# Georgia SB 556: HOPE Scholarship; the inclusion of advanced placement and international baccalaureate fine arts courses in the calculation of grade point averages; provide Georgia SB 556, HOPE Scholarship; the inclusion of advanced placement and international baccalaureate fine arts courses in the calculation of grade point averages; provide, is a 2025-2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Billy Hickman (Republican), Chuck Payne (Republican), Freddie Powell Sims (Democrat) and 2 others; status signed, last action 2026-07-01 (Effective Date); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB556-2025-2026 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Georgia SB 556 - State: Georgia - Session: 2025-2026 Regular Session - Title: HOPE Scholarship; the inclusion of advanced placement and international baccalaureate fine arts courses in the calculation of grade point averages; provide - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-02-24 - Last action: 2026-07-01, Effective Date - Sponsors: Billy Hickman (Republican), Chuck Payne (Republican), Freddie Powell Sims (Democrat), Shawn Still (Republican), Rick Williams (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Higher Education, General Bill - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 4 (278 yes, 44 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 10 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Advanced arts grades count toward scholarships: benefit, medium. Qualifying advanced fine arts grades join English, math, science, social studies, and foreign language in scholarship GPA calculations. The Georgia Student Finance Commission uses a uniform 4.0 scale and uniform weighting for advanced placement, dual-credit, and international baccalaureate grades.… - Higher savings ceiling for college accounts: benefit, medium. The Georgia Higher Education Savings Plan raises its per-beneficiary balance threshold from $235,000 to $550,000. The threshold counts all Georgia plan accounts for the same beneficiary together. No more contributions are allowed once that combined balance reaches or exceeds $550,000. This change t… - Families gain out-of-state college savings deduction: benefit, medium. For tax years 2026–2030, Georgia offers a new deduction for eligible tuition-plan contributions, excluding Georgia's own plan. Another state's plan qualifies only if that state offers a similar deduction or tax credit. The new deduction is up to $2,000 per beneficiary for single or separate returns… - College staff gain overdose response protections: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Georgia university and technical college personnel may give medicine when they believe someone is overdosing in good faith. This authority covers campuses, system-sponsored events, people under staff supervision, and campus presence before or after normal activities. Staff a… - Colleges stock and allow overdose medicine: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Georgia university and technical college system campuses must stock overdose-reversal medicine when community funding is available. Supplies must be secure and sufficient for multiple overdoses; technical colleges must also follow manufacturer instructions. Campuses must mak… - Dedicated fund supports new college grants: benefit, low. The Georgia Student Finance Authority manages a separate DREAMS scholarship fund using state funding and public or private contributions. The fund has principal, scholarship, and transitional accounts, with required investment and spending policies. Awards use the transitional account for the first… - Student workers lose retirement plan coverage: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, part-time students working for their covered institution are excluded from the Georgia Defined Contribution Plan's employee definition. This extends the exclusion already applied to full-time students. The plan's revised definitions also exclude genuine independent contracto… - Medical scholarships require Georgia practice: mixed, high. Starting in academic year 2026–2027, scholarships help full-time students at eligible University System of Georgia medical schools. Awards depend on state funding, cannot exceed annual cost of attendance, and cover no more than eight semesters. Applicants must meet the referenced eligibility requir… - New college grants with participation requirements: mixed, high. Starting in academic year 2026–2027, DREAMS scholarships provide eligible Georgia public college undergraduates up to $3,000 a year. Awards cannot exceed unmet financial need and last no more than eight semesters or 12 quarters. Students must complete the FAFSA, meet the referenced HOPE eligibility… - Lottery reserves protect education but constrain spending: mixed, low. Beginning in Fiscal Year 2027, Georgia's lottery education reserve must meet a new minimum. It is at least 50% of the greater of three-year average net deposits or base lottery spending. Base spending includes voluntary pre-K and college tuition grants, scholarships, and loans for Georgia residents… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Billy Hickman (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Chuck Payne (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Freddie Powell Sims (Democrat), Senate - Sponsor: Shawn Still (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Rick Williams (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Scott Hilton (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-04-02 | House | PASSAGE | pass | 167 | 2 | 7 | | 2026-04-02 | Senate | AGREE TO HOUSE SUBSTITUTE AS AMENDED | fail | 25 | 25 | 5 | | 2026-04-02 | Senate | AGREE TO HOUSE SUBSTITUTE | pass | 36 | 17 | 2 | | 2026-03-06 | Senate | PASSAGE BY SUBSTITUTE | pass | 50 | 0 | 3 | ## Actions (18) - 2026-07-01: Effective Date - 2026-05-11: Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate) - 2026-05-11: Act 468 - 2026-04-10: Senate Sent to Governor (Senate) - 2026-04-02: House Third Readers (House) - 2026-04-02: House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House) - 2026-04-02: Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub (Senate) - 2026-03-27: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House) - 2026-03-10: House Second Readers (House) - 2026-03-09: House First Readers (House) - 2026-03-06: Senate Tabled (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Senate Taken from Table (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Senate Third Read (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate) - 2026-03-04: Senate Read Second Time (Senate) - 2026-03-03: Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate) - 2026-02-25: Senate Read and Referred (Senate) - 2026-02-24: Senate Hopper (Senate) ## Bill text - SB 556/AP* (v13): [PDF](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/249223) ## 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 556/AP* (v13) (PDF)](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/249223) ## 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-SB556-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).