Education bills make it over the line on Sine Die

Lawmakers worked well past midnight Thursday on Sine Die – the last day of the 40-day legislative session. And the final day saw a flurry of education bills passed in the late hours as neither the House of Senate gaveled out until about 1:15 am Friday.

This was the year the Georgia legislature passed a financial needs-based scholarship for students attending Georgia universities and public colleges – the “Dedicating Resources to Educationally Advance More Students (DREAMS) scholarship.” The bill -- which is a legislative priority for Governor Brian Kemp – now heads to his desk for signature to become law. The scholarship would go into effect at the beginning of 2026-2027 academic year, and students deemed eligible would receive a maximum of $3,000 per academic year.