SB250: SB250 Wesley's Law Grant Program; provide for the creation of and establish a purpose

Georgia already allows schools to keep opioid antagonists (medications like naloxone that reverse opioid overdoses) on hand under a law known as Wesley's Law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-776.5). This bill adds a new section to that law creating the Wesley's Law Grant Program, run by the State Board of Education, to help local school systems and public schools, including charter schools, pay for acquiring and maintaining supplies of these antidotes. The program would provide up to $3 million a year in grants, starting in the 2026-2027 school year, subject to available funding from state appropriations or from the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust. The Department of Education must actively seek trust fund money and is authorized to write rules to run the program. The bill also requires the Department to track and annually report to the Governor data on participation rates, overdoses, and outcomes at schools using these antidotes.

• Creates the Wesley's Law Grant Program within the State Board of Education to fund schools' purchase and upkeep of opioid antagonists (overdose reversal drugs).
• Sets a maximum grant pool of up to $3 million annually, starting in the 2026-2027 school year, contingent on available funding.
• Directs the Department of Education to actively pursue grant money from the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust to help fund the program.
• Requires the State Board of Education to set the criteria, terms, and conditions schools must meet to receive grants.
• Requires the Department of Education to compile and report annual data to the Governor on overdoses, antidote use, and outcomes in schools.
• Clarifies that schools may still buy opioid antagonists with their own money even without a grant.

Public schools, local school systems, and charter schools that want to stock opioid overdose antidotes; the State Board of Education and Department of Education, which will run and fund the program; and the Governor's office, which will receive annual reports on school overdose data.

If funded, the program could give schools a new source of money to keep overdose-reversing medication on campus, potentially affecting how quickly staff can respond to an opioid overdose involving a student. The size and timing of grants depend on funding actually becoming available.

• Adds new Code Section 20-2-776.6 to Georgia's student health laws, defining 'opioid antagonist,' 'program,' and 'trust fund.'
• Subsection (b) establishes the grant program beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, capped at up to $3 million, subject to available funding.
• Subsection (c) directs the Department of Education to seek funding for the program from the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust, including completing any required applications.
• Subsection (d) preserves schools' existing ability to buy opioid antagonists on their own without relying on the grant program.
• Subsection (e) requires annual reporting to the Governor on participation rates, overdose counts, antidote administrations, outcomes, and the law's overall impact.
• Subsection (f) authorizes the Department of Education to create rules and regulations to implement the program.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-02-26Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-02-24Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Clint Dixon (R, SD-045)Primary sponsor
• Max Burns (R, SD-023)
• Ed Setzler (R, SD-037)
• Marty Harbin (R, SD-016)
• Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)

• opioid overdose prevention
• school health policy
• Wesley's Law
• school funding
• student safety