Georgia Laws and Codes
Constitution of Georgia
The Constitution of the State of Georgia is the governing document of the U.S. state of Georgia. It was ratified on November 2, 1982 by a vote of the people and became effective on July 1, 1983. It is the newest state constitution in the United States and Georgia's 10th Constitution, replacing the previous 1976 constitution. Article Eight of the Constitution describes Education. This Article deals with public schools; boards and offices responsible for education; local school systems; taxation and educational assistance.
Official Code of Georgia
The Official Code of Georgia Annotated or OCGA is the compendium of all laws in the U.S. state of Georgia. Like other U.S. state codes, its legal interpretation is subject to the United States Constitution, the United States Code, the Code of Federal Regulations, and the state's constitution.
- Senate Bill 84
To amend Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elementary and secondary education, so as to revise provisions relating to eligibility for election as a local board of education member. - House Bill 797
To amend Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to education, so as to repeal an article relating to the Georgia Charter Schools Commission; to provide for legislative findings and intent; to provide for definitions; to provide for the establishment of the State Charter Schools Commission - House Resolution 1162
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Georgia so as to clarify the authority of the state to establish state-wide education policy.
Federal
- The Voting Rights Act of 1965
A landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S.
Echoing the language of the 15th Amendment, the Act prohibits states from imposing any "voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure ... to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color." Specifically, Congress intended the Act to outlaw the practice of requiring otherwise qualified voters to pass literacy tests in order to register to vote, a principal means by which Southern states had prevented African Americans from exercising the franchise. The Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, who had earlier signed the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law.