PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA EDUCATORS

The penultimate legislative day of the 2026 session saw lengthy floor sessions in the House and Senate during which several PAGE-supported initiatives passed, including legislation to extend and expand the teacher return-to-work program and the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026. Senate Floor Action House Floor Action Senate Gives Final Passage to Return-To-Work Bill With an unanimous vote, the Senate granted final passage to SB 150 . The bill would reauthorize Georgia’s educ

The House and Senate were in session late into the afternoon for Legislative Day 37, with each chamber considering education bills. The Senate resurrected a bill regarding school zone speed cameras, while the House passed additional financial accountability for school districts. Before today's floor sessions convenend, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a new version of the Literacy Act along with the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 state budget. Senate Floor Action House Fl

Members of the House and Senate worked hard in committees Tuesday and considered multiple important education initiatives. Senate Reviews Literacy Bill Rep. Chris Erwin (R-Homer) and Matt Dubnik (R-Gainesville) presented HB 1193 , the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026, to a special subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, chaired by Sen. Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming). The bill aims to build on the literacy reforms initiated by HB 538 , the Georgia Early Literacy Act o

The House had an agenda packed with education bills; thus, several House members referred to today as "Education Day." The House voting calendar included PAGE-supported legislation banning student use of personal devices in grades 9-12, a grant program for student teachers, and the House’s return-to-work (RtW) legislation. The House also approved the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026. The Senate passed one education bill, and multiple school-related bills were considered in

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

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

The third day of the 2026 Legislative Session began bright and early for the PAGE Legislative Team as they attended the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Eggs & Issues Breakfast. During this event, legislative leaders outlined their priorities including continuing efforts to improve literacy, invest in state and local infrastructure, and cut income and property tax rates. Gov. Brian Kemp will expand on his Eggs & Issues comments when he delivers his final State of the State address

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 Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) met virtually May 7 and 8. Executive Secretary Update GaPSC Executive Secretary...

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 will become law on July 1, 2025, unless another effective date is specified within the legislation. As 2025 is the first of Georgia’s two-year legislative biennium, bills that did not pass this session remain eligible for consideration and

The Georgia Council on Literacy met April 15 at Valdosta State University. The meeting included a panel discussion about literacy...

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

The Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) met virtually March 12 and 13. Important Update to Teacher Certification Beginning...

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

As those working under the Gold Dome continue to recover from a lengthy Day 28/Crossover Day, the House and Senate Day 29 floor calendars were light and contained no education bills. The most notable news of the day was promising announcements from the House Appropriations Committee, which shared education priorities in the FY2026 budget. The House is expected to vote on the budget tomorrow. House Chamber Senate Chamber House Budget Writers Propose Big Investment in Public Sc

The 2025 legislature achieved a significant milestone late in the evening when the House and Senate adjourned their Crossover Day floor sessions, but before that occured, Gov. Brian Kemp signed the AFY25 budget . House Floor Session Senate Floor Session House Passes Voucehr Expansion, Tuition Assistance for Families of Fallen Educators, Personal Days Legislation, Voucher Expansion & More The House approved many of its education-related bills earlier this week, but the body pa

The Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) met virtually Feb. 12 and 13. Most of the meeting was devoted to updates provided...

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