Twenty state senators, including District 54 Sen. Chuck Payne, of Dalton, are sponsoring a piece of legislation that, if signed into law, would require all local education agencies in Georgia to install mobile panic alert systems within their facilities.
Georgia Senate Bill 32 was introduced on Jan. 26, 2023. Although it was withdrawn from the House and recommitted roughly two months later, the Georgia House Committee on Education did favorably report the bill with several substitutions on March 18, 2024.
The latest iteration of the bill, alternately known as “Alyssa’s Law,” stipulates July 1, 2026, as the cutoff point for educational agencies to be compliant with its provisions.
“A local education agency shall not be required to procure or implement new or additional capabilities if, as of July 1, 2025, such local education agency has already implemented a mobile panic alert system with capabilities which meet the requirements of paragraph one of this subsection.”
The systems implemented are required to ensure “real-time coordination between local and state law enforcement and first responder agencies” in case of an emergency situation.
As currently written, the bill would require the Department of Administrative Services to conduct market research in consultation with the state school superintendent and the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency by no later than Dec. 1, 2025.
“If no existing source of supply exists, the Department of Administrative Services shall issue a competitive solicitation for such source of supply no later than Jan. 1, 2026,” the bill reads.
Eighteen of the bill sponsors are Republican, while two are Democratic lawmakers.