The state House overwhelmingly passed a bill Tuesday that would overhaul Georgia’s college scholarship program. House Democrats and Republicans passionately debated Gov. Deal’s HOPE bill for 90 minutes.

Republicans argued that HOPE is in serious fiscal trouble and the bill would shore up its finances for good.
But some Democrats argued it would reduce scholarship amounts for most recipients. Democrat Rep. Stacey Evans said the bill will unfairly target those who need every penny of the HOPE scholarship to attend college.

“We say a lot that not everyone is meant to go to college. There are many things that don’t require a college degree. But we should not determine who goes to college from birth. And that’s what happens. HOPE was intended to change that.”

The bill has moved quickly since Gov. Deal proposed it last week. The version that passed Tuesday includes an amendment that would require students to maintain a 3.3 grade point average in college to keep the full HOPE scholarship.

Tags: Georgia, education, Atlanta, bill, amendment, state House, Governor Nathan Deal, HOPE, college scholarship program, Democratic Representative Stacey Evans, 3.3 grade point average