PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA EDUCATORS

On July 1, most legislation passed during the 2025 Georgia General Assembly took effect. To learn about these new laws and other important information, please review the 2025 PAGE Legislative Summary . The  PAGE 2025 Legislative Session Summary  covers education-related legislation approved by the General Assembly, provides an overview of the state’s K-12 education budget, and identifies notable bills that did not pass. All legislation became law on July 1, 2025, unless anoth

The House took the expected step of disagreeing with the Senate’s version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget. The Senate insisted on its position. The budget will now be negotiated by a conference committee consisting of Sen. John F. Kennedy (R-Macon), Sen. Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega), and Sen. Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia) and Rep. Chuck Efstration (R-Mulberry), Rep. Jan Jones (R-Milton), and Rep. Matt Hatchett (R-Dublin). The conference committee will decide which budget items t

After an early morning Senate Public Safety meeting on school zone speed cameras was canceled, the most notable Day 37 education action occurred on the Senate floor. With seven dissenting votes, the body passed the FY26 budget after a contentious debate about education funding and private school vouchers. More details below. The Senate also passed several higher education bills , and the House passed SB 44  by Sen. Sam Watson (R-Bonaire), which reduces the minimum required m

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 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 ,

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

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

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