# Georgia SB 523: Education; public schools and postsecondary educational institutions to consider antisemitism in the same manner as discrimination based on religion; authorize

Georgia SB 523, Education; public schools and postsecondary educational institutions to consider antisemitism in the same manner as discrimination based on religion; authorize, is a 2025-2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by John Albers (Republican), Lee Anderson (Republican), Timothy Bearden (Republican) and 20 others; status signed, last action 2026-05-05 (Senate Date Signed by Governor) (as of 2026-10-19).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB523-2025-2026
- As of: 2026-10-19
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Georgia SB 523
- State: Georgia
- Session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
- Title: Education; public schools and postsecondary educational institutions to consider antisemitism in the same manner as discrimination based on religion; authorize
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-02-18
- Last action: 2026-05-05, Senate Date Signed by Governor
- Sponsors: John Albers (Republican), Lee Anderson (Republican), Timothy Bearden (Republican), Matt Brass (Republican), Max Burns (Republican), Bill Cowsert (Republican), Jason T. Dickerson (Republican), Drew Echols (Republican), Steve Gooch (Republican), Russ Goodman (Republican), Sonya Halpern (Democrat), Marty Harbin (Republican), Billy Hickman (Republican), Mike Hodges (Republican), Chuck Hufstetler (Republican), Kay Kirkpatrick (Republican), Elena Parent (Democrat), Shawn Still (Republican), Brian Strickland (Republican), Carden Summers (Republican), Blake Tillery (Republican), Ben Watson (Republican), Sam Watson (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Subjects: Higher Education, General Bill
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 4 (283 yes, 33 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 4

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Stronger discrimination protections in public schools: benefit, medium. Georgia public schools receiving state or federal aid cannot discriminate in programs, benefits, or employment. Protections cover race, ethnicity, national origin, and religion. By September 29, 2026, the Department of Education must name a statewide K–12 Title VI complaint coordinator. The coordin…
- School rights enforcement includes funding penalties: mixed, medium. When the Department of Education finds a public school out of compliance, it must give written notice. The school generally has 30 days to fix violations and develop a corrective action plan. The department can extend that period for good cause. The State Board of Education can require fixes and wi…
- Technical college protections carry funding penalties: mixed, medium. By December 31, 2026, all Technical College System of Georgia units must adopt and publish discrimination complaint procedures. These cover protections based on race, ethnicity, national origin, and religion. People can report complaints online or in writing. Schools must handle complaints promptly…
- University complaint protections carry funding penalties: mixed, medium. By December 31, 2026, all University System of Georgia schools must adopt and publish discrimination complaint procedures. These cover protections based on race, ethnicity, national origin, and religion. People can report complaints online or in writing. Schools must handle complaints promptly and…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: John Albers (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Lee Anderson (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Timothy Bearden (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Matt Brass (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Max Burns (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Bill Cowsert (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Jason T. Dickerson (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Drew Echols (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Steve Gooch (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Russ Goodman (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Sonya Halpern (Democrat), Senate
- Sponsor: Marty Harbin (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Billy Hickman (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Mike Hodges (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Chuck Hufstetler (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Kay Kirkpatrick (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Elena Parent (Democrat), Senate
- Sponsor: Shawn Still (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Brian Strickland (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Carden Summers (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Blake Tillery (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Ben Watson (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Sam Watson (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Deborah Silcox (Republican), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-25 | Senate | AGREE TO HOUSE SUBSTITUTE | pass | 46 | 0 | 5 |
| 2026-03-18 | House | PASSAGE | pass | 165 | 0 | 5 |
| 2026-03-04 | Senate | ADOPTION OF AMENDMENT #1 BY THE SENATOR FROM THE 35TH | fail | 22 | 31 | 2 |
| 2026-03-04 | Senate | PASSAGE | pass | 50 | 2 | 3 |

## Actions (16)

- 2026-05-05: Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
- 2026-05-05: Act 402
- 2026-05-05: Effective Date
- 2026-04-10: Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
- 2026-03-25: Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub (Senate)
- 2026-03-18: House Third Readers (House)
- 2026-03-18: House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
- 2026-03-12: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- 2026-03-09: House Second Readers (House)
- 2026-03-06: House First Readers (House)
- 2026-03-04: Senate Third Read (Senate)
- 2026-03-04: Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- 2026-02-26: Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- 2026-02-25: Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- 2026-02-19: Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- 2026-02-18: Senate Hopper (Senate)

## Bill text

- SB 523/AP* (v9): [PDF](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/247661)

## Related bills

- SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckless stunt driving; replace the forfeiture penalty (signed)
- SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation for certain motor vehicles; provide (signed)
- SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Service Foundation; establish (signed)
- SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact (signed)
- HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish (signed)
- HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact (signed)

## Sources
- [SB 523/AP* (v9) (PDF)](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/247661)

## Related
- [SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckles…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB160-2025-2026)
- [SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation f…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB384-2025-2026)
- [SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Servic…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB76-2025-2026)
- [SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB406-2025-2026)
- [HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1391-2025-2026)
- [HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1344-2025-2026)
- [Georgia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia/bills)
- [Georgia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB523-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-19).