25 LC 49 2264S
The Senate Committee on Education and Youth offered the following
substitute to SB 152:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 2B of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to1
promise scholarship accounts, so as to provide that the biological or adopted children of2
individuals who are foster parents and who meet certain conditions shall qualify for promise3
scholarship accounts; to provide for such conditions; to provide for definitions; to provide4
for the education savings authority to make limited disclosures to the Department of Revenue5
for purposes of verifying income as compared to income thresholds; to provide for related6
matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.7
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:8
SECTION 1.9
Chapter 2B of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to promise10
scholarship accounts, is amended in Code Section 20-2B-5, relating to powers of the11
education savings authority, by revising subsection (b) and by adding a new subsection to12
read as follows:13
"(b) Pursuant Except as provided in subsection (d) of this Code section, pursuant to Code14
Section 50-18-70, the education savings authority shall not disclose and shall keep15
confidential, in each case unless identifying information has been redacted:16
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(1) Records that include information identifying a student or former student by name,17
address except for ZIP Code, telephone number, or emergency contact; and18
(2) Records that reveal an individual's social security number, mother's birth name, credit19
card information, debit card information, bank account information, account number,20
utility account number, password used to access his or her account, financial data or21
information, insurance or medical information in all records, unlisted telephone number22
if so designated in a public record, personal email address or cellular telephone number,23
or month and day of birth."24
"(d) As necessary to enforce the provisions of this chapter, the education savings authority25
or its duly authorized agents may submit to the state revenue commissioner the names of26
applicants for promise scholarship accounts or account funds or other benefits or payments27
provided under this chapter, as well as the relevant income threshold specified therein. If28
the education savings authority elects to contract with the state revenue commissioner for29
such purposes, the state revenue commissioner and his or her agents or employees shall30
notify the education savings authority whether each submitted applicant's income exceeds31
the relevant income threshold provided. The education savings authority shall pay the state32
revenue commissioner for all costs incurred by the Department of Revenue pursuant to this33
subsection. No information shall be provided by the Department of Revenue to the34
education savings authority without an executed cooperative agreement between the two35
entities. Any tax information secured from the federal government by the Department of36
Revenue pursuant to express provisions of Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code may37
not be disclosed by the Department of Revenue pursuant to this subsection. Any person38
receiving any tax information under the authority of this subsection is subject to the39
provisions of Code Section 48-7-60 and to all penalties provided under Code Section40
48-7-61 for unlawful divulging of confidential tax information."41
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SECTION 2.42
Said chapter is further amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:43
"20-2B-22.1.44
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:45
(1) 'Biological or adopted child' means a child who is the biological issue of an46
individual or who has been adopted by an individual pursuant to a decree of adoption by47
a court of this state or by a court of any other jurisdiction.48
(2) 'Foster parent' means an individual who currently provides or, at any time during the49
preceding ten years, has provided care, lodging, supervision, and maintenance for one or50
more children in a foster care home used by an agency licensed as a child-placing agency51
pursuant to Chapter 5 of Title 49 or in a foster care home approved and directly52
supervised by the Department of Human Services.53
(b) Notwithstanding any provision of Code Section 20-2B-22 to the contrary, each student54
who has reached the age of four years but has not reached the age of 20 years, who is the55
biological or adopted child of an individual who is a foster parent, and who meets the56
requirements of paragraphs (1), (4), (6), (7), (8), and (9) of subsection (a) of Code Section57
20-2B-22 shall qualify for a promise scholarship account under this article."58
SECTION 3.59
This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2025.60
SECTION 4.61
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.62
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