--- title: SR 221. Believe Greater Dalton; congratulate collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr221 cite_as: SR 221, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr221 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr221.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr221/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70568 date: 2025-02-20 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/sr220.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr222.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr221.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 221 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-20 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Billy Hickman - Chuck Payne text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR221/2025 upstream_id: 1976379 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - literacy - Dalton Georgia - Georgia Senate resolution - education - community awards --- # SR 221. Believe Greater Dalton; congratulate ## Text Senate Resolution 221 By: Senators Hickman of the 4th and Payne of the 54th 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 SENATE 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 Secretary of the Senate 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 Senate resolution congratulates Believe Greater Dalton, a Whitfield County literacy initiative, for receiving the Georgia Reads Community Award for its work improving childhood reading readiness. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia Senate recognizes Believe Greater Dalton, a strategic planning initiative of the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce, for receiving the Georgia Reads Community Award from the Georgia Council on Literacy. The award honors communities that build lasting partnerships among two or more organizations to improve literacy outcomes. The resolution describes how Believe Greater Dalton has spent a decade coordinating a network of partners, including Dalton Public Schools, Whitfield County Schools, local colleges, United Way, healthcare providers, and faith-based and nonprofit groups, all working to ensure children read at grade level by third grade. The Senate formally congratulates the group and directs the Secretary of the Senate to provide Believe Greater Dalton with a copy of the resolution. It does not change any Georgia law. ### What it does - Formally congratulates and commends Believe Greater Dalton for receiving the Georgia Reads Community Award. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Believe Greater Dalton. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement; it is a ceremonial statement by the Senate. ### Who it affects Believe Greater Dalton, the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce, and their literacy partners such as Dalton Public Schools, Whitfield County Schools, local colleges, United Way, and area healthcare and faith-based organizations are named and honored in the resolution. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or funding effect but serves as official state recognition of a local literacy partnership, which can raise the group's public profile and highlight its community-based approach to improving childhood reading outcomes. ### Key provisions - Recites background on the Georgia Council on Literacy and the criteria for the Georgia Reads Community Award, requiring multi-organization partnerships sustained for at least three years. - Names Believe Greater Dalton as a recipient and lists its partner organizations, including local schools, colleges, healthcare providers, and nonprofits. - Resolves that the Senate congratulates and commends the award recipients, particularly Believe Greater Dalton. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy of the resolution available for distribution to Believe Greater Dalton. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-20) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-02-20) - Sponsors: Billy Hickman, Chuck Payne - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70568 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr221.md?full=1