SB197: SB197 "End Public Funding of Misinformation Act"' enact

Georgia law currently sets up a grant program inside the Department of Public Health called the Positive Alternatives for Pregnancy and Parenting grant program, found in Article 2 of Chapter 2A of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia (O.C.G.A.). This bill would repeal that entire article and leave the space 'reserved,' meaning the program would no longer exist in law and the state would stop directing public funds to it. The bill is short: it gives itself the name 'End Public Funding of Misinformation Act,' repeals the grant program article in full, and repeals any other laws that conflict with the change. It does not create a replacement program or redirect the funding elsewhere, and it does not include a stated future effective date beyond the standard process for a bill becoming law.

• Repeals Article 2 of Chapter 2A of Title 31 of the O.C.G.A., which established the Positive Alternatives for Pregnancy and Parenting grant program.
• Reserves the repealed article, meaning that section of law is emptied out rather than replaced with new text.
• Gives the bill the short title 'End Public Funding of Misinformation Act' for legal citation purposes.
• Repeals any other Georgia laws or parts of laws that conflict with this change.

The Georgia Department of Public Health, which currently administers the grant program, and any organizations or providers that receive state grant funding through the Positive Alternatives for Pregnancy and Parenting program would be affected, since that funding source would be eliminated.

If enacted, organizations that rely on this state grant program for funding related to pregnancy and parenting services would lose that funding source, and the Department of Public Health would no longer administer or oversee this specific grant program.

• Section 1 names the bill the 'End Public Funding of Misinformation Act' for short-title purposes.
• Section 2 repeals and reserves Article 2 of Chapter 2A of Title 31 of the O.C.G.A. in its entirety, eliminating the Positive Alternatives for Pregnancy and Parenting grant program.
• Section 3 repeals all laws and parts of laws that conflict with the Act.

1. 2025-02-19Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-02-18Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Nan Orrock (D, SD-036)Primary sponsor
• Kim Jackson (D, SD-041)
• Harold Jones (D, SD-022)
• Sonya Halpern (D, SD-039)
• Nikki Merritt (D, SD-009)
• Jason Esteves (D, SD-035)
• Kenya Wicks (D, SD-034)
• Josh McLaurin (D, SD-014)
• Gail Davenport (D, SD-017)
• Michael Rhett (D, SD-033)
• Randal Mangham (D, SD-055)
• Nabilah Islam Parkes (D, SD-007)
• Sheikh Rahman (D, SD-005)
• Ed Harbison (D, SD-015)
• David Lucas (D, SD-026)
• Emanuel Jones (D, SD-010)
• Tonya Anderson (D, SD-043)

• pregnancy resource funding
• state grant programs
• Department of Public Health
• public health funding