Day 33: House Passes Anti-Discrimination Bill, Education & Workforce Measure Moves to Kemp's Desk

12 hours ago
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Compared to the hectic pace of yesterday's committee workday, Legislative Day 33 saw comparatively few education bills advance. Multiple major education issues are expected to be considered in the coming days.

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Senate Floor Action

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House Floor Action

House Passes Anti-Discrimination Bill

With a vote of 165-0, the House passed SB 523 by Sen. Goodman (R-Cogdell), which originally required public schools and institutions of higher education to treat antisemitism as they would treat religious discrimination. The House committee substitute of the bill revises SB 523 to make it nearly identical to HB 1363, by Rep. Deborah Silcox (R-Sandy Springs), which creates a statewide coordinator position within GaDOE to monitor and report on complaints of discrimination in public schools. If a school fails to take corrective action arising from a discrimination complaint, the SBOE is authorized to take action, including withholding state funds. The bill also requires the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia to establish policies and procedures for handling discrimination complaints.

SB 523 now moves back to the Senate, which will consider the House changes to the legislation.

Senate Approves Governor's Workforce Initiative

With only one dissenting vote, the Senate passed HB 1302 by Rep. Matthew Gambill (R-Cartersville). Gov. Brian P. Kemp's Education and Workforce Strategy Act renames the Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) as the Governor’s Office of Education and Workforce Strategy (GOEWS) while expanding the agency’s role in aligning education, workforce development, and data governance across state agencies regarding the state’s federal Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act and Perkins plans. The bill ends the Alliance of Education Agency Heads and establishes a new statewide education and workforce planning process, the Education Data Governance Board, to coordinate cross-agency data sharing and workforce development policy alignment.

A floor amendment was offered to raise Georgia's minimum hourly wage to $15, but this amendment was ruled not germane and failed. HB 1302 now moves to the governor's desk for his signature.

The Senate also passed HB 1379, by Houston Gaines (R-Athens), with a vote of 31-20. The Foreign Funding Transparency and Accountability Act would require all public educational institutions in Georgia, including local school systems, to report funding totaling $10,000 or more from a "foreign source of concern." Foreign sources of concern include specific countries, entities, and individuals identified as foreign adversaries, countries of particular concern, or those associated with terrorism or religious freedom violations, as well as certain entities and individuals associated with these countries. Failure to report such funds can result in state funding being withheld.

HB 1379 also moves to Kemp's desk for his signature.

Senate Committee Advances Changes to Mandated Reporting

The Senate Public Safety Committee passed HB 1409, by Rep. Beth Camp (R-Concord). The bill would allow mandated child abuse and neglect reporters, including educators, to use a secure web-based platform to make required reports. Currently, mandated reporters can make required reports by phone, email, or by completing a form on the designated website. When presenting to the Senate Public Safety Committee, Camp framed the online reporting contemplated in the bill as an upgrade. HB 1409 would also add firefighters and animal control officers to the list of mandated reporters.

The bill now awaits consideration by the Senate Rules Committee.

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