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Hispanic Legislative Caucus Holds First Official Meeting

ATLANTA (August 18, 2023) | This week, the Georgia General Assembly Hispanic Legislative Caucus held its first official meeting at the Latin American Association (LAA) Atlanta Outreach Center. The LAA is the oldest and largest Latino-serving nonprofit organization. Founded in 1972, the LAA has become the region’s leading agency representing Georgia’s Latino issues. The LAA offers a targeted menu of direct services that helps Latino individuals assimilate and become contributing members of Georgia’s community.  General Assembly members in attendance included: Hispanic Caucus Chairman Senator Jason Anavitarte (R – Dallas), Vice-Chairman Representative Pedro Marin (D – Duluth), Senator Jason Esteves (D – Atlanta), Representative Stephen Sainz (R – St. Marys), Representative Saira Draper (D – Atlanta), Representative Raynaldo Martinez (R – Loganville), and Representative Phil Olaleye (D – Atlanta).

“This meeting was another historic step for the Hispanic legislative caucus as we had our first meeting to discuss issues that impact Georgia’s Hispanic community and elect our Executive Committee,” said Sen. Anavitarte “I look forward to working with this group and the rest of the General Assembly as we collaborate on ideas for the future of Hispanic families across Georgia.”

“Building stronger ties with the Latino community has long been a personal commitment of mine,” said Rep. Marin. “I am very honored and humbled to have been elected Vice-Chair of this Historic Caucus and I look forward to continuing our relationship to create new opportunities for all Georgians.”

The committee aims to build relationships and bring fresh perspectives to General Assembly members with ties to Georgia’s Hispanic community.

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Sen. Jason Anavitarte serves as Chair of the Senate Majority Caucus. He represents Senate District 31 which includes Paulding and Polk Counties. He can be reached at 404.656.9221 or at Jason.anavitarte@senate.ga.gov

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Senate Study Committee on Expanding Georgia’s Workforce to Hold Third Meeting

ATLANTA (August 18, 2023) | On Tuesday, August 22, 2023, the Senate Study Committee on Expanding Georgia’s Workforce, chaired by Senator John Albers (R – Roswell), will be holding its third meeting at 10:00 a.m. at the Kia Assembly Plant in West Point, Georgia. The Senate Study Committee was created pursuant to Senate Resolution 275, sponsored by Sen. Albers, which passed during the 2023 Legislative Session with bipartisan support. This committee was established to fulfill one of Lt. Governor Burt Jones priorities for the 2023 session. The committee is comprised of both legislative and non-legislative members: Sen. Albers as Chairman, Sen. Brandon Beach (R – Alpharetta), Sen. Jason Esteves (D – Atlanta), Sen. Sonya Halpern (D – Atlanta), Sen. Billy Hickman (R – Statesboro), Champ Bailey, Joseph McDermott, Ryan Pernice, Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Greg Dozier, Dave Williams, and Daniela Perry. The study committee will hold three more meetings throughout the remainder of the year, with a schedule of meetings located on the committee website listed below.

WHO:               Sen. John Albers, Chairman of the Senate Study Committee on Expanding Georgia’s Workforce

                        Senate Study Committee Members

                        Representatives from a wide range of Georgia industries

WHAT:              Third meeting of the Senate Study Committee on Expanding Georgia’s Workforce

WHEN:             Tuesday, August 22, 2023

10:00 a.m. 

WHERE:            Kia Georgia Training Center

900 KIA Blvd

West Point, Georgia

WEBSITE URL: https://www.expandinggeorgiasworkforcestudy.com/

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Sen. John Albers serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Safety. He represents the 56th Senate District which includes portions of Cherokee, Cobb and North Fulton counties. He may be reached at his office at 404.463.8055 or by email at john.albers@senate.ga.gov

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First Meeting of the 2023 Senate Study Committee on Foster Care and Adoption to be Held at State Capitol

ATLANTA (August 8, 2023) | On Wednesday, August 9, the Senate Study Committee on Foster Care and Adoption, chaired by Senator Kay Kirkpatrick (R – Marietta), will hold its first meeting of the year in room 450 of the State Capitol. This committee will examine current policies and regulations which address the conditions, needs, issues, and problems related to the safety and welfare of Georgia’s children.

WHO:               Senate Study Committee on Foster Care and Adoption

WHAT:              First Meeting

WHEN:             Wednesday, August 9

10:00am

WHERE:           206 Washington Street

                        450 State Capitol

                        Atlanta, Georgia 30334

The meeting agenda can be found here. The meeting will be livestreamed here.

