SR 952: Senate Rosenwald Schools Study Committee; create

In the early 1900s, Sears executive Julius Rosenwald partnered with educator Booker T. Washington to help fund schools for Black children in poor, rural Southern communities. Georgia had more than 240 of these schools across 103 counties, serving at least 35,000 children, but this history is not widely known today. This resolution creates the Senate Rosenwald Schools Study Committee, made up of five state senators appointed by the President of the Senate, who also names the chairperson. The committee is directed to study the history, needs, and impact of Rosenwald schools in Georgia and recommend any legislation it thinks is appropriate. Members get standard legislative daily allowances (O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8) for up to five meeting days, paid from Senate funds. The committee must file any approved report before it is abolished on December 1, 2026.

• Creates the Senate Rosenwald Schools Study Committee made up of five Georgia senators appointed by the President of the Senate.
• Directs the committee to study the history and impact of Rosenwald schools on African American education and economic prosperity in Georgia.
• Authorizes the committee to recommend legislation based on its findings.
• Provides legislative daily allowances to committee members for up to five meeting days, funded through the Senate's budget.
• Requires the chairperson to file any approved report with the Secretary of the Senate before the committee ends.
• Sets the committee to automatically dissolve on December 1, 2026.

This resolution mainly affects the five state senators appointed to serve on the committee and the Senate administrative staff who process its funding and reports. More broadly, it affects Georgians interested in the history of Rosenwald schools and their impact on Black communities.

The committee's work could surface historical research and lead to future legislation, such as preservation efforts or educational initiatives, related to Rosenwald schools. Because it is a study committee, it does not change any law itself but sets up a process for lawmakers to examine the issue.

• Paragraph (1) formally creates the Senate Rosenwald Schools Study Committee.
• Paragraph (2) sets committee membership at five senators appointed by the President of the Senate, who designates the chairperson.
• Paragraph (3) charges the committee with studying Rosenwald schools' history and recommending action or legislation.
• Paragraph (5) ties member pay to allowances under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, capped at five days unless extended, funded by Senate appropriations.
• Paragraph (6) lays out reporting requirements, including that any report must be approved by majority vote before filing with the Secretary of the Senate.
• Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 1, 2026.

1. 2026-03-31Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
2. 2026-03-31Senate Third Read (Senate)
3. 2026-03-27Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
4. 2026-03-27Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
5. 2026-03-16Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
6. 2026-03-13Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Gail Davenport (D, SD-017)Primary sponsor
• Freddie Sims (D, SD-012)
• Tonya Anderson (D, SD-043)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2026

   48 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 3 absent)

   Consent Calendar For Senate Study Committees: Senate Vote #875

• Rosenwald schools
• African American history
• Georgia education history
• legislative study committees