New laws improve school transfers, HOPE scholarship opportunities for military children Published May 15, 2009 By Wayne Crenshaw 78 ABW/PA ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Two new Georgia laws will help ease the transition for military families moving into the state. Last week Gov. Sonny Perdue on May 7 signed into law a bill that promises to remove much of the red tape involved with transferring students into the Georgia school system. State Rep. Larry O'Neal, R- Warner Robins, said the bill would significantly help military families moving students into the Georgia school system. "It was a comprehensive attempt to make sure these military children can move from school to school as easily as possible," he said. The bill would, for example, allow students to go ahead and start school before all grade transfers had been completed, and before they had gotten any immunizations that may not have been required in their previous state. It also would remove the requirement that military students take a Georgia history course if they have had a similar course in another state. A second bill passed gives military dependents the same rights as lifelong Georgia residents when it comes to receiving the HOPE scholarship. The HOPE scholarship is funded by the lottery and pays the college tuition of Georgia students who have maintained at least a B-average in high school. Tuition assistance is also available, with no grade requirement, for students heading to technical colleges. Mr. O'Neal sponsored the HOPE bill. He estimated it will impact about 10 students whose parents are stationed at Robins. "It seemed a little bit egregious to all of us that we would punish our military sent here under orders that they had very little or no say-so in," Mr. O'Neal said. He noted that all the other requirements of the HOPE scholarship, including the need to maintain a B-average, would apply to military dependents. Governor Perdue signed both bills in a ceremony at Fort Benning in Columbus.