Georgia's pending "School Choice!" bill excludes illegal alien students - here's how

SB 233 School choice legislation excludes illegal alien students — but not “parents.”

Click here to see the entire bill current as of today : LC 49 1473S

Note the LC # and line numbers will change if the language is adjusted. We predict exactly that.

For folks not accustomed to dealing with legislation, see line 72: “(a) A student shall qualify for a promise scholarship account under this chapter if:”

Then go down to lines 82 & 83: “The student does not meet any of the ineligibility criteria provided for in subsection (b) of Code Section 20-3-519.1; (This code section defines eligibility for scholarships and grants and yes, they used a double negative).

What does subsection (b) say about ineligibility?

This:(b) A student is ineligible for any scholarship or grant described in this part if the student:

* (1) Is not a United States citizen or a permanent resident alien who meets the definition of an eligible noncitizen under federal Title IV requirements;

(2) Has not complied with United States Selective Service System requirements for registration, if such requirements are applicable to the student;

(3) Is in default on a federal Title IV educational loan or a State of Georgia educational loan, provided that a student who is otherwise eligible and has fully repaid the defaulted loan will be eligible to obtain a scholarship or grant for future academic terms but not retroactively;

(4) Owes a refund on a federal Title IV student financial aid program or a Georgia student financial aid program, provided that a student who is otherwise eligible and has fully paid the refund owed will be eligible to obtain a scholarship or grant for future academic terms but not retroactively;

(5) Has been convicted of a felony offense involving marijuana, a controlled substance, or a dangerous drug as set out in Code Section 20-1-23 or 20-1-24 of the “Drug-free Postsecondary Education Act of 1990,” provided that such ineligibility extends from the date of conviction to the completion of the next academic term;

(6) Is incarcerated; or

(7) Does not meet each qualification listed in the Code section relating to the relevant scholarship or grant and applicable to the student.

There is along and quite interesting story from last year about this time behind all this. I’ll save it for after the 2024 session.