Georgia CommonsHouse · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HR 1829: Georgia schools and boards of education; adopt evidence-based discipline policies and procedures to address the public health crisis of student vape and e-cigarette use; urge
Last action March 27, 2026 · House Committee Favorably Reported
A Georgia House resolution urges public schools and school boards to replace zero-tolerance vaping punishments with evidence-based, health-focused programs that help students quit while staying in school.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the resolution 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
This resolution does not create new law or funding. It expresses the Georgia House of Representatives' position on how schools should respond to student vaping and e-cigarette use, which it describes as a widespread problem in Georgia schools. The resolution points to data showing vaping is a leading cause of school discipline in Georgia and that long suspensions can hurt students' chances of graduating. It urges schools and boards of education to move away from zero-tolerance discipline, meaning automatic suspension or expulsion, and instead use alternative-to-suspension programs such as the Department of Public Health's Opt-Out Live Vape Free Program, its Tobacco-Free Schools Toolkit, the American Lung Association's INDEPTH and N-O-T programs, and behavioral health services from the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. It directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press.
What the bill does
- Urges Georgia schools and boards of education to stop using zero-tolerance discipline for student vaping and e-cigarette use.
- Encourages schools to adopt alternative-to-suspension programs that focus on education and cessation rather than punishment.
- Names specific existing programs schools can use, including the Department of Public Health's Opt-Out Live Vape Free Program and Tobacco-Free Schools Toolkit.
- Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and the press.
- Creates no new statute, funding, or legal requirement; it only states the House's position and encouragement.
Who it affects
Georgia public school students, teachers, and administrators, along with local school boards that set discipline policy. The Department of Public Health, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, and organizations like the American Lung Association are named as sources of alternative programs schools could use.
Why it matters
Because this is a resolution, it does not force any school to change its discipline rules. But it puts the House's weight behind moving away from suspending or expelling students caught vaping, which the resolution says can lower graduation rates, toward treatment-focused programs already available at no cost to schools.
Key provisions
- The whereas clauses cite data that 18.2 percent of Georgia high schoolers vape, more than double the national average, and that vaping is the second leading cause of school discipline incidents in the state.
- The resolution notes suspensions of 10 or more days can cut graduation likelihood in half, linking discipline practices to long-term outcomes like joblessness and justice involvement.
- The operative resolving clause urges schools and boards of education to reject zero tolerance approaches in favor of alternative-to-suspension programs.
- A further resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House to make copies available to the public and press.
From the bill
“the members of this body urge Georgia schools and boards of education to reject ineffective zero tolerance discipline approaches to student vaping in favor of alternative-to-suspension programs proven to help students stop vaping while remaining in school”
“e-cigarette device use is the second leading disciplinary incident in Georgia public schools according to the Georgia Office of Student Achievement”
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 Special Rules Committee, March 27, 2026
From 0:28:50 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HR 1829 would urge schools to use evidence-based responses to student vaping rather than rely on lengthy suspensions. Drawing on a summer study committee, the sponsor described nicotine's harms to young people and said some middle school students had received year-long suspensions for first offenses. A witness for Georgia Appleseed said the organization had seen rising vaping cases and increasingly severe discipline, including removal from school for merely possessing a vape. Citing state education data, the witness reported 12,268 out-of-school suspensions for vaping in 2023-2024 and 92,000 lost instructional hours. The witness also said a single 10-day suspension cuts a student's graduation rate in half. The witness argued that removing students misses opportunities for education and quitting support, and supported public health approaches, including the Department of Public Health's free Tobacco-Free Schools toolkit. No substantive questions or opposing testimony followed. The committee approved the resolution by voice vote, with no opposition heard, and sent it to Rules.
House Rules Committee, March 31, 2026
From 0:33:16 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HR 1829 urges schools to use less punitive approaches when students are caught vaping. The sponsor said community partners reported that students as young as sixth graders had received suspensions lasting a year or more, sometimes simply for holding a vape. The sponsor argued that long suspensions create educational gaps without helping students stop vaping. There were no questions or recorded decisions.
Status timeline
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Michelle Au (D, HD-50)
Topics
- student vaping
- school discipline
- public health
- e-cigarettes
- education policy