Senate Higher Education Committee, March 10, 2026

Transcript

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1. 0:15:08

   Higher education. It is fo- 4:30. I'm gonna ask, uh, Senator Williams if he would please open us in a prayer. What's that number, please?

2. 0:15:19

   12.

3. 0:15:19

   12. Thank you.

4. 0:15:22

   Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If we could bow our heads. Dear Lord, we come to you again to thank you for the many blessings and opportunities you've bestowed upon us. Dear Lord, we thank you for each and every blessing. We thank you for our men and women who are in harm's way, and we ask that you give them their blessings, and please watch over them. Watch over our law enforcement officers every day as they do, and protect us, and please bless Israel and their people. In thy name we pray, amen.

5. 0:15:51

   Amen. Uh, we're going to, uh, move as quickly as we can. Uh, we've got two bills on the agenda. I'm gonna, uh, reverse the order and, uh, ask Representative Gaines if he would present House Bill 1379 to the committee, and if you will, uh, make sure we're on the right LC.

6. 0:16:10

   Is that one on?

7. 0:16:12

   Perfect. Mic come on?

8. 0:16:14

   Yeah.

9. 0:16:15

   Should be.

10. 0:16:15

    Okay.

11. 0:16:15

    All right. Great.

12. 0:16:16

    Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, LC610442S, is that where we are?

13. 0:16:20

    That's correct.

14. 0:16:21

    Perfect. Well, I'll be, uh, very brief. This legislation, uh, builds on the work that the General Assembly did last year in passing House Bill 150, uh, that increases transparency in any foreign funding in our public schools in the State of Georgia. What this does is it expands that, uh, legislation to include some additional countries, uh, of concern, and it expands the reporting to include our K through 12 institutions, our technical college systems. Um, and, and, um, that's really the crux of it.

15. 0:16:54

    This only... Th- these additional countries and K through 12 and h- and TCSG, um, this is for any donations over the amount of $10,000 where there will be public reporting of, uh, of those monies that go to our, um, institutions. What we're trying to do is just provide some transparency of any influence and curriculum that's trying to impact our young people across the state, and that's what the bill does, Mr. Chairman.

16. 0:17:19

    Thank you. Any questions from the committee? Any comments or questions? Uh, Senator Orrock. Number five.

17. 0:17:27

    Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, um, the, um, tha- uh, thank you for the bill. What is this line 35 through 30, uh, well, the country whose former government is any form of mon- of monarchy, that means Saudi Arabia, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera?

18. 0:17:48

    That, that has a sovereign wealth fund, so a country that would fall under that would be, like, Qatar, uh, for example.

19. 0:17:54

    That's getting bombed right now, yeah. What the, what, what, what, what's, what's the issue with a monarch? What's, I don't know what that language is in there for.

20. 0:18:03

    Uh, what we're trying to capture is some of those, those countries that are, uh, providing funding to these institutions, and I'm happy to pull out. There's, I mean, a million examples. Uh, but, like, this is just the ones at the top of the sheet. But this is, like, a, um, a, uh, grant to, uh, one of our, uh, higher ed institutions. It's for $65,000, uh, from the Qatar Foundation International. Um, anyway, there's, there's... I could give you a lot of examples. What we're trying to do here with this, with the list that we, uh, encaptured is, is countries and places that are actually, uh, sending money to influence curriculum, um, in the state.

21. 0:18:43

    And, like, this funding was specifically to create a Arabic Teacher Council of the South.

22. 0:18:49

    A what?

23. 0:18:49

    Uh, Arabic Teacher Council of the South. Um, and so those are, you know, those are the kind of things we just wanna make sure there's public awareness of.

24. 0:18:59

    Sure.

25. 0:18:59

    Sure.

26. 0:19:00

    Hold on.

27. 0:19:00

    Okay. Hi. I'm gonna answer your question, Senator.

28. 0:19:03

    If you would please introduce yourself.

