At the end of a long day on Friday, the General Assembly ended the 28th day of the legislative session. Typically, Crossover Day falls on the 30th day of the session; however, this year, legislators moved that date up in order to have extra time to work on the other chamber's big-ticket pieces of legislature. With some high-profile bills being heard, the calendars remained full all day with the House creating three supplemental calendars.

Last year, Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed a controversial bill allowing college students aged 21 and over with a concealed carry permit to possess a firearm on college campuses. The bill was controversial throughout the legislative process, and remains so with this year's version. HB 280 by Rep. Mandi Ballinger (R - Canton) remains largely the same as the bill vetoed in 2016. The vetoed bill allowed permit holders to carry a concealed weapon in daycare centers located on college and university campuses. This year's bill, however, excludes daycare centers.

A bill by Rep. Demetrius Douglas (D - Stockbridge), HB 273, would mandate recess for an average of 30 minutes a day for students in grades K-5. One major change to the bill made during the committee process mandates the 30-minute average except for days where physical education or other structured activities are scheduled.

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House

 

HB 425 by Rep. Joyce Chandler (R - Grayson) enacts guidelines for how schools handle situations when parents opt their children into paper and pencil testing for standardized tests or opt their children out of standardized tests. The bill is intended to prevent punitive measures being placed on students opting out of tests or into paper and pencil testing.

 

HB 430 by Rep. Buzz Brockway (R - Lawrenceville) enacts many of the school choice recommendations from the Governor's Education Reform Commission from 2015. The bill focuses on funding mechanisms for charters and clarifies definitions around unused facilities as they relate to charter schools. The bill also enacts new requirements for charter school authorizers.

 

Senate

 

SB 29 by Sen. Vincent Fort (D - Atlanta) requires testing for lead contamination at childcare learning centers.

 

SB 30 by Sen. Vincent Fort (D - Atlanta) creates, upon funding, the Sustainable Community School Operational Grants program. These grants would allow schools to apply for programs aimed at providing the wraparound services and community involvement capacity of schools at a local level. While the program is innovative, there is currently no funding for the program in the FY 18 budget should the bill pass the House.

 

SB 149 by Sen. Emmanuel Jones (D - Decatur) mandates training requirements for school resource officers.

 

SB 211 by Sen. Lindsey Tippins (R - Marietta) would create studies on reading programs in early grades and research-based formative assessments with a summative component in reading in grades one and two and continued research in testing in other grade levels. This bill builds upon some of the work created in SB 364 in 2016.

 

SR 192 by Sen. John Wilkinson (R - Toccoa) allows for referendums created by local legislation to decide whether the local school superintendent should be elected instead of appointed by the local school board. The referendum would also convert the selection process for local board of education members to a grand jury rather than local elections.