HB 995: Vape-Free Schools Act; enact

Georgia law does not currently require public high schools to install vaping detectors or maintain a specific vaping policy in student codes of conduct. House Bill 995, called the Vape-Free Schools Act, would add a new section to Georgia's education code creating the Vape-Free Schools Grant Program, run by the State Board of Education, to help schools with grades nine through 12 buy, install, and maintain vaping detectors. By December 31, 2026, the State Board of Education must set up the grant program and a model policy on vaping prevention, and the Department of Education must approve a list of acceptable detectors and offer guidance on partnering with groups that provide rehabilitative services for students. Before the 2027-2028 school year, local school boards would have to require detectors in bathrooms and locker rooms and add a vaping policy with graduated discipline, an anonymous complaint process, and investigation procedures to student codes of conduct. Schools would report vaping data annually. Importantly, these requirements only take effect if the General Assembly actually appropriates money for the program, and the whole section repeals automatically on December 31, 2026 if no funding arrives by September 30, 2026.

• Creates the Vape-Free Schools Grant Program within the State Board of Education to fund vaping detectors in public high schools.
• Requires the Department of Education to publish an approved list of vaping detectors and develop resources for partnerships with rehabilitative service providers.
• Requires local school boards to make high schools install detectors in bathrooms, locker rooms, and other likely vaping spots before the 2027-2028 school year.
• Requires schools to add a vaping policy to the student code of conduct, including graduated discipline, an anonymous complaint process, and investigation procedures.
• Requires the Department of Education to collect and report vaping detection data annually to the Department of Public Health and legislative education committees.
• Makes the entire new law contingent on the General Assembly appropriating funding, with automatic repeal by December 31, 2026 if no money is provided by September 30, 2026.

Public high school students, teachers, and administrators in grades nine through 12; local school boards and other public school governing bodies that must adopt detector and discipline policies; the State Board of Education and Department of Education, which must build the grant program and detector list; and the Department of Public Health, which receives annual vaping data.

If funded, high school students would face vaping detectors in bathrooms and locker rooms and a formal disciplinary process, including required drug and alcohol awareness classes, for violations. Schools would gain state help paying for equipment, but the whole program disappears automatically if the legislature does not set aside money for it by late 2026.

• Section 2 adds new Code Section 20-2-776.6, defining vaping, vaping detectors, and public secondary schools as those with grades nine through 12.
• Subsection (b) requires the State Board of Education to establish the grant program and a model vaping prevention policy by December 31, 2026.
• Subsection (c) requires the Department of Education to publish an approved detector list and guidance on rehabilitative service partnerships by December 31, 2026.
• Subsection (d) requires local school boards to mandate detector installation and a student code of conduct policy with graduated discipline before the 2027-2028 school year.
• Subsection (f) requires annual reporting of vaping alert data to the Department of Public Health and legislative education committees.
• Subsection (g) exempts schools that already installed qualifying detectors before July 1, 2026 from the new installation requirement.
• Section 3 makes the entire new Code section contingent on legislative funding, with automatic repeal on December 31, 2026 if no funds are appropriated by September 30, 2026.

1. 2026-01-27House Second Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
2. 2026-01-16House First Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
3. 2026-01-15House Hopper (Cámara de Representantes)

• Imani Barnes (D, HD-086)Patrocinador principal
• Omari Crawford (D, HD-089)
• Bryce Berry (D, HD-056)
• Mekyah McQueen (D, HD-061)
• El-Mahdi Holly (D, HD-116)
• Anissa Jones (D, HD-143)

• school safety
• vaping prevention
• student discipline
• education funding
• public high schools