--- title: SR 493. Children First Trust Fund; creation; authorize General Assembly - CA collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr493 cite_as: SR 493, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr493 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr493.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr493/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71849 date: 2025-03-31 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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/sr492.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr494.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 95 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr493.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 493 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-28 last_action: Senate Read and Referred sponsors: - Derek Mallow - Sonya Halpern - Jason Esteves - Kim Jackson - Harold Jones - Nan Orrock - Michael Rhett - Elena Parent - Josh McLaurin - Sally Harrell - Donzella James - RaShaun Kemp text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR493/2025 upstream_id: 2016647 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - child care funding - constitutional amendment - state budget - Revenue Shortfall Reserve - Georgia ballot referendum --- # SR 493. Children First Trust Fund; creation; authorize General Assembly - CA ## Text 25 LC 55 0640 Senate Resolution 493 By: Senators Mallow of the 2nd, Halpern of the 39th, Esteves of the 35th, Jackson of the 41st, Jones II of the 22nd and others A RESOLUTION Proposing an amendment to the Constitution so as to authorize t he General Assembly to1 provide by law for the creation of a Children First Trust Fund; to provide for the2 appropriation of moneys into such fund, including a one-time ap propriation from the3 Revenue Shortfall Reserve; to provide that moneys appropriated into such fund shall not4 lapse and shall be used to provide scholarships, grants, or other forms of financial assistance5 for child care services; to provide for the investment and rein vestment of a portion of the6 moneys appropriated into such fund; to provide that returns on such investments shall be7 used for financial assistance for child care services; to provide for related matters; to provide8 for the submission of this amendment for ratification or rejection; and for other purposes.9 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:10 SECTION 1.11 Article III, Section IX, Paragraph VI of the Constitution is am ended by adding a new12 subparagraph to read as follows:13 "(s) The General Assembly is authorized to provide by law for the creation of a Children14 First Trust Fund for the purpose of providing, in accordance wi th the provisions of this15 subparagraph, financial assistance for child care services in this state. Upon the creation16 of such Children First Trust Fund, the General Assembly shall m ake a one-time17 S. R. 493 - 1 - 25 LC 55 0640 appropriation in the amount of $2 billion into such fund, which shall be appropriated from18 the Revenue Shortfall Reserve. The General Assembly shall be a uthorized, but not19 required, to appropriate additional amounts into such fund. All moneys appropriated into20 the Children First Trust Fund shall not be subject to the provisions of Article III, Section21 IX, Paragraph IV(c), relating to the lapsing of funds, and shal l be used to provide22 scholarships, grants, or other forms of financial assistance fo r child care services in this23 state; provided, however, that a portion of the moneys appropriated to the Children First24 Trust Fund shall be invested and reinvested in a manner as prov ided by law. Moneys25 received from returns on such investments and reinvestments sha ll be deposited into the26 Children First Trust Fund and shall be used to provide scholarships, grants, or other forms27 of financial assistance for child care services in this state. The General Assembly shall be28 authorized to provide by law for any matters relating to the purpose or provisions of this29 subparagraph."30 SECTION 2.31 The above proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be publi shed and submitted as32 provided in Article X, Section I, Paragraph II of the Constitution. The ballot submitting the33 above proposed amendment shall have written or printed thereon the following:34 "( ) YES35 ( ) NO36 37 38 Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to authorize the General Assembly to use a portion of the state's historic, multi-year revenue surplus to create a self-sustaining Children First Trust Fund for the p urpose of providing access to child care services in this state?" All persons desiring to vote in favor of ratifying the proposed amendment shall vote "Yes."39 All persons desiring to vote against ratifying the proposed amendment shall vote "No." If40 such amendment shall be ratified as provided in said Paragraph of the Constitution, it shall41 become a part of the Constitution of this state.42 S. R. 493 - 2 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia Senate resolution would let voters decide whether to amend the state constitution to create a Children First Trust Fund, seeded with a one-time $2 billion transfer, to help pay for child care assistance. ### Plain-language summary This resolution proposes a constitutional amendment that would let the General Assembly set up a Children First Trust Fund by law. If created, the fund would receive an immediate one-time $2 billion appropriation drawn from Georgia's Revenue Shortfall Reserve, the state's rainy day fund, and lawmakers could add more money later if they chose. Money placed in the fund would not be subject to the normal rule requiring unspent state funds to lapse back to the treasury at year end. Instead it would stay available to pay for scholarships, grants, or other financial assistance for child care services. A portion of the fund would be invested, and the investment returns would also be funneled into child care assistance. Because this is a constitutional amendment, it must be approved by Georgia voters in a statewide referendum before taking effect. ### What it does - Amends Article III, Section IX, Paragraph VI of the Georgia Constitution to let the General Assembly create a Children First Trust Fund by law. - Directs a one-time $2 billion appropriation into the fund from the state's Revenue Shortfall Reserve once the fund is created. - Allows, but does not require, the General Assembly to add further money to the fund in future years. - Exempts fund money from the constitutional rule that unspent appropriations lapse at the end of the fiscal year (Article III, Section IX, Paragraph IV(c)). - Requires that fund money be used for scholarships, grants, or other financial assistance for child care services in Georgia. - Requires part of the fund to be invested and reinvested, with investment returns also directed toward child care financial assistance. ### Who it affects Georgia families seeking child care assistance, child care providers who could benefit from increased demand funded by scholarships or grants, the state treasury and its Revenue Shortfall Reserve, and Georgia voters, who must approve the change in a statewide referendum. ### Why it matters If voters approve it, Georgia would draw $2 billion from its rainy day fund to build a dedicated, ongoing pool of money for child care assistance, rather than relying on yearly budget appropriations that could lapse or shrink in future years. ### Key provisions - Section 1 adds a new subparagraph (s) to Article III, Section IX, Paragraph VI authorizing creation of the Children First Trust Fund by law. - Requires a one-time $2 billion appropriation into the fund from the Revenue Shortfall Reserve once the fund is established. - Exempts fund moneys from the constitutional lapsing rule in Article III, Section IX, Paragraph IV(c), so unused money stays in the fund. - Requires that a portion of the fund be invested and reinvested as provided by law, with returns deposited back into the fund for child care assistance. - Section 2 sets the ballot language asking voters whether to ratify the amendment, to be submitted under Article X, Section I, Paragraph II of the Constitution. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-03-28) - Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2025-03-31) - Sponsors: Derek Mallow, Sonya Halpern, Jason Esteves, Kim Jackson, Harold Jones, Nan Orrock, Michael Rhett, Elena Parent, Josh McLaurin, Sally Harrell, Donzella James, RaShaun Kemp - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71849 > The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr493.md?full=1