PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA EDUCATORS

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

The 2025 legislative session is 50% complete. Though the 20th legislative day was lean on education-related floor action, multiple education bills moved through afternoon committee meetings. The PAGE legislative team was glad to see PAGE board member Amy Carter who visited the Gold Dome while her daughter paged. Check out more information about the House and Senate page programs if your child or student is interested in serving as a page. House Floor Session Senate Fl

The State Board of Education (SBOE) met Feb. 19 and 20, and the board approved rules on education funding, school size, and Georgia’s...

Please note that due to the volume of activity under the Gold Dome yesterday, the Day 18 report was in two parts. Today’s Day 19 report also contains the remainder of Day 18 action. House Floor Session Senate Floor Session Day 19: House Ed Subcommittee Approves 'Riley Gaines Act' This afternoon, the House Education Policy Subcommittee heard from several trans rights advocates who urged them not to approve HB 267 , the Riley Gaines Act, before amending and passing the measure

Please note that due to the volume of action under the Gold Dome today, the Day 18 report will be in two parts. The Day 19 report tomorrow will contain the remainder of Day 18 action.   The House passed HB 92 , which pushes back the date by which local communities may opt out of a floating homestead exemption passed by the legislature in 2024. HB 92, sponsored by Rep. Shaw Blackmon (R-Bonaire), now moves to the Senate for consideration in the context of an ongoing policy deba

Week Five of the 2025 Legislative Session ended eventfully. Multiple education-related bills passed both chambers, including a PAGE-supported measure to establish an interstate compact for school psychologists and another to double the state payment awarded to educators who are killed while on the job. Important bills were also heard in committees, including the House's comprehensive school safety bill. House Floor Session Senate Floor Session House Ed Subcommittee Passes Com

The Capitol was crowded and bustling today, but Day 16 was lean on education activity with the exception of publication of a notice for tomorrow's hearing on HB 268 by Rep. Holt Persinger (R-Winder), which addresses school safety issues. House Floor Session Senate Floor Session House Education Subcommittee to Hear Comprehensive School Safety Legislation Tomorrow Tune in tomorrow at 1 p.m. for a hearing on House leadership's comprehensive school safety bill. The PAGE-supp

Presentations were the order of the day today. The Senate Children & Families Committee heard presentations from Marietta City Schools and others on the impact of cell phones in schools. The Senate Education & Youth Committee discussed return-to-work legislation, Georgia's largest alternative teacher preparation program, Reading Corps and Math Corps, and information presented by new Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) Executive Secretary Jody Barrow. Neither com

As of today, the 2025 legislative session is one-third complete. The House Education Committee met and passed its first bills of the session. These include two measures supported by PAGE: one to establish an interstate compact for school psychologists and another to double the state payment awarded to educators who are killed while on the job. House Floor Session Senate Floor Session House Ed Hears from Woods and Passes PAGE-Supported Bills The meeting opened with an address

Floor action and committee work intensified today as education legislation progressed on the concluding day of week four. House Floor Session Senate Floor Session House Approves AFY2025 Budget The AFY2025 budget (HB 67) passed the House by a vote of 166-3. The most notable education-related House addition to Gov. Brian Kemp's initial budget proposal is $3 million in startup funding for a school threat assessment tracking system. This addition aligns with HB 268 , the House's

PAGE visited with the Georgia Association of School Counselors at the Capitol today. The Legislative staff took the photo, below right, of Gov. Brian and Marty Kemp with the counselors. PAGE Legislative Specialist Josh Stephens, left, and Director of Legislative Services Margaret Ciccarelli met with Kevin Keve who serves on the PAGE Legislative Advisory Committee. Keve is a former school resource officer and current school counselor in Thomas County Schools. House Floor Sessi

It was a busy day under the Gold Dome. The Georgia Association of School Psychologists and Decoding Dyslexia advocated on education issues, and PAGE visited with both groups throughout the day. House Floor Session Senate Floor Session Speaker Burns Announces 'Riley Gaines Act' House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) and other House GOP members held a news conference to announce the introduction of the "Riley Gaines Act," sponsored by Rep. Josh Bonner (R-Fayetteville). The b

The fourth week of the legislative session featured two key school-focused events: House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) held a press conference on upcoming House school safety legislation, and a joint meeting of the House and Senate education committees included presentations on school safety and literacy. House Floor Session Senate Floor Session Speaker Burns Announces School Safety Legislation Burns and other members of the House held a news conference to unveil a major

While floor sessions in both the House and Senate remain short and light, committee meetings are being held with increasing frequency. During this early part of the legislative session, the vast majority of actual work will be handled in committees. Bills will be considered and modified, and it will likely be several more days before either chamber votes on significant bills. House Floor Session Senate Floor Session Senate Ed Passes Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act I