Governor Brian Kemp signed multiple bills into law on Monday related to education and the workforce.
The two most notable perhaps were Senate Bill 1, or the "Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act" and House Bill 268, or “Ricky and Alyssa’s Law.”
SB 1 will prohibit students from competing on teams designated for the opposite gender for K-12 and college students in the state as well as prevent them from entering restrooms, changing areas, and sleeping quarters designated for use by a specific gender.
“Girls should not have to share a playing field, a restroom, or a locker room with boys and vice versa, and the common sense legislation I signed today is about what is fair and safe for our children,” Kemp said.
The bill passed the state senate in February and the House in March before Kemp’s signature on Monday.
Some state senators believed it to be a non-issue.
“These are not the issues facing most Georgians,” State Sen. Rashaun Kemp (D-38) said. “Georgia is last in the southeast as it relates to home ownership. We have a high maternal mortality rate.”
Sen. Kemp also said in a February interview with AccessWDUN that less than 1-percent of students in the state identify as transgender.
State Sen. Bo Hatchett (R-50) said that if it is not an issue, there should not have been such fierce opposition.
“If it's not an issue, then I'm surprised by the opposition to it to begin with,” Hatchett said. “When a biological male steps in and takes a medal away or knocks them off a podium, prevents someone from becoming an All-American because he took their spot, that's enough right there for me to justify the passage of this bill.”
HB 268 is similar to Senate Bill 17 also titled “Ricky and Alyssa’s Law” to enhance school safety in the wake of the deadly Apalachee High School shooting in September of 2024.
It was sponsored by State Rep. Holt Persinger (R-119) and carried by State Sen. Bill Cowsert (R-46) in the Senate to require that schools have up to date mapping and mobile panic alert systems.
"Our children are our future, and their future begins in our education system. That's why securing our classrooms, strengthening school safety, and increasing access to mental healthcare for our students was a top priority for the House this session, and that's exactly what HB 268 accomplishes,” Speaker of the House Jon Burns (R-159) said.
HB 268 also requires student records to be transferred within five business days so potential dangers can be addressed and creates the offenses of “terroristic threat of a school” and “terroristic act upon a school.”
The bill also provides for a Student Advocacy Specialist grant program to reimburse districts that hire that position and requires local school boards to offer an anonymous reporting program.
Kemp signed five other pieces of legislation related to schools on Monday.
That included:
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HB 81: A bill sponsored by State Rep. Bethany Ballard (R-147) and carried by State Sen. Larry Walker (R-20) in the Senate that establishes an interstate compact for school psychologists
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HB 307: A bill sponsored by Rep. Ballard and carried by State Sen. Billy Hickman (R-4) in the Senate that consolidates existing statutory requirements on dyslexia screening
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HB 235: A bill sponsored by State Rep. Rick Townsend (R-179) and carried in the Senate by State Sen. Mike Hodges (R-3) entitles public and postsecondary education employees a leave of absence for the donation of bone marrow or organs
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SB 82: A bill sponsored by State Sen. Clint Dixon (R-45) and carried by State Rep. Scott Hilton (R-48) in the House that incentivizes local boards of education to approve charter school petitions
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SB 123: A bill sponsored by President Pro Tem John Kennedy (R-18) and carried by State Rep. Matt Dubnik (R-29) in the House that requires school systems with absenteeism rates of 10-percent or more to establish an attendance review team
Kemp also signed three workforce-related bills on Monday.
They were:
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HB 217: A bill sponsored by State Rep. Soo Hong (R-103) and State Rep. Chuck Martin (R-49) and carried in the Senate by State Sen. Hatchett that reforms the Dual Achievement Program and extends the pilot an additional five years.
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SB 180: A bill sponsored by State Sen. Dixon and carried in the House by State Rep. Dubnik that enables apprenticeship sponsors to participate in the High Demand Apprenticeship Program and receive funding for the completion of apprenticeships.
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SB 193: A bill sponsored by State Sen. Matt Brass (R-28) and carried in the House by State Rep. Houston Gaines (R-120) that establishes an adult workforce high school diploma program to award diplomas to individuals between the ages of 21 and 40.
"As the No. 1 state for business, Georgia has seen record-breaking jobs and investment come to communities in every part of the state," Kemp said. "With the bills I signed today, we're taking further steps to prepare Georgians to walk through those open doors. I'm proud to sign these bills with so many of the men and women whose work every day is building the workforce of tomorrow."
