Comité Education and Youth del Senado, 19 de marzo de 2026

Transcripción

522 turnos. Seleccione un tiempo para reproducir ese momento del video.

1. 0:18:26

   You mind doing a prayer for us?

2. 0:18:28

   Sure.

3. 0:18:28

   Okay, what number are you?

4. 0:18:30

   Lucky 13.

5. 0:18:30

   13. Thank you, sir.

6. 0:18:33

   Sonya, you ready? Okay, just a second. Lord, we ask that you keep us safe today and allow us to make right decisions as we contemplate these bills, and keep us safe as we all head home hopefully a little bit later on this evening. And thank you for the sunshine, and in God's name we pray, amen.

7. 0:18:51

   Amen.

8. 0:18:53

   Thank you, Sen- thank you, Senator. Um, we're gonna go in order, um, of the agenda sheet, and we'll start off with, um, Senator Dolezal. You wanna give it there or you want to go up here?

9. 0:19:04

   Well, Mr. Chairman, um, Representative Helton would like to present his-

10. 0:19:08

    Oh, that's right, you told me to.

11. 0:19:09

    Yes.

12. 0:19:09

    You told me to. Okay.

13. 0:19:10

    Next up in rules.

14. 0:19:12

    Okay.

15. 0:19:12

    So maybe we could do one bill then get to him.

16. 0:19:13

    No problem. No problem. We'll hold off then.

17. 0:19:15

    Okay.

18. 0:19:15

    Um, Mr. Barrett. He's not here. Okay. Okay, so let's... I'm gon- we're gonna jump to the lady. The lady is here.

19. 0:19:31

    Thank-

20. 0:19:31

    So please, please identify yourself and tell us the bill number and the, um, LC number, please.

21. 0:19:35

    Thank you. Representative Ballard, and I have House Bill 1220. It's LC492693S. And what this does, it waives the six-week public school attendance requirement for students with an IEP, 504 plan, dyslexic, auti- and autistic students, as well as children of active duty military under the SSO, um, scholarship organization. It allows flexibility in how scholarship funds can be used without raising the overall cap of that program.

22. 0:20:09

    Um, that's the bill, and I will take questions.

23. 0:20:12

    Yes, ma'am. Please, um, please tell this committee why this is an important bill for you.

24. 0:20:17

    Well, it's, it's important 'cause I represent a military community, and, uh, we have a number of military families that, you know, it, it's, it, it makes it hard for them to come and do six weeks in a public school and then get into... then go to that, the school of their choice.

25. 0:20:35

    Okay. Senator Dolezal.

26. 0:20:39

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We did hear this bill in the last committee meeting, and at the appropriate time I am prepared to make a motion.

27. 0:20:47

    I see no other blinking lights, so I think it's the appropriate time.

28. 0:20:50

    Mr. Chairman, I would move that we do pass on LC492693S.

29. 0:20:56

    Second.

30. 0:20:57

    Second by Senator Payne. Any further discussion?

31. 0:21:03

    Yes, ma'am. What, the 12th?

32. 0:21:04

    12th.

33. 0:21:04

    Okay.

34. 0:21:05

    Thank you.

35. 0:21:06

    Senator Halpern.

36. 0:21:07

    Um, just in terms of discussion, I appreciate that, I appreciate that we are trying to understand the needs of families whose, um, children may have particular special needs, right? And you mentioned-

37. 0:21:20

    Mm-hmm

38. 0:21:20

    ... the IEPs and the 504s and dyslexia as examples. Um, I do myself still have concerns around, um... I think we make a lot of presumption in our committee meetings that the private schools actually have the capacity to take kids of every kind. Usually, the privates have w- less bandwidth than our public schools do. They have the ability to take care of kids kind of within a particular range.

39. 0:21:52

    Not the specialty schools, obviously, the dyslexia schools, this is what they do all day. But I do worry about us continuing to fund more and more, um, money towards students in private schools instead of helping the underlying problems that we know we have in our publics, who are going to always, always educate far more students than any of the privates and char- and charters or even the tr- um, ch- public charters ever would. So that, that's it.

40. 0:22:23

    I understand the intention of the bill.

41. 0:22:27

    Thank you.

42. 0:22:29

    Second.

43. 0:22:31

    We do have one person who wants to... We do have one person who wants to speak on the bill. Brooke?

44. 0:22:40

    Brooke M-E-L-S? Mels? Oh, oh, okay.

45. 0:22:53

    Thanks.

46. 0:22:53

    Ms. Mel-

47. 0:22:53

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My, uh, my name is Brooke Mels, and I have very simple, straightforward testimony for this. Um, I support the idea behind this, this bill. I appreciate the sentiment behind it, and I hope that the committee, um, passes it.

48. 0:23:09

    Thank you. Thank you.

49. 0:23:14

    Let's see. Senator Davenport.

50. 0:23:19

    I guess we all look alike, is it? Third time today y'all call me-

51. 0:23:24

    No, that's all right

52. 0:23:24

    ... Senator Davenport. And I'm Senator Donzella James.

53. 0:23:27

    We're all used to that. All you.

54. 0:23:28

    And, and Davenport not even on this committee.

55. 0:23:29

    Senator James, I thought.

56. 0:23:31

    Oh, Jesus.

57. 0:23:31

    I'm always... You know, I think, um, I appreciate-

58. 0:23:33

    But it's a compliment 'cause she's a wonderful person.

59. 0:23:36

    Well, thank you, ma'am.

60. 0:23:36

    Thank you.

61. 0:23:36

    I appreciate you. I appreciate you letting me off the hook.

62. 0:23:40

    I forgot what I wanted to ask now.

63. 0:23:43

    Okay.

64. 0:23:43

    No, no, no. I like what you are trying to do, but I too have a concern, uh, especially since I have a grandson who's autistic. And I know that I tried to get him in one of the schools once when this first concept was passed, and they had to put him on a lottery or something.

65. 0:24:10

    Mm-hmm.

66. 0:24:12

    He's never been able to get in there now. You know, he, he... And, and when I go and visit the school, 'cause it just happened to be in my district, they have all these, these kids who are, um, family members or either children of the teachers there and the other staff

67. 0:24:31

    So I, I, you know, it's no oversight, so I do have a concern because it's still happening. So I, I wanted to know what i- I could... What could we do to make sure that if you apply and there's room for you, that you get there and don't have to get thrown in a lottery a- or whatever they do. Who- when is the lottery? Where... You know, I, I said, "Can I come and observe?" They said, "Oh, no, no, no. We just do a lottery." So, and that's in Douglas County.

68. 0:25:01

    Okay. Well, without knowing, you know, that specific school and being able to talk to them, I don't know that I can speak to that specific, um, you know, exact example.

69. 0:25:11

    Um, it, it's not the only place that it's happening. Like I said, I'm all for helping, uh, special needs kids, definitely. And then I have a vested interest in that I do have, uh, my grandson that's... Now he's 14. I tried to get him in since he was six. So, um, I just thought what could we do to strengthen these bills when they come like this to make sure that, uh, they would be considered, uh, even if they, uh, are allowed to get the, uh, monies?

