--- title: HR 381. Believe Greater Dalton; recipients of the Georgia Reads Community Award; dedication to literacy advancement; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr381 cite_as: HR 381, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr381 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr381.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr381/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70763 date: 2025-02-24 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/hr380.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr382.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr381.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 381 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-24 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Kasey Carpenter - Jason Ridley - Steve Tarvin text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR381/2025 upstream_id: 1982211 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - literacy - Dalton Georgia - legislative commendation - education partnerships --- # HR 381. Believe Greater Dalton; recipients of the Georgia Reads Community Award; dedication to literacy advancement; commend ## Text House Resolution 381 By: Representatives Carpenter of the 4th, Ridley of the 6th, and Tarvin of the 2nd A RESOLUTION Congratulating and commending Believe Greater Dalton, recipient of the Georgia Reads Community Award, for its dedication to literacy advancement; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the Georgia Council on Literacy is dedicated to improving literacy from birth through adulthood and recognizes that communities play a critical role in addressing low literacy rates; and WHEREAS, the Georgia Reads Community Award was established to recognize communities across Georgia that have formed partnerships of two or more organizations, sustained for at least three years, with a strategic plan and measurable results in literacy improvement; and WHEREAS, Believe Greater Dalton, the strategic planning initiative of the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce, is a recipient of the Georgia Reads Community Award for its dedicated efforts in improving school readiness and ensuring all children are reading at grade level by third grade; and WHEREAS, over the past decade, Believe Greater Dalton has built a framework of collaborative partners whose sole purpose is to achieve these literacy goals; and WHEREAS, its meaningful partnerships include the B8 team, which meets bi-monthly and includes leaders from Dalton Public Schools and Whitfield County Schools, Dalton State College and Georgia Northwestern Technical College, United Way, Family Connections, local childcare centers, healthcare professionals from Vitruvian Health and the Anna Shaw Children's Institute, faith-based organizations, and various nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies vital to serving children; and WHEREAS, these initiatives have led to measurable improvements in reading proficiency, ensuring greater opportunities for success in education and career development; and WHEREAS, the dedication and hard work of Believe Greater Dalton and its partners serve as an inspiration to others, demonstrating the power of community-driven solutions to address literacy challenges. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body congratulate and commend the Georgia Reads Community Award recipients, particularly Believe Greater Dalton, for their exemplary service and unwavering commitment to improving literacy in their communities. 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 Believe Greater Dalton. ## 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 Believe Greater Dalton, an initiative of the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce, for receiving the Georgia Reads Community Award for its literacy work. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives rather than a change to state law. It recognizes Believe Greater Dalton, a strategic planning initiative of the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce, for receiving the Georgia Reads Community Award, which the Georgia Council on Literacy gives to communities that build sustained partnerships to improve literacy. The resolution describes how Believe Greater Dalton has spent roughly a decade building a coalition called the B8 team, including local schools, colleges, health care providers, and nonprofits, aimed at getting children reading at grade level by third grade. It closes by directing the Clerk of the House to send a copy of the resolution to Believe Greater Dalton as a formal record of recognition. ### What it does - Formally congratulates and commends Believe Greater Dalton for receiving the Georgia Reads Community Award. - Recites the group's decade of work building partnerships aimed at improving childhood literacy in the Dalton area. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and send a copy of the resolution to Believe Greater Dalton. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names Believe Greater Dalton, the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce, and its partner organizations, including Dalton Public Schools, Whitfield County Schools, Dalton State College, Georgia Northwestern Technical College, United Way, Family Connections, local childcare centers, Vitruvian Health, and the Anna Shaw Children's Institute. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or funding changes; it is a public statement of recognition from the Georgia House of Representatives. Its main effect is symbolic, giving formal state-level acknowledgment to a local literacy partnership and its member organizations in Dalton and Whitfield County. ### Key provisions - Recites the purpose of the Georgia Reads Community Award, given to communities with sustained multi-organization literacy partnerships. - Names Believe Greater Dalton, the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce's strategic planning initiative, as a recipient of the award. - Lists the coalition of partner organizations, called the B8 team, involved in the literacy effort. - Resolves that the House commends the award recipients, particularly Believe Greater Dalton. - Directs the Clerk of the House to distribute a copy of the resolution to Believe Greater Dalton. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-24) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-02-24) - Sponsors: Kasey Carpenter, Jason Ridley, Steve Tarvin - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70763 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr381.md?full=1