--- title: SB 197. "End Public Funding of Misinformation Act"' enact collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sb197 cite_as: SB 197, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb197 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb197.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb197/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70443 date: 2025-02-19 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/sb196.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb198.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 95 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb197.md?full=1 bill_number: SB 197 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-02-18 last_action: Senate Read and Referred sponsors: - Nan Orrock - Kim Jackson - Harold Jones - Sonya Halpern - Nikki Merritt - Jason Esteves - Kenya Wicks - Josh McLaurin - Gail Davenport - Michael Rhett - Randal Mangham - Nabilah Islam Parkes - Sheikh Rahman - Ed Harbison - David Lucas - Emanuel Jones - Tonya Anderson text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB197/2025 upstream_id: 1974229 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - pregnancy support programs - state grant funding - Department of Public Health - reproductive health policy --- # SB 197. "End Public Funding of Misinformation Act"' enact ## Text Senate Bill 197 By: Senators Orrock of the 36th, Jackson of the 41st, Jones II of the 22nd, Halpern of the 39th, Merritt of the 9th and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Chapter 2A of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the Department of Public Health, so as to repeal and reserve Article 2, relating to positive alternatives for pregnancy and parenting grant program; 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 "End Public Funding of Misinformation Act." SECTION 2. Chapter 2A of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the Department of Public Health, is amended by repealing and reserving Article 2, relating to positive alternatives for pregnancy and parenting grant program, in its entirety. 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 Senate bill would eliminate the state's Positive Alternatives for Pregnancy and Parenting grant program by repealing the section of state law that created it. ### Plain-language summary Georgia law currently includes a grant program run through the Department of Public Health called the Positive Alternatives for Pregnancy and Parenting program (O.C.G.A. Chapter 2A of Title 31, Article 2). This bill would repeal that entire article of law, eliminating the program's legal basis. The bill is short: it gives itself the title "End Public Funding of Misinformation Act," repeals the article that established the grant program, and repeals any other laws that conflict with this change. The bill text does not specify an effective date beyond the standard process, and it does not create any replacement program or redirect the funding elsewhere; it simply removes the existing program from Georgia law. ### What it does - Repeals Article 2 of Chapter 2A of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, which established the Positive Alternatives for Pregnancy and Parenting grant program. - Gives the bill the short title "End Public Funding of Misinformation Act." - Repeals any other Georgia laws that conflict with this change. - Does not create a replacement program or redirect the eliminated program's funding to another purpose. ### Who it affects The Department of Public Health, which administers the grant program, and any organizations that currently receive or apply for grants under the Positive Alternatives for Pregnancy and Parenting program would be affected, since that funding stream would be eliminated. ### Why it matters If enacted, organizations that currently rely on this state grant program for pregnancy and parenting services would lose that funding source, and the Department of Public Health would no longer operate the program, changing what state-funded pregnancy support services exist in Georgia. ### Key provisions - Section 1 sets the bill's short title as the "End Public Funding of Misinformation Act." - Section 2 repeals and reserves Article 2 of Chapter 2A of Title 31 in its entirety, removing the legal basis for the pregnancy and parenting grant program. - Section 3 repeals any other state laws that conflict with the bill. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-02-18) - Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2025-02-19) - Sponsors: Nan Orrock, Kim Jackson, Harold Jones, Sonya Halpern, Nikki Merritt, Jason Esteves, Kenya Wicks, Josh McLaurin, Gail Davenport, Michael Rhett, Randal Mangham, Nabilah Islam Parkes, Sheikh Rahman, Ed Harbison, David Lucas, Emanuel Jones, Tonya Anderson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70443 > The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb197.md?full=1