70. 0:25:48

    How, you know. So, Mr. Chairman-

71. 0:25:51

    Okay

72. 0:25:51

    ... I do have a real concern.

73. 0:25:53

    Yeah. Thank you. Thank you, ma'am, for your comments.

74. 0:25:55

    Sure.

75. 0:25:56

    Um, we've got a first, we got a second, and now all in favor of passing the bill, raise your right hand.

76. 0:26:08

    One, two, three, four, five. All opposed. One, two, three, four. Five to four. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Who's gonna carry it for you?

77. 0:26:18

    Um, Senator Still is-

78. 0:26:20

    Yeah

79. 0:26:20

    ... gonna carry it.

80. 0:26:20

    Okay. Very good. Great guy. Thank you.

81. 0:26:22

    Okay. Thank you so much.

82. 0:26:23

    Yes, ma'am. Thank you.

83. 0:26:35

    Representative Barrett, you ready?

84. 0:26:37

    Yes, sir.

85. 0:26:37

    Uh, Mr. Yeutter. I'm sorry. Mr. Yeutter. Boy, I'm messing up bad. I'm all shook up today.

86. 0:26:44

    Our jeweler. Now, many of y'all don't know, I had a great conversation with him yesterday. This, this gentleman's a jeweler.

87. 0:26:49

    Yes, sir.

88. 0:26:50

    Mm-hmm.

89. 0:26:50

    Yes, sir.

90. 0:26:51

    For the ladies, he-

91. 0:26:52

    There's always an occasion, isn't there?

92. 0:26:53

    Yeah, for the ladies. For the ladies up here, he makes, he makes jewelry.

93. 0:26:59

    We do.

94. 0:26:59

    Yeah, there's some girls here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's more talented than he looks.

95. 0:27:06

    No doubt.

96. 0:27:06

    Would you please identify yourself and tell us what, uh, bill and LC you're working on?

97. 0:27:12

    Okay. I- I'm, I'm Representative Bill Yeutter. Uh, it's the, uh, substitute to House Bill 1114. It's LC 492797S. And what this bill, uh, does, it deals with digital literacy in the schools and financial literacy also. The digital literacy portion, uh, actually modernizes Georgia's, uh, existing online internet safety statute by adding K through 12 digital literacy, uh, to the quality basic education curriculum.

98. 0:27:48

    The bill actually strengthens academic readiness while adding s- safety to students and preserving flexibility to the, uh, to the schools, and requires no new testing, uh, or course requirements. You know, uh, digital literacy is so important these days with, uh, all the, you know, all the things online that students are exposed to, and this will prepare students to earn in the economy, also to support their development in academic subjects.

99. 0:28:22

    Uh, also it, uh, helps them develop proper habits in, in internet research and that kind of thing. Uh, the bill, uh, really is, is it's all about safety on the internet also. So actually, if you'll look in subsection A, it, it directs the state board of education to adopt grade-level appropriate standards covering online safety and digital citizenship. Uh, requires K through 8, uh, instruction beginning in '27 and '28 school year.

100. 0:28:58

     Uh, it moves digital literacy from an optional to a required student kindergarten through eighth grade. Uh, it doesn't require any, uh, testing or anything like that, uh, and it really gives the schools a lot of flexibility to, to implement this. Uh, it also requires the DO, Department of Education to publish standards and model programs and recommend materials online to provide technical assistance to the districts, uh, so this doesn't burden small schools or rural systems.

101. 0:29:33

     Uh, also, as I said, preserve local control. Uh, and they have full discretion on how to in- incorporate digital literacy as well as online safety instruction, including, uh, how they wanna approach the instruction. The second part of the bill deals with financial literacy. Back in '22, uh, we adopted a financial literacy bill that required, uh, financial literacy to be taught in the 11th and 12th grade.

102. 0:30:05

     What this bill does is open it up basically to the 9th and through 12th grade. Uh, a lot of, uh, Florida, some other, uh, states now allow it to be taught 9th through 12th, and there are a couple of reasons that make this, uh, good in Georgia. Uh, for one thing, it, it, it allows students more flexibility. Uh, you know, when you get in the 11th and 12th grade, you're- Schedules get pretty tight. Uh, you may be in AP classes, you may be, uh, working, you may be in dual enrollment.

103. 0:30:40

     Uh, so this gives more flexibility for the financial required half-credit course to be taught ninth through 12th grade. So actually, it helps the school system with scheduling and that kind of thing. So it's, I think it's positive for the student as well as the system. Um, is it everybody knows financial literacy is so important to students these days, and by implementing it at an early age, a lot of these kids are already working, so it, it gives them the opportunity to, to learn these skills, uh, b- by the time they're earning their first paycheck, and, you know, helps them not make mistakes that they may make with their, with their money.

104. 0:31:23

     Uh, it supports rural schools, as I said, uh, by making it more flexible for the teaching and gives principals more flexibility. And there are no new state costs, so it doesn't cost anything additional. So, uh, both are important to, to the system and, and our students today, and be glad to answer any questions.

105. 0:31:46

     Well, thank you, sir. Um, can you tell us why this bill is important to you?

106. 0:31:51

     Well, it, it's, you know, there's so much on the internet, and, and it, it's, it's good to educate our children on, on what's out there and how to deal with the internet and, and have safe, you know, make them aware of the pitfalls of the internet and certainly, uh, social media and that kind of thing. As well as, uh, the financial literacy portion is, is so important, uh, for, for students to learn how important managing their money is, balancing a checkbook, how, how important credit rating is, and, and just all the things that, that, that go with, uh, building wealth for, for their families.

107. 0:32:39

     I'm sorry. We're having senators ask us if we, we need any help, but we're in good shape.

108. 0:32:43

     Yeah.

109. 0:32:44

     That's what I like about it. That's what I try to represent. So, so, so thi- on both sections, I, I, I totally agree with you.

110. 0:32:51

     Yes, sir.

111. 0:32:51

     I, I think it's, I think it's a great idea because I don't think, uh, a lot of parents just kind of leave it up to their children to kind of wade through things and that type of thing. So this really left up the State Board of Education to, uh, design the program, and I guess deci- decide on what grade level to implement it or whether to implement it on all grades or-

112. 0:33:09

     Well, a- actually b- both pieces of it start with actually kindergarten-

113. 0:33:14

     Right

114. 0:33:15

     ... uh, through, you know, course 12th grade is... But the mandatory part of financial literacy is, is nine through 12 where you do-

115. 0:33:22

     That's right

116. 0:33:23

     ... the half credit course. But, but, uh, you know, it, it, the systems, it, it develops a, you know, a, uh, grade level appropriate instruction, you know, for the younger ages. You know, certainly it's not as detailed as you would have in the ninth through, uh, 12th grade.

117. 0:33:41

     Okay. I agree. We got a question for number 13. That's... Oh, yeah. Uh, my sweet mate, Senator Burns.

118. 0:33:47

     Yes, sir.

119. 0:33:48

     How you doing today?

120. 0:33:49

     I'm great. How are you?

