'Twas a long day under the Gold Dome on this thirty-eighth day of the 2013 session of the Georgia General Assembly.  However, the most action of interest to the education community occurred on one side of the building:  the Senate side.

 

The House spent a huge portion of their day dealing with what Capitol-watchers know as "agrees -- disagrees," a procedure by which the lower chamber formally agrees with changes made to their bills by their Senate friends (or, formally disagrees).  In most cases, the "disagree" process eventually launches a conference committee of senators and representatives to work out differences between the two versions of bills, and the ultimate compromise agreement is agreed to by both chambers on the last night of the session.  This year, the track seems to follow that familiar pattern.

 

On the Senate side, though, and in midst of heated debate over abortion issues and union labor legislation, three education bills were passed.  Gaining approval from the upper chamber were:

 

HB 115, Representative Tom Dickson's (R-Cohutta) bill seeking to do a bit of streamlining of the process used by the State Board of Education when that body is considering the fate of school boards that have run afoul of the accreditation process.  After some amendment to the bill, it now goes back to the House to be part of the aforementioned "agree -- disagree" process.

 

HB 116, another Dickson bill seeking to authorize the transfer of certain funds from the State Board of Education to the Georgia Foundation for Public Education.  This bill passed the Senate in the same manner in which it had passed the House, so it now goes to the Governor for his consideration and likely signature.

 

HB 283, the Title 20 "clean up" bill that has become this year's Christmas tree bill (since so many other things are being hung onto it).  The bill is now 28 pages in length and, in addition to including a number of recommendations from the Education Finance Task Force along with the deletion of a number of obsolete statutes in Title 20 (the education code), it now houses a piece of what otherwise would have been local legislation related to Sumter County.  Heaven only knows what might be added to this monster when it goes back to the House ("Parent trigger," anyone?).

 

Day 39 is set for Tuesday, March 26.