Legislation that inspired passionate testimony from children died under Georgia's Gold Dome Thursday as this year's legislative session came to an end.

House Bill 273 started life as a mandate for a half an hour of daily recess in schools. It was amended by a Senate committee to a mandate to schedule recess but only a recommendation to follow that schedule.

The bill passed the House of Representatives by an overwhelming 147-17 in early March but was not called up for a vote by the Senate.

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Uta Thomas picks up her son, Jax, during a public hearing in Atlanta on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. She implored the school board not to close Dunbar Elementary. 
"You would centralize education to decentralized families," she said. "You would break apart a community hub." (Abbey Cutrer / AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

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Passengers wait at a Delta check-in counter at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. It was the first day the Federal Aviation Administration cut flight capacity at airports during the government shutdown. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com