Once again, there was little education legislation acted upon on the floors of the House or Senate on this thirty-fourth day of the 2013 session of the Georgia General Assembly.  Only the House took up an education bill, and it has to be considered one of the more "minor" ones to have been considered during this entire session.  HR 218, sponsored by Rep. Barbara Sims (R-Augusta), asks that superintendents recognize that learning the United States Constitution is a vital part of educating our state's youth; DUH.  The House passed the non-binding resolution with only one dissenting vote.  (Editor's note:  Who votes against a bill or resolution saying that learning about the Constitution is important?  Ah, the Georgia General Assembly.....)

 

On the Senate side of the building, after they spent hours arguing/debating the future of video gambling machines in Georgia, senators broke into committee meetings.  The Senate Education and Youth Committee met briefly and gave quick "do pass" recommendations to the following:

 

HB 337, sponsored by Rep. Barry Fleming (R-Harlem) and calling for physicians to be authorized to write prescriptions to schools (rather than to people) so that they could stock a supply of epi-pens;

 

HB 131, sponsored by Rep. Valerie Clark (R-Lawrenceville), calls for courses taken by students via dual enrollment be treated the same as AP and IB courses when the Georgia Student Finance Commission calculates eligibility for the HOPE scholarship; and,

 

HB 354, also by Rep. Clark and changing various rules and regulations for child care centers and their workers (a bill requested by the Department of Early Care and Learning).

 

All these bills now move to the Senate Rules Committee for their consideration.

 

The schedule for the final days of the 2013 session are now set.  The General Assembly will be in session for days 35-37 next week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, March 20-22.  Days 38 and 39 will be on Monday and Tuesday, March 25 and 26.  Sine die will occur on Thursday, March 28.  Is that a light at the end of the tunnel, or is that the headlamp of an onrushing train???