Rep. Kasey Carpenter’s Legislation to Expand Eligibility for Private School Tuition Scholarships Signed into Law by Governor Kemp

ATLANTA - State Representative Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton), chairman of the House Creative Arts and Entertainment Committee, today announces that House Bill 328, legislation he sponsored to expand eligibility and adjust scholarship funding requirements under Georgia's student scholarship organization (SSO) program for private school tuition scholarships, has been signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp.

"School choice has always been a major focus of my time in Atlanta," said Rep. Carpenter. "I truly believe competition makes both public and private education better. HB 328 is a fiscally responsible way to fund school choice and save taxpayers money, and increasing the Peach Tax Credit will allow Georgians to fund more projects for public schools."

HB 328 expands Georgia's private-school scholarship tax credit program by increasing funding caps and broadening eligibility for military families and students with disabilities. Beginning in the 2026 tax year, the legislation allows military dependents stationed in Georgia, students with individualized education programs or Section 504 plans and students with certain diagnosed disabilities to qualify for SSOs without meeting the current six-week public school attendance requirement. The bill also establishes guidelines for when local school systems may offer virtual instruction to out-of-system students. Additionally, HB 328 increases the aggregate cap for tax credits related to contributions to SSOs to $150 million and adjusts the portion allowed against insurance premium tax liability from $6 million to 6 percent of the total aggregate cap. The legislation also raises the aggregate cap for tax credits tied to donations benefiting nonprofit organizations that award grants to public schools to $25 million.

More information on HB 328 may be found here.

Representative Kasey Carpenter represents the citizens of District 4, which includes a portion of Whitfield County. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2017 and currently serves as Chairman of the Creative Arts & Entertainment Committee and Vice Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, as well as Secretary of the Higher Education Committee. He also serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Economic Development, Industry and Labor, Regulated Industries, Transportation and Ways & Means committees.

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