--- title: SR 310. Senate Study Committee on Additional Services and Resources for Transition Age Youth in Foster Care; create collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr310 cite_as: SR 310, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr310 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr310.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr310/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71018 date: 2025-03-25 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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/sr309.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr311.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 433 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr310.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 310 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-25 last_action: Senate Passed/Adopted sponsors: - Kay Kirkpatrick - Matt Brass - Bo Hatchett - Kim Jackson - Randy Robertson - Derek Mallow - Brian Strickland text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR310/2025 upstream_id: 1989259 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - foster care - transition age youth - child welfare - legislative study committee --- # SR 310. Senate Study Committee on Additional Services and Resources for Transition Age Youth in Foster Care; create ## Text 25 LC 57 0256 Senate Resolution 310 By: Senators Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Brass of the 6th, Hatchett of the 50th, Jackson of the 41st, Robertson of the 29th and others ADOPTED SENATE A RESOLUTION Creating the Senate Study Committee on Additional Services and Resources for Transition1 Age Youth in Foster Care; and for other purposes.2 WHEREAS, the transition from adolescence to adulthood is a critical developmental stage3 as young people learn the necessary skills to be healthy and productive adults; and4 WHEREAS, such transition can be challenging for youth with foster care experience; and5 WHEREAS, according to a recent study, teenagers and young adults ages 16 to 21 are less6 likely to leave foster care with permanent families than they were in years past; and7 WHEREAS, young adults with foster care experience continue to be far less likely than their8 peers in the general population to be enrolled in education or training subsequent to high9 school or be stably housed or employed, and are often more likely to become young parents10 or to experience incarceration; and11 WHEREAS, according to a 2021 study, among 21 year olds with foster care experience, 7912 percent earned a high school diploma or its equivalent compared to 92 percent of their peers13 in the general population; and14 S. R. 310 - 1 - 25 LC 57 0256 WHEREAS, according to such study, only 24 percent of those foster care youth had enrolled15 in postsecondary education or training, compared to 50 percent of their peers in the general16 population; and17 WHEREAS, moreover, according to such study, only 55 percent of those foster care youth18 were employed full time or part time, compared to 64 percent of their peers in the general19 population; and20 WHEREAS, understanding the outcomes of young adults with foster care experience is21 critical to shaping the services and support they need; and22 WHEREAS, a study committee is needed to determine what resource s and services are23 currently being provided for transition age youth in this state and what additional services24 and resources may be or should be available in order to ensure their success in adulthood.25 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE:26 (1) Creation of Senate study committee. There is created the Senate Study Committee27 on Additional Services and Resources for Transition Age Youth in Foster Care.28 (2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of five members of the29 Senate to be appointed by the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall30 designate a member of the committee as chairperson of the committee.31 (3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs,32 issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or33 legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.34 (4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee35 may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or36 S. R. 310 - 2 - 25 LC 57 0256 convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and37 accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.38 (5) Allowances and funding. The legislative members of the committee shall receive39 the allowances provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Offic ial Code of Georgia40 Annotated. The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any41 member of the committee for more than five days unless additional days are authorized. 42 Funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds43 appropriated to the Senate.44 (6) Report.45 (A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that46 include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the47 same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolut ion, subject to48 subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.49 (B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not i nclude suggestions for50 proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C)51 of this paragraph.52 (C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of53 abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee.54 A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with55 the Secretary of the Senate.56 (D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Secretary57 of the Senate a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu thereof.58 (7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2025.59 S. R. 310 - 3 - ## 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 creates a five-member study committee to examine what services young people aging out of foster care need to succeed as adults, with a report due by December 2025. ### Plain-language summary This resolution creates the Senate Study Committee on Additional Services and Resources for Transition Age Youth in Foster Care. It responds to research showing that young adults who grew up in foster care graduate high school, enroll in college, and find full-time work at lower rates than their peers, and are more likely to face incarceration or become young parents. The President of the Senate would appoint five senators to the committee and name one as chairperson. The committee would study current services for foster youth transitioning to adulthood, identify gaps, and recommend legislation if it chooses. Members would receive standard legislative allowances under Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8) for up to five meeting days unless more are approved, funded through the Senate's existing budget. The committee must file any report before it is abolished on December 1, 2025. ### What it does - Creates the Senate Study Committee on Additional Services and Resources for Transition Age Youth in Foster Care. - Directs the President of the Senate to appoint five senators to the committee and designate one as chairperson. - Authorizes the committee to study current services for foster youth transitioning to adulthood and recommend legislation. - Sets legislative allowances for members under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, capped at five paid days unless additional days are approved. - Funds the committee's work from money already appropriated to the Senate. - Abolishes the committee on December 1, 2025, after which any approved report must be filed with the Secretary of the Senate. ### Who it affects The resolution directly affects the five senators appointed to serve on the committee. Its subject matter concerns young people transitioning out of Georgia's foster care system, an age group the committee's research will focus on identifying services and support for. ### Why it matters The committee itself does not create new services, but its findings could shape future legislation affecting how Georgia supports young people leaving foster care, an issue tied to lower rates of high school completion, college enrollment, and employment for that group compared to their peers. ### Key provisions - Paragraph 1 creates the Senate Study Committee on Additional Services and Resources for Transition Age Youth in Foster Care. - Paragraph 2 sets committee membership at five senators appointed by the President of the Senate, who also names the chairperson. - Paragraph 3 gives the committee power to study conditions and problems facing transition age foster youth and recommend legislation. - Paragraph 4 lets the chairperson call meetings at whatever times and places the committee finds necessary. - Paragraph 5 caps paid legislative allowances at five days unless additional days are authorized, funded from Senate appropriations. - Paragraph 6 requires any approved findings or recommendations to be filed as a report with the Secretary of the Senate before abolishment. - Paragraph 7 abolishes the committee on December 1, 2025. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-25) - Last action: Senate Passed/Adopted (2025-03-25) - Sponsors: Kay Kirkpatrick, Matt Brass, Bo Hatchett, Kim Jackson, Randy Robertson, Derek Mallow, Brian Strickland - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71018 > The history, votes, and amendments (433 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr310.md?full=1