PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA EDUCATORS

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

Neither chamber had significant activity today. However, many committees have begun meeting. Bills are expected to soon begin moving through the legislative process. House Floor Session Senate Floor Session PAGE Legislative Team Hosts Webinar on AFY25 and FY25 Budgets After wrapping up work at the Capitol, the PAGE Legislative Team hosted a PAGE member webinar, Investing in Public Schools: State Funding Proposals for AFY 2025 & FY 2026, in which they discussed Gov. Brian Kemp

This morning, the House and Senate held short floor sessions, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court provided his State of the Judiciary Address. Committees began meeting in earnest this afternoon. House Floor Session Senate Floor Session Joint Retirement Committee Learns about TRS & PSERS After briefly discussing their respective committee rules, the House and Senate retirement committees convened in a joint session to hear presentations by the Teachers Retirement Syste

After cancellation of joint appropriations hearings last week due to winter weather, the House and Senate conducted short floor sessions today and began ramping up scheduled committee meetings. House Floor Session Senate Floor Session Education Budget Hearings Tomorrow; Register for PAGE's Jan. 29 State Budget Webinar to Learn More Register for the PAGE Budget Webinar at no cost HERE . The House is conducting hearings this week to review Gov. Brian Kemp's proposed budgets. Se

The Teachers Retirement System of Georgia (TRS) held its bimonthly meeting Jan. 22, 2025. The full agenda and all meeting materials can...

The State Board of Education (SBOE) held its first meetings of 2025 on Jan. 14 and 15. Major items included the introduction of new board...

Friday's closing gavel in House and Senate chambers marked the end of the fifth legislative day and the first week of the 2025 Legislative Session. It was an uneventful legislative day. Both chambers will remain in recess next week to conduct hearings on the state budget. House Floor Session Senate Floor Session Budget Hearings Next Week, Register for PAGE's Jan. 29 State Budget Webinar to Learn More Register for the free Budget Webinar HERE . The House and Senate will hold j

Gov. Brian Kemp delivered the State of the State Address this morning to a joint session of the House and Senate. Key themes included a review of the challenges Georgia has successfully faced during Kemp's administration, tort reform, hurricane recovery efforts with a nod of thanks to both President Joe Biden and President-Elect Donald Trump, and state support for mental health and anti-gang and anti-human-trafficking efforts. The governor's references to education were brief

The third day of the 2025 Legislative Session was relatively uneventful. Both chambers are in the process of assigning members to committees and other administrative tasks. It is unlikely that major legislative action will begin before joint appropriations hearings conclude next week. House Floor Session Video Senate Floor Session Video Senate Education & Youth Committee Members Named Committee Chair Sen. Billy Hickman As previously reported by PAGE, Se

State constitutional officers, legislators, business leaders, and hundreds of other Georgians gathered at the Georgia World Congress Center for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce's annual Eggs & Issues breakfast, While economic and business issues dominated policymakers' remarks, adjacent policy areas including K-12 education were mentioned. In his comments, House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) emphasized school safety and literacy and predicted the House would take action to a

As the morning sun shone off melting snow, the Georgia General Assembly officially convened for the 2025 Legislative Session. This year represents a reset since it is the first year of a two-year biennium. Several new legislators begin their first terms following November elections. And, all legislation that failed to pass in 2024 must be refiled anew and restart the legislative process. Both chambers' business was light and primarily administrative. Perhaps the most notable

The State Board of Education (SBOE) met Dec. 11 and 12 to discuss and vote on a list of approved literacy screeners. The board also...

The Senate Higher Education and Education & Youth Committees met jointly Nov. 25 to continue exploring ways to improve educator recruitment and retention. Senate Higher Education Committee Chair Billy Hickman (R-Statesboro) stated that the joint committee is likely to hold two additional meetings before releasing a final report. Below is a link to the full agenda and video footage of the meeting, which begins at the 19:14 mark Second Joint Meeting Focuses on Educator Preparat

The Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) met virtually for committee meetings Nov. 13 and in person for the full commission...

The Senate Higher Education and Education and Youth committees met jointly Oct. 15 to consider why educators enter and leave the profession. Below is a link to the full agenda and video footage of the meeting, which begins at the 18:40 mark. PAGE Presents Member Survey Data & Recommendations to Joint Senate Committee Senate Higher Education Committee Chair Billy Hickman (R-Statesboro) convened the meeting and mentioned that the Oct. 15 meeting is the first of four or five to