121. 0:33:50

     I'm well. Uh, lines 135 through 147. We got, uh, quite a lot of stuff here prohibiting anything dealing with gambling, which I support, but does that also, uh, limit the Georgia Lottery if they wanna be a part of this as well?

122. 0:34:09

     I don't, I don't think so. I don't, I don't feel like... I think gambling is, is... That is, that is separate from what we're doing in the state with the Georgia Lottery, so I don't think that affects that in any way.

123. 0:34:23

     So a school could, if they wanted to, could partner with the Georgia Lottery Associ- or Georgia Lottery?

124. 0:34:29

     I suppose so. Yes, sir.

125. 0:34:31

     Okay. Thank you.

126. 0:34:35

     We have any other questions concerning it? We got one, one, one person who wants to speak. You mind coming on up, Brooke?

127. 0:34:45

     Yeah.

128. 0:34:51

     You know, the sad thing about this, it's a great bill, but the sad thing is there's, there's a lot of this you wish the parents would step up-

129. 0:34:58

     That's, that's correct

130. 0:34:59

     ... and pay. And that's kind of-

131. 0:35:00

     A lot, a lot of the students don't get it at home, and unfortunately it, by... You know, you can ruin your credit, for instance, you know, just so early, and it just takes so many years to get that corrected.

132. 0:35:11

     Yeah.

133. 0:35:12

     And that hinders you from purch- certainly purchasing an automobile, a home-

134. 0:35:16

     Yeah

135. 0:35:16

     ... and, you know, just, uh, acquiring wealth.

136. 0:35:19

     Yeah. I don't know. It seems like, uh, you're sitting here trying to think about which one is more important, the digital literacy or financial literacy, but they seem to be pretty equal.

137. 0:35:28

     I would say so.

138. 0:35:28

     I mean, both, either one of them. E-

139. 0:35:29

     I think you're exactly right, Mr. Chairman

140. 0:35:31

     ... either one.

141. 0:35:31

     They're, they're both important. And, you know, uh, to me it's, it's, it's good to start that instruction at a younger age, uh, to, you know, to begin because so much, especially with the digital literacy, you know, you got a lot of l- younger kids exposed to a lot of things-

142. 0:35:48

     That's right

143. 0:35:49

     ... uh, online.

144. 0:35:50

     Thank you, sir. Brooke.

145. 0:35:52

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate you f- um, for, for bringing me back up, and I can certainly appreciate what, uh, um, what the representative over here is trying to do. The less said about my credit score, the better. Um, um, digital literacy in the, is critical in this age. Um, I grew up, uh, um, in the age, uh, scored by the cries of, of my 56K modem, and even I struggle with that. I have a background in IT, and yet even with, um, so much of this AI-generated content in this day and age, it can be very tricky to really go out and, um, and ascertain, um, what you're looking at, the value of the information being presented, so.

146. 0:36:30

     And especially with my father, he, um, worked in mid-range computing when, um, uh, during the turn of, uh, um, turn of the century with the advent of personal computing. He, he's even more so at that, that than me, and I see it so much with the kids of today that, um, they would benefit so much with these f- with, um, being instilled with best practices with digital literacy and will absolutely benefit the Georgians of tomorrow as we meet the moment. So I cannot recommend and encourage enough, um, that the committee, um, um, takes the representative's work and consider it for, for a, a due pass.

147. 0:37:07

     Thank you. Thank you for your comment I see no blinking lights, so have-

148. 0:37:14

     Henry Cochran

149. 0:37:15

     Oh, yes, sir. Number nine. Yes, sir.

150. 0:37:18

     I just wanna thank you for this legislation as well. Um, there was a... Going back to my youth, when in high school I took a s- semester of, I think it was business math. Um, and my f- father, who was vice president of the company, he, when I got into the course, he was, he, he was just, uh, blown away because he said, "You know, it's amazing to me. We need more of this financial understanding," he said, "because you know how many times," he said, "as a company I have college graduates that don't even know how to balance a checkbook?"

151. 0:37:56

     Right. Yes, sir. That's exactly right.

152. 0:37:58

     And he said, "And, and that's just something, it's something we take for, as common knowledge in the adult world, and the young people don't know until they have to know."

153. 0:38:06

     That's right.

154. 0:38:06

     And so that is such a great advantage to giving these people, these young people the, the opportunity for under- understanding financial literacy and why it's a necessity for life.

155. 0:38:16

     That's correct. And we certainly worked together in '22 on, on getting the first, uh, the 11th and 12th grade financial literacy.

156. 0:38:25

     Yeah.

157. 0:38:25

     So appreciate you.

158. 0:38:26

     Well, thank you.

159. 0:38:26

     Thank you.

160. 0:38:31

     Senator Kemp.

161. 0:38:32

     Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Representative.

162. 0:38:33

     Yes, sir.

163. 0:38:34

     Um, you know, for the financial literacy, I, I totally get it's for 9 through 12, or maybe even 6 through 12. But yeah, 9 through 12. I'm struggling with the digital literacy piece being for kindergarten through 12th grade, and forgive me if this has already been discussed. I zoned out for a minute. Um, you know, the fact that we have a literacy crisis, and we also just recently passed a bill that focuses on math, uh, but for the uppl- upper elementary grades, so fourth through fifth, um, help me understand, like, how a kindergarten student is taught about the social, emotional, and physical effects of social media-

164. 0:39:14

     Well, I, I honestly think it's-

165. 0:39:15

     ... like, things like that

166. 0:39:16

     ... it's good to start out early because, uh, so many of these... I mean, I've heard of, uh, you know, their childrens, a, a lot of children pre-kindergarten have iPads and things like that. So I think the earlier you start that... And of course, it's gonna be grade level instruction, you know-

167. 0:39:34

     Okay

168. 0:39:34

     ... whether it's, you know, uh, it certainly won't be as detailed as it would in the upper grades, but, you know, to begin that discussion in the earlier years I think is very important.

169. 0:39:45

     And so it would be the K through 3 teachers that would be responsible for teaching this, right?

170. 0:39:53

     Well, it, it's not a course, uh, if that's what you mean.

171. 0:39:56

     Mm-hmm.

172. 0:39:57

     It's, it's more or less just instructing the students that they're, you know, on, you know, things that deal with digi- digital literacy.

173. 0:40:06

     A- and so, like, is there, like, a, like, a model curriculum or, like, something, an example from another state? 'Cause my concern, what I'm getting at, is teachers are already stretched thin, and we have 70% of our kids aren't reading on grade level, and so now we're putting something else on teachers' plates to have to teach them. Even if, though it, you know, it has the right intentions in mind, I'm just concerned about so many things we're adding on to teachers, asking them to teach when we're still trying to catch kids up.

174. 0:40:33

     I, I understand where you're coming from, but just like I say, just appropriate grade level, uh, you know, instruction, and just to begin that discussion I think is important.

175. 0:40:44

     Yeah. Thank you.

176. 0:40:45

     Yes, sir.

177. 0:40:45

     Thank you. And I, I thank Senator Kemp. I think the, the bottom line of this, it's gonna be left to the State Board of Education.

178. 0:40:53

     Gotcha.

