--- title: HB 235. Georgia Supporting Living Donor Educators Act; enact collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb235 cite_as: HB 235, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb235 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb235.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb235/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69840 date: 2025-04-28 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb234.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb236.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 1056 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb235.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 235 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-04-28 last_action: Effective Date 2025-07-01 sponsors: - Rick Townsend - Alan Powell - Todd Jones - Mark Newton - Lynn Heffner - Mitchell Horner - Mike Hodges text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB235/2025 upstream_id: 1955683 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - organ donation - bone marrow donation - teacher benefits - paid leave - education employment law --- # HB 235. Georgia Supporting Living Donor Educators Act; enact ## Text 25 LC 49 2305S/AP House Bill 235 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives Townsend of the 179th, Powell of the 33rd, Jones of the 25th, Newton of the 127th, Heffner of the 130th, and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Article 1 of Chapter 1 of Title 20 of the Official Cod e of Georgia Annotated,1 relating to general provisions relative to education, so as to require employers of public2 school teachers and employees and postsecondary employees to provide leaves of absence3 for the donation of bone marrow and organs; to provide for stan dards and conditions for4 granting such leaves of absence; to prohibit waivers of such leaves of absence; to provide for5 definitions; to provide for a short title; to provide for relat ed matters; to repeal conflicting6 laws; and for other purposes.7 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:8 SECTION 1.9 This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Georgia Suppor ting Living Donor10 Educators Act."11 SECTION 2.12 Article 1 of Chapter 1 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Geor gia Annotated, relating to13 general provisions relative to education, is amended by adding a new Code section to read14 as follows:15 H. B. 235 - 1 - 25 LC 49 2305S/AP "20-1-12.16 (a) As used in this Code section, the term:17 (1) 'Organ' means a human organ, including the eye, that is capable of being transferred18 from the body of a person to the body of another person.19 (2) 'Public school employee' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code Section20 20-2-910.21 (3) 'Public school teacher' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code Section22 20-2-880.23 (4) 'Postsecondary employee' shall include any person employed not less than half time24 by the University System of Georgia or any institution thereof or the Technical College25 System of Georgia or any unit thereof; provided, however, that such term shall not be26 deemed to include any emergency or temporary employee.27 (b) Each public school teacher and public school employee shall be entitled to receive the28 following leaves of absence, without loss of pay:29 (1) Not more than seven days for the purpose of bone marrow do nation for30 transplantation, which shall not be charged against or deducted from any annual or sick31 leave and shall be included as service in computing any retirement or pension benefits;32 and33 (2) Not more than 30 days for the purpose of organ donation for transplantation, which34 shall not be charged against or deducted from any annual or sic k leave and shall be35 included as service in computing any retirement or pension benefits.36 (c) Each postsecondary employee shall be entitled to receive t he following leaves of37 absence, without loss of pay:38 (1) Not more than seven days for the purpose of bone marrow do nation for39 transplantation, which shall not be charged against or deducted from any annual or sick40 leave; and41 H. B. 235 - 2 - 25 LC 49 2305S/AP (2) Not more than 30 days for the purpose of organ donation for transplantation, which42 shall not be charged against or deducted from any annual or sick leave.43 (d) No individual shall be entitled to a leave of absence provided for in this Code section44 unless he or she furnishes a statement from a medical practitioner who is to perform such45 transplantation procedure or from a hospital administrator where such procedure is to be46 performed that such individual is making a bone marrow or organ donation. Such47 statement shall be furnished to such individual's employer no less than seven days prior to48 any leave of absence to be scheduled.49 (e) This Code section shall not be subject to waiver pursuant to Code Section 20-2-82 for50 a strategic waivers school system, Code Section 20-2-244 for a local board of education,51 or Code Section 20-2-2063.2 for a charter system."52 SECTION 3.53 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.54 H. B. 235 - 3 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. Georgia House Bill 235 would require public school systems, technical colleges, and University System of Georgia institutions to give employees paid leave for bone marrow or organ donation. ### Plain-language summary Currently Georgia law does not guarantee public school teachers, public school employees, or postsecondary employees paid time off specifically for donating bone marrow or organs. This bill, called the Georgia Supporting Living Donor Educators Act, adds a new section to Georgia's education code (O.C.G.A. Title 20) requiring these employers to provide such leave without loss of pay. Public school teachers and employees would get up to seven days of paid leave for bone marrow donation and up to 30 days for organ donation, and this time would count toward retirement or pension service and would not be deducted from sick or annual leave. Postsecondary employees at the University System of Georgia or Technical College System of Georgia get the same day limits, though without the retirement service credit. Employees must give their employer a doctor's or hospital administrator's statement confirming the donation at least seven days before the leave begins. The new leave requirement cannot be waived by strategic waivers school systems, local boards of education, or charter systems. ### What it does - Creates a new Georgia law (O.C.G.A. ยง 20-1-12) guaranteeing paid leave for bone marrow and organ donation to public school teachers, public school employees, and postsecondary employees. - Sets leave limits at up to 7 days for bone marrow donation and up to 30 days for organ donation, without loss of pay. - Specifies that for public school teachers and employees, this leave does not count against sick or annual leave and counts as service time for retirement or pension benefits. - Requires employees to submit a doctor's or hospital administrator's statement confirming the donation at least 7 days before taking the leave. - Blocks local school systems, charter systems, and strategic waivers school systems from waiving this leave requirement. ### Who it affects Public school teachers and other public school employees, employees of the University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia (excluding emergency or temporary workers), local school districts and charter systems that manage staff leave policies, and doctors or hospital administrators who must confirm donation procedures. ### Why it matters Employees who want to donate bone marrow or an organ would no longer have to use up their own sick or vacation days or risk losing pay to do so, which could remove a financial barrier that might otherwise discourage living donation among Georgia's education workforce. ### Key provisions - Section 1 names the law the 'Georgia Supporting Living Donor Educators Act.' - Section 2 adds new Code Section 20-1-12, defining 'organ,' 'public school employee,' 'public school teacher,' and 'postsecondary employee' for purposes of the leave requirement. - Subsection (b) grants public school teachers and employees up to 7 days of paid leave for bone marrow donation and up to 30 days for organ donation, counted as retirement service. - Subsection (c) grants postsecondary employees the same 7 and 30 day leave allowances without the retirement service credit. - Subsection (d) requires a medical or hospital statement confirming the donation, submitted at least 7 days before the leave. - Subsection (e) exempts this leave requirement from existing waiver provisions for strategic waivers school systems, local boards of education, and charter systems. - Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-04-28) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-07-01 (2025-04-28) - Sponsors: Rick Townsend, Alan Powell, Todd Jones, Mark Newton, Lynn Heffner, Mitchell Horner, Mike Hodges - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69840 > The history, votes, and amendments (1,056 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb235.md?full=1