ATLANTA – On Tuesday, April 23, 2024, Governor Brian P. Kemp signed Senate Bill 233, the “Georgia Promise Scholarship Act,” into law. Sponsored by Chairman of the Senate Committee on Transportation Sen. Greg Dolezal (R–Cumming), the “Georgia Promise Scholarship Act” creates the Georgia Education Savings Authority and provides its composition, functions, duties and powers in administering the Promise Scholarship Program. The bill also provides for the establishment of promise scholarship accounts to be funded by the state in the amount of $6,500.00 for the first school year and through an adjusted amount each subsequent school year.
Continue reading “Governor Kemp Signs “Georgia Promise Scholarship Act” into Law”Sen. Derek Mallow Statement on 2024 Orange Crush
ATLANTA (April 25, 2024) – Today, Sen. Derek Mallow (D–Savannah) gave the following statement on Orange Crush, a Tybee Island beach party dating back to the 1980s by students from Savannah State University.
Continue reading “Sen. Derek Mallow Statement on 2024 Orange Crush”Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes Celebrates Signage of First Bill Into Law
ATLANTA (Apr. 24, 2024) — This week, Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes (D–Lawrenceville), Georgia’s youngest female state Senator, celebrated a legislative landmark following the signage of her first bill, SB 144.
Sen. Islam Parkes celebrated her first signed piece of legislation saying, “I am honored that this is my first measure to be signed into law. My experience on the Senate Committee on Veterans, Military and Homeland Security helped me shape this legislation, which will reduce administrative burdens, save taxpayer dollars and protect commissioned officers. I look forward to continuing my work for the 7th District by championing future legislation to serve Georgians across our state.”
The bill removes the requirement for the state’s adjutant general to include a roster of all commissioned officers in the organized militia in an annual report to the Governor. Additionally, it eliminates the mandate to index, print, bind and distribute laws and regulations of the militia to all militia forces. This is the first bill to pass through both legislative chambers and gain a signature from Gov. Brian P. Kemp under Sen. Islam Parkes’ leadership.
For more information about SB 144, click here.
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Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes represents the 7th Senate District, which includes a portion of Gwinnett County. She may be reached by phone at 404.463.5263 or by email at NabilahIslamParkes@senate.ga.gov.
Governor Kemp Signs Legislation to Establish School Supplies for Educators Program
ATLANTA (April 24, 2024) – Yesterday, Governor Brian P. Kemp signed Senate Bill 464, sponsored by Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Youth Sen. Clint Dixon (R–Gwinnett), into law. This measure mandates the State Board of Education to establish a program for the Department of Education to allocate funds for eligible teachers to purchase school supplies online. It also provides for universal reading screeners to be adopted, used and administrated in every Georgia public school and local school system.
Continue reading “Governor Kemp Signs Legislation to Establish School Supplies for Educators Program”Sen. Brian Strickland Commends Long-term Solution to Address Train Stoppage in McDonough and Locust Grove
ATLANTA (April 10, 2024) — Sen. Brian Strickland (R–McDonough) issued a statement today commending the collaborative effort between the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and Norfolk Southern Corporation to address train stoppages in McDonough and Locust Grove, Henry County.
“I commend GDOT and Norfolk Southern for hearing the concerns our community raised about trains blocking intersections in McDonough and Locust Grove over the past couple of years,” said Sen. Strickland. “Last year, we joined with Norfolk Southern and announced a temporary fix where longer trains were relocated to another track. However, this new siding will create a long-term solution by allowing space for trains to pace while traffic flows through Henry County.”
GDOT recently announced a partnership with Norfolk Southern Corporation to fund freight rail improvements in Henry County. Norfolk Southern received an $8.4 million grant for their McDonough passing track improvement project, as part of the newly created Georgia Freight Rail Program. The project, estimated to cost $21 million in total, aims to more than double the current rail length on Norfolk Southern’s Atlanta South District passing track, connecting Macon and Atlanta in Henry County.
This initiative is a crucial step towards enhancing the efficiency of the freight rail corridor, connecting the Georgia Port Authority Garden City Terminal and the metro Atlanta area. By expanding the rail length, the project is expected to reduce road crossings blocked by trains, contributing to improved traffic flow and safety in the region.
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Sen. Brian Strickland serves as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary. He represents the 17th Senate District which includes all of Morgan and portions of Henry, Newton and Walton County. Sen. Strickland may be reached by phone at 404.463.6598 or by email at brian.strickland@senate.ga.gov.