GA Code § 20-2-880 (2021)
2021 Georgia Code|Title 20 - Education|Chapter 2 - Elementary and Secondary Education|Article 17 - Teachers and Other School Personnel|Part 6 - Health Insurance Plans|Subpart 2 - Plan for Public School Teachers|§ 20-2-880. Definitions

 As used in this subpart, the term or terms:    "Board" means the Board of Community Health established under Chapter 2 of Title 31.   "Commissioner" means the commissioner of community health established under Chapter 2 of Title 31.   "Local employer" means the county or independent board of education, a charter school, regional and county libraries, and the governing authority of Georgia Military College.   "Public school teacher," "teacher," and "employee" mean and include any person employed not less than half time in a professionally certificated capacity or position in the public school systems of this state. The terms also mean and include librarians and other personnel employed not less than 30 hours per week by regional and county libraries; personnel employed by the high school program of Georgia Military College; and any professionally certificated person who has acquired ten years or more of creditable service and who is being paid retirement benefits by the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia, Chapter 3 of Title 47, or by any other public school teacher retirement system in this state. Such terms shall also mean and include any person employed not less than half time and compensated in a professionally certificated capacity or position in a charter school in this state established pursuant to either Article 31 or Article 31A of this chapter if such charter school elects to participate in the health insurance plan established pursuant to this subpart upon initial approval of its charter or, if such charter school is an existing charter school, upon renewal of its charter, upon notice by the health insurance plan provided in this part, or upon the expiration of its current health care plan. Such terms shall not be deemed to include any emergency or temporary employee. Notwithstanding this definition or any other provision of this subpart, the board may, by regulation, make available to employees who work 17 1/2 hours or more per week such benefits as are required to be made available to such employees by regulations of the United States Internal Revenue Service or any other federal authority.   "Qualified entity" means any person, association, corporation, or other legal entity with which the board is authorized under Article 1 of Chapter 18 of Title 45, relating to state employees' health insurance, to enter into contract.    (Ga. L. 1975, p. 37, § 1; Ga. L. 1977, p. 991, § 1; Ga. L. 1978, p. 2268, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1979, p. 1290, § 1; Ga. L. 1986, p. 291, § 1; Ga. L. 1987, p. 3, § 20; Ga. L. 1989, p. 1143, § 1; Ga. L. 1992, p. 6, § 20; Ga. L. 1999, p. 296, § 26; Ga. L. 2001, p. 4, § 20; Ga. L. 2008, p. 612, § 1/HB 1277; Ga. L. 2009, p. 453, § 1-7/HB 228; Ga. L. 2014, p. 171, § 1/HB 490; Ga. L. 2020, p. 21, § 1/HB 957; Ga. L. 2021, p. 256, § 3/SB 59.)    The 2014 amendment,  effective July 1, 2014, in paragraph (4), inserted "not less than 30 hours per week" in the middle of the second sentence and substituted ". 'Public school teacher,' 'teacher,' and 'employee' also mean personnel employed by" for "or" at the beginning of the third sentence.    The 2020 amendment,  effective July 1, 2020, substituted "either Article 31 or 31A of this chapter" for "Article 31 of Chapter 2 of Title 20" in the middle of the fifth sentence of paragraph (4).    The 2021 amendment,  effective July 1, 2021, rewrote paragraph (4).   OPINIONS OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL    Health insurance plan for public school teachers  would cover anyone defined as a "teacher" under the statute. 1976 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 76-34.