House passes SB 17 updating school mapping rules and deadlines; questions on security and immunity raised

The Georgia House on Wednesday adopted the rules committee substitute for Senate Bill 17, commonly referred to on the floor as "Ricky's and Alyssa's Law," a measure that amends state code concerning public school property, facilities and a statewide first-responder building-mapping information system.

The bill sponsor told the House the change is mainly technical: adding "relevant public safety agencies, school safety personnel, and school administrators" to the list of people who may annually sign off on the accuracy of facility mapping. The bill also includes an implementation timeline discussed on the floor and language that limits civil liability for local school systems in connection with the mapping data.

Representative Holt Persinger, presenting the rules substitute, said the amendment "adds relevant public safety agencies, school safety personnel, and school administrators on the list of people that can sign off on the accuracy annually," and asked colleagues for favorable consideration.

Why it matters

Supporters said the change ensures the recently adopted mapping data required under the state's school safety plans can be verified by appropriate local and public-safety officials. Opponents and questioners pressed for detail on how the maps and associated data will be protected, how the systems will integrate with next-generation 911 and whether the immunity provision is appropriate.

What was asked on the floor

Members asked whether the mapping vendors are uniform across districts or whether local systems will retain discretion on providers. Representative Persinger replied that local systems typically put the work out to bid and may use different vendors. Representative Will Park asked specifically about security: "How is this information going to be secured?" Persinger said the information is already protected under the school safety framework passed in 2023 and noted the data is not subject to open-records requests.

On the immunity provisions, Representative Chairman Parsons (questioning the sponsor) pointed to the bill text that provides civil-immunity language for local boards and asked whether the immunity covers errors in the mapping. Persinger characterized that provision as coverage for unidentified errors in the mapping so that local officials are not subjected to civil liability for implementation errors.

Other floor points

- A deadline for implementation was discussed on the floor; the bill text as explained on the floor referenced a date (no later than July 21, 2026) by which each public school must implement the mobile panic alert system and integrate it with public-safety technology where feasible. - Representatives noted the bill clarifies who may confirm mapping accuracy and that schools could have been required to adopt mapping under the 2023 school safety law.

Vote and next steps

The House adopted the rules committee substitute and passed SB 17 by recorded vote: yeas 171, nays 0. The measure now continues through the legislative process toward final enrollment and delivery to the governor if it passes other required steps.

Provenance

Topic start: caption read for Senate Bill 17: "Senate bill 17 by senator Andrew Bartel... entitled an act to amend article 11 of chapter 2 of title 20 and article 10 of chapter 3 of title 38..." (Transcript segment beginning at 5820.855).

Topic end: recorded passage where clerk announced the yeas are 171, nays 0 (Transcript segment beginning at 6465.17).