---
title: HR 1754. House Study Committee on Georgia Teacher Planning and Duty-Free Lunch; create
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hr1754
cite_as: HR 1754, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1754
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1754.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1754/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74209
date: 2026-03-20
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: 132
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1754.md?full=1
bill_number: HR 1754
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2026-03-18
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
  - Karen Lupton
  - Akbar Ali
  - Marvin Lim
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1754/2025
upstream_id: 2135908
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - teacher planning time
  - duty-free lunch
  - substitute teachers
  - education policy
  - study committee
---

# HR 1754. House Study Committee on Georgia Teacher Planning and Duty-Free Lunch; create

## Text

House Resolution 1754
By: Representatives Lupton of the 83rd, Ali of the 106th, and Lim of the 98th
A RESOLUTION
Creating the House Study Committee on Georgia Teacher Planning and Duty-Free Lunch;
and for other purposes.
WHEREAS, supporting Georgia teachers is a key priority for the state, the General
Assembly, and the House of Representatives; and
WHEREAS, teachers require sufficient planning time to properly develop lesson plans,
create classroom materials, and accomplish other professional requirements; and
WHEREAS, planning time is often lost due to the need for teachers to cover classes for
absent colleagues when substitute teachers cannot be secured; and
WHEREAS, substitute teachers play an integral role in ensuring teachers have sufficient
planning time and allowing teachers to complete necessary professional learning; and
WHEREAS, state funding for substitute teachers has not increased since the Quality Basic
Education Act was passed in 1985; and
WHEREAS, duty-free lunch provides teachers time needed for physical and mental renewal
and helps support high-quality work for the remainder of the school day; and
WHEREAS, current duty-free lunch and planning time requirements are waived by many
school districts for a variety of reasons, including staff shortages, required professional
learning, and lack of substitute teachers; and
WHEREAS, in December 2025, the Georgia Roundtable for Strategic Educator Recruitment
and Retention recommended increasing substitute funding and protecting planning time as
part of its "Strategic Plan for Educator Recruitment and Retention"; and
WHEREAS, further study on this issue is needed to develop policy and funding solutions to
better address the need for teacher duty-free lunch and planning time.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
(1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee
on Teacher Planning and Duty-Free Lunch.
(2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of six members of the
House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives. The Speaker shall designate a member of the committee as chairperson
of the committee.
(3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs,
issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or
legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.
(4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee
may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or
convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and
accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.
(5) Allowances and funding.
(A) The legislative members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided
for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.
(B) The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member
of the committee for more than five days unless additional days are authorized. Funds
necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds
appropriated to the House of Representatives.
(6) Report.
(A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that
include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the
same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution, subject to
subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.
(B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not include suggestions for
proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C)
of this paragraph.
(C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of
abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee.
A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with
the Clerk of the House of Representatives.
(D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Clerk of the
House of Representatives a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu
thereof.
(7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2026.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary.

A House resolution would create a study committee to examine teacher planning time and duty-free lunch periods in Georgia public schools, looking at substitute teacher funding and policy fixes before the end of 2026.

### Plain-language summary

Georgia teachers are supposed to get protected planning time and a duty-free lunch, but the resolution notes that many school districts waive these requirements because of staff shortages, required training, or a lack of substitute teachers. It also points out that state funding for substitutes has not increased since the Quality Basic Education Act passed in 1985.
This resolution creates the House Study Committee on Georgia Teacher Planning and Duty-Free Lunch, made up of six House members chosen by the Speaker, who also picks the chairperson. The committee would study the problem and recommend legislation or other action. Members get standard legislative allowances for up to five days of meetings, paid from House funds. The committee must file a report, if it adopts one, before it is abolished on December 1, 2026.

### What it does

- Creates a six-member House study committee on teacher planning time and duty-free lunch, with members and a chairperson appointed by the Speaker.
- Directs the committee to study why planning time and duty-free lunch requirements are often waived and recommend legislation or other action.
- Allows the committee to hold meetings wherever and whenever needed, called by the chairperson, to carry out its study.
- Gives legislative members standard allowances under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, capped at five days unless more are approved, paid from House funds.
- Requires the committee to file an approved report or, if none is approved, meeting minutes with the Clerk of the House of Representatives.
- Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2026.

### Who it affects

Members of the House of Representatives who serve on the committee, Georgia public school teachers whose planning time and lunch breaks are at issue, school districts that currently waive these protections, and substitute teachers whose funding levels are part of the study.

### Why it matters

The resolution itself makes no funding or policy changes; it only sets up a committee to study the issue and recommend fixes. Any real change for teachers, such as more substitute funding or firmer lunch and planning protections, would depend on legislation the committee proposes later.

### Key provisions

- Paragraph (1) creates the House Study Committee on Teacher Planning and Duty-Free Lunch.
- Paragraph (2) sets the committee at six House members appointed by the Speaker, who also names the chairperson.
- Paragraph (3) charges the committee with studying the issue and recommending action or legislation.
- Paragraph (5) sets member allowances under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, limited to five paid days unless more are authorized, funded through the House of Representatives budget.
- Paragraph (6) requires filing an approved report with the Clerk of the House before abolishment, or meeting minutes if no report is approved.
- Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 1, 2026.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2026-03-18)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2026-03-20)
- Sponsors: Karen Lupton, Akbar Ali, Marvin Lim
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74209

> The history, votes, and amendments (132 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1754.md?full=1