HB867: HB867 Georgia Student Finance Authority; grants to eligible students to assist with cost of attending an approved school of barbering, cosmetology, esthetics, hair design, or nail care; establish pilot program

Georgia currently offers scholarships and grants for many types of postsecondary education, but this bill adds a new, temporary program aimed specifically at students attending state-accredited schools of barbering, cosmetology, esthetics, hair design, or nail care. The Georgia Student Finance Authority (called 'the commission' in the bill) would run a pilot financial aid program for students who are enrolled or accepted at one of these approved schools, come from economically disadvantaged families or have a financial aid gap, and already qualify for a scholarship or grant under an existing state law. Each eligible student could receive up to $10,000 total, but the commission could not award more than $50,000 in grants statewide per year. Schools must certify student eligibility and refund misused grant money, and knowingly submitting false information to get a grant would be a misdemeanor crime. The commission must track results and report data each year. The whole program automatically ends on July 1, 2028 unless lawmakers renew it.

• Creates a new pilot grant program inside the Georgia Student Finance Authority for students attending approved trade schools in barbering, cosmetology, esthetics, hair design, or nail care.
• Limits eligibility to students who are economically disadvantaged or have a financial aid gap and who already qualify for another existing state scholarship or grant program (O.C.G.A. § 20-3-519.1).
• Caps individual grants at $10,000 per student and limits total statewide grant spending to $50,000 per year.
• Makes it a misdemeanor crime to knowingly submit false information to help an ineligible student wrongfully obtain a grant.
• Requires approved schools to refund grant money if a student does not enroll or was wrongly certified as eligible, and allows the commission to suspend a school that fails to repay.
• Automatically repeals the entire program on July 1, 2028 unless the General Assembly acts again.

The bill affects students enrolled or accepted at Georgia-based, accredited barbering, cosmetology, esthetics, hair design, or nail care schools, especially those from lower-income families. It also affects the schools themselves, which must certify eligibility and can be examined or suspended, and the Georgia Student Finance Authority, which administers the grants.

For students who cannot otherwise afford trade school tuition, this program could cover a meaningful share of costs, up to $10,000 each, though the small $50,000 annual statewide cap means only a limited number of students could actually receive funding before the program expires in 2028.

• Section 1 adds a new subpart to Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 20-3-367) defining 'approved school,' 'eligible student,' and 'financial aid gap' for purposes of this program.
• O.C.G.A. § 20-3-368(a) sets the maximum grant at $10,000 per student and caps total annual grants statewide at $50,000, subject to available state funding.
• O.C.G.A. § 20-3-368(b) requires students to apply through commission procedures and requires schools to refund grant money if a student never enrolls.
• O.C.G.A. § 20-3-368(c) makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly submit false information to help an ineligible student obtain a grant.
• O.C.G.A. § 20-3-368(d) authorizes the commission to examine approved schools' certification of costs and eligibility, and to suspend schools that fail to refund improperly paid grants.
• O.C.G.A. § 20-3-368(e) requires the commission to collect enrollment data and evaluate the program annually, with cooperation from the Office of Planning and Budget and the Department of Education.
• O.C.G.A. § 20-3-369 automatically repeals the entire pilot program on July 1, 2028.

1. 2025-03-31House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-03-28House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-03-27House Hopper (House)

• Imani Barnes (D, HD-086)Primary sponsor
• Lydia Glaize (D, HD-067)
• Rhonda Burnough (D, HD-077)
• Billy Mitchell (D, HD-088)
• Kim Schofield (D, HD-063)
• Park Cannon (D, HD-058)

• student financial aid
• trade school funding
• cosmetology and barbering schools
• workforce training
• education grants