---
title: SB 250. Wesley's Law Grant Program; provide for the creation of and establish a purpose
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb250
cite_as: SB 250, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb250
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb250.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb250/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70776
date: 2025-02-26
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/sb249.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb251.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 95
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb250.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 250
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-24
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
- Clint Dixon
- Max Burns
- Ed Setzler
- Marty Harbin
- Billy Hickman
- Shawn Still
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB250/2025
upstream_id: 1982131
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- school safety
- opioid overdose response
- student health
- education funding
- Wesley's Law
---
# SB 250. Wesley's Law Grant Program; provide for the creation of and establish a purpose
## Text
Senate Bill 250
By: Senators Dixon of the 45th, Burns of the 23rd, Setzler of the 37th, Harbin of the 16th,
Hickman of the 4th and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Part 3 of Article 16 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, relating to student health in elementary and secondary education, so as to provide
for the creation of and establish a purpose for the Wesley's Law Grant Program; to provide
for the allocation of grant awards under such program; to require the Department of
Education to pursue grant funding for such program from the Georgia Opioid Crisis
Abatement Trust; to require the State Board of Education to establish award criteria, terms,
and conditions for such program; to authorize the Department of Education to promulgate
rules and regulations necessary to implement such program; to provide for statutory
construction; to provide for annual reporting; to provide definitions; to provide for related
matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Part 3 of Article 16 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to student health in elementary and secondary education, is amended by adding a
new Code section to read as follows:
"20-2-776.6.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Opioid antagonist' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code Section
20-2-776.5.
(2) 'Program' means the Wesley's Law Grant Program established by this Code section.
(3) 'Trust fund' means the state administered trust known as the Georgia Opioid Crisis
Abatement Trust.
(b) Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, and subject to available funding, including,
but not limited to, appropriations by the General Assembly or trust funds obtained pursuant
to subsection (c) of this Code section, the State Board of Education shall establish the
Wesley's Law Grant Program to provide up to $3 million in grant funding for the purpose
of providing annual grants to participating local school systems or public schools, including
charter schools, to acquire and maintain a supply of opioid antagonists as necessary to
implement the purposes of Code Section 20-2-776.5. Such grants shall be awarded based
on criteria, terms, and conditions as determined by the State Board of Education.
(c) The Department of Education is directed to take all steps reasonably necessary to
obtain funding for the program from the trust fund, including, but not limited to, satisfying
any application requirements.
(d) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to preclude a local school system or
public school, including a charter school, from acquiring and maintaining opioid
antagonists in accordance with Code Section 20-2-776.5 at its own expense.
(e) The Department of Education shall maintain and annually report to the Governor data
for the three preceding school years, including, at a minimum:
(1) Rates of participation by local school systems and public schools, including charter
schools;
(2) The number of opioid overdoses occurring at local school systems and public
schools, including charter schools;
(3) The number of times opioid antagonists were administered at local school systems
and public schools, including charter schools;
(4) The outcomes of administered opioid antagonists at local school systems and public
schools, including charter schools; and
(5) The impact of Code Section 20-2-776.5, 'Wesley's Law,' on opioid overdoses at local
school systems and public schools, including charter schools.
(f) The Department of Education is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations as
necessary to administer and implement this Code section."
SECTION 2.
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 create the Wesley's Law Grant Program, offering up to $3 million a year to help public schools stock opioid overdose reversal medication starting in the 2026-2027 school year.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia law already allows schools to keep opioid antagonists (medications like naloxone that reverse opioid overdoses) on campus under what the bill calls 'Wesley's Law.' This bill builds on that by creating a grant program to help pay for it. Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, and depending on available money, the State Board of Education would offer up to $3 million a year in grants so local school systems and public schools, including charter schools, can buy and maintain supplies of these medications.
The Department of Education would be required to seek funding for the program from the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust, a state fund tied to opioid settlement money. The State Board would set the rules for who qualifies and how grants are awarded. The bill does not stop schools from buying the medication on their own if they choose not to use the grant program, and it requires the Department of Education to report yearly data on overdoses, medication use, and outcomes to the Governor.
### What it does
- Creates the Wesley's Law Grant Program to give Georgia public schools and charter schools grants for buying and maintaining opioid overdose reversal medication.
- Caps annual grant funding at up to $3 million, starting in the 2026-2027 school year and dependent on available state or trust funding.
- Requires the Department of Education to seek funding for the program from the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust, a fund built from opioid lawsuit settlement money.
- Directs the State Board of Education to set the criteria, terms, and conditions for awarding grants to schools.
- Requires the Department of Education to report yearly data to the Governor on overdoses, use of the medication, and outcomes at schools.
- Clarifies that schools can still buy and keep the medication on their own dime without applying for a grant.
### Who it affects
Local school systems and public schools, including charter schools, that want funding to stock opioid overdose reversal medication; the Department of Education and State Board of Education, which would run the grant program; and the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust, which the department must seek money from.
### Why it matters
If schools use these grants to keep opioid overdose reversal medication on hand, staff could respond more quickly to an overdose on campus. Whether the program actually helps depends on how much trust fund or state money becomes available, since the $3 million is a cap, not a guarantee.
### Key provisions
- New Code Section 20-2-776.6(b) creates the Wesley's Law Grant Program starting in the 2026-2027 school year, capped at $3 million annually and contingent on available funding.
- Subsection (c) directs the Department of Education to actively pursue grant funding from the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust, including meeting any application requirements.
- Subsection (d) preserves schools' ability to acquire and keep opioid antagonists at their own expense outside the grant program.
- Subsection (e) requires the Department of Education to annually report three years of data to the Governor on participation rates, overdoses, medication administrations, outcomes, and the impact of Wesley's Law.
- Subsection (f) authorizes the Department of Education to write rules and regulations to implement the program.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-02-24)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2025-02-26)
- Sponsors: Clint Dixon, Max Burns, Ed Setzler, Marty Harbin, Billy Hickman, Shawn Still
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70776
> The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb250.md?full=1