Dozens of new laws will take effect next week after a busy legislative session in Georgia.
At least 120 laws will take effect on July 1, including harsher penalties on pimping and pandering convictions and the issuance of high school diplomas for students diagnosed with terminal illnesses.
Expands the eligibility criteria for rural hospital organizations to include rural freestanding emergency departments and lowers indigent care thresholds, ultimately broadening access to tax-credit-eligible contributions for rural healthcare providers in Georgia
Increases the tax credit for student scholarship organizations, expands student eligibility and increases accountability measures for program providers
Expands the right of business owners in Georgia to appeal tax reassessments of certain high-value tangible personal property to a hearing officer and establishes new qualifications and procedures for officers handling appeals
Codifies a voluntary framework for independent contractors to receive portable benefits through dedicated accounts, allowing contributions without affecting their employment classification.
Codifies the Georgia DREAMS Scholarship program under the Georgia Student Finance Commission
Allows fine arts courses to count towards a student's HOPE GPA
Establishes a scholarship program for medical students
Requires Technical College System of Georgia and University System of Georgia institutions to maintain a supply of opioid antagonists subject to community funding sources
Increases the cap on contributions to 529 Plans and allows for a $2,000 tax credit for contributions to out of state 529 Plans until 2030
Removes the requirement for part-time, work study students at TCSG institutions to make retirement contributions
Requires Georgia Lottery reserves to be held at whichever is greater of net proceeds and base lottery spend
Expands the Tuition Equalization Grant program to students pursuing a baccalaureate degree in nursing at a proprietary institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and has a National Council Licensure Examination four-year average pass rate if at least 80 percent
Reflects Kemp's priority to improve Georgia's regulatory environment by establishing clear pathways to licensure for certain construction industry professions
Was a priority of Kemp and is the culmination of his Top State for Talent Initiative
Renames the Governor's Office of Student Achievement to the Office of Education and Workforce Strategy and empowers the office to coordinate with relevant state agencies on workforce development initiatives
Attaches the State Workforce Development Board to GOEWS
Requires combined Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and Perkins plans
Designates TCSG as the State Apprenticeship Agency
Creates one unified state workforce plan following the development of the statewide high-demand career list by HB 982 in 2024
Expands childcare options for Georgia families by requiring schools with existing after-school programs to offer the program to pre-K students on the same basis as other students
Requires local boards of education to dedicate at least 60 minutes of core math instruction each day in grades four and five
Requires the Georgia Department of Education to adopt content standards for advanced math courses for grades eight through 10 and support advanced math courses in grades six and seven
Provides for the automatic enrollment of high-achieving math students into advance math courses in grades six through 10
Requires the Georgia Professional Standards Commission to develop education preparation provider performance measures to evaluate the performance of each program
Requires GOSA to include a summary of the performance measures in the annual report on Georgia's education workforce
Requires local school boards to issue a high school diploma to enrolled high school students who have received a terminal medical diagnosis and are receiving end-of-life care
Was a legislative priority for the Kemp Administration
Significantly increases the state contribution to the 401(k)s of POST-certified state law enforcement officers, rewarding officers who have dedicated their lives to public safety and supporting better recruitment and retention for state law enforcement agencies