HB 1413: Georgia Student Finance Authority; establish a needs based scholarship program for students at eligible public and private postsecondary institutions

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Discussed in meetings (12)

The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.

1. House Higher Education Committee, March 2, 2026

   From 0:57:34 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor presented a Dream Scholarship providing up to $3,000 annually for unmet financial need. The sponsor said the substitute limited eligibility to public undergraduate degree programs, excluding private colleges, certificates, diplomas and graduate programs; removed loans from aid students must exhaust; and allowed summer awards. The sponsor described FAFSA, HOPE-related eligibility, part-time work, financial-literacy and annual reporting requirements, with further funding safeguards expected before a vote. Members questioned whether work could undermine academic progress and suggested tutoring or study hall. The sponsor favored flexible campus decisions and said athletic participation could qualify. Another member questioned whether a six-credit minimum would allow completion before awards ran out; the sponsor cited support for part-time students. Members also questioned the award's adequacy and what would happen to appropriations without legislation. A Georgia Independent College Association witness requested private-college eligibility, saying its 24 institutions served a 40% Pell-recipient population and graduates averaged $2,500 more debt than university-system graduates. The Georgia Student Finance Commission president described $300 million for an endowment and $25 million for initial awards, but had no recipient estimate. That witness said awards could cover housing, food, transportation and materials as well as tuition. The sponsor favored initially refining the program within public systems. No vote was taken.

2. House Higher Education Committee, March 6, 2026

   From 0:31:32 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor presented three changes to HB 1413: organizing the DREAM Scholarship endowment into principal, scholarship and transitional scholarship accounts; adding lottery-funded postgraduate medical scholarships; and increasing the lottery education reserve to 100%. The sponsor said the accounts would preserve funding across budget years, with Student Finance Commission oversight and Treasury investment management. The sponsor said budget staff feared a 50% reserve might be insufficient under new spending demands. Asked about retaining medical graduates, the sponsor said recipients would sign a contract to practice in Georgia for four years. One member urged consideration of longer service and targeting workforce shortages. The sponsor said those details needed further work and might be addressed through policy. Other members raised increasing the needs-based scholarship course requirement from six to nine hours, private fundraising and existing campus scholarships. The sponsor said private fundraising arrangements remained under discussion and institutional foundations would not be required to contribute. Another member sought explicit eligibility language for athletes without full scholarships. The sponsor said the work requirement's examples were not exclusive and offered to consider clarification. The committee approved a do-pass recommendation by voice vote; no opposition was heard.

3. House Rules Committee, March 6, 2026

   From 1:02:22 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 2179

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter said HB 1413 would establish a needs-based scholarship program, include postgraduate medical scholarships and add stability to HOPE reserves. One member supported needs-based aid but challenged a provision raising the lottery shortfall reserve from 50% to 100% of average proceeds over the preceding three years. The member said reserves exceeded $2 billion and argued that the increase would withhold money from students. The presenter said the governor's Office of Planning and Budget and the appropriations process had requested the change, and further discussion was expected. The presenter also argued that reserve requirements should be based on spending rather than revenue. Asked for supporting data, the presenter said they did not have it and offered to meet with those who supplied the recommendation. Another member said they did not recall the reserve change being mentioned in committee and requested documentation before further consideration. The chair encouraged the members to meet and resolve their questions. No decision was recorded.

4. House floor session, March 6, 2026 (legislative day 28, PM, part 2)

   From 4:17:11 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 2286

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1413 would establish need-based scholarships of up to $3,000, supported by $325 million: $300 million for an endowment and $25 million to fund the first two years while private matching donations are sought. Asked about private colleges, the sponsor clarified that the revised program covers only the university and technical college systems despite the broader title. The sponsor also described a lottery-funded graduate medical education scholarship. A supporting member said financial strain prevents lower-income students from completing college and cited a workforce need for more postsecondary credentials. The sponsor explained that the Student Finance Commission would distribute funds to institutions, whose financial officers would administer individual work requirements and report results. Another member clarified that volunteering can satisfy the work requirement. The sponsor said the program could begin in the fall if enacted. The House withdrew the committee substitute, adopted the Rules Committee substitute and passed the bill 165-2.