179. 0:40:53

     And I, and I think probably most of the people on this committee, except for maybe you, um, are not educators. And so we have to depend on people like that to, to make the right decisions.

180. 0:41:06

     If I may, just one more question.

181. 0:41:07

     Yes, sir.

182. 0:41:08

     Because I see originally it said 6 through 12, but then s- it was changed to kindergarten. Why was that change made?

183. 0:41:15

     Uh, you know, I think just the, the issue, like I said before, just to try to get it earlier, you know, earlier instruction because there's so much exposure out there, and there's some, you know, to, to learn how to properly navigate, you know, online. So I think it-

184. 0:41:33

     Mm, right

185. 0:41:33

     ... you know, as far as not only the safety aspect, but just to, to, to be able to do the things, you know, to prepare people for work and that kind of thing.

186. 0:41:41

     Got it. I, I, I just wanna say, had it been still at 6, I would've supported this. Um, I just am really concerned about us putting too much on teachers at a time when we really have to be focusing on literacy and math. So I just wanted to share that.

187. 0:41:55

     Okay.

188. 0:41:55

     It's not because I don't agree with what you're doing.

189. 0:41:58

     Thank you, sir.

190. 0:41:58

     Thank you.

191. 0:41:59

     I see your point.

192. 0:42:00

     Uh-

193. 0:42:00

     My wife was a first grade teacher.

194. 0:42:02

     Yeah.

195. 0:42:02

     So I understand.

196. 0:42:05

     I will not mess this one up. Senator James.

197. 0:42:09

     Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Uh, I like what you're trying to do, and just because it's you, I wanna vote for it.

198. 0:42:19

     Yeah.

199. 0:42:19

     But I do have a question.

200. 0:42:20

     Yes, ma'am.

201. 0:42:21

     Um, it's, you said that it would protect, uh, students from all of the things that is going on on the computer. How? Are you gonna, uh-

202. 0:42:31

     Well, I-

203. 0:42:31

     Are you going to-

204. 0:42:32

     I don't know, I don't know that it would-

205. 0:42:34

     ... put some kind of app on it or...?

206. 0:42:37

     I don't know. Maybe the, maybe I used the wrong term, but, uh, I think probably what we wanna do is to educate them on what's out there, and just prev- help try to-

207. 0:42:49

     Oh, word

208. 0:42:49

     ... prevent them from making those mistakes.

209. 0:42:51

     Mm-hmm.

210. 0:42:52

     You know, we certainly can't, we're not advocating following students around.

211. 0:42:56

     No, but I was just wondering, too, about six-year-old and-

212. 0:43:00

     Yes

213. 0:43:01

     ... those grade-

214. 0:43:02

     Yeah

215. 0:43:02

     ... they just cut the computer on and play with it and-

216. 0:43:05

     I, I understand

217. 0:43:05

     ... they get excited about some of the things that they could, uh-

218. 0:43:09

     Yes, ma'am

219. 0:43:09

     ... retrieve from it.

220. 0:43:11

     Yes.

221. 0:43:11

     So I was-

222. 0:43:11

     That, that's, to me-

223. 0:43:13

     But-

224. 0:43:13

     ... that's a lot of the danger there, and, you know-

225. 0:43:15

     Okay

226. 0:43:16

     ... uh, uh, kids today have tablets and things at-

227. 0:43:20

     Yeah, they do

228. 0:43:21

     ... preschool, so it's-

229. 0:43:22

     I was just wondering if you're gonna block some things

230. 0:43:24

     ... sometimes, like, like we-

231. 0:43:24

     You can block, right?

232. 0:43:27

     Sometime we've talked like before that, that sometimes at, at home they don't necessarily get that instruction needed to-

233. 0:43:35

     True

234. 0:43:35

     ... to navigate, uh, online, and I think this would help in that aspect of navigating online. And, and just alerting, uh, students-

235. 0:43:44

     Mm-hmm

236. 0:43:44

     ... at, at a younger age that there are potential pitfalls out there.

237. 0:43:49

     Thank you.

238. 0:43:50

     And it's a cha- you know, such a changing world. You know, AI is just good gracious, it's-

239. 0:43:54

     I know

240. 0:43:54

     ... it's changing everything. So that's certainly, uh, that's part of the instruction, you know, in the, you know, certainly in the old- the older students.

241. 0:44:03

     Thank you very much.

242. 0:44:04

     Yes, ma'am.

243. 0:44:05

     Okay.

244. 0:44:07

     Senator Payne.

245. 0:44:09

     Uh, Mr. Chairman, on proper time I'd like to make a motion.

246. 0:44:13

     Senator McNeel, would you mo-

247. 0:44:16

     Move to pass.

248. 0:44:18

     Second.

249. 0:44:18

     Uh, I move motion do pass.

250. 0:44:20

     Okay. And Senator McNeel seconds it. Is that correct? You were looking my way, so I thought that's what you-

251. 0:44:25

     Yeah, I did.

252. 0:44:26

     Okay. Okay. And we have a second. Um, so all in favor raise your right hand, please.

253. 0:44:35

     How many we got?

254. 0:44:36

     I think all but, I think all but Senator Ginn.

255. 0:44:40

     That doesn't sound good. That doesn't mean so, right?

256. 0:44:42

     No.

257. 0:44:43

     Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Representative. Who's gonna carry the bill for you?

258. 0:44:46

     Uh, Senator Howers.

259. 0:44:47

     Good. Thank you.

260. 0:44:48

     Thank you. Thank you, committee.

261. 0:44:54

     Almost Senator Kemp.

262. 0:44:56

     That's awesome.

263. 0:44:57

     Call him out.

264. 0:44:59

     That would've been low.

265. 0:45:01

     Uh, that's funny.

266. 0:45:06

     Senator Dolezal, are we ready to... Senator Hillman's here.

267. 0:45:09

     My ass here.

268. 0:45:09

     Okay. We ready?

269. 0:45:11

     Yes, sir.

270. 0:45:11

     Yes, sir. Please.

271. 0:45:22

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. We had a productive House Education Committee, uh, just about an hour ago.

272. 0:45:29

     Good.

273. 0:45:30

     Passed out at least one Senate bill, so, that I think had several on it. So making progress. I'm presenting to you, uh, House Bill 451, reading from LC61-0491S.

274. 0:45:45

     Thank you.

275. 0:45:45

     Perfect. Uh, in 1952, the Supreme Court, uh, had a case that allows for off-campus religious instruction of public school students, uh, barring two things. Number one, parental consent, and number two, no public funding. Since that time, uh, really hundreds of schools across the country have engaged in what's called release time education. These are public school students who are excused from class to be able to take, uh, religious courses of any kind, Bible, think Bible classes, things like that.

276. 0:46:21

     So it's been happening for a while now. What we're finding in practice is that while schools allow for it, a lot of them are still somewhat hesitant, hesitant and uncertain as to, 'cause really they're just relying on a decades old, uh, court case. And so what we're doing is following the lead of a number of states nationwide that have said, "Okay, let's go ahead and codify this," because as this body knows, Supreme Court cases can be changed and overturned. And so we wanna provide those in the education committee, especially our children, with certainty, uh, in how this works.

