Category Archives: Home School

January 1, 2016 Newsletter

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(The January 1, 2016 Newsletter content includes these topics: Casinos, horse racing, marijuana, new legislators)

Critical Issues Await 2016 General Assembly

Carryovers from 2015 Session

  • Bills left-over for 2016 – 438 House bills (H.B.) and 179 Senate bills (S.B.) – total 617.
  • Resolutions left-over for the 2016 session – 92 H.R. and 77 S.R. – total 169.
  • Left-over totals – 786 bills and resolutions remain alive for action in 2016.

House and Senate Action in the 2015 Session

  • Of the 955 bills introduced in the 2015 General Assembly, 706 H.B. passed and 249 S.B. passed.
  • Of those 955 bills introduced, only 12 were defeated or withdrawn.
  • Of the 1,610 resolutions introduced in 2015, 960 H.R. and 650 S.R. passed – total 1,439.
  • Governor Deal signed 239 House bills and vetoed eight House bills.
  • Governor Deal signed 62 Senate bills and vetoed three Senate bills.

The governor’s signature on a bill indicates his support, and frequently prompts a signing ceremony and photo-op for supportive citizens and organizations, as well as the bill’s author and other legislators. Legislation the governor signs may become law upon his signature, but other bills that passed become law on the up-coming July 1st or as specified in the legislation.

  • To read the rest of this newsletter in PDF format, please click here.

March 22, 2013 Radio Commentary

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Home Schoolers: H.B. 283 Looks Better Now

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, March 22, 2013 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Good morning, Jim.  A first reading of H.B. 283 introduced February 11th by Representative Brooks Coleman alarmed families who home school their children.  Especially worrisome was Section 23 (c) (2) requiring parents to report to the local school superintendent a home-schooled child suspected of having a disability.  Also, that same section deleted the law that says enrollment records and reports will not be used for other purposes.  But that has been changed!

Good news!  House and Senate committees re-wrote H.B. 283 Section 23 (c) (2), removed the new requirements and reverted back to current law.  However, they deleted “or for verification of attendance by the Department of Public Safety for the purposes set forth in subsection (a.1) of Code Section 40-5-22,” that’s now in the law.

Committees also removed Section 23 (6) (A) that allowed “a rebuttable presumption that a child is deprived,” to trigger child custody action if home-school records were not current.  Section 23 (6) (A) now contains only one sentence, which is: “A written or electronic confirmation of attendance shall be submitted annually to the department by the parent or guardian of a child attending a home study program confirming that the child has met the attendance requirements of Cod Section 20-2-690.1 for the previous school year.” Continue reading →