5. House Rules Committee, March 6, 2026

   From 1:13:56 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 2179

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter said the substitute for HB 1413 removed a proposed change to a reserve percentage and clarified an accreditation requirement for a scholarship provision. A committee member questioned why the needs-based scholarship required students to complete financial literacy training and engage in at least part-time paid or unpaid work, saying low-income students needed time in class and comparing the requirement with HOPE scholarships. The presenter said the work requirement came from the original university system and governor's office proposal and would be defined through rules and each college's financial aid office. The presenter offered helping other students through a financial aid office as an example of qualifying work. The committee approved the substitute without opposition and later placed it on the supplemental floor calendar.

6. Senate Higher Education Committee, March 17, 2026

   From 0:25:14 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1413 would provide undergraduates at public universities and technical colleges up to $3,000 annually for unmet financial need, with a 2.0 GPA, financial-literacy instruction and flexible work or service requirements. The sponsor described $25 million for the first two years and a $300 million endowment. Asked about award increases and qualifying activities, the sponsor said lawmakers could revisit amounts and institutions would have flexibility. A Georgia Student Finance Commission representative said campuses would select recipients and suggested tracking financial-literacy completion through GA Futures. The sponsor said the substitute would base lottery reserves on average expenditures rather than revenue, retaining the 50% requirement. A Georgia Independent College Association witness requested private-college eligibility, estimating those students would receive 11% of funding if allocated by Pell enrollment. The sponsor also outlined full-cost medical scholarships for up to eight semesters at the University System of Georgia Medical School, requiring four years of Georgia practice after residency. Asked about funding, the sponsor said an appropriation would be needed and none was in the current budget. The chair deferred Morehouse School of Medicine testimony and scheduled further discussion for March 24. No vote was taken.

7. Senate Higher Education Committee, March 24, 2026

   From 0:30:56 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee reviewed HB 1413 section by section. The chair described its unchanged first section as operating rules for the Dream Scholarship. Members questioned funding, repayment and other aid for proposed medical scholarships serving underserved areas. The sponsor said lottery funds could support them but no allocation existed in the current or proposed budget, estimated $30,000 per student annually, and described four years of service or repayment. The sponsor said hospital assistance could supplement the scholarship. For lottery reserves, the sponsor proposed using spending rather than revenue so falling revenue would not also reduce reserve requirements. The chair then offered a combined substitute retaining the Dream provisions, adding provisions from HB 419 and HB 1113, and setting the savings contribution ceiling discussed under HB 962 at $550,000. The chair omitted medical scholarships for further development and omitted deductions for other states’ savings plans pending more discussion. A member offered an amendment using the greater of lottery proceeds or base lottery spending over the preceding three fiscal years in reserve calculations. The committee unanimously adopted the amendment and unanimously recommended the substitute as amended.

8. Senate Rules Committee, March 25, 2026

   From 0:29:19 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: One presenter initially used HB 1413 when requesting consideration of an aviation facilities measure. A later presenter corrected that identification and explained that HB 1413 was the needs-based scholarship proposal discussed by the governor. The later presenter said the Senate Higher Education Committee had combined several measures into it, including provisions concerning the Georgia Higher Education Savings Plan and opioid antagonists. The chair ended the presentation without substantive questions. No action on the bill was shown.

9. House Higher Education Committee, April 1, 2026

   From 0:23:54 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair presented the Dream Scholarship provisions and graduate medical scholarship framework from HB 1413 as parts of HB 1300. The chair said the language matched what the House had previously passed. Asked whether Dream Scholarships needed additional budget funding, the chair said funding was included in the 2026 budget through an endowment with principal, scholarship and transitional accounts. The chair said a $25 million transitional account would fund the first two years of scholarships. The chair distinguished that funding from the graduate medical scholarship framework, whose funding remained under discussion in the 2027 budget. No separate vote was taken on HB 1413.

• Read aloud: House floor session, February 24, 2026 (legislative day 23), 0:46:46
• Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 9, 2026 (legislative day 29), 0:27:37
• Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 25, 2026 (legislative day 37), 0:34:18

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