--- title: SB 432. Education; nonlapsing revenue of institutions of the University System of Georgia and units of the Technical College System of Georgia; extend automatic repeals collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sb432 cite_as: SB 432, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb432 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb432.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb432/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72506 date: 2026-05-11 status: passed 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/sb431.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb433.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 1200 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb432.md?full=1 bill_number: SB 432 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: bill status_date: 2026-05-11 last_action: Effective Date 2026-05-11 sponsors: - Larry Walker - Jason Anavitarte - Max Burns - Billy Hickman - Harold Jones - Matt Brass - Randy Robertson - Bo Hatchett - Shawn Still - Ben Watson - Chuck Hufstetler - Chuck Payne - Bill Cowsert - Kay Kirkpatrick - Frank Ginn - Sonya Halpern - Nan Orrock - Jan Jones text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB432/2025 upstream_id: 2100689 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - higher education funding - University System of Georgia - Technical College System of Georgia - state debt collection - tuition revenue --- # SB 432. Education; nonlapsing revenue of institutions of the University System of Georgia and units of the Technical College System of Georgia; extend automatic repeals ## Text Senate Bill 432 By: Senators Walker III of the 20th, Anavitarte of the 31st, Burns of the 23rd, Hickman of the 4th, Jones II of the 22nd and others AS PASSED A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to education, so as to extend automatic repeals of certain provisions regarding nonlapsing revenue of institutions of the University System of Georgia and units of the Technical College System of Georgia; to amend Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to state government, so as to extend automatic repeals of certain provisions regarding writing off small amounts due to the state; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to education, is amended by revising Code Section 20-3-86, relating to nonlapsing revenue of institutions in university system, as follows: "20-3-86. Revenue collected by any or all institutions in the university system from tuition, departmental sales or services, continuing education fees, technology fees, or indirect cost recoveries shall not lapse. The amount of revenue from tuition that shall not lapse under this Code section shall not exceed 3 percent of the tuition collected. This Code section shall stand repealed and reserved on July 1, 2026 2031. Not later than October 15 each year, the board of regents shall provide to the Governor, the chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations, and the chairperson of the Senate Appropriations Committee a report of all nonlapsing revenue provided for in this Code section from the preceding fiscal year, the anticipated plans for the use of such nonlapsing revenue, the actual expenses paid for from nonlapsing revenue from the previous fiscal year, and the cumulative balance of nonlapsed revenue." SECTION 2. Said title is further amended by revising Code Section 20-4-21.1, relating to nonlapsing revenue of institutions under the Technical College System of Georgia, as follows: "20-4-21.1. Revenue collected by any or all institutions under the Technical College System of Georgia from tuition, departmental sales or services, continuing education fees, technology fees, or indirect cost recoveries shall not lapse. The amount of revenue from tuition that shall not lapse under this Code section shall not exceed 15 percent of the tuition collected. This Code section shall stand repealed on July 1, 2026 2031. Not later than October 15 each year, the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia shall provide to the Governor, the chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations, and the chairperson of the Senate Appropriations Committee a report of all nonlapsing revenue provided for in this Code section from the preceding fiscal year, the anticipated plans for the use of such nonlapsing revenue, the actual expenses paid for from nonlapsing revenue from the previous fiscal year, and the cumulative balance of nonlapsed revenue." SECTION 3. Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to state government, is amended by revising subsection (b) of Code Section 50-16-18, relating to writing off small amounts due to state, as follows: "(b)(1) All state agencies and departments, in order to preserve public funds, shall be authorized to develop appropriate standards that comply with the policies prescribed by the state accounting officer which will provide a mechanism to consider administratively discharging any obligation or charge in favor of such agency or department when such obligation or charge is $100.00 or any lesser amount unless the agency or department belongs to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia or the Technical College System of Georgia in which case the obligation or charge in favor of the institution under the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia or the institution of the Technical College System of Georgia may be $3,000.00 or any lesser amount. This procedure shall not be available to such agency or department in those instances where the obligor has more than one such debt or obligation in any given fiscal year, and this provision shall be construed in favor of the state agency or department so as not to alter the unquestioned ability of such state agency or department to pursue any debt, obligation, or claim in any amount whatsoever. In those instances where a debt or obligation of $100.00 or less, or $3,000.00 or less for the institutions of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia or the Technical College System of Georgia, has been deemed to be uncollectable, the proper individual making such determination shall transmit a recapitulation of the efforts made to collect the debt together with all other appropriate information, which shall include a reasonable estimate of the cost to pursue administratively or judicially the account, together with a recommendation to the commissioner of such state agency or department. In those instances where the commissioner makes a determination that further