Crossover Day – the day by which all legislation must pass one chamber in order to remain alive – is a week away and there seems to be a mad rush to get bills across the line in their originating Chamber. While a number of bills received committee approval last week and seem headed for a full vote by the House of Senate this week, a lot of new bills were still being introduced.
Late last week, Sen. Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming) introduced Senate Bill 233, which would establish a new private school voucher program. If approved, the “Georgia Promise Scholarship program” would become the state’s third existing voucher program.
According to Dolezal, SB 233 would provide $6,000 a year to families of participating students, which could be used for private school tuition or other expenses related to education including tutoring, curriculum materials, computer hardware and tuition at a postsecondary institution. Students would be eligible if they are eligible for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, or first grade or were enrolled in and attended a public school for six weeks if in grade two or higher.
As currently written in the bill, eligibility requirements would be waived for students who would be assigned to a public school identified as low-performing; have a documented case of school-based physical violence or student-related verbal abuse or were enrolled in a home-school program in the year immediately before receiving a voucher.
The House Education Committee gave a do-pass to House Bill 338, by Chris Erwin (R-Homer). The Student Technology Protection Act updates definitions of child pornography, content harmful to minors, obscene materials, and technology protection measures. The bill requires local districts to update internet acceptable use policies, as well as creation of parent complaint processes for alleged violation of the policies. Under the bill, the Georgia Department of Education would be required to compile a list of vendors for internet filters in coordination with the Department of Administrative Services to assist districts with selecting the appropriate filters.
The committee also passed House Bill 402, by Rep. Scott Hilton (R-Peachtree Corners), which requires school districts to provide parents or guardians with information on the importance of water safety education courses and swimming lessons each year. The bill was amended in subcommittee to include a requirement that schools must provide information about available swim instruction in the area.
Late last week, Rep. Houston Gaines (R-Athens) introduced House Bill 528, the “Georgia Online Automatic Renewal Transparency Act.” This legislation would require a business that operates online and allows a consumer to accept an automatic renewal or continuous service must provide a method of cancellation that is available online in the form of either:
- A clear and conspicuous direct link or button which may be located either within a customer account or profile or within the device or user settings; or
- An immediately accessible cancellation email formatted and provided by the business that a consumer can send to the business without additional steps or required information.
These businesses must also “provide a toll-free telephone number, email address, postal address if the seller directly bills the consumer, or another cost-effective, timely, and easy-to-use mechanism for cancellation.”
House Bill 406, by Rep. Rick Jasperse (R-Jasper) received a do pass recommendation by substitute by the House Committee on Technology and Infrastructure Innovation. This bill would provide for the regulation of certain electricity used as motor fuel in electric vehicles. Additionally, HB 406 would authorize the Department of Agriculture to regulate and inspect electric vehicle charging stations and would provide for collection of a motor fuel excise tax upon the sale and use of certain electricity and hydrogen. HB 406 would also include the provision of electricity to propel motor vehicles through an electric vehicle charging station from the regulative authority of the Public Service Commission.
