--- title: HR 1724. Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University; 30th anniversary; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1724 cite_as: HR 1724, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1724 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1724.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1724/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74141 date: 2026-03-16 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1723.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1725.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 134 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1724.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1724 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-16 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Jordan Ridley - Jan Jones - Samuel Park - Tim Fleming - Gabriel Sanchez - Doreen Carter text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1724/2025 upstream_id: 2134520 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - higher education - Georgia State University - public policy education - legislative commendation --- # HR 1724. Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University; 30th anniversary; commend ## Text House Resolution 1724 By: Representatives Ridley of the 22nd, Jones of the 47th, Park of the 107th, Fleming of the 114th, Sanchez of the 42nd, and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University on the occasion of its 30th anniversary; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the Georgia State University Policy School welcomed its inaugural class in the fall of 1996 through the collective efforts of more than 200 distinguished faculty members committed to excellence in public policy scholarship and instruction, and under the leadership of its deans in succession, Dr. Roy Bahl, Dr. James Alm, Dr. W. Bartley Hildreth, Dr. Robert Moore, Dr. Mary Beth Walker, Dr. Sally Wallace, Dr. Ann-Margaret Esnard, and Dr. Thomas J. Vicino, it has steadfastly advanced the objective of achieving excellence in the design, implementation, and evaluation of public policy in order to prepare its students to serve and lead public and nonprofit institutions throughout the State of Georgia and beyond; and WHEREAS, in 1999, the Georgia Board of Regents approved the naming of the school in honor of Ambassador Andrew Young, and through the support of corporate and philanthropic partners, the school strengthened its commitment to global engagement, human rights, and the advancement of economic opportunity as a means to improve quality of life for all citizens; and WHEREAS, over three decades, the Andrew Young School has expanded into a nationally recognized school ranked in the top 20 of schools of public affairs, and it now encompasses a distinctive group of disciplines, including criminal justice and criminology, economics, public management and policy, social work, and urban studies that collaborate to address complex public challenges in innovative and evidence-based ways; and WHEREAS, the school has been strengthened by the generous support of the State of Georgia, the Georgia General Assembly, and numerous benefactors, enabling the growth of nationally and internationally recognized research centers, including the Georgia Health Policy Center, Georgia Policy Labs, the Fiscal Research Center, the Center for State and Local Finance, the International Center for Public Policy, and the Experimental Economics Center; and WHEREAS, through these centers and its academic programs, the Andrew Young School advances scholarship and applied research in critical policy domains such as health policy, public finance and budgeting, education policy, cybersecurity, nonprofit management, and urban policy, bringing distinction to the State of Georgia and informing sound policymaking at the local, state, national, and global levels; and WHEREAS, the school enrolls more than 2,200 students annually and has educated over 20,000 alumni who serve in leadership roles across government agencies, nonprofit organizations, international institutions, and the private sector, strengthening communities throughout Georgia and around the world; and WHEREAS, consistent with its founding mission, the Andrew Young School integrates rigorous academic instruction with hands-on experiential learning, including internships, community partnerships, policy consulting, and interdisciplinary initiatives, thereby cultivating the next generation of ethical, innovative, and service-oriented leaders; and WHEREAS, the year 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, providing an opportunity to recognize its enduring contributions to public service education, policy research, economic development, and community advancement across this state. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize and commend the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University on the occasion of its 30th anniversary and express their appreciation for its substantial and continuing contributions to the education of policymakers, public servants, nonprofit leaders, and scholars for the State of Georgia. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution commends the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University for reaching its 30th anniversary and its record of public policy education and research. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives, not a change to state law. It recognizes the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University, which welcomed its first class in 1996 and was named after Ambassador Andrew Young in 1999. The resolution recounts the school's growth into a nationally ranked public affairs school with programs in criminal justice, economics, public management, social work, and urban studies, along with research centers like the Fiscal Research Center and the Georgia Health Policy Center. It notes the school enrolls more than 2,200 students and has produced over 20,000 alumni. The House resolves to commend the school on its 30th anniversary and directs the Clerk of the House to send a copy of the resolution to the school. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University on its 30th anniversary. - Expresses the House's appreciation for the school's role in educating policymakers, public servants, nonprofit leaders, and scholars. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to the school. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement, since resolutions of this kind are symbolic statements by the House. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University, its faculty, students, and alumni. It has no regulatory or financial effect on any other group, agency, or member of the public. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or financial consequences; it does not change any Georgia law, create funding, or impose requirements. Its practical effect is a formal, public statement of recognition from the House of Representatives that will be delivered to the school as a keepsake of the honor. ### Key provisions - The resolving clause states the House recognizes and commends the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies on its 30th anniversary. - A further resolution directs the Clerk of the House to provide a copy of the resolution to the school for distribution. - The whereas clauses recount the school's history, deans, research centers, enrollment figures, and alumni count but establish no binding requirements. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-16) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-03-16) - Sponsors: Jordan Ridley, Jan Jones, Samuel Park, Tim Fleming, Gabriel Sanchez, Doreen Carter - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74141 > The history, votes, and amendments (134 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1724.md?full=1