---
title: HB 543. Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water Act; enact
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb543
cite_as: HB 543, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb543
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb543.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb543/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70580
date: 2025-02-24
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
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.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb543.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 543
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-20
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Bryce Berry
- Mekyah McQueen
- Eric Bell
- Robert Dawson
- Tangie Herring
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB543/2025
upstream_id: 1978513
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- drinking water safety
- lead contamination
- school health
- child care regulation
- public health
---
# HB 543. Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water Act; enact
## Text
House Bill 543
By: Representatives Berry of the 56th, McQueen of the 61st, Bell of the 75th, Dawson of the
65th, and Herring of the 145th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 1 of Chapter 1 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to general provisions relative to education, so as to require testing of drinking water
in child care learning centers and schools for lead contamination; to provide for notice and
reporting of test results and remediation plans; to provide for definitions; to provide for rules
and regulations; to provide for an exemption; to prohibit waivers; to provide for related
matters; to provide a short title; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Get the Lead Out of School Drinking
Water Act."
SECTION 2.
Article 1 of Chapter 1 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
general provisions relative to education, is amended by adding a new Code section to read
as follows:
"20-1-12.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Child care learning center' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code
Section 20-1A-2.
(2) 'Lead contamination' means a lead concentration level of five parts per billion or
greater.
(3) 'School' means any public or private primary or secondary school.
(b) No later than July 1, 2026, every child care learning center and every school shall
conduct testing of drinking water outlets for lead contamination and develop a remediation
plan for any lead contamination identified. Remediation shall be completed as soon as
practicable, and remediation plans shall include a timeline for the completion of such
remediation. Such testing and remediation shall be conducted in accordance with rules and
regulations established pursuant to subsection (d) of this Code section.
(c) Where a finding of lead contamination is made, a child care learning center or school
shall:
(1) Provide written notice of test results and the remediation plan to parents or guardians
of children and students and to staff members;
(2) Post such test results and remediation plan in a prominent location at the child care
learning center or school or on such center's or school's public website;
(3) Submit such test results and remediation plan to the Department of Public Health;
and
(4) Provide an intermediate or alternate source of drinking water that does not contain
lead contamination.
(d) The Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Environmental Protection
Division of the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Education, and the
Department of Early Care and Learning, shall establish rules and regulations no later than
January 1, 2026, regarding the testing of drinking water outlets and the remediation of lead
contamination as required pursuant to this Code section. Such rules and regulations shall
include, but not be limited to, minimum criteria for testing drinking water, entities that are
authorized to analyze drinking water samples, and any intermediate or alternate water
sources required during remediation.
(e) Subject to appropriations or other available funding, the Department of Education shall
be authorized to provide grants to child care learning centers and schools in order to assist
such child care learning centers and schools in complying with the requirements of this
Code section.
(f) Child care learning centers and schools which are classified as public water systems
pursuant to 40 C.F.R. Parts 141-142 as such regulations existed on January 1, 2025, shall
be exempt from this Code section.
(g) This Code section shall not be subject to waivers pursuant to Code Section 20-2-82 for
a strategic waivers school system; Code Section 20-2-244 for a local board of education;
Code Section 20-2-2063.2 for a charter system; or Code Section 20-2-2065 for a charter
school established pursuant to Article 31 or Article 31A of Chapter 2 of this title, a charter
system, or schools within a charter system."
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## 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.
House Bill 543 would require Georgia child care centers and schools to test their drinking water for lead by July 1, 2026, and to notify families and fix any contamination found.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia currently has no statewide requirement for child care centers and schools to test their drinking water for lead. House Bill 543, called the "Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water Act," would add a new section to Georgia law requiring every child care learning center and every public or private school to test drinking water outlets for lead by July 1, 2026, and to create a remediation plan for any contamination found, defined as five parts per billion or more.
If lead is found, the center or school must notify parents, guardians, and staff in writing, post the results and plan publicly, report to the Department of Public Health, and provide an alternate water source. The Department of Public Health must write testing and remediation rules by January 1, 2026, working with state environmental, education, and early learning agencies. Schools already classified as public water systems are exempt, and the law cannot be waived for charter systems or schools.
### What it does
- Requires every child care learning center and public or private school to test drinking water outlets for lead contamination by July 1, 2026.
- Defines lead contamination as a concentration of five parts per billion or greater under the new Code section.
- Requires written notice to parents, guardians, and staff, public posting of results, and a report to the Department of Public Health whenever contamination is found.
- Requires centers and schools to provide an alternate lead-free water source and complete a remediation plan when contamination is found.
- Directs the Department of Public Health to set testing and remediation rules by January 1, 2026, in consultation with three other state agencies.
- Exempts centers and schools already classified as federal public water systems and bars use of several existing school waiver laws to escape the requirement.
### Who it affects
Public and private schools, child care learning centers, parents and guardians, school and center staff, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Education, the Department of Early Care and Learning, and the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources.
### Why it matters
Families and staff would learn directly if their school or child care center's water has unsafe lead levels, and centers would have to act quickly to fix the problem and provide safe water in the meantime, changing how lead risks in drinking water are found and addressed statewide.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 gives the bill its short title, the "Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water Act."
- Section 2 adds new Code Section 20-1-12, defining child care learning center, lead contamination (5 ppb or greater), and school.
- Subsection (b) sets a July 1, 2026 deadline for lead testing of drinking water outlets and requires a remediation plan with a completion timeline.
- Subsection (c) requires written notice to families and staff, public posting, reporting to the Department of Public Health, and an alternate water source when contamination is found.
- Subsection (d) requires the Department of Public Health, with other agencies, to issue testing and remediation rules by January 1, 2026.
- Subsection (e) allows the Department of Education to give grants to help centers and schools comply, subject to available funding.
- Subsection (f) exempts centers and schools already classified as public water systems under federal regulations.
- Subsection (g) bars several existing school waiver laws from being used to avoid this requirement.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-02-20)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-02-24)
- Sponsors: Bryce Berry, Mekyah McQueen, Eric Bell, Robert Dawson, Tangie Herring
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70580
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb543.md?full=1