PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA EDUCATORS

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

Committee work has continued to ramp up, with the House Education Committee meeting today to hear presentations on several education topics. A bill to ban student personal electronic devices during the school day in grades 9-12 has been assigned to a House Education subcommittee for a hearing. The legislation sponsored by Rep. Scott Hilton (R-Peachtree Corners), HB 1009 , is supported by PAGE. The Chattahoochee-Flint RESA Student Advisory Committee was present at the Capito

One of the more interesting aspects of the 2026 Legislative Session is that, since it is the second year of the legislative biennium, bills left over from 2025 remain eligible for passage. Moreover, these leftover bills do not need to restart the legislative process and, in some cases, can achieve final passage with a simple motion. This situation was illustrated today when the Senate took action on several bills, including one on educator leave allowances. House Floor Action

Due to weather conditions on Legislative Day 6, the House and Senate held pro forma floor sessions and did not conduct substantive business. Legislators returned to the Gold Dome Tuesday for Legislative Day 7, though neither chamber considered education bills. Committee meetings are beginning, including the Senate Education & Youth Committee, which met today. Senate Committee Approves Educator Leave Bill The Senate Education & Youth Committee, chaired by Sen. Billy Hickman (

Legislators began their review of Gov. Brian P. Kemp’s proposals for the Amended Fiscal Year (AFY) 2026 budget  and the Fiscal Year 2027 budget  in a three-day joint meeting of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, which began Tuesday, Jan. 20. Kemp opened the meeting with highlights from his proposed spending plans, including $325 million for a new needs-based financial aid program for higher education, the Dream Scholarship program . State economist, Robert Buschm

The House and Senate flew through their business Friday as Gov. Brian Kemp, House, and Senate members participated in an event at the Capitol to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Upcoming Appropriations Hearings & PAGE Webinar to Review Budget Proposals The legislature will stand in adjournment next week while joint appropriations hearings occur. Policymakers will review the governor's proposed Amended Fiscal Year (AFY) 2026 and Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budgets. An

Today's legislative agenda was dominated by Gov. Brian Kemp's State of the State address. During the speech, his final State of the State as governor, Kemp outlined several of his 2026 legislative priorities and reported that all state employees and educators will receive a one-time $2,000 salary supplement payment. The GPB recording of the address is available HERE . House Floor Action Senate Floor Action 2026 State of the State In his address, Kemp referenced successes duri