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Read. Follow. Verify.Georgia House Bill 995 requires public high schools to install vaping detectors and adopt student vape policies
Last action · January 27, 2026: House Second ReadersSponsors: Imani Barnes and 5 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Georgia public high schools must install approved real-time s in student bathrooms and locker rooms and include vaping prohibition policies in their student codes of conduct by the 2027-2028 school year, contingent upon state appropriations. The measure establishes the Vape-Free Schools Grant Program to fund detector acquisition and maintenance, and requires schools to implement graduated disciplinary consequences and student rehabilitative resources.
Local school districts face new mandates to purchase specialized hardware and update disciplinary codes for all grades nine through 12, backed by state grant funding conditioned on specific legislative appropriations.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
public secondary schools
Public high schools must acquire and install approved vaping detectors, update their student codes of conduct, and establish anonymous reporting and investigation procedures.
students in grades nine through 12
Students face prohibitions on possessing or using vaping products on school premises and are subject to graduated disciplinary consequences for violations.
local boards of education
Local school boards must establish policies requiring detectors and update annual student codes of conduct prior to the 2027-2028 school year.
Key Facts
- The State Board of Education must establish the Vape-Free Schools Grant Program and a model policy on student vaping awareness and prevention by December 31, 2026.
- The Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Public Health and the Department of Administrative Services, must develop a list of approved vaping detectors and guidance for student rehabilitative partnerships by December 31, 2026.
- Prior to the 2027-2028 school year, every local board of education and public school governing body must require each public secondary school to acquire and install approved vaping detectors in student bathrooms, locker rooms, and other areas where students might attempt to vape.
- Public secondary schools must adopt and include a vaping awareness and prevention policy in their annual student code of conduct, prohibiting possession or use on school premises, buses, or functions, and prohibiting tampering with detectors.
Show all 7 facts
- Disciplinary policies must include graduated consequences, such as required participation in a certified drug and alcohol awareness class, along with anonymous reporting procedures and prompt investigation protocols.
- The Department of Education must collect, maintain, and annually report data on vaping alerts and detector effectiveness to the Department of Public Health and legislative education committees.
- Schools that acquired and installed compliant real-time vaping detectors prior to July 1, 2026, are not required to purchase new ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
What schools are required to install vaping detectors under this bill?
Can an anonymous report be used to discipline a student?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · introduced in the House.
Procedural history
3 actions- Jan 27, 2026HouseHouse Second Readers
- Jan 16, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse First Readers
- Jan 15, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse Hopper
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 1 more sponsor
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Mandatory Vaping Detection Hardware
The bill shifts from permissive student discipline guidelines to a mandatory requirement for specialized hardware installation in specific school areas, backed by a conditional state grant program.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.ga.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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