workday's main feature was a multi-hour hearing on HB 268, the House's marquee school safety bill. School Safety Bill Heard in Purpose-Made Subcommittee As a testament to the bill's complexity and importance, the Senate has formed a special Judiciary subcommittee to consider HB 268 , by Rep. Holt Persinger (R-Winder). This subcommittee met today for several hours and heard f

The House approved SB 154 by Sen. Bo Hatchett (R-Cornelia), which has been characterized as a "proactive cleanup bill" in preparation for President Donald Trump's planned elimination of the U.S. Dept. of Education (USED). The bill strikes references to USED from the Georgia code. Hatchett said he intends to prepare Georgia if the federal department is shuttered, as USED is responsible for licensure approvals for several professions, including social workers and professional

The lack of education bills on the House and Senate floors today belied the extent to which legislators focused on lawmaking regarding schools. House and Senate committees passed bills on topics ranging from literacy to local charter school approvals, to strengthening the educator workforce. As the General Assembly inches closer to the Sine Die, (Legislative Day 40) many of these education bills will make their way to the floor. Senate Floor Session House Floor Session...

The House and Senate were not in session today, but both bodies held multiple education-related committee meetings, starting with a three-hour hearing on school zone speed cameras that convened at 6 a.m. and culminating in a hearing related to transgender student athletes than began at 5 p.m. House Education Chair Chris Erwin (R-Homer) gifted PAGE with a resolution honoring 2025 PAGE Day on Capitol Hill and the 50th anniversary of PAGE's founding. PAGE is grateful for Erwin'

The House and Senate had extensive floor debates, though neither chamber considered education bills. The House Education Committee approved "Ricky and Alyssa's Law," while a House Judiciary Subcommittee approved additional penalties for students who make terroristic threats at school. The Senate Children and Families Committee approved HB 340 , the Distraction Free Schools Act. Senate Floor Session House Floor Session Panic Alert System and School Mapping Bill Approved by Hou

Legislative Day 31 was relatively quiet compared to last week's busy pace. Two Day 31 items of note include Senate approval of a PAGE-supported bill to create an interstate compact for school psychologists and Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearings on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget. House Floor Session Senate Floor Session Bill to Create Interstate Compact for School Psychologists Moves to Governor's Desk With a vote of 48-2, the Senate granted final passage to HB 81 ,

The House and Senate were busy with committee meetings to review bills from the opposite chamber. Several initiatives backed by PAGE advanced. The Senate Appropriations Committee is set to discuss the education-friendly FY2026 budget tomorrow. PAGE-Supported Bills Approved by Senate Ed The Senate Education & Youth Committee unanimously approved two PAGE-supported bills, which both move on to Senate Rules: PAGE Legislative Communications Specialist Robert Aycock testified in s

As the General Assembly completed three quarters of the legislative days remaining in the 2025 session, House and Senate floor calendars were lean, with the exception of the House's approval of the FY2026 budget, which contains welcome new funding for student services. Senate Education and House Education subcommittees are scheduled to meet tomorrow during a committee workday, so education legislation will soon continue through the legislative process. House Chamber Sena

As those working under the Gold Dome continue to recover from a lengthy Day 28/Crossover Day, the House and Senate Day 29 floor calendars were light and contained no education bills. The most notable news of the day was promising announcements from the House Appropriations Committee, which shared education priorities in the FY2026 budget. The House is expected to vote on the budget tomorrow. House Chamber Senate Chamber House Budget Writers Propose Big Investment in Public Sc

The 2025 legislature achieved a significant milestone late in the evening when the House and Senate adjourned their Crossover Day floor sessions, but before that occured, Gov. Brian Kemp signed the AFY25 budget . House Floor Session Senate Floor Session House Passes Voucehr Expansion, Tuition Assistance for Families of Fallen Educators, Personal Days Legislation, Voucher Expansion & More The House approved many of its education-related bills earlier this week, but the body pa

A Crossover Poem 'Twas the day before Crossover; in the Senate and House Some members were happy, while others did grouse ...That bills they had sponsored and filed with care Would soon run into parliamentary snares Because if bills stalled tomorrow before all went to bed, For the rest of the year, would be effectively dead. Both chambers remained in recess today as several committees held their final meetings before tomorrow's Crossover Day deadline. Legislation must pass on

As Day 27 was the last legislative day before Thursday’s Crossover deadline, today was certain to bring lengthy floor sessions. Below is more information on the education legislation that passed today, including the House’s school safety bill. All bills referenced below will move to the other chamber for consideration.  Though no K-12 education-related committees met today, both House and Senate education committees will meet tomorrow. The House Ed agenda contains HR 174 , w

The House and Senate agreed to the AFY 2025 budget, sending it to Gov. Brian Kemp's desk for signature. By a 32-23 vote, the Senate approved SB 74 by Sen. Max Burns (R-Sylvania), which would subject librarians to criminal prosecution for knowingly distributing harmful materials to minors. The bill provides an affirmative defense to librarians and everyone employed in a public library who make a good-faith effort to identify all physical and electronic materials deemed harm

Today the House built on its previous literacy efforts by unanimously passing HB 307 , which moves to the Senate. Sponsored by Rep. Bethany Ballard (R-Warner Robins), the bill explicitly states that the three-cueing model of reading instruction does not constitute the primary means of instruction for literacy and is not high-quality instructional material. The legislation repeals Reading Recovery provisions, revises characteristics of dyslexia, and outlines a three-year cycle

With Crossover Day looming next week, the General Assembly is moving bills at a highly accelerated rate. The House passed the Riley Gaines Act during its floor session. Many other education-related bills passed multiple committees. This pace will continue until Crossover Day (LD 28) concludes March 6. House Floor Session Senate Floor Session House Approval of 'Riley Gaines Act' Sends the Bill to the Senate Following lengthy debate, the House passed HB 267 , the " Riley Gaine

The Senate approved the Amended Fiscal Year (AFY) 2025 budget , which included major changes to the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) operating budget. More information on these changes is available here . The Senate also approved SB 123 by Sen. John F. Kennedy (R-Macon), which requires school districts to re-institute school climate committees. More information on SB 123 is available in the Day 17 report . House Floor Session Senate Floor Session Organ Donor Leave, Ad

Though the House and Senate were in recess Tuesday, there was plenty of education news from the Gold Dome. Read Bowl Winners from Waynesboro, Kingsland, Albany, and Chattahoochee Announced PAGE joined Malcolm Mitchell and a number of legislators in celebrating growing readers and awarding Read Bowl trophies to students from: Waynesboro Elementary in Waynesboro Ranier Elementary in Kingsland Albany Middle School in Albany Chattahoochee High School in Cusseta Congrats to these

The House and Senate each had busy floor sessions, but neither chamber voted on education-related bills. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Amended Fiscal Year (AFY) 2025 budget. The House Education Committee met to consider the Distraction-Free Education Act and HB 307 , which changes parts of Georgia's literacy program. House Floor Session Senate Floor Session House Education Approves Cell Phone and Literacy Bills The House Education Committee passed a substit

The House approved HB 192 by Rep. Matthew Gambill (R-Cartersville), the "Top State for Talent Act" by Rep. Matthew Gambill (R-Cartersville), one of Gov. Brian Kemp's House floor leaders. This bill aligns GaDOE's Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) program with the High Demand Career List created by HB 982   in 2024. House Floor Session Senate Floor Session House Education Committee Passes Riley Gaines Act The House Education Committee passed a substitute v