Georgia 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: Introduced Bipartisan · 4 D · 1 R cosponsors

HB 1561 — Student Journalist Press Freedom Restoration Act; enact

Last action — House Second Readers

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  1. 1
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been introduced in the House. Introduced March 16, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Prognosis

Stalled 32% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • Introduced

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 5 sponsors

    1 primary, 4 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (4 D · 1 R) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to education, so as to require secondary schools and public institutions of higher education to recognize certain rights for student journalists; to provide for protections for student media advisers; to provide for limitations; to provide for written policies; to provide for proceedings and injunctive relief; to provide for legislative findings, declarations, and intent; to provide for definitions; to provide for construction; to provide for a short title; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. House Second Readers

  2. House First Readers

  3. House Hopper

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 4 co-sponsors · 242 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (4)

Not signed on (242)

242 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 242 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

civil-rights education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HB 1561 do?
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to education, so as to require secondary schools and public institutions of higher education to recognize certain rights for student journalists; to provide for protections for student media advisers; to provide for limitations; to provide for written policies; to provide for proceedings and injunctive relief; to provide for legislative findings, declarations, and intent; to provide for definitions; to provide for construction; to provide for a short title; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
Who sponsors HB 1561?
HB 1561 is sponsored by Ron Stephens (Republican), Bryce Berry (Democrat), Eric Gisler (Democrat), Phil Olaleye (Democrat), and Akbar Ali (Democrat).
What is the current status of HB 1561?
This bill has been introduced in the House. Introduced March 16, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 1561?
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Last checked for changes 4 months ago · updated continuously

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