Georgia General Assembly · Full text

HR 198: New Americans Day at the state capitol; February 13, 2025; recognize

Introduced version, the latest LegiScan holds · Last action February 6, 2025 · Passed

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House Resolution 198

By: Representatives Oliver of the 84th, Drenner of the 85th, Davis of the 87th, Evans of the 57th, Williams of the 37th, and others

A RESOLUTION

Recognizing February 13, 2025, as New Americans Day at the state capitol; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, for the past 12 years, New Americans Day celebrations have brought hundreds of new Americans, friends, and community supporters to the state capitol annually for a day of education and celebration; and

WHEREAS, Georgia has a long history of extending welcome to new Americans from around the world, giving them an opportunity to live, work, and thrive in the state; and

WHEREAS, today, one in ten Georgians—more than one million people—are foreign-born, bringing valuable skills and talents from countries around the world to the state; and

WHEREAS, approximately one in eight Georgia workers is foreign-born, as are one in five doctors and home health aides; one in five science and technology professionals; one in five manufacturing workers; and nearly half of all workers in the construction industry; and

WHEREAS, foreign-born Georgians are 41 percent more likely than others to start new businesses in the state, accounting for more than 20 percent of entrepreneurs in the state and generating more than $2.5 billion in business income annually; and

WHEREAS, hardworking foreign-born Georgians across all sectors paid over $11 billion in federal, state, and local taxes and held more than $32 billion in spending power in 2021 alone; and

WHEREAS, nearly half of all foreign-born Georgians are already naturalized United States citizens eligible to vote and many more are on the path toward citizenship; and

WHEREAS, foreign-born Georgians were never more essential to the state than during the COVID-19 pandemic, serving in disproportionate numbers in front line jobs in hospitals and assisted living facilities, farms and food processing plants, warehouses and delivery services, and more; and

WHEREAS, since the withdrawal of United States forces from Afghanistan in August 2021 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Georgia has provided refuge to thousands and granted humanitarian parole to escape those countries and come to safety in the United States, including many who risked their lives to support the United States' mission overseas; and

WHEREAS, Georgia has one of the oldest and most successful refugee programs in the United States, with approximately 90 percent of refugees economically self-sufficient within six months; and

WHEREAS, Georgia is a welcoming home for peoples of all origins and from all walks of life, and it is abundantly fitting and proper that these new Americans be appropriately recognized.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize and commend the manifold contributions of immigrants to the State of Georgia and recognize February 13, 2025, as New Americans Day at the state capitol.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the press.