--- title: SR 821. Georgia Reads Day; recognize March 3, 2026 collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr821 cite_as: SR 821, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr821 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr821.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr821/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73453 date: 2026-02-20 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/sr820.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr822.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr821.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 821 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-20 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Billy Hickman - Chuck Payne - Ed Setzler - Sonya Halpern - Bo Hatchett text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR821/2025 upstream_id: 2120633 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - literacy - education - Georgia Senate resolution - reading programs --- # SR 821. Georgia Reads Day; recognize March 3, 2026 ## Text Senate Resolution 821 By: Senators Hickman of the 4th, Payne of the 54th, Setzler of the 37th, Halpern of the 39th and Hatchett of the 50th A RESOLUTION Recognizing March 3, 2026, as Georgia Reads Day; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Georgia Reads Day celebrates the power of community involvement in literacy and students across Georgia who are building lifelong literacy skills essential for academic success, workforce readiness, and active citizenship; and WHEREAS, the Georgia Council on Literacy provides statewide leadership to advance reading achievement and to encourage a culture of literacy the support students from early childhood through high school; and WHEREAS, Malcolm Mitchell, Super Bowl champion, author, and Georgia Reads Coach, appointed by the Georgia Council on Literacy, has inspired students across Georgia to develop a love of reading and to see literacy as a pathway to opportunity and personal growth; and WHEREAS, students from pre-K through high school participated in Mitchell's Share the Magic Foundation 2026 READBowl, a statewide and global reading challenge that encourages students to set goals, strengthen literacy skills, and demonstrate dedication, discipline, and enthusiasm for reading while competing with peers from across Georgia and around the world; and WHEREAS, Georgia Reads Day recognizes and celebrates the outstanding achievements of Georgia's 2026 READBowl winners from elementary, middle, and high school, whose commitment to reading exemplifies academic excellence and love of learning; and WHEREAS, Georgia Reads Day also honors the 2026 Georgia Reads Community Award winners, recognizing community leaders, schools, and organizations whose work spans birth though adult literacy efforts and who are addressing Georgia's literacy through innovative, community-driven solutions. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize March 3, 2026, as Georgia Reads Day, and commend the students participating in and winning the 2026 READBowl, Georgia Reads Coach Malcolm Mitchell, the Georgia Council on Literacy, and the 2026 Georgia Reads Community Award winners for their outstanding contributions to advancing literacy across the State of Georgia. 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 the Georgia Council on Literacy. ## 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 March 3, 2026 as Georgia Reads Day, honoring student readers, literacy coach Malcolm Mitchell, and community literacy award winners. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution passed by the Georgia Senate rather than a change to state law. It recognizes March 3, 2026 as Georgia Reads Day, a day celebrating literacy efforts across the state. The resolution praises the Georgia Council on Literacy for its statewide leadership on reading achievement, commends Malcolm Mitchell (a Super Bowl champion and Georgia Reads Coach) for his work encouraging students to read through his Share the Magic Foundation's READBowl reading challenge, and congratulates the 2026 READBowl student winners and Georgia Reads Community Award recipients. It directs the Secretary of the Senate to send a copy of the resolution to the Georgia Council on Literacy. ### What it does - Formally designates March 3, 2026 as Georgia Reads Day in the state of Georgia. - Commends students who participated in and won the 2026 READBowl reading competition. - Recognizes Malcolm Mitchell as Georgia Reads Coach and the Georgia Council on Literacy for promoting literacy statewide. - Honors the 2026 Georgia Reads Community Award winners for literacy work spanning birth through adult education. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to send a copy of the resolution to the Georgia Council on Literacy. ### Who it affects This resolution mainly affects the Georgia Council on Literacy, Georgia Reads Coach Malcolm Mitchell, students from pre-K through high school who took part in the READBowl reading challenge, and community organizations recognized with Georgia Reads Community Awards. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal requirements or funding changes; it is a symbolic honor. Its practical effect is limited to public recognition of literacy programs and the individuals and organizations involved, along with a formal copy sent to the Georgia Council on Literacy. ### Key provisions - The resolving clause recognizes March 3, 2026 as Georgia Reads Day and commends the READBowl participants, Malcolm Mitchell, the Georgia Council on Literacy, and Community Award winners. - A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to provide a copy of the resolution to the Georgia Council on Literacy. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-20) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-02-20) - Sponsors: Billy Hickman, Chuck Payne, Ed Setzler, Sonya Halpern, Bo Hatchett - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73453 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr821.md?full=1