--- title: SB 426. Education; high school students seeking a high school diploma to achieve a minimum score of 70 percent on the United States Citizenship Civics Test; require collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sb426 cite_as: SB 426, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb426 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb426.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb426/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72470 date: 2026-01-28 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/sb425.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb427.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 95 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb426.md?full=1 bill_number: SB 426 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: bill status_date: 2026-01-27 last_action: Senate Read and Referred sponsors: - Marty Harbin - Carden Summers - Max Burns - Jason T. Dickerson - Billy Hickman - John Albers - Ed Setzler - Clint Dixon text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB426/2025 upstream_id: 2095259 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - high school graduation requirements - civics education - GED and HSE diplomas - Georgia education law --- # SB 426. Education; high school students seeking a high school diploma to achieve a minimum score of 70 percent on the United States Citizenship Civics Test; require ## Text Senate Bill 426 By: Senators Harbin of the 16th, Summers of the 13th, Burns of the 23rd, Dickerson of the 21st, Hickman of the 4th and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Article 1 of Chapter 1 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions relative to education, so as to require high school students seeking a high school diploma and individuals seeking a state approved high school equivalency (HSE) diploma to achieve a minimum score of 70 percent on the United States Citizenship Civics Test for the purpose of being eligible to receive a high school diploma or a state approved high school equivalency (HSE) diploma; to provide for multiple attempts; to provide for certification of scores; to provide for legislative findings; to provide for applicability; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. The General Assembly finds that as the United States of America commemorates and celebrates its Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of its independence, it is appropriate to recognize the words of President Ronald Regan, who said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." SECTION 2. Article 1 of Chapter 1 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions relative to education, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows: "20-1-13. (a) As used in this Code section, the term 'citizenship test' shall mean the United States Citizenship Civics Test produced by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. (b) On and after July 1, 2027, each local board of education and other public school governing body shall require students in any of grades nine through 12, as a condition of earning a high school diploma, to achieve a minimum score of 70 percent on the citizenship test. (c) On and after July 1, 2027, each individual seeking a state approved high school equivalency (HSE) diploma shall, as a condition of earning such diploma, achieve a minimum score of 70 percent on the citizenship test. (d) Students and other individuals may take the citizenship test as many times as necessary to earn the minimum required score. (e) All local boards of education and other public school governing bodies and a state approved high school equivalency (HSE) programs shall establish a process to certify that a student or other individual has achieved the minimum required score on the citizenship test in order to ensure compliance with the requirements of this Code section." 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 require high school students and adults seeking a high school equivalency diploma to score at least 70 percent on the U.S. Citizenship Civics Test before they can graduate, starting July 1, 2027. ### Plain-language summary Currently, Georgia does not require students to pass the U.S. Citizenship Civics Test to earn a high school diploma. This bill would change that by adding a new section to Georgia's education code requiring, starting July 1, 2027, that students in grades nine through 12 achieve a minimum score of 70 percent on the test as a condition of earning a high school diploma. The same requirement would apply to adults seeking a state approved high school equivalency (HSE) diploma, often known by the brand name GED. Students and HSE candidates could retake the test as many times as needed to reach the passing score. Local school boards, other public school governing bodies, and HSE programs would have to set up a process to certify that each student or individual actually met the score requirement. ### What it does - Requires students in grades nine through 12 to score at least 70 percent on the U.S. Citizenship Civics Test to earn a high school diploma, starting July 1, 2027. - Applies the same 70 percent minimum score requirement to adults seeking a state approved high school equivalency (HSE) diploma. - Allows students and HSE candidates to retake the citizenship test as many times as necessary to reach the passing score. - Requires local boards of education, other public school governing bodies, and HSE programs to create a certification process confirming each person met the score requirement. - Adds a new Code section (O.C.G.A. ยง 20-1-13) to Georgia's education law defining the test as the one produced by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. ### Who it affects High school students statewide, adults pursuing a high school equivalency diploma, local boards of education and other public school governing bodies, and organizations that run HSE testing programs, all of whom would need to administer, track, or pass the new civics test requirement. ### Why it matters Starting in 2027, passing the civics test would become a graduation requirement alongside existing coursework, meaning students who cannot reach 70 percent, even after multiple attempts, could be blocked from receiving a diploma unless they eventually pass. Schools and HSE programs would need new tracking and certification systems. ### Key provisions - Section 1 states legislative findings tied to the nation's 250th anniversary and quotes President Reagan on the need to actively preserve freedom. - Section 2 adds new Code Section 20-1-13, defining the 'citizenship test' as the United States Citizenship Civics Test produced by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. - Subsection (b) requires local boards of education and public school governing bodies to require a 70 percent minimum score on the test for students in grades nine through 12 as a condition of receiving a diploma, effective July 1, 2027. - Subsection (c) applies the same 70 percent minimum score requirement to individuals seeking a state approved high school equivalency (HSE) diploma, effective July 1, 2027. - Subsection (d) allows unlimited retakes of the test until the minimum score is achieved. - Subsection (e) requires local boards, other governing bodies, and HSE programs to establish a certification process to confirm compliance. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-01-27) - Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-01-28) - Sponsors: Marty Harbin, Carden Summers, Max Burns, Jason T. Dickerson, Billy Hickman, John Albers, Ed Setzler, Clint Dixon - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72470 > The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb426.md?full=1