--- title: HR 246. Georgia Institute of Technology and its partners; NSF GRACE Engine proposal; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr246 cite_as: HR 246, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr246 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr246.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr246/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70230 date: 2025-02-11 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/hr245.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr247.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr246.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 246 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-11 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Brad Thomas - Lynn Smith - Jan Jones - Chuck Efstration - Charles Cannon - Steven Meeks text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR246/2025 upstream_id: 1965757 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - clean energy - critical minerals - Georgia Tech - workforce development - economic development --- # HR 246. Georgia Institute of Technology and its partners; NSF GRACE Engine proposal; commend ## Text House Resolution 246 By: Representatives Thomas of the 21st, Smith of the 70th, Jones of the 47th, Efstration of the 104th, Cannon of the 172nd, and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending the Georgia Institute of Technology and its partners for their NSF GRACE Engine proposal; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the State of Georgia is experiencing booming growth of battery, electric vehicle, and solar industries and ranks No. 1 in the nation in clean energy investment; and WHEREAS, the region hosts large reserves of alternative resources for the production of minerals critical to national security and economic competitiveness, including rare earth elements and graphite; and WHEREAS, robust supply chains for these critical minerals do not currently exist in the United States, and raw materials are primarily imported from abroad; and WHEREAS, there exists an unparalleled strategic opportunity to build a sustainable critical resource supply chain and clean energy ecosystem for the state and region; and WHEREAS, the Georgia Institute of Technology and its partner institutions have proposed the Growing Resilience for America's Critical Mineral Economy (GRACE) Engine to meet the current supply chain challenges and ensure the end-to-end competitiveness of the new energy economy in Georgia; and WHEREAS, the GRACE Engine aims to advance four interdependent focus areas, including the optimal use of regional resources and waste valorization in the establishment of a critical mineral supply chain; innovation incorporating workforce development and community engagement; technology translation and commercialization that considers economic, environmental, and social dimensions; and strategic investment and sustainability that ensures the ecosystem has the necessary public and private investments to achieve the previous focus areas; and WHEREAS, the GRACE Engine will enable a self-sustained, inclusive, and equitable regional clean energy ecosystem that is unique to Georgia and globally competitive; and WHEREAS, the GRACE Engine will offer the State of Georgia an expanded infrastructure for workforce development in the critical mineral industry, enrich innovation translation frameworks to support business start-ups of all sizes, and establish diverse and accessible pathways for a skilled workforce to support family-sustaining jobs, including in Georgia's rural and disadvantaged communities. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize and commend the Georgia Institute of Technology and its partners for their NSF GRACE Engine proposal and acknowledge the importance of continuing this effort to ensure Georgia's economic competitiveness and quality of life. 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. ## 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 Georgia Institute of Technology and its partners for proposing the NSF GRACE Engine, a project aimed at building a critical mineral and clean energy supply chain in Georgia. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not create any new law, program, or funding. It is a formal statement from the Georgia House of Representatives recognizing the Georgia Institute of Technology and its partner institutions for proposing the Growing Resilience for America's Critical Mineral Economy (GRACE) Engine to the National Science Foundation. The resolution describes Georgia's growth in battery, electric vehicle, and solar industries, and notes the region's reserves of critical minerals like rare earth elements and graphite. It explains that the GRACE Engine proposal focuses on building a regional supply chain for critical minerals, workforce development, technology commercialization, and attracting public and private investment. The House resolves to commend Georgia Tech and its partners and directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends the Georgia Institute of Technology and its partner institutions for their NSF GRACE Engine proposal. - States the House's acknowledgment that continuing this effort matters for Georgia's economic competitiveness and quality of life. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to the public and the press. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement; it is a symbolic statement rather than binding legislation. ### Who it affects The Georgia Institute of Technology and its partner institutions are directly named and commended. The resolution also references Georgia's clean energy, battery, electric vehicle, and solar industries, and touches on workforce development interests in rural and disadvantaged communities. ### Why it matters While the resolution carries no legal force, it signals legislative support for Georgia Tech's federal grant proposal to build a critical mineral supply chain, which could affect future workforce training, business investment, and clean energy development in the state if the underlying NSF proposal is funded. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe Georgia's clean energy growth and regional reserves of critical minerals like rare earth elements and graphite. - The resolution outlines the GRACE Engine's four focus areas: resource use and waste valorization, workforce and community engagement, technology commercialization, and strategic investment. - The resolved clause formally commends Georgia Tech and its partners for the NSF GRACE Engine proposal. - The final clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-11) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-02-11) - Sponsors: Brad Thomas, Lynn Smith, Jan Jones, Chuck Efstration, Charles Cannon, Steven Meeks - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70230 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr246.md?full=1