SB 17: "Ricky and Alyssa's Law"; enact

Georgia public schools currently have no statewide requirement to link their emergency systems directly with police, fire, and 911 dispatch, or to provide detailed building maps to first responders. This bill, named for victims of a school shooting, changes that. It requires every public school to implement a mobile panic alert system, called 'Alyssa's Alert,' that connects with Next Generation 9-1-1 and other emergency technology so multiple agencies can coordinate in real time during a school security emergency. The bill also requires schools to procure detailed school mapping data, including floor plans, labeled access points, utility and safety equipment locations, and surrounding property layouts, verified annually through an in-person inspection. The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency may set rules for how this data is formatted and secured. Schools already meeting these standards by July 1, 2026 do not need new systems. The law grants immunity from civil liability for creating and using the mapping data and takes effect July 1, 2025.

• Requires every Georgia public school to install a mobile panic alert system ('Alyssa's Alert') linked to local and state emergency responders by July 1, 2026.
• Requires the panic alert system to integrate with Next Generation 9-1-1 technology and with new school mapping data.
• Requires public schools to procure detailed school mapping data, including floor plans, labeled access points, utility locations, and surrounding areas, verified yearly by in-person inspection.
• Authorizes the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency to set rules for formatting, encrypting, and securely transmitting school mapping data.
• Exempts schools already meeting the panic alert requirements as of July 1, 2026 from procuring new systems.
• Grants civil liability immunity to school boards, school systems, local governments, and their employees for creating and using the mapping data, except in cases of gross negligence or bad faith.

Public schools, local school systems, and school boards across Georgia; students and staff who would be protected by faster emergency response; local police, fire, and 911 dispatch agencies that must integrate with the new systems; and the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, which gains rulemaking authority.

If a security emergency happens at a Georgia public school, this law aims to let police, fire, and dispatch coordinate faster using shared alert systems and detailed building maps. Schools face new deadlines and coordination duties, while officials and school systems gain legal protection from lawsuits over the mapping data.

• Section 1 names the law 'Ricky and Alyssa's Law.'
• Section 2 adds Code Section 20-2-591, requiring schools to implement the 'Alyssa's Alert' mobile panic system by July 1, 2026, integrated with Next Generation 9-1-1 and school mapping data, with an exception for schools that already meet the standard.
• Section 3 adds a definition of 'school mapping data' to O.C.G.A. § 38-3-151, covering building information, floor plans, and aerial imagery.
• Section 4 adds Code Section 38-3-154, detailing required contents of school mapping data (access points, utilities, safety equipment, surrounding areas), annual verification, agency rulemaking authority, public disclosure exemptions, and civil liability immunity for school systems and employees absent gross negligence or bad faith.
• Section 5 sets the effective date as July 1, 2025.
• Section 6 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-03-31Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub As Amended (Senate)
2. 2025-04-02House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
3. 2025-04-02House Third Readers (House)
4. 2025-03-18House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
5. 2025-03-11House Second Readers (House)
6. 2025-03-10House First Readers (House)
7. 2025-03-06Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
8. 2025-03-06Senate Third Read (Senate)

• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)Primary sponsor
• Clint Dixon (R, SD-045)
• Frank Ginn (R, SD-047)
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-051)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
• Matt Brass (R, SD-006)
• Chuck Hufstetler (R, SD-052)
• John Albers (R, SD-056)
• Bill Cowsert (R, SD-046)
• John Kennedy (R, SD-018)
• Carden Summers (R, SD-013)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)
• Brian Strickland (R, SD-042)
• Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)
• Mike Hodges (R, SD-003)
• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)
• Larry Walker (R, SD-020)
• Marty Harbin (R, SD-016)
• Greg Dolezal (R, SD-027)
• Drew Echols (R, SD-049)
• Timothy Bearden (R, SD-030)
• Lee Anderson (R, SD-024)
• Sonya Halpern (D, SD-039)
• Jason Esteves (D, SD-035)
• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)
• Ben Watson (R, SD-001)
• Max Burns (R, SD-023)
• Sam Watson (R, SD-011)
• Chuck Payne (R, SD-054)
• Holt Persinger (R, HD-119)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 6, 2025

   55 yea, 0 nay (0 not voting, 1 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #163

2. PassedHouse voteApril 2, 2025

   171 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 8 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #380

3. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2026

   32 yea, 17 nay (2 not voting, 3 absent)

   Agree To House Substitute As Amended: Senate Vote #924

• school safety
• panic alert systems
• 911 emergency response
• school mapping data
• education law