Last year, Georgia Republicans celebrated passage of the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act — which provides families with state-funded scholarships to be used toward a non-public education of their choice. Now, only a few days before the beginning of the 2025 legislative session, House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, wants changes to the school voucher program. He says the state agency in charge of managing the voucher program went too far in granting them to entire school districts.
“The legislative intent was clear,” said Burns, during a news conference. “It didn’t apply to a system with one school failing to entitle any child in that system to be eligible for a voucher. It applies to a singular school.”
He says members of the House will work to get it right, adding that the Georgia Promise Scholarship committee that oversees the fund needs to amend the program’s rules to keep it in line with the mission from lawmakers, Burns said.
Senate Bill 233, as signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp, allows parents of students in lower-performing schools to receive $6,500 per year they can put toward a private school or home-school education.
Burns also laid out other priorities for the upcoming session of the General Assembly – which kicks off Monday morning.
“We’re going to hit the ground running,” Burns said. “We all know no more important issue affecting Georgians and our quality of life than the education of our young people. We want every child in this state to have an opportunity for a good, quality education.”
Burns said he wants to expand funding for school safety and technology to capture potential threats after the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School last September. He proposed using money from speeding cameras around school zones to fund the safety measures.
“We want you to feel safe when you go to school,” he said. “You can’t learn when you’re under stress. A secure learning environment is what we’re concerned about.”
Also at the top of his priority list is codifying legislation that ensures separate athletic competition for biological girls and boys. “That’s where it should be,” said Burns. “Some of us have been in guys’ locker rooms. It’s not a place for girls.”
Burns also wants to work with the Senate and the Governor’s office to add more initiatives to combat literacy.
Other priorities include:
● Extend care, including mental health, for infants and mothers.
● Invest in attracting and keeping more medical professionals by providing more funding and support for medical residency programs, especially in rural and underserved areas.
● Codify and protect in vitro fertilization procedures.
● Prison system improvement, including more infrastructure improvements to ensure the safety of prison workers and inmates – pointing to Gov. Kemp’s announcement this week on plans to invest hundreds of millions more in the state’s 35 prisons.
● Ensure prison workers are adequately compensated.
● Address the prison systems’ problem with contraband cellphones and drones.
● Tort reform. In cases where a person is “legitimately injured,” Burns said. “They should be made whole,” he said, adding that some jury awards have gotten “way out of whack.” He plans to work for what he called “common-sense lawsuit reform,” Burns said.
● Tax reform that cuts income tax rates and improves the state’s business environment.
● Fixing Georgia’s licensing process so that people can get and renew licenses faster and more efficiently. It would help to attract more workers.
