House extends teacher recruitment tax credit, increases eligible slots to 1,200

The Georgia House passed Senate Bill 515, a two-part bipartisan package that reauthorizes the state's recruitment and retention tax credit for teachers and reauthorizes the conservation tax credit.

Representative Chaz Cannon explained the measure and told the chamber the recruitment provision "increases the number of public school teachers that will be eligible for the credit from 1000 to 1,200" and prioritizes credits toward turnaround schools and the bottom 25 percent in performance. Members raised questions about what happens when demand exceeds the 1,200 cap and whether the credit is refundable for teachers without a tax liability.

Cannon said the language came out of committee deliberations and indicated lawmakers could revisit technical questions in a future session. The rules committee substitute was adopted on the floor and the clerk recorded passage (yeas 158, nays 0).

Next steps: the Department of Revenue will implement the reauthorization and guidance; members asked for future clarifications on refundability and allocation if demand outstrips the cap.