by Ty Tagami | Feb 2, 2026 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — Legislation to ban cellphones in Georgia public high schools is advancing quickly, with a unanimous vote in favor at a first hearing Monday.
The school day ban outlined in House Bill 1009 would take effect in fall 2027, a year after a similar ban for kindergarten through middle school that lawmakers passed last year.
Although the mandatory lower grades ban does not go into effect until next fall, many schools, including some high schools, have voluntary implemented it ahead of schedule.
“The early data shows us that the bill’s been life changing,” Rep. Scott Hilton, R-Peachtree Corners, said in an interview after a subcommittee passed his bill on for review by the House Education Committee. “Test scores are up, social interaction is up and fights are down. So it’s been a huge success, and we look forward to building on that success with nine through 12.”
The voluntary early implementation in some schools has given researchers such as Julie Gazmararian an opportunity to measure the impact.
The professor of epidemiology at Emory University was involved in a survey released last month that found 71% of responding Georgia parents wanted the K-8 cellphone ban extended to high schools.
The 29% of parents who opposed a high school ban were mostly concerned about being disconnected from their child during a school emergency, said the survey by the Rollins School of Public Health.
Other surveys have found similar support from teachers and even students.
Gazmararian testified in favor of HB 1009 Monday, telling lawmakers about consistent positive effects, such as reports of fewer disciplinary referrals.
Early data suggests reduced tardiness, too, she said in an interview after the hearing.
“We’re seeing in the cafeteria (that) kids are talking more to each other,” Gazmararian said. “And teachers feel like, in the classrooms, students are more engaged and less disruptive.”
by Mark Niesse | Feb 2, 2026 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — The Republican-controlled Georgia Senate voted along party lines Monday to urge Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to turn over the state’s unredacted voter list — which includes 8 million voters’ personal information — to the Trump administration.
The vote came five days after the FBI seized ballots from the 2020 presidential election in Fulton County, which Democrats called another example of federal interference.
Raffensperger, a Republican running for governor, and Democrats opposed the nonbinding resolution, saying state law protects voters’ Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers and full birth dates from disclosure.
The resolution is a symbolic show of support for the U.S. Department of Justice’s nationwide effort to collect voter lists, saying it wants to ensure accurate registration information.
“If we have only valid voters in our system, then what’s there to hide?” said state Sen. Ed Setzler, R-Acworth. “We should share our voter list with valid government entities to make sure there’s nothing wrong with the data.”
Democrats said the resolution undermines public trust in elections ahead of this year’s midterms, blaming President Donald Trump and his Republican supporters in the Senate.
“Here’s the setup to start interfering with Georgia elections,” said state Sen. Nikki Merritt, D-Grayson. “He can’t accept losing 2020 like he did. He can’t accept the loss. And now we keep relitigating it, and voters are paying attention.”
Prior to the Senate resolution, the Department of Justice sued Georgia for the statewide voter list last month.
Raffensperger’s office previously provided the DOJ with a public version of Georgia’s voter list that redacted voters’ personal information.
Raffensperger is a candidate for governor in the Republican primary in May against Attorney General Chris Carr and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is supported by most Republican state senators.
Senate Resolution 563 passed on a 31-22 vote after over two hours of debate.
