HR1656: HR1656 House Study Committee on School Nutrition, Student Food Security, Georgia Agriculture, and Student Success; create

26 LC 61 0471 House Resolution 1656 By: Representatives Barnes of the 86th, Erwin of the 32nd, Ballard of the 147th, Hugley of the 141st, Park of the 107th, and others A RESOLUTION Creating the House Study Committee on School Nutrition, Student Food Security, Georgia1 Agriculture, and Student Success; and for other purposes.2 WHEREAS, food insecurity among children remains a significant c hallenge in Georgia,3 affecting students' ability to learn, concentrate, and succeed academically; and4 WHEREAS, research consistently shows that access to nutritious meals improves student5 literacy, attendance, cognitive development, and long-term educational outcomes; and6 WHEREAS, many families in Georgia fall into a gap where they earn too much to qualify7 for free or reduced price meals but still struggle to afford school meals for their children; and8 WHEREAS, eliminating barriers to school meals may help reduce s tigma, increase9 participation, and ensure that every child begins the school day ready to learn; and10 WHEREAS, several states have implemented universal school meal programs and have11 reported positive outcomes related to student health, academic performance, and school12 climate; and13 H. R. 1656 - 1 - 26 LC 61 0471 WHEREAS, Georgia farmers and agricultural producers could benef it from stronger14 procurement partnerships with schools, strengthening the farm-t o-school pipeline and15 supporting the state's agricultural economy; and16 WHEREAS, expanding access to school meals may produce broader economic benefits by17 supporting Georgia agriculture, reducing administrative costs f or school districts, and18 strengthening the long-term workforce pipeline by improving chi ld health and education19 outcomes; and20 WHEREAS, additional study is necessary to fully understand the extent of student food21 insecurity in Georgia and the fiscal implications of providing universal access to school22 meals.23 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:24 (1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee25 on School Nutrition, Student Food Security, Georgia Agriculture, and Student Success.26 (2) Members and officers.27 (A) The committee shall be composed of seven members of the Ho use of28 Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.29 (B) The Speaker shall also appoint seven additional nonlegisla tive members of the30 committee as follows:31 (i) A representative from the Georgia Department of Education School Nutrition32 Division;33 (ii) A member with expertise in public health;34 (iii) A representative of Georgia's agriculture industry or a f arm-to-school35 organization in Georgia;36 (iv) A school nutrition director;37 H. R. 1656 - 2 - 26 LC 61 0471 (v) A representative of a nonprofit organization that does work or research relevant38 to the work of the committee;39 (vi) A member with expertise in education or literacy; and40 (vii) A member with expertise in economics or fiscal policy.41 (C) The Speaker shall also designate a legislative member of t he committee as42 chairperson of the committee.43 (3) Powers and duties.44 (A) The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, n eeds, issues, and45 problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or legislation46 which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.47 (B) The duties of the committee shall also include, but not be limited to: 48 (i) Examining the state's current postsecondary and transition offerings; and49 (ii) Studying the most recent data on postsecondary offerings i n p r i s o n s a n d50 successful models around the country.51 (4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee52 may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or53 convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and54 accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.55 (5) Allowances, expenses, and funding.56 (A) The legislative members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided57 for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.58 (B) Members of the committee who are state officials, other than legislative members,59 or who are state employees shall receive no compensation for th eir services on the60 committee, but they may be reimbursed for expenses incurred by them in the61 performance of their duties as members of the committee in the same manner as they62 are reimbursed for expenses in their capacities as state officials or employees.63 H. R. 1656 - 3 - 26 LC 61 0471 (C) Members of the committee who are not legislators, state of ficials, or state64 employees shall receive a daily expense allowance in an amount the same as that65 specified in subsection (b) of Code Section 45-7-21 of the Offi cial Code of Georgia66 Annotated, as well as the mileage or transportation allowance a uthorized for state67 employees.68 (D) The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member69 of the committee for more than five days unless additional days are authorized. Funds70 necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds71 appropriated to the House of Representatives; except that funds for the reimbursement72 of the expenses of state officials, other than legislative memb ers, and for the73 reimbursement of the expenses of state employees shall come from funds appropriated74 to or otherwise available to their respective agencies.75 (6) Report.76 (A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that77 include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the78 same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolut ion, subject to79 subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.80 (B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not i nclude suggestions for81 proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C)82 of this paragraph.83 (C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of84 abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee.85 A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with86 the Clerk of the House of Representatives.87 (D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Clerk of the88 House of Representatives a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu89 thereof.90 H. R. 1656 - 4 - 26 LC 61 0471 (7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2026.91 H. R. 1656 - 5 -