Day 20: Senate Budget Writers Propose Decrease in One-Time Salary Supplement for State Employees, Including Educators
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Legislative Day 20, the midpoint of the 2026 legislative day session, saw few education bills in committee but several on the House and Senate floor. Senate budget writers' proposal to reduce the $2,000 one-time pay supplement for educators and state employees in the Amended Fiscal Year 2026 (AFY 2026) state budget generated signifigant interest.
The House approved HB 970 by Rep. Rick Townsend (R-St. Simons), which requires a qualified healthcare professional who conducts a physical examination of a student athlete to include cardiovascular prescreening in the examination. Schools are required to provide educational materials on causes of sudden cardiac arrest to parents or guardians of student athletes. The bill moves to the Senate for consideration.
Senate Budget Writers Shrink One-Time Salary Supplement
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved its version of the AFY 2026 budget, which includes reducing the one-time $2,000 salary supplement for educators and state employees proposed by Gov. Brian Kemp to $1,250. In describing the reduction, Sen. Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the Senate’s proposal to eliminate the state income tax would yield a larger benefit to the average state employee than the $2,000 supplement. According to Tillery, the average state employee “should receive a roughly additional $2,500 in tax savings” if the income tax elimination plan becomes law. Downsizing the salary supplement to $1,250 lowers its total statewide cost by about $230 million. The committee meeting may be viewed here or in the video embedded below, with discussion of the salary supplement changes beginning at the 42-minute mark.
Senate budget writers propose several additional changes to the education portion of the AFY 2026 budget, including:
Adding $100,000 for facilities within business and finance administration at the Georgia Department of Education, less than $1.1 million added by the House
Providing $500,000 in one-time funds for a planning grant for Southern Rivers Completion High School, less than the $1 million in the House budget proposal
Adding $3.5 million for out-of-school care
Eliminating $50,000 in one-time funds for youth leadership programming added by the House
Removing $300,000 one-time funds for America250 literacy initiatives proposed by Kemp and affirmed by the House
The Senate budget plan provides $100 million for the Dream Scholarship, a need-based financial aid program for postsecondary students that Kemp seeks to establish. Kemp’s original budget proposal adds $325 million to launch the program.
The budget bill now moves to the Senate Rules Committee, which will send it to the full Senate for a vote. After Senate approval, House and Senate leaders will negotiate a compromise on their different budget proposals.
Senate Passes Federal Tax Credit Voucher
On a party-line vote of 31-21, the Senate approved SB 446 by Sen. Clint Dixon (R-Gwinnett), which would enable Georgia to participate in the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit program created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). The legislation, labeled by Dixon as a priority of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, now moves to the House for consideration.
During floor debate, Senate Democrats expressed concern about the accountability required of private schools that accept students who receive scholarships from the federal tuition tax credit voucher program. They also questioned why the funds are allowed to be distributed to private schools that are not accredited. Lt. Gov. Jones questioned why there was debate on the bill when it is “just a federal tax credit.”
Sen. Greg Dolezal (R-Forsyth) argued that expanding school choice options in Georgia will force public schools to compete more with private schools, thereby improving the quality of Georgia’s public schools.
Hearing on Dual Achievement Program in House Higher Ed Committee
The House Higher Education Committee heard HB 1293 by House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones (R-Milton). The bill removes the pilot status of the Dual Achievement Program and changes the requirements for entering the program. Students aged 18-22 who are at risk of dropping out of high school are eligible to participate in the Dual Achievement Program, which allows them to earn a high school diploma while completing requirements for a technical college degree or certification. Currently, students aged 16 and 17 are eligible to participate in the pilot program available at five technical colleges. HB 1293 removes 16 and 17-year-olds from the program beginning in 2029. Jones explained that students who are 16 and 17 are eligible to attend a completion special school, which also serves students at risk of dropping out of public school. She said completion special schools are a better fit for these students, as they offer age-appropriate services and have higher budgets to provide specialized services that 16- and 17-year-olds may require. Completion special schools will soon be available to all students in Georgia, except for those in metro Atlanta. Jones said these districts often have their own dropout recovery programs.
HB 1293 requires counseling for students participating in the program. Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) Chief of Staff Mark Peevy, who helped answer committee member questions about the bill, described this as counseling students on class selection, time management, and program requirements, with some "prodding" to keep students moving forward in the program. Funding for these services will be added to the TCSG funding formula.
The committee did not vote on HB 1293. Chairman Chuck Martin (R-Marietta) said the committee will vote on the bill in the near future.
Upcoming Schedule
Thursday, Feb. 19 - Legislative Day 21
1 p.m. House Judiciary, 132 CAP
1 p.m. House Education, 506 CLOB
1 p.m. Senate Education, 307 CLOB
Friday, Feb. 20 - Legislative Day 22