277. 0:46:52

     And so I'll run through just a couple quick points on the bill and open it up for discussion. Uh, really the meat of the bill is line 24, which says by August 1st, 2026, each local LEA, uh, shall establish a policy. So establish a policy of what this should look like. Uh, line 27, speaking to the Supreme Court case, uh, the student's parent or legal guard- guardian shall provide written consent for a student to be able to participate in this sort of program.

278. 0:47:23

     And then again, off of the Supreme Court case, if you flip to line 44, line 45, no LEA, no public funds shall be expensed except for de minimis costs associated with this program. Uh, the Senate added, uh, uh, some wording to the, the House version of this, which I thought was an excellent addition. Uh, you'll find that on lines 51 through 53. That speaks to, uh, the policy adopted must require for a criminal background check of individuals participating in this program.

279. 0:47:56

     And I believe we have someone here who's associated with the program who will be able to give you a real world view of what this looks like. But LifeWise Academy is a great example of, uh, one of these programs that's put on. And then finally, uh, line 67 through 70, uh, says that basically the school system itself shall not be liable for the transportation back and forth between these programs. Um, so Mr. Chairman, I will pause there, uh, and allow any questions that anyone may have.

280. 0:48:31

     Obviously, when you're talking about criminal background check, you're talking about the one that's doing the instructing, not the student.

281. 0:48:36

     Correct. Correct. Yes, yes, yes.

282. 0:48:38

     Okay.

283. 0:48:38

     So for the, the entity, whoever it may be. Uh, so a lot of these, just real world, I'll give you an example of what it looks like. You're going to a school. Across the street generally, there's a church. Uh, the parent says, "Yes, my kid can take a Bible class during sixth period." Some may walk across the street, some may drive. They take the program, they come back on. The school also says, and this, it says may, they may receive credit, uh, based on school system policy. We don't require them to receive credit. Uh, they may receive a history credit or whatnot for it.

284. 0:49:08

     Uh, and the student comes back and gets back in their normal... We also say no missed core courses. So this is during, uh, time where they're not taking core, core subjects.

285. 0:49:18

     And, and they're not counted absent during this period of time?

286. 0:49:20

     Correct. Yes, sir.

287. 0:49:21

     Okay. I know in my district, I have two of those situations. I have, and Evans County has a, um- Bible study that's actually across the street, so the kids actually walk from the school t- to, to the classroom. And then in Candler County and Metter, um, one of the church buses takes them, so I fully understand what you're talking about. Okay

288. 0:49:43

     Yeah, and you raise a good point. I was surprised to find out how extensive these are. You, you, you'd probably be surprised too to know that they're probably operating already in each of your, your districts. Um, and I'll tell you, with everything that we're trying to solve down here at the Capitol, if, if each of our kids had a little Bible class or religious time, or just this sort of time, I think it would solve a lot of things that we're trying to address.

289. 0:50:03

     Amen.

290. 0:50:03

     Yes, sir.

291. 0:50:04

     Amen.

292. 0:50:08

     You know, that was so funny yesterday when Carden said that, wasn't it? Can I get amens what Carden said? Senator Kemp.

293. 0:50:15

     Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, I see that it says that on line 25 that, for at least one hour per school week. Is there any limits to this? Like, is there any limitation to how much school that they can miss? I don't see that anywhere in here, so I was just curious if I missed it.

294. 0:50:36

     Yeah. So we wanted to set kind of a minimum floor, um, so there'd be no upper limit-

295. 0:50:41

     So it's not max

296. 0:50:41

     ... but it's up to kind of school policy to decide. Um, and I know our testimony's gonna testify to generally how much, you know. Uh, and I think it's generally about one hour per school week. Um, but again, that would be set by the local school system policy.

297. 0:50:57

     And then what about... Like, does the school get to determine, like, what churches their students can attend? Like, can they say, well, their ideology is not in line with what we agree with, so therefore you cannot do this church, but you can do that church? Is there any decision-making that the ch- the school makes in terms of what churches a student or synagogue a student could go to?

298. 0:51:23

     Uh, yeah, I'm not a constitutional scholar, but I think they'd run into some issues there. Um, a- and that's... I mean, you bring up a good point, though. This is, this is religious release time, you know?

299. 0:51:31

     Mm-hmm.

300. 0:51:31

     So th- this doesn't have to be Christian or Muslim or h- you know, it, it... So I mean, the freedom of religion, right?

301. 0:51:38

     Mm.

302. 0:51:38

     And so, um, no, I, I, I don't believe the school system can or should dictate one religion over the other.

303. 0:51:44

     Okay.

304. 0:51:44

     Yeah.

305. 0:51:45

     Thank you.

306. 0:51:47

     Senator Halpern.

307. 0:51:49

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, I actually appreciate this bill, uh, and I know that in Atlanta Public School System there are schools that are already doing this, um, more, I think, at the high school level, um, than other ages. And this, I don't think, actually has kind of grade level in it at all.

308. 0:52:10

     Mm.

309. 0:52:10

     But I do know that they're finding that, you know, you get a mix of students who wouldn't ordinarily come together, right?

310. 0:52:17

     Mm.

311. 0:52:17

     'Cause they're in different kinds of cliques and groups, but this kind of brings people together. So it is really an interesting idea. Um, we've talked a lot about, you know, Bible study or religious study.

312. 0:52:28

     Mm.

313. 0:52:28

     I did just wanna ask, because in the bill, it, it has it, um, name, like if you look at line 59, for example, it says, "Release time course." So I am just wondering why it says, "Release time course," as opposed to kind of release time religious instruction or something to that effect.

314. 0:52:50

     Starting on like that line.

315. 0:52:52

     Starting on li- okay, yes. So I, I, I was, yes.

316. 0:52:55

     That line, yeah.

317. 0:52:55

     I'm on the other page for a different reason, but yes, starting on line 22 with the definition, yeah.

318. 0:53:01

     Yes.

319. 0:53:01

     Oh, means a course in religious moral instruction. Okay.

320. 0:53:04

     There you go.

321. 0:53:05

     That answers my question. Yeah. Thank you.

322. 0:53:07

     Well, you know, and you, you bring up a great point. One of my favorite things that we do down here is, is, I think it's Tuesday or Wednesday mornings, we meet at 7:00 in the morning for our own release time, you know, re- religious-

323. 0:53:19

     Mm.

324. 0:53:19

     Uh, just legislator only Bible study, and that's one of the more meaningful things I think we do down here. So yeah, the idea that we could bring together students of all different backgrounds and faith is pretty cool.

325. 0:53:31

     Thank you. Um, I see no other questions. Um, let's see.

326. 0:53:42

     Brooke, I think you're signed up on this one also. No-

327. 0:53:48

     I think I was gonna take on mine.

328. 0:53:49

     Okay. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, seeing no other questions, looking for a motion, um, do I-

329. 0:53:54

     There's

330. 0:53:55

     All right. Yeah.

331. 0:53:55

     Chairman,

332. 0:53:56

     Oh, I'm sorry. Okay. Okay. Okay. Come on forward.

