--- title: HB 921. Education Impact Transparency Act; enact collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb921 cite_as: HB 921, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb921 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb921.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb921/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72053 date: 2026-01-12 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb920.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb922.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb921.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 921 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-04-02 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Samuel Park - Mekyah McQueen - Bryce Berry - Karlton Howard - Tangie Herring - David Sampson text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB921/2025 upstream_id: 2019399 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - public education funding - federal education cuts - school district impact - government transparency --- # HB 921. Education Impact Transparency Act; enact ## Text House Bill 921 By: Representatives Park of the 107th, McQueen of the 61st, Berry of the 56th, Howard of the 129th, Herring of the 145th, and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Article 1 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the State Board of Education, so as to require the Georgia Department of Education to complete a study within 90 days of any action by any branch of the federal government that results in certain reductions of the scope, workforce, or budget of the United States Department of Education to determine the impact on public schools in this state; to provide for reporting; to authorize the department to contract with a nonpartisan independent entity to conduct such study; to provide definitions; to provide for a short title; to provide for related matters; 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 "Education Impact Transparency Act." SECTION 2. Article 1 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the State Board of Education, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows: "20-2-21. (a) As used in this Code section, the term: (1) 'Department' means the Georgia Department of Education. (2) 'Local education agency' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code Section 20-2-167.1. (3) 'Study' or 'impact study' means the impact study provided for in this Code section. (b) The department shall complete an impact study within 90 days of any action by any branch of the federal government that results in a reduction of more than 20 percent in the scope, workforce, or budget of the United States Department of Education; provided, however, that, if such federal action occurs prior to the effective date of this Act, such study shall be completed within 90 days of the effective date of this Act. Such study shall assess the impact of such federal action on public primary and secondary education in this state and shall include, but shall not be limited to, the potential effects of such federal action on: (1) Each local education agency and each public primary and secondary school in this state, including, but not limited to, effects related to funding, staffing, resources, and school operations; and (2) Students, including, but not limited to, academic performance and access to programs. (c) The department shall be authorized to contract with a nonpartisan independent entity with expertise in education policy and finance to conduct the study. (d) The department shall prepare a report on the findings of the study, which shall be provided to each local education agency and shall be made available on the department's website in a format that is accessible and understandable by the public." 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. A Georgia House bill would require the Georgia Department of Education to study how major federal cuts to the U.S. Department of Education affect the state's public schools, and to report the findings publicly. ### Plain-language summary This bill, called the Education Impact Transparency Act, responds to the possibility that the federal government could significantly shrink or defund the U.S. Department of Education. It adds a new section to Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-21) requiring the Georgia Department of Education to complete an impact study within 90 days whenever a federal action cuts the U.S. Department of Education's scope, workforce, or budget by more than 20 percent. The study must look at how the federal change affects local school districts and public schools, including funding, staffing, resources, and school operations, as well as effects on students such as academic performance and access to programs. The department could hire an outside nonpartisan expert group to do the study, and it must publish a public report and send it to every local school district. If a qualifying federal cut already happened before this law takes effect, the 90 day clock would start from the law's effective date instead. ### What it does - Adds a new Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-21) requiring the state Department of Education to study the impact of major federal cuts to the U.S. Department of Education. - Triggers the study requirement whenever a federal action cuts the scope, workforce, or budget of the U.S. Department of Education by more than 20 percent. - Sets a 90 day deadline for completing the study, starting from either the federal action or this law's effective date, whichever is later. - Requires the study to assess effects on local school districts, public schools, staffing, funding, and students' academic performance and program access. - Allows the department to contract with a nonpartisan independent group with education policy and finance expertise to conduct the study. - Requires a public report on the study's findings, sent to every local school district and posted on the department's website in an accessible format. ### Who it affects The Georgia Department of Education, which must conduct or contract out the study and publish the report; local school districts, which receive the report; and public primary and secondary schools and their students, whose funding, staffing, and programs are the subject of the study. ### Why it matters If the federal government significantly cuts the U.S. Department of Education, Georgia families, teachers, and school officials would get a formal, public accounting of how that cut affects local schools, funding, and students, rather than relying only on informal or federal-level information. ### Key provisions - Section 1 gives the bill its short title, the Education Impact Transparency Act. - Section 2 adds new Code Section 20-2-21, defining 'department,' 'local education agency,' and 'study' for purposes of the law. - Subsection (b) requires the study within 90 days of a federal action cutting the U.S. Department of Education's scope, workforce, or budget by more than 20 percent, or within 90 days of this Act's effective date if the cut already occurred. - Subsection (b) also lists required study topics: effects on local school districts and schools (funding, staffing, resources, operations) and effects on students (academic performance, program access). - Subsection (c) authorizes the department to contract with a nonpartisan independent entity with education policy and finance expertise to conduct the study. - Subsection (d) requires a public report on the study's findings, delivered to every local school district and posted on the department's website in an accessible, understandable format. - Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-04-02) - Last action: House Second Readers (2026-01-12) - Sponsors: Samuel Park, Mekyah McQueen, Bryce Berry, Karlton Howard, Tangie Herring, David Sampson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72053 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb921.md?full=1