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Yesterday was Crossover Day at the Georgia State Capitol—the last day for legislation to pass either the state House or Senate and move to the other chamber for consideration this year. Below are key education bills GeorgiaCAN is tracking that cleared this hurdle.
Bills Passed by the Georgia Senate
- Senate Bill 17 – Requires all Georgia public schools to install mobile panic alarm systems linked to emergency responders and law enforcement. It also mandates that local school systems procure school mapping data for every public and private school within their boundaries.
- Senate Bill 63 – ensures that local school systems provide clear, publicly accessible information on the dates and registration procedures for standardized tests such as the PSAT/NMSQT, SAT, PreACT, ACT, and Advanced Placement exams.
- Senate Bill 82 – Incentivizes local approval of charter schools and strengthens accountability for denying high-quality charter applications.
- Senate Bill 93 – Bans the use of “three-cueing” in Georgia classrooms.
- Senate Bill 124 – Expands eligibility for the Georgia Promise Scholarship to children of active-duty military members.
- Senate Bill 123 – which relates to compulsory attendance to update and revise provisions of the state’s compulsory school attendance laws and provide that no student shall be expelled by a public school due solely to absenteeism.
- Senate Bill 152 – Extends Georgia Promise Scholarship eligibility to biological and adoptive children of foster parents.
- Senate Bill 179 – Requires school districts to transfer academic and discipline records to a new district or school within 10 days and provide parents with records within 5 days.
- Senate Bill 236 – Allows children of active-duty military members to enroll in public schools in their future attendance zone before securing housing, provided the family has official military transfer orders.
Bills Passed by the Georgia House of Representatives
- House Bill 192 – Provides grants to Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) programs that align with careers on the High-Demand Career List published by the State Workforce Development Board. It also codifies the GEORGIA MATCH program into law.
- House Bill 217 – This bill would extend the dual enrollment program with the Technical System of Georgia (TCSG) by five years (bringing it to a total of 10 years).
- House Bill 307 – This bill strengthens our previous work in both literacy and dyslexia, bans the use of “three-cueing” in Georgia classrooms, and sets a framework for the coordination of a statewide literacy coaching effort.
- House Bill 328 – which increases the annual limit from $120 million to $140 million for tax credits available for certain contributions to student scholarship organizations
- House Bill 340 – The Distraction Free Education act will prohibit students from using cell phones and other personal electronic devices during the school day in elementary and middle school classrooms.