PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA EDUCATORS

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

The Georgia House and Senate convened for the second day of the 2026 session. Each chamber held short days, though the Senate read SB 381 by Sen. RaShaun Kemp (D-Atlanta) for the first time. The bill would provide grants to systems to support the education of students living in poverty. The grant amount for each local education agency (LEA) is calculated as 25% of the base state funding amount per qualifying student. At least 90% of grant funds must be used directly for pr

The Georgia House and Senate convened for the first day of the 2026 session and quickly adopted an adjournment resolution , which sets the calendar for the remainder of the session. Though the floor session was relatively brief and there were no scheduled committee meetings, legislative business will begin to intensify later in the week. Proposed state budgets, including the education budget, are expected to be released in conjunction with the governor's State of the State ad