333. 0:54:03

     Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, we do have several people. That's all right.

334. 0:54:09

     I think I slept too much last night. I ain't have clue what happened.

335. 0:54:13

     Something tells me that's not the case.

336. 0:54:14

     Too much.

337. 0:54:15

     Y'all had a long day yesterday. Um, thank you chairman and committee. My name is Stephanie Tanner with the Georgia School Boards Association, representing all 180 school districts. And, um, I wanna give some recommendations for the bill, but I do wanna take a point of personal privilege to say that, as many of y'all mentioned, um, this has been going on in most or, uh, I can't say if it's most districts, but many districts for decades. In fact, I did it in high school and loved it.

338. 0:54:47

     Um, we had a church behind my high school, and I was able to take, um, a couple of courses, Old Testament and New Testament and Western religions. And I will say my instructor was, um, he was a role model for me and a mentor even into my adult years. So really appreciated that I had that opportunity. But I do have some feedback for y'all. Um, because we have a membership position about, you know, local boards being the closest to the community, um, so we wanna ensure that they are the ones vested with the constitutional authority.

339. 0:55:25

     We appreciate that the organization or individual providing the religious release time course will maintain student attendance, um, provide criminal backgrounds and transportation. Those are all, um, great points. We appreciate them. It's also, uh, good to know that it requires parental consent and that local funding will not be used for these courses. But we do have a small change that we would like to see, and this is what they did in the House Education Committee last year with House Bill 133, and I worked with the sponsor, Representative David Clark, as well as the committee and the chairman on this change.

340. 0:56:04

     So our recommendation is on lines 23 to 25. By August 1st, 2026, each local education agency shall adopt a policy. Uh, we'd like to see that changed to may to align with lines 50 through 51, where it says a local education agency may adopt a policy that provides for academic credit. So changing the shall to a may. Again, we appreciate all the great work this legislature has done around school safety, literacy, and absenteeism.

341. 0:56:41

     We really want those to be the focus. And so it's important that districts have the, the choice to decide what works best for their community, um, especially in those lower grades, as we mentioned. I did in high school, great experience there. Um, but we wanna make sure that there is flexibility so that they can prioritize the state priorities and local priorities. Thank you.

342. 0:57:04

     Well, this is obvious. I mean, this is obviously Chairman Hilton's bill, so he's the one that needs to make that decision.

343. 0:57:12

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and, and I appreciate the, the feedback, and, and I'm glad we're in agreeance on about 99% of the bill. Un- unfortunately, I think that change may weaken the bill to the point where it's, it's probably not-

344. 0:57:23

     I agree

345. 0:57:24

     ... the, the shall really emphasizes the... Well, if you agree, I'll stop talking then. Um, yeah, learned my lesson. But I agree with the chairman.

346. 0:57:32

     Yeah. Thank you. Thank you, ma'am. And we have, um, Paige?

347. 0:57:36

     Yes.

348. 0:57:36

     Yes, ma'am.

349. 0:57:37

     Yes. Hello, I'm Paige. I am the Georgia State Director for LifeWise Academy. We offer the Bible classes, um, for the public school students. We've got a easy plug and play model that we've done nationwide. We are in about 60,000... Excuse me, we have 60,000 students enrolled right now in the Bible classes, and we are just really getting started. Um, we are live in 32 states, confirmed for 37, and then they just hired me as the Georgia State Director, um, this past May.

350. 0:58:10

     We are in 15 schools.

351. 0:58:12

     Can you address the issue, please? If you wanna address the issue.

352. 0:58:14

     The address the issue-

353. 0:58:15

     Do you support it or you not support it?

354. 0:58:17

     I do support it.

355. 0:58:17

     Okay.

356. 0:58:17

     Yes. I support it 100%.

357. 0:58:19

     Okay. Thank you.

358. 0:58:20

     And... Yes.

359. 0:58:22

     Hey, I'm not trying to cut you off. We got, we got another-

360. 0:58:24

     I totally understand

361. 0:58:25

     ... bill, so, so okay. Thank you. Um, oh, Lord have mercy.

362. 0:58:29

     Question.

363. 0:58:32

     Senator James first.

364. 0:58:34

     Thank you. Thank you, and I grew up in a Catholic school, so I had religion- ... all the time.

365. 0:58:41

     Yes, you did.

366. 0:58:42

     But I thought it was this, a law about separation of, of school and state. What, how do you get around that?

367. 0:58:49

     Yeah. So z- in the Supreme Court's case, they, they addressed some of that. Uh, which, and, and that's why we make it crystal clear in the legislation that there's should be no money spent from the public school on this program, keeping the two separate.

368. 0:59:04

     Okay. I, I do also know that when I taught for 11 years, they wouldn't let us do prayer in school, and they, they had to, the s- the students who wanted to pray and, and be in a prayer, uh, group had to come before school started and be in the yard, could not come in the building, and they could pray together. So what-

369. 0:59:26

     Great point

370. 0:59:27

     ... uh, what's the difference? I mean-

371. 0:59:28

     So that's why this is a com- completely off-campus, uh-

372. 0:59:32

     Oh

373. 0:59:32

     ... extracurricular activity. I mean, not required by... Yeah.

374. 0:59:37

     Well, we're in the need of prayer, so I'm not, uh, not against it.

375. 0:59:39

     Amen. Amen.

376. 0:59:40

     But I, I was just trying to understand how we could legally do that.

377. 0:59:44

     Yeah.

378. 0:59:44

     Yeah.

379. 0:59:44

     Yeah.

380. 0:59:45

     Okay.

381. 0:59:45

     Yeah.

382. 0:59:45

     Thank you.

383. 0:59:46

     Thank, thank you, ma'am. Senator Setzler.

384. 0:59:49

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, if you read the Supreme Court case, um, it says as a minimum standard, this has to be allowable. It doesn't, however, say that you have to take kids off campus to do this. It doesn't say you can't use school facilities. My concern with this is, are we codifying a requirement to do this, you must leave campus? 'Cause, 'cause the, the Supreme Court lays a floor that says, "No school can prevent folks from doing this," but it doesn't say you have to do this.

385. 1:00:25

     The bus thing that you're talking about, I love the program, but it's very onerous relative to what the minimum standard would be, which would be, you may do this in the schools. I don't wanna create a circumstance where, where school districts that are friendly to this, well, the st- the legislature says you gotta do the bus thing. You're gonna have to get off campus and have to go, 'cause it's a very, I mean, it's a very costly program. You put a lot of effort, raise money to do this. It's wonderful. Um, m- but I wanna make sure there's nothing in this that requires all this to happen as a minimum requirement. Because if school boards are friendly to this, you shouldn't have to do the bus thing.

386. 1:00:57

     So, Mr. Chairman, e- excellent point. And, and I think we addressed that in lines 47 through 49, where it says release time courses are not to be held on public school property unless permitted under a neutral policy, meaning that we allow, if you allow one group, you allow any group. So, so-

387. 1:01:16

     I, I, I hear that. I just, I would be more comfortable if we-

388. 1:01:19

     Yeah

389. 1:01:19

     ... undergirded that some-

390. 1:01:21

     Mm-hmm

391. 1:01:21

     ... by being very clear because the Supreme Court ruling which, which launched this whole movement was a floor. And in states that were very, very hostile to having, um, religious instruction of any kind on schools, even if in kids' own private time, this was a way to, to ensure places that were hostile to it

392. 1:01:43

     Had to, had to authorize it.

