--- title: SR 126. World Refugee Day; recognize February 13, 2025 collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr126 cite_as: SR 126, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr126 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr126.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr126/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69882 date: 2025-02-05 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/sr125.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr127.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr126.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 126 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-05 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Jason Esteves - Nikki Merritt - Nan Orrock - Ed Harbison - Emanuel Jones - Sally Harrell - Tonya Anderson - Derek Mallow - RaShaun Kemp - Elena Parent - Kenya Wicks - Harold Jones - Josh McLaurin - Sonya Halpern - Chuck Payne - Nabilah Islam Parkes - Donzella James - Larry Walker - Kim Jackson text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR126/2025 upstream_id: 1955648 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - World Refugee Day - immigration - refugees - state recognition --- # SR 126. World Refugee Day; recognize February 13, 2025 ## Text Senate Resolution 126 By: Senators Esteves of the 35th, Merritt of the 9th, Orrock of the 36th, Harbison of the 15th, Jones of the 10th and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing February 13, 2025, as World Refugee Day at the state capitol; and for other purposes. 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, 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, 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, aid organizations with the state such as the Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies and The Welcome Co-Op further serve to bridge the gap for incoming refugees as well as highlight the cultural, social, and economic contributions of immigrants in Georgia; 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 SENATE that the members of this body recognize and commend the manifold contributions of immigrants and refugees to the State of Georgia and recognize February 13, 2025, as World Refugee Day at the state capitol. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate 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 Senate resolution recognizes February 13, 2025 as World Refugee Day at the state capitol, honoring the contributions of immigrants and refugees to the state. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia Senate rather than a law that changes any statute. It recognizes February 13, 2025 as World Refugee Day at the state capitol and commends immigrants and refugees for their economic and social contributions to Georgia. The resolution cites statistics on foreign-born Georgians, including their share of the workforce in healthcare, science, technology, manufacturing, and construction, their tax contributions, and the success of Georgia's refugee resettlement programs. It directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies available to the public and the press, but it does not create any new programs, funding, or legal requirements. ### What it does - Formally recognizes February 13, 2025 as World Refugee Day at the Georgia state capitol. - Commends immigrants and refugees for their contributions to Georgia's economy and communities. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. - Creates no new law, funding, program, or legal requirement; it is a symbolic statement of recognition. ### Who it affects The resolution primarily concerns foreign-born and refugee residents of Georgia, whose contributions it highlights. It also references organizations such as the Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies and The Welcome Co-Op that assist incoming refugees. ### Why it matters Because this is a ceremonial resolution rather than binding legislation, it does not change any law, funding, or program. Its practical effect is limited to an official statement from the Senate recognizing refugees and immigrants and directing distribution of that statement to the public and press. ### Key provisions - The resolving clause recognizes and commends immigrants and refugees for their contributions to Georgia and designates February 13, 2025 as World Refugee Day at the capitol. - A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies available for distribution to the public and the press. - The preamble (whereas clauses) cites statistics on the number of foreign-born Georgians, their workforce participation, tax contributions, and the state's refugee resettlement success rate. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-05) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-02-05) - Sponsors: Jason Esteves, Nikki Merritt, Nan Orrock, Ed Harbison, Emanuel Jones, Sally Harrell, Tonya Anderson, Derek Mallow, RaShaun Kemp, Elena Parent, Kenya Wicks, Harold Jones, Josh McLaurin, Sonya Halpern, Chuck Payne, Nabilah Islam Parkes, Donzella James, Larry Walker, Kim Jackson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69882 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr126.md?full=1