Hope Scholarship Bill Passes Georgia House

An effort to save the HOPE scholarship program is now in the hands of the Georgia State Senate.

The Georgia House of Representatives passed H.B. 326 by a 152-22 vote margin Tuesday (March 1). The vote was a bipartisan effort, according to Gov. Nathan Deal.

“The legislative process is working effectively,” Deal said in a released statement. We’ve put together the right piece of legislation that keeps our programs among the most generous in the nation while placing them on firm financial footing. Today, we are one step closer to ensuring that HOPE endures for Georgia’s best and brightest and pre-k continues to prepare 4-year-old Georgians for educational excellence.”

Almost all of the House Republicans and two-thirds of House Democrats voted in favor of the bill. House minority leader Stacey Abrams said Democrats would continue to work with the Senate to perfect the bill.

"This is an ongoing process. Certainly, our leadership is pleased with key components and concessions the Governor has made to include Democrats' concerns in his legislation,” Abrams said.

Abrams emphasized four key areas of the HOPE reform legislation:

• Allowing remedial classes for technical school.
• Allowing proprietary schools continued access to the Tuition Equalization Grant.
• Minimizing cuts to pre-K through increased funding to extended care for at-risk children.
• Funding the 1 percent loan program to help students bridge any financial gap.

A major change was the .

“We want to do everything we can to keep Georgia’s best and brightest in school with the full benefit package, while still creating incentives for students to work hard and go above and beyond,” Deal said.