393. 1:01:45

     Mm-hmm.

394. 1:01:46

     Um, there will be districts in Georgia that are very friendly to this, and, and you may use, as you know, y- there's, there's churches that rent space. I wanna make sure we're not locking that out. I just wanna ma- that's, that's, I-

395. 1:01:55

     Mm-hmm

396. 1:01:55

     ... I'm deeply concerned about that.

397. 1:01:56

     Understood.

398. 1:01:57

     But th- thank, thank you for the bill.

399. 1:01:58

     Thank you.

400. 1:01:59

     Yeah.

401. 1:01:59

     Um, Senator Dolezal.

402. 1:02:03

     I was gonna opine on Senator Setzler. I wonder if actually striking that Section 6 gets to your goal, because then otherwise the bill is silent on the location of classes. What I would recommend is before we bring this to the floor, I'm carrying it on the floor, I'd get with ledge counsel and see, g- g- get a legal opinion on that. Um, and Mr. Chair, at the appropriate time, I'd like to make a motion on the bill.

403. 1:02:32

     So are you asking ... Go back. Are you asking ledge, uh, counsel to look at that or?

404. 1:02:36

     Uh, I was ... I don't know that we wanna do it on the fly. I was saying that I, I'm, I, I think it's possible that striking lines 47 through 49 may get to Senator Setzler's concern. Um, and I'm committing to clarifying that between now and the time the bill comes to the floor should it get that far. Um, unless you wanna try to do it on the fly. I'm, we've done it before. We can give it a shot.

405. 1:03:01

     Representative Sims, do you have any comment on that?

406. 1:03:03

     I, I mean, I'm fine if we wanna remove those lines if that satisfies, or defer to ... Yeah.

407. 1:03:12

     What number are you? Two?

408. 1:03:16

     Two. Sorry. If, if I could have at least a few minutes to look at that.

409. 1:03:20

     Say again.

410. 1:03:21

     Could I have a few minutes to look at it, um, before I get you an answer?

411. 1:03:27

     Can I ask a question at this time?

412. 1:03:29

     We got another senator, so we don't want, we don't wanna drag this out too far, so yes, ma'am, you can ask.

413. 1:03:34

     Okay. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just if we had a minute. Um-

414. 1:03:36

     Yes, ma'am

415. 1:03:37

     ... thank you, Representative Holton. And I, you may have gone over some of this and I, I missed it, uh, as I was in the hall for a moment, and so I apologize if I am retreading ground.

416. 1:03:44

     You don't have to talk that fast, now.

417. 1:03:45

     I know. I'm, I'm like, "Okay, I'm really going fast, aren't I?"

418. 1:03:48

     You're good.

419. 1:03:48

     Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, so a course in religious moral instruction, so it's neutral as to religion.

420. 1:03:57

     Correct.

421. 1:03:58

     And are we ... And I've, I suppose it has to be, obviously, constitutionally, so that makes sense. I just was wondering, you know, if we got in a situation where X religion is really, um, or course of study, you know, really, really pushes, for example, women shouldn't work outside the home or, you know, things like that that would be, um, fairly controversial, but also part of many religions.

422. 1:04:25

     Yep. No, I, I, I think about all the ... I mean, you can go to the stre- extremes, right? Say there's a, a Satanist group, right, that says, "Hey, we got a place across the street. Come and take classes in Satan." You know? I, I think that's where the pa- parental written consent comes in. If, if my child comes, "Hey, I wanna go take the teachers no- no rights for women," I'd say, "Well, guess what? You're not getting permission from Mom or Dad." You know? Um, I, I think that's why it's important we've got the written consent portion in there.

423. 1:04:49

     Yeah.

424. 1:04:49

     Yeah.

425. 1:04:50

     Thank you. I figured you had thought it through.

426. 1:04:51

     Yeah.

427. 1:04:51

     Just wanted to hear your thoughts.

428. 1:04:52

     Yeah. Yes, ma'am.

429. 1:04:52

     Thank you.

430. 1:04:52

     Yes, ma'am.

431. 1:04:54

     So, Senator Dolezal, were you talking about that, maybe proposing that as an amendment, or you wanna deal with it later?

432. 1:05:01

     I, I know she's-

433. 1:05:02

     Oh, I'm sorry. Hold on

434. 1:05:03

     ... she's gonna have a different- ledge counsel on, on what she thinks now. I mean, I, I'd be fine doing it either way. I guess my main question would be is, is does striking line 47 to 49 move closer to what Senator Setzler is speaking to, which is more a just permissive language that requires the, this to be allowed, and does not have any language in it that restricts access to school property like we are doing currently on lines 47 through 49? Uh, the lawyer to my left, um, thinks that this still would allow that access but would just do so with obviously the equal access policy.

435. 1:05:40

     Um, Senator Setzler, I don't know what your thoughts are on that Section 6 there or not. But, and that may get to the need of what I'm talking about, which is for some time to bring a floor amendment.

436. 1:05:59

     You want, you wanna address his comment?

437. 1:06:01

     Which one?

438. 1:06:01

     No, no, um, um, the attorney. You wanna address his-

439. 1:06:05

     Oh,

440. 1:06:09

     I'm, I'm still looking at the case law on that just to get a kind, a clear answer for you.

441. 1:06:15

     Yeah. I mean, my reading is I tend to agree with the ... Yeah.

442. 1:06:19

     So are we okay with, with that, are we okay with passing a bill and then y'all

443. 1:06:28

     getting that worked out before we come to the floor with it?

444. 1:06:30

     I, I would commit to working on that with, with ledge counsel before it comes to the floor-

445. 1:06:33

     Okay

446. 1:06:33

     ... rather than, I know you got other bills on the floor today.

447. 1:06:35

     Thank you, sir. I appreciate-

448. 1:06:39

     Well, I do.

449. 1:06:39

     Okay.

450. 1:06:39

     I know you don't want me to-

451. 1:06:40

     Okay

452. 1:06:40

     ... but I got this.

453. 1:06:41

     Yes, ma'am.

454. 1:06:42

     Uh, I went, this past Sunday I spoke at this church, but it was in Dobbs Elementary School in Atlanta. So they rent that church for service on Sundays and for special events when they have it. Is that going to allow them to continue to rent from Atlanta Public Schools, uh, and have their services there? Because, um, when they have church service, you know, it's a, it's a regular public school.

455. 1:07:17

     I'm gonna let-

456. 1:07:17

     It's not a, it's not a, a charter school or a private school, so.

457. 1:07:22

     I'm gonna defer to my-

458. 1:07:23

     My, my husband is a pastor here in Atlanta, and we, we met at Sutton Middle School. And release time classes does not in- interfere with the church being able to rent from a school, if that's what you're asking.

459. 1:07:36

     Yeah.

