On Friday, April 21st, Tim Cairl, Senior Director- Educated Workforce, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and Will Bostelman, Public Affairs Coordinator, Georgia Chamber of Commerce, joined MAX to provide a recap of the 2023 Georgia General Assembly legislative session.
Cairl and Bostelman pointed to the following legislative priorities from a workforce development perspective: childcare, computer science funding for K-12, college completion grants, endowments for the technical colleges, virtual meeting allowance for local workforce boards, occupational licensing, and aligning the needs of industry with K-12 preparation.
Perhaps the biggest legislative winner from a long-term workforce development perspective is the passage of bills to improve literacy rates among students in the early grades. The Georgia Early Literacy Act (House Bill 538) seeks to improve the quality of instruction provided to students in K-3 and expand interventions for those students who are not reading on grade level. In addition, a bill (Senate Bill 211) was passed to create the Georgia Council on Literacy which will be mission-driven to review the progress of the implementation of the Early Literacy Act and offer recommendations to address the state’s literacy problems.
Other wins identified by Cairl and Bostelman include:
- HOPE Career Grants to further connect students with internships, apprenticeships, and opportunities to earn industry certifications in the skilled trades.
- Last mile completion grant to help students facing financial difficulties with respect to graduation cross the finish line.
- Occupational licensing reform to help Georgia be more efficient and transparent with respect to how licensing processes work.
Cairl and Bostelman also discussed study committees to be on the lookout for this summer, initiatives underway in each legislative chamber, and legislation that will be immediately eligible for consideration in the 2024 legislative session.
Click here for information on the Georgia Senate study committees.
Click here for information on the Georgia House study committees.
Special thanks to MAX board lead for MAX Minutes Daniela Perry, Vice President of the Georgia Chamber, for hosting this session.
Click here for a recording.
ABOUT MAX MINUTES
Launched in 2014, the mission of MAX is to advance economic competitiveness in the Atlanta region by strengthening connections, collaborations, and practices among workforce developers and organizations engaged in workforce development.
Through our webinar series, MAX Minutes, MAX seeks to bring timely insights to providers, intermediaries, and other partners in workforce. MAX Minutes features talks by key experts in the Atlanta region and beyond on important workforce matters.