SB152: SB152 "Georgia Promise Scholarship Act"; the biological or adopted children of individuals who are foster parents and who meet certain conditions shall qualify for promise scholarship accounts; provide

Georgia's Promise Scholarship Act (O.C.G.A. Chapter 2B of Title 20) lets eligible students use state funds for private school or other education expenses through an education savings account. This bill adds a new path to qualify: a child between ages 4 and 20 who is the biological or adopted child of a foster parent would qualify for an account as long as they meet several of the program's other existing requirements, even if they don't meet the usual school-attendance condition tied to where they live. The bill also lets the education savings authority share applicant names with the Department of Revenue to check family income against the program's income limits, and with the Department of Human Services to confirm someone is actually a foster parent. It also rewrites the rule about which school a student must attend or plan to attend, tying it to primary residence rather than a fixed attendance zone, and makes small wording changes to how the program prioritizes students when funding runs short. The changes would take effect July 1, 2025.

• Creates a new qualification path (O.C.G.A. § 20-2B-22.1) letting the biological or adopted children of foster parents get a promise scholarship account if they meet most, but not all, of the program's usual requirements.
• Defines 'foster parent' and 'biological or adopted child' for purposes of this new qualification path.
• Allows the education savings authority to send applicant names to the Department of Revenue to verify family income against the program's income thresholds, under a cooperative agreement.
• Allows the education savings authority to send foster parents' names to the Department of Human Services to confirm foster parent status.
• Rewrites the school-enrollment qualification so it is based on a student's primary residence and current or upcoming enrollment, rather than residing in a fixed school attendance zone.
• Revises the rule on prioritizing already-participating students when program funding is limited relative to demand.

Foster parents and their biological or adopted children who want to apply for promise scholarship accounts, the state's education savings authority, the Department of Revenue, the Department of Human Services, and families already applying for or participating in the Promise Scholarship program.

Children of foster parents who don't otherwise meet the program's school-residency rules could still get access to state-funded education savings accounts. Families' income and foster status would be checked by two state agencies, adding a verification step tied to eligibility for these accounts.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 20-2B-5 to let the education savings authority share applicant names with the Department of Revenue to verify income against the program's income limits, under a cooperative agreement, with tax-confidentiality penalties still applying.
• Section 1 also allows the authority to share foster parents' names with the Department of Human Services, which must confirm whether they qualify as foster parents.
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 20-2B-22 to base school-enrollment eligibility on a student's primary residence rather than a fixed attendance zone.
• Section 2 also revises the prioritization rule for students whose family income exceeds 400 percent of the federal poverty level when program funds are limited.
• Section 3 creates new O.C.G.A. § 20-2B-22.1, defining 'foster parent' and 'biological or adopted child' and creating the new scholarship qualification path for those children, ages 4 to 20.
• Section 4 sets the effective date as July 1, 2025.

1. 2025-04-04House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
2. 2025-04-02House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
3. 2025-03-04House Second Readers (House)
4. 2025-03-03House First Readers (House)
5. 2025-02-28Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
6. 2025-02-28Senate Third Read (Senate)
7. 2025-02-28Senate Engrossed (Senate)
8. 2025-02-27Senate Read Second Time (Senate)

• Greg Dolezal (R, SD-027)Primary sponsor
• John Kennedy (R, SD-018)
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-051)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
• Matt Brass (R, SD-006)
• John Albers (R, SD-056)
• Ben Watson (R, SD-001)
• Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-032)
• Bill Cowsert (R, SD-046)
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)
• Marty Harbin (R, SD-016)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)
• Ed Setzler (R, SD-037)
• Clint Dixon (R, SD-045)
• Brandon Beach (R, SD-021)
• Rick Townsend (R, HD-179)

1. PassedSenate voteFebruary 28, 2025

   31 yea, 22 nay (2 not voting, 1 absent)

   Motion To Engross: Senate Vote #107

2. PassedSenate voteFebruary 28, 2025

   32 yea, 22 nay (1 not voting, 1 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #111

• Promise Scholarship
• foster care
• education savings accounts
• school choice
• student eligibility