collection efforts would be detrimental to the public's financial interest, a certificate reflecting this determination shall be executed, and this certificate shall serve as the authority to remove such uncollectable accounts from the financial records of such state agency or department. Such certificates shall be forwarded to the state accounting officer in a manner and at such times as are reflected in the standards developed by the state accounting officer and the state agency or department. This paragraph shall stand repealed and reserved effective July 1, 2026 2031. (2) On and after July 1, 2026 2031, all state agencies and departments, in order to preserve public funds, shall be authorized to develop appropriate standards that comply with the policies prescribed by the state accounting officer which will provide a mechanism to consider administratively discharging any obligation or charge in favor of such agency or department when such obligation or charge is $100.00 or any lesser amount. This procedure shall not be available to such agency or department in those instances where the obligor has more than one such debt or obligation in any given fiscal year, and this provision shall be construed in favor of the state agency or department so as not to alter the unquestioned ability of such state agency or department to pursue any debt, obligation, or claim in any amount whatsoever. In those instances where a debt or obligation of $100.00 or less has been deemed to be uncollectable, the proper individual making such determination shall transmit a recapitulation of the efforts made to collect the debt together with all other appropriate information, which shall include a reasonable estimate of the cost to pursue administratively or judicially the account, together with a recommendation to the commissioner of such state agency or department. In those instances where the commissioner makes a determination that further collection efforts would be detrimental to the public's financial interest, a certificate reflecting this determination shall be executed, and this certificate shall serve as the authority to remove such uncollectable accounts from the financial records of such state agency or department. Such certificates shall be forwarded to the state accounting officer in a manner and at such times as are reflected in the standards developed by the state accounting officer and the state agency or department." SECTION 4. This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval. SECTION 5. 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 extends, from 2026 to 2031, the deadlines before certain university and technical college revenue rules and a state debt write-off rule automatically expire. ### Plain-language summary Current Georgia law lets University System of Georgia institutions keep a portion of tuition, fees, and related revenue instead of having it lapse back to the state, and it lets the Technical College System of Georgia do the same. Both of these nonlapsing revenue provisions are set to automatically repeal on July 1, 2026 unless extended. A related law lets state agencies write off small uncollectable debts, with a higher $3,000 threshold for university and technical college institutions; that provision is also set to expire in 2026. This bill pushes all three automatic repeal dates back five years, to July 1, 2031, so the nonlapsing revenue rules and the debt write-off rules keep operating without a gap. It does not change the underlying dollar limits, percentages, or reporting requirements, only the sunset dates. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it or it becomes law without his signature. ### What it does - Extends the automatic repeal date for the University System of Georgia's nonlapsing tuition and fee revenue rule (O.C.G.A. § 20-3-86) from July 1, 2026 to July 1, 2031. - Extends the automatic repeal date for the Technical College System of Georgia's nonlapsing revenue rule (O.C.G.A. § 20-4-21.1) from July 1, 2026 to July 1, 2031. - Extends the repeal date for the state's small debt write-off rule (O.C.G.A. § 50-16-18), which lets agencies discharge small uncollectable debts, from July 1, 2026 to July 1, 2031. - Keeps unchanged the existing dollar caps: $100 for most state agencies and $3,000 for University System and Technical College System institutions. - Keeps unchanged the 3 percent cap on nonlapsing tuition revenue for university system institutions and the 15 percent cap for technical college institutions. - Sets the law to take effect immediately upon the Governor's signature or upon becoming law without signature. ### Who it affects University System of Georgia institutions, Technical College System of Georgia institutions, the Board of Regents, the State Board of the Technical College System, and state agencies and departments that write off small uncollectable debts owed to the state. ### Why it matters Without this extension, university and technical college systems would lose their ability to retain tuition and fee revenue that would otherwise lapse, and state agencies would lose their higher $3,000 debt write-off threshold for these institutions starting in mid-2026. The bill keeps these financial tools in place through 2031. ### Key provisions - Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 20-3-86 to move the University System nonlapsing revenue rule's repeal date from 2026 to 2031, and clarifies the section 'stands repealed and reserved,' preserving its future re-enactment status. - Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 20-4-21.1 to move the Technical College System nonlapsing revenue rule's repeal date from 2026 to 2031. - Section 3 revises O.C.G.A. § 50-16-18(b) to move both the higher $3,000 threshold provision for university and technical college institutions and the general $100 threshold provision's repeal and effective dates from 2026 to 2031. - Section 4 makes the Act effective immediately upon the Governor's approval or upon becoming law without his signature. - Section 5 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-05-11) - Last action: Effective Date 2026-05-11 (2026-05-11) - Sponsors: Larry Walker, Jason Anavitarte, Max Burns, Billy Hickman, Harold Jones, Matt Brass, Randy Robertson, Bo Hatchett, Shawn Still, Ben Watson, Chuck Hufstetler, Chuck Payne, Bill Cowsert, Kay Kirkpatrick, Frank Ginn, Sonya Halpern, Nan Orrock, Jan Jones - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72506 > The history, votes, and amendments (1,200 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb432.md?full=1