Day 39: Return-to-Work Bill and Literacy Act Move to Governor's Desk

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 educator return-to-work (RtW) program and includes several provisions from HB 372 by Rep. Bethany Ballard (R-Warner Robins). SB 150, sponsored by Sen. Billy Hickman (R-Statesboro), and carried in the House by Ballard, would allow retired educators to work full-time after a one-year waiting period and draw retirement benefits while teaching in qualified positions. The bill allows the three areas of highest need to be determined at the local school level rather than at the Regional Education Service Area (RESA) level. Educators hired in these locally designated areas of highest need could remain working even if the system later changes its designated subjects. The bill also designates subjects that would qualify for RtW on a statewide basis. These include English language arts (as long as the teacher holds a current dyslexia or reading endorsement approved by the GaPSC), science, special education, math, and Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE). While the original version of SB 150 allowed educators with 25 years of creditable service to return to full-time work, the committee substitute requires 30 years of service.

SB 150 now moves to Gov. Brian Kemp's desk, awaiting his signature to become law.

The Senate unanimously agreed to the House version of SB 369 by Sen. Shawn Still (R-Norcross). The bill would establish and define the concept of "Dropout Recovery Charter Schools," which would primarily serve students at high risk of dropping out. The bill also calls on the State Board of Education (SBOE) to develop rules and regulations governing such schools and requires the Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) to separately report on the schools' performance. SB 369 now includes language from three additional bills:

• HB 1218 by Rep. Robert Flournoy (D-Hampton) allows students in grades 6-12 who attend a public virtual school full-time to participate in interscholastic and extracurricular activities in their resident school system.

• HB 1206 by Rep. Todd Jones (R-South Forsyth), which would require local boards of education and other public school governing bodies to consider the total cost of ownership — including repair costs, flexibility for innovation, and anticipated resale or salvage value — when purchasing school technology devices. The bill requires local school governing authorities to submit a report to Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) on the total number of technology devices in use, as well as the rate and cost of their repairs. The bill applies to devices costing $100 or more and changes the reporting deadline to Oct. 15 of each year.

• HB 1257 by Rep. Carmen Rice (R-Columbus) provides for charter school incentive grants for local boards of education to approve charter school petitions. The total amount of incentive grants provided under this subsection shall not exceed $2.25 million in any fiscal year. The bill also directs the State Charter Schools Commission not to act on a charter petition unless the local board of education that authorizes the charter school has voted to terminate or not renew the charter contract, or otherwise fails to renew it. Rice has framed the grant program as a targeted investment to encourage more local charter consideration throughout Georgia.

SB 369 now goes to Gov. Kemp for his signature and to become law.

House Passes Teacher Tax Credit and Reduces Voucher Expansion

With a vote of 158-9, the House passed SB 515, a PAGE-supported bill by Sen. Hickman, which would continue the teacher tax credit and make several changes to the program. Without legislative reauthorization, the current program was slated to end this year. SB 515 would extend the deadline for new tax credit applications until 2031. It would also reduce the tax credit for educators who are not already receiving the $3,000 credit to $2,500. It increases the cap on the number of participating teachers from 1,000 to 1,200. If more than 1,200 teachers apply, those in rural schools will be prioritized. Hickman’s legislation requires participating teachers to teach in statewide high-needs areas of math, special education, or CTAE. It is also available for teachers in reading, writing, or ELA, provided that qualifying teachers hold a current GaPSC-approved dyslexia or reading endorsement. The bill states that the total amount of these tax credits provided cannot exceed $3 million for any fiscal year.  

The bill now moves back to the Senate for consideration because an amendment unrelated to the teacher tax credit program was added in the House.

SB 552 by Sen. Ben Watson (R-Savannah), the True Patriotism and Universal Student Access (TPUSA) Act. SB 552 states that students may engage in political activities and expression, as well as form partisan or nonpartisan groups or activities, before, during, and after the school day. The legislation prohibits public schools with a limited open forum from denying access or discriminating against student groups based on the content of their speech, including political, philosophical, or ideological viewpoints. The legislation also indicates that students may wear clothing and accessories that display political messages or symbols to the same extent as other messages permitted under a school's dress code. The bill explicitly states that it does not limit the authority of a public school, its employees, or its agents to maintain order and discipline on school premises, to protect the well-being of students and staff, and to assure that attendance of students at meetings is voluntary.

The Senate later voted 42-7 to agree to the House version of the bill, and it now goes to the Governor's office to await his signature and become law.

The House also unanimously passed SB 431 by Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (R-Marietta). The bill requires enrollment of foster care students who transfer to the school within three days. The legislation also prohibits assigning foster care students to remote learning due to missing records. If a school fails to comply, the principal or their designee must provide the parent or guardian with contact information for the appropriate RESA student affairs officer and GaDOE's chief privacy officer (CPO). GaDOE could also require the school to implement a corrective action plan upon the request of the RESA student affairs officer or the CPO.  SB 431 incorporates some recommendations of the Senate Study Committee on Additional Services and Resources for Transition Age Youth in Foster Care, which met last year. The final report of the study committee is available HERE. 

The bill now goes back to the Senate which will consider the House changes.

The House also voted 99-67 to amend HB 328, by Rep. Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton). The PAGE-opposed bill expands the cap on Georgia's tuition tax credit Student Scholarship Organization (SSO) program, which currently diverts $120 million from the state general fund to private school vouchers. The House's most recent version of HB 328 increases the cap to $150 million annually (down from $220 million in the Senate version). HB 328 also expands the waiver of the program's current six-week public school enrollment requirement to include children of active-duty military members, students with an IEP or 504 plan, and students with certain disabilities. It also includes language prohibiting General Assembly members and their spouses from receiving income from a student scholarship organization and sunsets the program on Jan. 1, 2032.

Language from HB 565 by Rep. Rick Townsend (R-Brunswick), increasing the PEACH Education Tax Credit from $15 million to $25 million, is included in the Senate version of HB 328.

The most recent House version of HB 328 also includes language from HB 1259 by Rep. Matt Dubnik (R-Gainesville). This provision would prohibit local school systems that fail to maintain an average College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) score of at least 65 for the last two school years from providing virtual instruction to out-of-district students. The bill also requires school systems to compile a list of out-of-district students enrolled as of Oct. 1 and March 1 of each year. HB 1259 also excludes out-of-district virtual students from equalization funding calculations.

HB 328 now goes back to the Senate which will consider the House changes.

Literacy Act Moves to Governor's Desk

The Senate unanimously passed a revised version of HB 1193, the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026.

The current version of the bill is a floor amendment that replaces the version of the HB 1193 that passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee. More information on HB 1193 and related budget items can be found here.

Later in the day, the House unanimously approved the Senate changes to the bill, sending it to the governor's desk.

House Committee Approves Study Committee on

Education Finances

The House Special Rules Committee passed HR 1947 by by Rep. Shaw Blackmon (R-Bonaire to create a study committee on education finance. The study committee will focus on equalization and the local five mill share.

House Special Rules Meeting Recording

Upcoming Schedule

Thursday, April 2 - Legislative Day 40/Sine Die