PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA EDUCATORS

The Senate Rules Committee set an extensive calendar for Days 39 and 40. HB 235 , a PAGE-supported bill to allow educators to take up to 30 days of leave for organ donation and up to seven days for bone marrow donation, was added to the calendar. Two competing versions of bills to restrict the use of school zone speed cameras were also added, setting the stage for lots of debate on how to handle the devices. House Education Passes Voucher Clarification and Expansion to Childr

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 House and Senate were not in session today, but both bodies held multiple education-related committee meetings, starting with a three-hour hearing on school zone speed cameras that convened at 6 a.m. and culminating in a hearing related to transgender student athletes than began at 5 p.m. House Education Chair Chris Erwin (R-Homer) gifted PAGE with a resolution honoring 2025 PAGE Day on Capitol Hill and the 50th anniversary of PAGE's founding. PAGE is grateful for Erwin'

As Day 27 was the last legislative day before Thursday’s Crossover deadline, today was certain to bring lengthy floor sessions. Below is more information on the education legislation that passed today, including the House’s school safety bill. All bills referenced below will move to the other chamber for consideration.  Though no K-12 education-related committees met today, both House and Senate education committees will meet tomorrow. The House Ed agenda contains HR 174 , w

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

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

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

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 House and Senate shifted into high gear Tuesday for the penultimate day of the 2024 legislative session. Tracking legislative...

Private School Voucher Program Gains Final Approval in Senate The Senate agreed to the House's version of SB 233, giving the voucher bill...

Day 23 PAGE Report, Part One of Two Today’s report contains details on education-related events which occurred through lunchtime....