460. 1:07:36

     Yeah.

461. 1:07:36

     I was just asking if we pass this-

462. 1:07:38

     Yeah

463. 1:07:39

     ... does it-

464. 1:07:39

     It would not interfere with that. No, ma'am. It would not.

465. 1:07:42

     Okay.

466. 1:07:43

     Okay. Thank you. Um, th- this has ... Will you, this is the last question, please. Senator Setzler.

467. 1:07:53

     Thank, thank you, Mr. Chair. I, I appreciate the, the, the author and the Senate sponsor's indulgence on that issue. I just, this, this is a conversation that's been had over the course of about a year, and I think it's essential that we protect this for places that, that would be localities that might be hostile to doing this. But I do think there'll be many localities that are friendly to this, and, and, and I don't think there should have-- I don't think by statute we should require folks to leave school campus if there's a, you know, they, they, they do before school activities.

468. 1:08:24

     There's no reason if during a recess period or, or, or, you know, a, a free period of a kid that the general assembly comes in and says you must leave campus and go through all the logistics. I don't think that's a-- We, we wanna make sure we don't make the, un-unintentionally make it harder. That's all, Mr. Chair. So thank, thank the author.

469. 1:08:41

     So do I have a motion on the bill?

470. 1:08:43

     Yes, sir. I would move, uh, do pass on LC 610491S.

471. 1:08:50

     Do we have a second?

472. 1:08:52

     Second.

473. 1:08:52

     Who, who? Senator Bearden. Senator Bearden second. Okay. No other se- no other discussion, all in favor of the bill, please raise your right hand.

474. 1:09:06

     You got 'em. Again. Again.

475. 1:09:12

     Someone's gotta find it. I love it.

476. 1:09:13

     Thank you, sir.

477. 1:09:13

     I love it.

478. 1:09:14

     Um, we, we will really appreciate the-

479. 1:09:17

     Yeah.

480. 1:09:17

     ... the people-

481. 1:09:18

     Yeah, and I'll get it

482. 1:09:19

     ... y'all getting together before it comes in. Then who, uh, thank you. Senator Dolezal's on Judiciary, right?

483. 1:09:23

     Yes, sir.

484. 1:09:24

     Okay. Thank you.

485. 1:09:24

     Thank you.

486. 1:09:25

     Thank you, sir. Appreciate your patience.

487. 1:09:30

     Representative Barrett, who has been so kind to hold up the wall in the back. He could've moved to the front and put more pressure on us, but he was ki- he was kind enough to sit at the back and just kinda- I actually didn't see you standing back there.

488. 1:09:43

     I promise, I wasn't hiding, I promise.

489. 1:09:45

     Yes, sir. If you would please, uh, we do got, we got Judiciary coming here at 4:00, so I think we actually got some members of Judiciary already sitting in here.

490. 1:09:52

     We can be quick.

491. 1:09:53

     I'm also on Judiciary.

492. 1:09:55

     I know that, but aren't you on Judiciary also?

493. 1:09:57

     Yeah.

494. 1:09:57

     Okay. That's what I'm talking about. Yeah. Okay.

495. 1:09:59

     Four minutes.

496. 1:09:59

     One minute. Okay. So let's, let's jump onto it.

497. 1:10:04

     We got it.

498. 1:10:04

     Bill number, name, bill number, LC, uh, the whole deal.

499. 1:10:07

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, House Bill 634 is the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship, uh, uh, uh, Bill, or at least that's the bill that, uh, that, issue it addresses. Uh, LC number is 610485S. This is a substitute with a few minor tweaks that as, as, as requested by the Department of Education. House Bill 634 is a pretty simple bill. This legislation serves to make several administrative changes to the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program. I'd like to be very clear, it's, it's, it is n-not an expansion of the program in any way.

500. 1:10:39

     It does not change current policy in any way. Instead, the bill just serves to improve the program for parents, school administrators, the Department of Education, and with increased transparency w-requirements, us as lawmakers. Um, I, I'd like to begin by saying that if you've been on this committee for a while, you probably remember hearing this issue before. Um, uh, this bill has been around for three years now. Uh, over that time it, it has not met any opposition whatsoever by any group or any association or any lawmaker.

501. 1:11:10

     Uh, two years ago, the House passed the same bill, then House Bill 579 by a vote of 169 to zero, and the Senate, uh, committee approved it unanimous. This committee approved it unanimously. Unfortunately, it didn't make it out of Senate rules that year, um, so this year the House passed this again. It was 168 to zero. I'm hopeful, uh, that you will give your favorable consideration to this today. Um, if you'd like, I can quickly walk, walk through the bill. Um, section one gives the department the ability to correct scholarship amounts in the event a student's IEP does not match their QBE enrollment count.

502. 1:11:44

     Uh, it also authorizes the department to provide payments through electronic transfer, uh, rather than mailed in paper checks. You know, just bringing it into the 21st century. Um, section two is mostly clean up code, uh, from legislative council, but on line seven it requires Department of Education to provide parents with scholarship amounts in a more timely manner, enabling families to plan and determine if they can afford to pursue a different educational option. It also gives further definition to the scholarship amount appeal process established in 2021.

503. 1:12:14

     This would clarify that parents may appeal the scholarship amounts when a service is included in a student's IEP, but was not included in the student count calculation. Um, section three of the legislation increases transparency into the program, providing more information on the types of students who are utilizing s- the Special Needs Scholarship Program. It'll also help parents by providing information on the types of conditions private schools are able to serve. Um, the changes in HB 634 are small. Uh, uh, they, they are simply de-designed to take a program that's u-utilized by about 6,300, uh, children in the state of Georgia out of 1.7 million, but it's a very important program.

504. 1:12:54

     And it, it just makes life a little bit easier for them and a little bit, uh, easier on the Department of Education.

505. 1:13:03

     Okay. Um, there's a new question I'm gonna ask Michael, you apparently, you didn't sign the sheet, but you have a comment.

506. 1:13:10

     I'm, I'm his aide on, on, uh-

507. 1:13:12

     Okay

508. 1:13:12

     ... this legislation. We support it.

509. 1:13:14

     Thank you. Senator Kemp. Make a motion. Sir? Just wanna make a motion. Say that again? I was gonna make a motion. Oh, uh, I, I wouldn't have said, I wanna make sure I heard it. Okay. Got a motion by Senator Kemp. Need a second.

510. 1:13:28

     Second.

511. 1:13:28

     Second by Senator Dolezal. I think they're ready to get out of here, aren't they?

512. 1:13:31

     Yeah.

513. 1:13:32

     Okay.

514. 1:13:32

     Sounds good.

515. 1:13:32

     Uh, so all in favor please raise your right hand.

516. 1:13:37

     You, no? Okay.

517. 1:13:39

     Not yet.

518. 1:13:40

     Okay. All but one. Well, thank y'all very much. Uh, look forward to seeing you, but n- our next meeting will be on Tuesday.

519. 1:13:47

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

520. 1:13:47

     Thank you. Thanks.

521. 1:13:48

     Ladies and gentlemen.

522. 1:13:51

     I move business be adjourned.