HB 192: Top State for Talent Act; enact

Georgia already runs career and technical education programs in schools, dual enrollment options, and a state list of high-demand jobs, but the bill rewrites how these pieces connect. It requires the State Board of Education's career education courses for grades six through 12 to include learning tied to the High-demand Career List kept by the State Workforce Development Board (O.C.G.A. § 34-14-3), replaces the old list of 18 focused programs of study with a new 14-category list, and ties school capital outlay grants for career program equipment to that high-demand list instead of the old certification criteria. The bill also renames student 'graduation plans' as 'individual college and career plans,' extends the Dual Enrollment HOPE grant pilot program and its repeal date from 2027 to 2028, repeals several outdated Code sections including one on chronically low-performing high schools, and renames the underlying law the 'Top State for Talent Act.' It adds new reporting and return-on-investment review requirements for the Workforce Development Board due each even-numbered year.

• Requires the State Board of Education's grades six through 12 career education courses to include learning experiences tied to the High-demand Career List published by the State Workforce Development Board.
• Replaces the existing 18-category list of focused career programs of study with a new 14-category list aligned to the High-demand Career List.
• Extends the Dual Enrollment HOPE grant pilot program's final report deadline and automatic repeal date from 2027 to 2028.
• Ties the State Board of Education's annual competitive equipment and renovation grants for career programs to alignment with the High-demand Career List instead of prior certification criteria.
• Renames student 'individual graduation plans' as 'individual college and career plans' and adds requirements to use GAfutures.org and the Georgia MATCH college admissions program.
• Repeals several Code sections, including one on chronically low-performing high schools and one giving the Technical College System Board power to report transferable course lists, and creates new Workforce Development Board reporting duties.

Public middle and high school students and their parents, school counselors and teacher advisers, the Department of Education, the State Board of Education, the Technical College System of Georgia, the University System of Georgia, the Georgia Student Finance Commission, and the State Workforce Development Board.

Students would see their career planning tied more directly to jobs the state identifies as high-demand, and schools applying for equipment grants would need to show alignment with that list. Dual enrollment students get an extra year of HOPE grant access for career courses under the pilot program.

• Section 1 names the law the 'Top State for Talent Act.'
• Section 2 requires career exploration in grades six through 12 to include programs on the High-demand Career List (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-145.1).
• Section 3 replaces the 18 existing focused programs of study with 14 new categories and requires alignment with the High-demand Career List (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-159.1).
• Section 5 extends the Dual Enrollment HOPE grant program's final report deadline and repeal date from 2027 to 2028.
• Section 6 changes the criteria for the State Board of Education's annual competitive equipment grant program to require alignment with the High-demand Career List.
• Section 8 renames 'graduation plan' to 'individual college and career plan' and adds definitions for GAfutures.org and Georgia MATCH.
• Sections 11 through 13 repeal a competitive grant program, chronically low-performing high school grant requirements, and related rules.
• Section 18 revises how the High-demand Career List is developed, requiring coordination among multiple state education agencies and annual submission to state leaders.

1. 2025-05-12Effective Date 2025-07-01
2. 2025-05-12Act 117
3. 2025-05-12House Date Signed by Governor (Cámara de Representantes)
4. 2025-04-10House Sent to Governor (Cámara de Representantes)
5. 2025-03-28Senate Passed/Adopted (Senado)
6. 2025-03-28Senate Third Read (Senado)
7. 2025-03-25Senate Read Second Time (Senado)
8. 2025-03-21Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senado)

• Matthew Gambill (R, HD-015)Patrocinador principal
• Lauren McDonald (R, HD-026)
• Soo Hong (R, HD-103)
• Matt Dubnik (R, HD-029)
• Will Wade (R, HD-009)
• Drew Echols (R, SD-049)

1. AprobadaVotación: Cámara de Representantes21 de febrero de 2025

   155 a favor, 1 en contra (13 sin votar, 11 ausentes)

   Passage: House Vote #61

2. AprobadaVotación: Senado28 de marzo de 2025

   48 a favor, 1 en contra (2 sin votar, 5 ausentes)

   Passage: Senate Vote #322

• career and technical education
• workforce development
• dual enrollment
• school funding
• high-demand jobs