20-3-231. Legislative findings; purpose of commission.

Code 1933, § 32-3102, enacted by Ga. L. 1980, p. 835, § 1; Ga. L. 1995, p. 961, § 1; Ga. L. 2024, p. 120, § 2-7/HB 985, effective June 30, 2024; Ga. L. 2024, p. 245, § 2-2/SB 233, effective July 1, 2024; Ga. L. 2025, p. 1029, § 20(24)/SB 153, effective July 1, 2025.

The first 2024 amendment, effective June 30, 2024, in subsection (a), deleted the former first sentence, which read: “The General Assembly has determined that it is a valid public purpose to promote the educational level of achievement of citizens and persons in this state by creating the Georgia Higher Education Assistance Corporation, a public authority, as provided for in Part 2 of this article, for the purpose of establishing and administering an educational loan program in this state in such a manner as not to pledge the faith and credit of the state to the payment of such educational loans as may be guaranteed by the corporation.”; deleted “further” following “promote” near the beginning of the second sentence; in the third sentence, deleted “the corporation and” following “functions of”, “by the corporation and” following “for use”, and “the corporation nor” following “directly to” near the middle, and deleted “the corporation or” following “use by” near the end; and deleted “of the corporation as set forth in Part 2 of this article and” following “public purposes” near the beginning of the fourth sentence. The second 2024 amendment, effective July 1, 2024, added “and in Chapter 2B of this title” at the end of subsection (b). See Editor’s notes. The 2025 amendment, effective July 1, 2025, part of an Act to revise, modernize, and correct the Code, deleted “Legislative findings.” at the beginning of subsection (a) and deleted “Purpose of commission.” at the beginning of subsection (b).

Ga. L. 2024, p. 245, § 6-1(b)(1)/SB 233, not codified by the General Assembly, provides the amendment of subsection (b) becomes effective only when funds are specifically appropriated for purposes of the “Quality Basic Education Act,” as provided for in Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20, in an appropriations Act making specific reference to the full funding of the “Quality Basic Education Act”. Funds were appropriated during the 2024 session of the General Assembly. Ga. L. 2024, p. 245, § 6-1(b)(2)/SB 233, not codified by the General Assembly, makes the amendment of subsection (b) applicable to school years beginning on July 1, 2025, and continuing thereafter. Ga. L. 2024, p. 245, § 6-1(b)(3)/SB 233, not codified by the General Assembly, provides for the repeal of the amendment of subsection (b) effective on June 30, 2035, or ten years after the amendment of subsection (b) becomes effective, whichever is later; provided, however, that any student who is qualified under the program prior to such repeal of the amendment of subsection (b) shall continue to be eligible under the program until the student returns to a public school, graduates from high school, or reaches the age of 20 years, or for any special education student, reaches the age of 21 years.

For article on the 2024 amendment of this Code section, see 41 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 175 (2024).