House Higher Education Committee, March 26, 2026 Video: https://vimeo.com/1177399015 (a timestamp t plays at https://vimeo.com/1177399015#t=s) Page: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-26/house-higher-education This is a machine transcript of the General Assembly's video, made by a speech-recognition model. It is not an official record and can mishear words, names, and numbers. Speakers are not identified. The video is the record: every timestamp links to the moment it plays. [0:12:46] Gambill's here. [0:12:47] All right. If it please, Miss, uh, if it please, Miss Valerie, we'd like to start now. [0:12:53] Yes, sir. [0:12:54] All righty. If, uh, I can get everybody to settle in. Matthew, let's settle in. We're gonna get this started while we, uh ... We have a busy day. [0:13:06] You've had busy out here? [0:13:10] We have a local legislation this legislation. [0:13:13] Oh, no. [0:13:13] All right. L- l- let me call the meeting of the House Higher Education Committee to order, um, this morning, afternoon. Um, we'll go with afternoon, I think. Um, be just right for you, uh, Chair- [0:13:26] Afternoon [0:13:26] ... Washburn. Afternoon. We'll call this meeting of the House Higher Ed Committee, uh, to order. We, uh, have got a quorum. We're gonna get, get started so we can get through this. I know there's a lot of things going. Um, I know it's a busy, busy time for us. I just want to tell the committee members that have to leave, we will get together again next week. We will not have any business, but we'll do it around between, um, Thursday, Tuesday and Thursday, we're gonna, uh, appoint a couple committees for the interim and recognize, do, do a couple of recognitions of some things that, uh, uh, we, we weren't able to get to. [0:13:58] But some members have asked to, to speak to their legislation, um, and we're gonna do that for them probably on our, a regular Wednesday day in, in between that session. I also want to sound, if it, if it please the members, and if y'all would join me and help our other members know, when we take recess tomorrow, um, at, at the time we take recess, if y'all would gather with us down, uh, at the well of the House, we'll, we'll try to make a committee picture. I don't think we did that last year. Might, might not have the year before. But, uh, we're, we're losing some very important members to, uh, uh, you know, other things in life, and I'd like to, to get that family shot if y'all choose to do it. [0:14:32] We'll try to do it at recess down there. So with that, we have, uh, one item before us, um, that we'd like to move forward and take action on for Senator Payne. Senator, if you'd come, come forward if you want to tell us about 5- 556. I think I've been referring to somebody, um, with 5... It, it was 566, but it's 556. Always has been. Um, Senator, this is, uh, we, we, we did do a committee sub that I've spoken with you about. If, uh, you want to tell us about it, or I can tell you the changes we made, and you can present the, uh, uh, after you've presented the, the overall proposition that you were looking for. [0:15:06] You have the floor. [0:15:08] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just, uh, I, I'm thankful for the committee and thankful for the assistance on this. This bill originally came from the Department of Education as a department bill, and it's, um, something we're trying to do to make sure that we're not losing any kids through the cracks when it comes to their higher education. So that's, that was the point of this bill. But the original bill was just, uh, Advanced Placement for International Baccalaureate and upper level Cambridge Fine Arts. I know the new bill changes a lot of the language there, so it leaves out Cambridge and other things, so we're just making it more inclusive to that, what we're trying to do. [0:15:40] Um, but really just to add the fine arts element to, to this, this bill defines fine arts as meaning Advanced Placement International Baccalaureate Cambridge Fine Arts courses, which the Department of Education has designated as a unique course number and the name indica- indicating that the course is classified as Advanced Placement, or AP, International Baccalaureate, or Cambridge. So this bill, I think the language y'all have come up with taking a lot of that out, so it just, but it's still inclusive to what we're trying to do. And- [0:16:07] Yeah. Yeah. Yes, sir, Senator. If I might do that, I want to draw the committee's attention to lines 16 through 19. Uh, two things there. We, we actually changed the defined term to advanced fine arts instead of fine arts because it was, it was a bit of a misdirect. It said fine arts means advanced fine arts, so we figured we might as well let f- advanced fine arts means advanced fine arts courses that are standardized. And what we did is met the criteria that those testing agencies that you saw in the bill, bill before, um, uh, International Baccalaureate, uh, Advanced Placement, and Cambridge, they all meet this, to have a unique course number by the Department of Education and name. [0:16:46] So we have accomplished our task, but we have kept it generic. And so we, if somebody else comes in and does that testing, we won't have to come back. Um, the other change is we of course changed advanced fine arts on line 25, it used to read fine arts, and we did that further, uh, down the bill in line 38. So that, that's the only changes you, we, we have to the bill. Uh, so we'll ask questions. I see number one over here, uh, Representative Burnough. [0:17:08] Um, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for the clarification because those students from Clayton County that, from Elite Scholars, were here today. So if they ask me, then I'll be able to explain to them that they will be fine. [0:17:22] Yes. [0:17:22] Yes, ma'am. Th- th- my understanding of this is, uh, the Department of Education's back there. They looked through that language, and this one, this meets the criteria that all three of those, the two previous bodies and the one we were adding, uh, require in order to do this. And then for a course of rigor, that would go to the student finance, and they would determine, uh, if the course is, is a... In addition, 'cause what we're doing is adding advanced fine arts to core classes- [0:17:46] Right [0:17:46] ... for the HOPE, uh, calculation. If they deem that as also a course of rigor, it would be eligible for additional points. [0:17:53] Okay. Thank you. [0:17:53] Yes, sir. Um, Representative Blaize, did you have a question? [0:17:57] At the proper time, Chair Payne. [0:17:58] Uh, we, let us see if I got another question here, and we'll keep moving. Yes, ma'am? [0:18:02] At, at the proper time. [0:18:03] Are there any further questions? I, uh, we've had the hearing on this. I'm going to, uh, suggest unless somebody just feels really, um, em- em- empowered and, and the need to speak to it. I think we have a winner here. Um, and, uh, I would deem it the proper time without objection. I hear none. [0:18:22] I have multiple motions. Can I call it that? [0:18:25] Yeah. [0:18:25] Is there a second? [0:18:26] Second. [0:18:26] And a m- multiple motion. I'm gonna repeat that motion was, uh, to move forward to the Rules [0:19:10] Committee with a due pass recommendation, Senate Bill 556 LC 610507 S. Is there discussion? Discussion on the motion? Hearing no discussion, all those in favor say aye. [0:19:24] Aye. [0:19:24] Any opposed, no. Senator, you're on to Rules. Who's, uh, your horse in the House? [0:19:29] Um... [0:19:30] No further business before the committee. We'll stand adjourned without objection, and we are adjourned. [0:19:36] All right.