Official Code of Georgia Annotated

Title 20. EDUCATION · Chapter 4. VOCATIONAL, TECHNICAL, AND ADULT EDUCATION · Article 5. GEORGIA JOINT DEFENSE COMMISSION · Part 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS

20-4-120. Creation of Commission; membership.

Active

Current through: Including Acts of the 2025 Session of the General Assembly of Georgia.

(a)
There is hereby created the Georgia Joint Defense Commission, which shall consist of 23 members as follows:#
1. (1)
  The chairperson of the Senate Veterans, Military and Homeland Security Committee;#
2. (2)
  The chairperson of the Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee;#
3. (3)
  Four members of the House of Representatives and one member from the public at large to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;#
4. (4)
  Two members of the Senate, one each from the majority party and the minority party, to be appointed by the President of the Senate;#
5. (5)
  One citizen member from each of the state’s eight military installation regions to be appointed by the Governor;#
6. (6)
  The commissioner of economic development or his or her designee;#
7. (7)
  The chancellor of the University System of Georgia or his or her designee;#
8. (8)
  One representative of a defense industry contractor to be appointed by the President of the Senate;#
9. (9)
  One representative of a public or private organization engaged in military or defense research to be appointed by the Governor;#
10. (10)
  The adjutant general of the Georgia National Guard or his or her designee; and#
11. (11)
  The commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia or his or her designee.#
(b)
1. (1)
  The members of the commission appointed pursuant to paragraphs (1) through (4) and (6), (7), (10), and (11) of subsection (a) of this Code section shall serve terms concurrent with their terms of office.#
2. (2)
  The members of the commission appointed pursuant to paragraphs (5), (8), and (9) of subsection (a) of this Code section shall serve four-year terms.#
(c)
The commission chairperson shall be the commissioner of economic development or his or her designee. The commission shall meet at such times and places as it deems necessary or convenient to perform its duties. The commission shall also meet upon the written call of the commission chairperson or of three of its members. The commission shall maintain minutes of its meetings and such other records as it deems necessary.#
(d)
1. (1)
  Members of the commission shall serve without compensation, but shall receive for each day of attendance at commission meetings a daily expense allowance in the amount specified in subsection (b) of Code Section 45-7-21, plus reimbursement for actual transportation costs while traveling by public carrier, or the legal mileage rate for use of a personal car in connection with such attendance.#
2. (2)
  The daily expense allowance and reimbursement of transportation costs provided for by this subsection:#
  (A)
  Shall be paid by funds appropriated to the Department of Economic Development; and#
  (B)
  Shall not be received by any member of the commission for more than five days unless additional days are authorized by the Governor.#
(e)
Appointed members of the commission shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor, President of the Senate, or Speaker of the House of Representatives, in accordance with who appointed them.#

The notes below are printed with the section but are not enacted law (O.C.G.A. § 1-1-1(c)). They are shown apart from the text.

History

Code 1981, § 20-4-120, enacted by Ga. L. 2018, p. 349, § 1/SB 395; Ga. L. 2019, p. 1056, § 20/SB 52; Ga. L. 2024, p. 394, § 1/SB 398, effective July 1, 2024; Ga. L. 2025, p. 1029, § 20(63)(A)/SB 153, effective July 1, 2025.

Amendments

The 2024 amendment, effective July 1, 2024, substituted “23 members” for “19 members” near the end of subsection (a); inserted “and one member from the public at large” in paragraph (a)(3); substituted “President of the Senate” for “Lieutenant Governor” at the end of paragraph (a)(4); substituted “commissioner of the Department of Economic Development or his or her designee” for “director of the Governor’s Defense Initiative” in paragraph (a)(6); added paragraphs (a)(7) through (a)(9); redesignated former paragraphs (a)(7) and (a)(8) as present paragraphs (a)(10) and (a)(11); in paragraph (b)(1), inserted “and (6), (7), (10), and (11)” and substituted “terms concurrent with their terms of office” for “two-year terms” at the end; substituted the current provisions of paragraph (b)(2) for the former provisions, which read: “The members of the commission appointed pursuant to paragraph (5) of subsection (a) of this Code section shall serve four-year terms, provided that of the initial appointees, two shall serve an initial two-year term, two shall serve an initial three-year term, and four shall serve an initial four-year term.”; deleted paragraph (b)(3), which read: “The members of the commission appointed pursuant to paragraphs (6) and (7) of subsection (a) of this Code section shall serve the duration of their respective terms in office.”; substituted “commissioner of the Department of Economic Development or his or her designee” for “director of the Governor’s Defense Initiative” at the end of the first sentence in subsection (c); substituted “Department of Economic Development” for “Technical College System of Georgia” in subparagraph (d)(2)(A); and substituted “Appointed members” for “Members” at the beginning of subsection (e). The 2025 amendment, effective July 1, 2025, part of an Act to revise, modernize, and correct the Code, substituted “commissioner of economic development” for “commissioner of the Department of Economic Development” in paragraph (a)(6) and in subsection (c).

Code Commission notes

Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 2018, “records as it deems necessary” was substituted for “records at it deems necessary” at the end of subsection (c).

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Current through: Including Acts of the 2025 Session of the General Assembly of Georgia.

Text read from t20-ch3-18-(v17a)-2025-pdf.pdf, Volume V17A, 2025 edition, pages 434 to 436; merge action: bound only; file SHA-256 4560a0cef806.

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