Sen. Billy Hickman Celebrates New Law Strengthening Teacher Retirement Benefits

ATLANTA (May 7, 2026) - Today, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Youth Sen. Billy Hickman (R-Statesboro) celebrated Governor Brian P. Kemp signing Senate Bill 150 into law.

This measure extends a program that allows certain retired teachers with at least 30 years of service to return to full-time classroom teaching while continuing to receive retirement benefits through 2030. Further, the law would give local school systems greater flexibility to identify their highest-need subject areas and to protect retired teachers who are already hired from losing their positions if those needs change.

Sen. Hickman, who authored the legislation, spoke of the program's impact, stating, "Across our state, school systems are working hard to recruit and retain quality educators, especially in high-need classrooms. SB 150 is a necessary and welcome step toward addressing teacher shortages by allowing experienced retired teachers to return to the classroom while maintaining the financial security they earned through years of service. This law gives proven educators another opportunity to serve students in the communities and subject areas where they are needed most. I appreciate Gov. Kemp for signing this measure into law, and I'm grateful to the many education leaders and advocates who helped move this important legislation forward. When we support good teachers, we support better outcomes for students, and that is what this bill is all about."

The full version of SB 150 can be found here.

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Sen. Billy Hickman serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Youth. He represents the 4^thSenate District, which includes Bulloch, Candler, Effingham and Evans counties, as well as a portion of Chatham County. He may be reached by phone at (404) 463-1371 or by email at [email protected].

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