UNDER THE GOLD DOME

WEEK 11

THREE LEGISLATIVE DAYS LEFT

My House colleagues and I returned to the State Capitol on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, to kick off the 11^th week of the 2025 legislative session. In preparation for the fast-approaching Sine Die deadline, we passed several pieces of legislation this week, including bills that passed over from the Senate, as well as giving final passage to bills that are now on their way to the governor’s desk for his decision to sign or veto. Throughout this arduous process, we remain focused on delivering meaningful solutions for our state and communities. I will highlight some of the key measures we took up this week, and I remain eager to advance more positive policy initiatives before the 2025 legislative session concludes on Friday, April 4, 2025. 

NOTABLE LEGISLATION

Building on the foundation of Senate Bill 465, Austin’s Law, which was passed in the 2024 legislative session in memory of Austin Walters, a fentanyl overdose victim, my colleagues and I gave House passage to Senate Bill 79, the Fentanyl Eradication and Removal Act. SB 79 is part of a broader initiative to combat fentanyl-related deaths in Georgia and to address opioid abuse more generally. SB 79 would strengthen penalties for trafficking fentanyl and its equivalents by amending state law related to the manufacture, delivery, distribution, possession or sale of noncontrolled substances. Specifically, it would remove fentanyl and its equivalents from the current statute that governs opiates and creates a separate schedule of offenses for fentanyl. Under the Fentanyl Eradication and Removal Act, individuals found with at least four grams of fentanyl, or its equivalent, would face mandatory minimum sentences, starting at eight years and a $75,000 fine for amounts just over four grams and escalating based on the quantity involved. For example, the penalty for possessing 28 grams or more would be 35 years in prison and a fine of $750,000. SB 79 supports ongoing efforts to address the opioid crisis in Georgia, including initiatives like making Naloxone more widely available in schools and public buildings. Fentanyl is incredibly potent, with just two milligrams potentially being lethal, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has found counterfeit pills containing up to five milligrams—more than twice the lethal dose. With drug trafficking organizations distributing fentanyl by the kilogram, SB 79 would, if approved by the Senate and signed by the governor, strengthen penalties for those involved in trafficking this dangerous substance, helping to protect communities.  

EDUCATION UPDATE

The House gave final passage to Senate Bill 123 this week, a measure aimed at addressing chronic absenteeism in Georgia’s public schools. The bill would formally define chronic absenteeism as students who missed 10 percent or more of the school year. It would also introduce targeted intervention strategies to boost student attendance, while providing support over punishment for schools and students struggling with absences. Last year, 22.6 percent of Georgia’s public-school students—approximately 360,000 children—were chronically absent, missing 10 percent or more of the school year, underscoring the need for this legislation. With the objective of modernizing language in Georgia law, the bill would update the term mandatory attendance to compulsory attendance and expand the definition of a parent or guardian to include legal custodians or individuals with legal authority over a child. Importantly, the bill would not expel or penalize students solely due to excused absenteeism. Additionally, the bill would mandate that school climate committees, responsible for assessing school safety and attendance, meet at least twice a year and report their findings to the Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia General Assembly. Lastly, schools and districts with high absenteeism rates would face added oversight under SB 123 – districts with a 10 percent or higher absenteeism rate would be required to form an attendance review team, while individual schools with chronic absenteeism rates exceeding 15 percent would establish a dedicated review team. By establishing attendance review teams, schools could find solutions to chronic absenteeism and implement policies and support to get students back into the classroom. We know that being present in the classroom is vital for students’ learning, and this legislation would be a step in the right direction toward enhancing student engagement, improving academic outcomes and preparing them for postsecondary education. SB 123 now heads to the governor’s desk for his review.  

SPONSORED LEGISLATION

I am proud to be sponsoring the following legislation. My colleagues and I are working tirelessly on other bills that will support our communities and will make Georgia a better place to live, work, and raise a family.

HOUSE BILL 81 -- ON THE GOVERNOR'S DESK This bill will allow Georgia to enter into the Interstate Compact for School Psychologists. This will cut red tape for school psychologists who move here from other member states. School psychologists are an integral part of our schools who assess our students who have dyslexia and special needs, and my hope is that this will help our schools hire more of them to support our students.

HOUSE BILL 107 -- PASSED OUT OF COMMITTEE This bill will require our licensing boards to provide military spouses with a digital verifiable license which will make it easier for them to prove they have a valid occupational license when they move from state to state. I'm working with the Secretary of State's office on this issue before this bill goes into Rules.

HOUSE BILL 174 -- ON THE GOVERNOR'S DESK This bill was brought to me as a unanimous resolution by the Centerville City Council as a piece of local legislation. It will authorize the Municipal Court of Centerville to charge a technology fee.

HOUSE BILL 307 -- SENATE PASSAGE This bill will strengthen SB 48 and HB 538, dyslexia and literacy legislation from previous sessions, and ban curriculum that does not align with the Science of Reading. This bill passed unanimously in the Senate. Now it has to come back to the House for us to agree to the substitute language added in Senate committee.

HOUSE BILL 361 / HOUSE BILL 266 -- SENATE PASSAGE The original HB 361 was merged with HB 266 and will exempt partial retirement benefits of our retired veterans from state income tax. HB 361 was signed by almost all the House members from our military communities, and is a bipartisan bill. HB 266 must return to the House for an amendment.

HOUSE BILL 372 -- This bill will allow retired teachers who have certificates in certain high needs areas to return to the classroom. It has been assigned to the Retirement Committee.

HOUSE BILL 487 -- This bill will mandate that computer science be a high school graduation requirement beginning in 2031.It has been assigned to the Education Committee.

You can click the button below to follow all the legislation as each bill makes its way through the House and Senate.

LINKS AND CONTACT INFORMATION

On Monday, March 31^st, we will return for the 12^th and final week of the 2025 legislative session. In the final days of the 2025 legislative session, I will continue working for our district and fighting for our communities. Please reach out to me with any questions regarding legislation that is still up for consideration.