--- title: SR 588. Strolling Thunder Day; recognize January 29, 2026 collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr588 cite_as: SR 588, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr588 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr588.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr588/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72330 date: 2026-01-27 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/sr587.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr589.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr588.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 588 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-01-27 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Billy Hickman - Sam Watson - Frank Ginn - Shawn Still - Chuck Payne text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR588/2025 upstream_id: 2091317 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - early childhood education - child poverty - state capitol recognition - GEEARS - Georgia Senate resolutions --- # SR 588. Strolling Thunder Day; recognize January 29, 2026 ## Text Senate Resolution 588 By: Senators Hickman of the 4th, Watson of the 11th, Ginn of the 47th, Still of the 48th and Payne of the 54th A RESOLUTION Recognizing January 29, 2026, as Strolling Thunder Day at the state capitol; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, our brains grow faster during the first few years of life than at any later point in our lives; and WHEREAS, nearly 640,000 children under age 5 reside in communities across Georgia, representing the state's future leaders; and WHEREAS, children's early experiences and relationships lay the foundation for future learning, health, and behavior; and WHEREAS, proper nutrition, medical care, and high-quality early education are all essential building blocks for a child's development; and WHEREAS, Georgia has made gains in supporting young children and their families in recent years, including historic investments in Georgia's Lottery-Funded Pre-K, an increased emphasis on early increased emphasis on early childhood mental health, and the creation of a state child tax credit; and WHEREAS, despite this, many of Georgia's families with young children continue to struggle to meet high standards of health, education, and family stability; and WHEREAS, for example, nearly one in five of Georgia's children under age 5 live in poverty, and one in ten of its babies are born with low birthweight; and WHEREAS, Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS), a nonprofit organization, has brought families from across Georgia to share the joys and challenges of raising young children with Georgia's lawmakers for Strolling Thunder at the state capitol; and WHEREAS, Strolling Thunder emphasizes the importance of prioritizing our youngest learners in public policy-for stronger families, vibrant communities, and a prosperous state; and WHEREAS, Georgia's future begins with babies and all Georgians can help make sure that families have the resources and support they need to give their babies a strong start in life. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize January 29th, 2026, as Strolling Thunder 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 Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students. ## 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 designates January 29, 2026 as Strolling Thunder Day at the state capitol, honoring an event that brings families with young children to meet with lawmakers. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia Senate rather than a law that changes anyone's rights or duties. It recognizes January 29, 2026 as Strolling Thunder Day at the state capitol, marking an annual event organized by the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS), a nonprofit that advocates for young children and their families. The resolution's preamble describes the importance of early childhood development, cites statistics on child poverty and low birthweight in Georgia, and notes state investments like Lottery-Funded Pre-K and a state child tax credit. The only operative actions are the formal recognition of the day and a directive for the Secretary of the Senate to send copies of the resolution to GEEARS. ### What it does - Formally recognizes January 29, 2026 as Strolling Thunder Day at the Georgia state capitol. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS). - Does not create any new law, funding, program, or requirement; it is a symbolic statement by the Senate. ### Who it affects The resolution mainly touches GEEARS, the nonprofit that organizes Strolling Thunder, and families with young children who participate in the event by visiting the capitol. It has no direct legal effect on other Georgians. ### Why it matters While the resolution carries no legal force, it publicly highlights early childhood issues like child poverty and access to early education in Georgia, and formally acknowledges an advocacy event that brings families face to face with state lawmakers. ### Key provisions - The resolving clause recognizes January 29, 2026 as Strolling Thunder Day at the state capitol. - A further resolution clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies available for distribution to GEEARS. - The preamble cites statistics such as nearly 640,000 children under age 5 in Georgia, one in five living in poverty, and one in ten babies born with low birthweight. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-01-27) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-01-27) - Sponsors: Billy Hickman, Sam Watson, Frank Ginn, Shawn Still, Chuck Payne - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72330 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr588.md?full=1