Georgia has expanded the Public Safety Memorial Grant (PSMG) to include more family members of public servants who have been killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty. The grant, which has existed since the early 1990s, was previously limited to children of these individuals and only available for full-time students.
The PSMG is funded through state appropriations and public donations. Many Georgians contribute when they renew their driver’s licenses at the Department of Drivers Services.
Over the last three decades, the program has provided financial support to hundreds of students. However, as originally designed, it did not extend to spouses or part-time students and did not cover teachers or public-school employees affected by violence while working.
To address these gaps, House Bill 56 was introduced. “That’s why I introduced House Bill 56. HB 56 enhances the Public Safety Memorial Grant program by expanding eligibility to the spouses of law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics and prison guards. Moreover, it allows part time student eligibility. Further, HB 56 expands eligibility to teachers and public-school employees killed or permanently disabled by an act of violence in the line of duty. The goal was to ensure that a stay-at-home parent suddenly needing to support a family had the financial support of the grant along with the flexibility to study at their own pace. Thankfully, we were able to pass these improvements through SB 20 on the last day of the 2025 session.”
The new legislation means eligible families can receive up to $18,000 per year—or $72,000 over a lifetime—for undergraduate or graduate study at any of Georgia’s 81 HOPE-eligible institutions. Dependent children have up to ten years after high school graduation to apply for assistance; spouses have up to ten years after a qualifying event. There is no GPA requirement for applicants.
“PSMG applications are managed by the Georgia Student Finance Commission. The application is available at gafutures.org,” according to program information.
The changes aim not only to expand eligibility but also raise awareness so that families know about this resource: “In addition to changing the law and creating resources for families, it’s important to make sure the families this grant was created for know about it. I hope this article will help more eligible families hear about the opportunity…”
Supporters credit colleagues in Georgia’s General Assembly and Governor Kemp with helping pass these updates: “I appreciate the support of my colleagues in the General Assembly and Gov. Kemp for improving upon this very important support to the families of Georgia heroes.”
Burns, a Republican elected in 2005 as representative for Georgia’s 159th House District, played a key role in advancing these legislative changes (https://www.house.ga.gov/representatives/en-US/member.aspx?Member=106&Session=27).