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Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick serves as Chair of the Senate Committee on Children and Families. She represents Senate District 32 which includes portions of Cobb and Cherokee Counties. She may be reached at 404.656.3932 or at kay.kirkpatrick@senate.ga.gov

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First Meeting of 2023 Senate Study Committee on Occupational Licensing to be Held in Macon

ATLANTA (August 8, 2023) | On Thursday, August 10, the Senate Study Committee on Occupational Licensing will hold its first meeting of the year in Macon, Georgia. This committee, chaired by Senator Larry Walker III (R – Perry), will examine its current occupational licensing laws and requirements to determine if they should be modified or restructured to encourage, promote, and foster employment and healthy business growth in the state of Georgia.

WHO:               Senate Study Committee on Occupational Licensing

WHAT:              First Meeting

WHEN:             Thursday, August 10 at 10:00am

WHERE:           Office of the Secretary of State, Licensing Division

237 Coliseum Drive

Macon, GA 31217

The meeting agenda can be found here.

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Sen. Larry Walker serves as Secretary of the Senate Majority Caucus. He also serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Insurance and Labor. He represents Senate District 20 which includes Bleckley, Dodge, Dooly, Laurens, Pulaski, Treutlen, and Wilcox Counties and a portion of Houston County. He can be reached at larry.walker@senate.ga.gov 

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Senate President Pro Tempore Celebrates Expansion of Leader in Me Model Across Georgia

ATLANTA (August 8, 2023) | Just in time for the “back-to-school” season, the Georgia Department of Education allocated $2.5 million during their June meeting for the expansion of the Leader in Me model under the Amended FY2023 Budget. As part of this initiative, instructional materials will be delivered to 11 school districts and 28 schools across the state in preparation for the 2023-2024 school year.

“Middle Georgia has set a remarkable example in improving children’s lives and outcomes through this educational content,” said President Pro Tempore Senator John F. Kennedy (R – Macon). “I cannot express how appreciative and excited I am for the Leader in Me model to expand across our state. During the 2023 Legislative Session, our team worked closely with both Macon’s Business Education Partnership and representatives from FranklinCovey Education to secure the necessary resources for statewide expansion. With these additional funds, the Leader in Me model will continue to empower students across Georgia, instilling in them the leadership skills and principles that will shape their future success. I extend my heartfelt thanks to Chairman Rep. Robert Dickey (R – Musella), Georgia Board of Education Chairman Jason Downey, House Appropriations Chairman Rep. Matt Hatchett (R – Dublin) and Senate Committee on Appropriations Chairman Sen. Blake Tillery (R – Vidalia) for their support in securing this funding.”

“I am delighted to see Middle Georgia leading the way in our children’s education” said Rep. Dickey. “What our community experienced in Bibb County was no accident. The success of this program was a direct result of public and private partners coming together to improve educational outcomes in our community. I am excited to see this funding go towards expanding these opportunities for Georgia’s children around the state. I want to extend a sincere thank you to House Appropriations Chairman Matt Hatchett, Senate Appropriations Chairman Blake Tillery and President Pro-Tempore Kennedy for their support of this initiative.”

Sean Covey, President of FranklinCovey Education, said, “It’s been our honor to work with the Georgia Department of Education and the General Assembly to bring Leader in Me to schools throughout the State. We now look forward to partnering closely with these districts to bring the Leader in Me to their students to help them to build the leadership and life skills they need to thrive, adapt and contribute in today’s ever-changing world.”

Leader in Me is an evidence-based Pre-K-12 model, developed in partnership with educators, designed to build resilience and leadership in students, create a high-trust school culture, and help improve academic achievement.

The student-centric model aims to foster leadership skills, character development, and personal growth in students and is implemented in schools to empower students with the necessary tools to thrive academically and in their personal lives. It is designed to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, and goal-setting skills. Students learn to take responsibility for their actions, set and work towards personal and academic goals, and develop a strong sense of self-confidence and self-efficacy.

Now in more than 7,000 schools throughout the world, Leader in Me continues to have a significant, measurable impact in schools and in the lives of millions of students, parents, teachers and administrators.”

The model’s success in Macon-Bibb County began during the 2015-2016 school year when Macon’s Business Education Partnership raised funds to implement Leader in Me in two pilot schools. The positive outcomes and transformative impact led to its expansion countywide in 2018.

You can find out more about Leader in Me here.

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Sen. John F. Kennedy serves as the President Pro Tempore of the Georgia State Senate. He represents the 18th Senate District which includes Upson, Monroe, Peach, Crawford, and portions of Bibb and Houston Counties. He may be reached at 404.656.6578 or by email at john.kennedy@senate.ga.gov

Sen. Blake Tillery serves as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He represents Senate District 19, which includes Appling, Bacon, Jeff Davis, Long, Montgomery, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Wayne and Wheeler Counties and a portion of Coffee County. He can be reached at 404.656.5038 or by email at blake.tillery@senate.ga.gov