Georgia CommonsHouse · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 669: Quality Basic Education Act; award of low-wealth capital outlay grants to qualifying local school systems that award certain contracts for roofing improvements to suppliers that meet certain criteria; provide
Last action March 6, 2026 · House Committee Favorably Reported
A Georgia House bill would let low-wealth school districts qualify for state roofing grants and skip normal competitive bidding rules when they hire a roofing supplier already approved through a state cooperative purchasing program.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Georgia's Quality Basic Education Act gives low-wealth capital outlay grants to school systems that meet certain financial eligibility criteria, helping pay for building projects. This bill adds roof replacement or repair projects to that grant program, but only if the district uses a roofing supplier that has already been approved by a cooperative purchasing organization and designated by the Department of Administrative Services as an authorized supply source, and only if the roof work appears in the district's approved local facilities plan. The bill also changes Georgia's public works bidding law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 36-91). It excludes roof improvements to existing buildings from the legal definition of 'public works construction,' and it says that hiring one of these pre-approved suppliers automatically satisfies the chapter's notice and competitive bidding requirements. The changes would take effect once signed by the Governor or allowed to become law without a signature, and would apply to contracts entered into on or after that date.
What the bill does
- Adds roofing improvements as a category eligible for low-wealth capital outlay grants under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-262, if done through an approved cooperative purchasing supplier.
- Requires the roofing project to be listed in the school system's most recently approved local facilities plan to qualify for the grant.
- Removes roof improvements to existing buildings from the definition of 'public works construction' in Georgia's bidding law (O.C.G.A. § 36-91-2).
- Declares that awarding a roofing contract to a Department of Administrative Services-designated cooperative purchasing supplier automatically meets the chapter's notice and competitive bidding requirements.
- Applies the changes to contracts entered into on or after the bill's effective date, which is upon the Governor's signature or the bill becoming law without signature.
Who it affects
Low-wealth Georgia school systems seeking state capital outlay grants, roofing suppliers approved through state cooperative purchasing programs, the Department of Administrative Services, and other roofing contractors or suppliers who are not on the approved list and would compete for fewer bid opportunities.
Why it matters
Qualifying school districts could get state grant money for roof work and avoid the usual competitive bidding process by using a pre-approved supplier, potentially speeding up projects. Roofing contractors outside the state's cooperative purchasing program could see fewer competitive bidding opportunities on Georgia school roofing jobs.
Key provisions
- Section 1 adds a new subsection (g) to O.C.G.A. § 20-2-262, granting low-wealth capital outlay funds for roofing work done through a DAS-designated cooperative purchasing supplier.
- Section 2 revises the definition of 'public works construction' in O.C.G.A. § 36-91-2 to exclude roof improvements to existing structures, except for any ancillary items placed on the roof.
- Section 3 adds subsection (i) to O.C.G.A. § 36-91-21, deeming competitive bidding requirements satisfied when a roofing contract goes to an approved cooperative purchasing supplier.
- Section 4 sets the effective date as the date of the Governor's signature or the bill becoming law without signature, applying to contracts made on or after that date.
From the bill
“shall, upon utilizing a contract for the improvement of the roof of an existing structure or building to a supplier approved by a cooperative purchasing organization and designated by the Department of Administrative Services as an authorized source of supply”
“The notice and competitive award requirements of this chapter shall be deemed to have been satisfied when a contract for the improvement of the roof of an existing structure or building is awarded to a supplier approved by a cooperative purchasing organization”
Discussed in meetings (5)
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.
House Education Committee, March 5, 2026
From 0:36:21 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 669 would clarify that school systems could receive capital funding, including low-wealth grants, for roof improvements purchased through a cooperative purchasing agency using an authorized supplier. The sponsor cited a Ware County project that could not use the grant under the existing wording and said the Department of Education supported clarification. Asked about savings, the sponsor said the approach would save time but did not provide an amount or estimate of financial savings. Another member asked whether it would bypass competitive bidding. The sponsor said it would not. A witness for the Georgia School Superintendents Association explained that cooperative agencies conduct annual bidding and that schools already could use cooperative purchasing, but the department had concerns about using it with these funding sources. The witness said several such agencies operate nationally. The committee approved the bill by voice vote.
House Rules Committee, March 6, 2026
From 0:30:16 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 2177
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 669 would allow school systems to obtain roofing improvements through suppliers identified through a cooperative purchasing agency and authorized by the Georgia Department of Administrative Services. The sponsor said this purchasing method would qualify roofing projects for capital reimbursement, including low-wealth capital funds for eligible schools. There were no questions or recorded decisions.
House Rules Committee, March 6, 2026
From 1:22:15 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 2177
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed HB 669 on the supplemental floor calendar under modified structured rules. No substantive discussion occurred.
House Governmental Affairs Committee, March 18, 2026
From 0:29:58 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: A presenter explained that provisions from this bill had been incorporated into Section 2 of the substitute for SB 284. The presenter said they would allow school systems to obtain roofing improvements for existing buildings through suppliers identified by a cooperative purchasing agreement or agency, while remaining eligible for capital outlay reimbursements and low-wealth capital grants. The presenter said the proposal followed a roofing-project problem in Ware County and had previously passed the Education Committee. No separate vote was taken on this bill.
Status timeline
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Steven Meeks (R, HD-178)
- James Burchett (R, HD-176)
- Leesa Hagan (R, HD-156)
- John Corbett (R, HD-174)
Topics
- school construction funding
- public works bidding
- roofing contracts
- education funding
- state procurement