---
title: HB 695. Georgia Student Finance Authority; establish a needs based financial aid program to award grants to eligible students who have not yet received their financial aid award
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb695
cite_as: HB 695, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb695
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb695.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb695/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71050
date: 2025-03-04
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-12
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/hb695.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 695
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-28
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Mary Ann Santos
- Teddy Reese
- Eric Bell
- Bryce Berry
- Robert Flournoy
- Arlene Beckles
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB695/2025
upstream_id: 1989291
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- college financial aid
- student grants
- higher education funding
- Georgia Student Finance Authority
---
# HB 695. Georgia Student Finance Authority; establish a needs based financial aid program to award grants to eligible students who have not yet received their financial aid award
## Text
House Bill 695
By: Representatives Santos of the 117th, Reese of the 140th, Bell of the 75th, Berry of the 56th,
Flournoy of the 74th, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Part 3 of Article 7 of Chapter 3 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, relating to the Georgia Student Finance Authority, so as to establish a needs
based financial aid program to award grants to eligible students who have not yet received
their financial aid award so that such students can obtain the essential materials they need to
begin classes; to provide a maximum award amount; to provide definitions; to provide for
eligibility; to provide for applications; to provide for rules, regulations, and procedures; to
provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Part 3 of Article 7 of Chapter 3 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to the Georgia Student Finance Authority, is amended by adding a new subpart to
read as follows:
"Subpart 2B
20-3-367.
As used in this subpart, the term:
(1) 'Commission' means the Georgia Student Finance Commission created by Code
Section 20-3-233.
(2) 'Eligible student' means a person:
(A) Whose family income is considered economically disadvantaged, based on criteria
established by the commission;
(B) Who meets any academic or other standards established by the commission;
(C) Who is eligible for a scholarship or grant pursuant to Code Section 20-3-519.1;
(D) Who has completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA);
(E) Who is enrolled in a qualified institution; and
(F) Who has applied and is eligible for state or federal financial aid but has not
received his or her financial aid award within two weeks of the first day of the semester
or quarter.
(3) 'Essential materials' means books, materials, or other items identified by the course
instructor as essential to participating in and completing a required course as part of an
eligible student's program of study.
(4) 'Qualified institution' shall have the same meaning as the term 'eligible postsecondary
institution' as set forth in Code Section 20-3-519.
20-3-368.
(a) Subject to appropriations, the commission shall establish a needs based financial aid
program to provide grants to eligible students for the purpose of obtaining essential
materials. The maximum award amount per eligible student shall be $5,000.00 in total.
Grant awards shall be disbursed directly to each student who is awarded a grant under this
subpart. The commission may provide for individualized eligibility criteria and grant
amounts as determined to be the most appropriate for the particular qualified institution and
program of study in accordance with this subpart and the rules and regulations of the
commission.
(b) Each eligible student wishing to receive a grant pursuant to this subpart shall submit
a grant application in accordance with the rules, regulations, and procedures prescribed by
the commission. Such application shall include the essential materials such student wishes
to obtain and the estimated cost of such essential materials.
20-3-369.
The commission is authorized to define such terms and prescribe such rules, regulations,
and procedures as may be reasonable and necessary to carry out the purposes of this
subpart. Such rules, regulations, and procedures shall provide for the expedited processing
of applications and disbursement of grant awards."
SECTION 2.
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.
A Georgia House bill would create a new grant program letting the Georgia Student Finance Authority give up to $5,000 to college students who qualify for financial aid but haven't received it yet, so they can buy books and course materials.
### Plain-language summary
Some Georgia college students who qualify for state or federal financial aid still haven't received their award money by the time classes start, leaving them unable to afford required textbooks and course materials. This bill would direct the Georgia Student Finance Commission, part of the Georgia Student Finance Authority, to set up a new needs based grant program addressing that gap.
To qualify, a student would have to come from an economically disadvantaged family, meet academic or other standards set by the commission, be eligible for a HOPE or Zell Miller scholarship or grant, have completed the FAFSA, be enrolled at a qualifying college, and still be waiting on financial aid two weeks after the semester or quarter begins. Grants would be capped at $5,000 per student and paid directly to them, covering books and materials an instructor identifies as essential to a course. The program depends on the legislature actually funding it, and the commission would write detailed rules for applications and fast processing.
### What it does
- Creates a new needs based grant program at the Georgia Student Finance Commission for students who qualify for financial aid but haven't received it yet.
- Caps each student's grant at $5,000 total, to be paid directly to the student rather than the school.
- Defines 'eligible student' to require economic disadvantage, academic standards, HOPE/Zell Miller eligibility, a completed FAFSA, enrollment at a qualifying school, and a two week wait past the start of classes.
- Limits grant use to 'essential materials' like books and other items an instructor says are required for a course.
- Requires students to submit an application listing the materials they need and their estimated cost.
- Makes the program subject to state funding (appropriations), meaning it only operates if the legislature allocates money for it.
### Who it affects
College and university students in Georgia who qualify for state or federal financial aid but face delays receiving it, especially those from lower income families; the Georgia Student Finance Commission and Authority, which would run the new program; and Georgia's qualifying postsecondary institutions where these students are enrolled.
### Why it matters
Students who are waiting on delayed financial aid can struggle to afford textbooks and materials right when classes start, which can hurt their coursework from day one. This bill would give the state a direct way to bridge that gap with grants of up to $5,000, though only if lawmakers fund the program.
### Key provisions
- New Code Section 20-3-367 defines key terms including 'eligible student,' 'essential materials,' and 'qualified institution' for the new subpart.
- New Code Section 20-3-368 establishes the grant program, sets the $5,000 maximum award per student, and requires direct disbursement to the student.
- The same section lets the commission set individualized eligibility criteria and award amounts depending on the institution and program of study.
- Section 20-3-368(b) requires an application listing the specific essential materials needed and their estimated cost.
- New Code Section 20-3-369 directs the commission to write rules and procedures for expedited application processing and grant disbursement.
- The program's operation is explicitly made 'subject to appropriations,' meaning it depends on state funding being provided.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-02-28)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-03-04)
- Sponsors: Mary Ann Santos, Teddy Reese, Eric Bell, Bryce Berry, Robert Flournoy, Arlene Beckles
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71050
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb695.md?full=1