29. 0:19:04

    Sure. Esther Panitch, State Rep, District 51. Um, there was a report from the Foundation for Defense of Democracy last month showing that the Qatar Family, uh, Foundation International funneled over $281,000 to Georgia State University. Uh, I'm sorry, 79,000 to a Fulton County public charter school- ... and 22 to Georgia State University. It's a nonpartisan, um, think tank on national security and foreign policy. And to show you why this is actually needed, I posted on my fa- my social media about this report that came out from the Foundation for Defense of Democracy, and within hours, the Qatari ambassador to the United States and his deputy were coming at me, um, saying I was spreading misinformation.

30. 0:19:51

    They didn't contest any of the facts, but what they were doing is they've had teachers go to these trainings in Doha, come back, and then put up maps that m- re- remove Israel from a modern map of the Middle East. Remove it. Gone. Um, so it's a question of who's influencing public schools, and that was the, that's part of this. So it's not banning it. It's asking for, it's asking for a disclosure.

31. 0:20:22

    Where, where does it show the lines that you're talking about asking for disclosure? What?

32. 0:20:27

    Well, that, that's what the whole bill is.

33. 0:20:31

    Mm-hmm.

34. 0:20:31

    So once, if there's any funding that does come in, uh, from these, uh, countries and it has to be reported, uh, and I, I can find the exact lines, but to both the House and the Senate, um-

35. 0:20:45

    Uh, 78 and following. Is that right?

36. 0:20:48

    Well, and there-

37. 0:20:50

    Yeah, uh-

38. 0:20:50

    You're getting 73 really and following.

39. 0:20:52

    That's right. So to the attorney, 73 through 78 to the-

40. 0:20:55

    Right

41. 0:20:55

    ... Attorney General and then Department of Audits as well as, uh, uh, the chair of the H- House and Senate, uh, committees.

42. 0:21:06

    Follow up?

43. 0:21:07

    And well, yeah, follow-up. Thank you. But so, I mean, we're, we're, we're being asked to pass a bill that does, does not contain the, uh, listing of the, of the nations that are supposedly doing something that, that people don't want it to get, want it to do. But, uh, it's a, it's a sweeping bill.

44. 0:21:28

    Is it not true that sen- line 24 defines that? Is-

45. 0:21:32

    24?

46. 0:21:33

    Line 24. Whose government is designated as a-

47. 0:21:36

    Okay. And, and so what, what... I- is that the, the nation that you named a foreign adversary?

48. 0:21:43

    It would-

49. 0:21:43

    So, so, uh, and so our people were kind of wrong.

50. 0:21:46

    There's not enough-

51. 0:21:46

    So, so on, on, uh, lines 24 through lines 38, that would encompass the various countries that are included in this. So, and I can pull up, and I actually, just right before we got on, uh, uh, right, right before we started. So, like, the, one of the lists that's the countries of d- particular concern includes Burma, the People's Republic of China, Cuba, Iran, uh, uh, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia.

52. 0:22:19

    Um, and then special watch list countries, Algeria, uh, uh, Vietnam, and anyway, there's about a total of 12 countries. Um, so that's what this, it would encompass.

53. 0:22:31

    So Vietnam is a foreign adversary?

54. 0:22:33

    No, it's listed as a country, a special watch list country that was designated by the Secretary of State, um, in 2023, which would actually be the Biden administration.

55. 0:22:48

    Senator Howard.

56. 0:22:51

    Thank you so much. I appreciate you bringing this bill forward. Um, our country has been in a lot of conflict with Russia. Is Russia on the list?

57. 0:23:01

    Russia is included in the list.

58. 0:23:02

    Okay. Um, and also, if there is a president that comes to term, or if the current president changes their mind, and we have a new list of countries that are considered countries that we're not okay with, would then our state law automatically just bend and yield to whatever the whims are-

59. 0:23:21

    The, the, it, it-

60. 0:23:21

    ... of the federal government?

61. 0:23:23

    Uh, a- as the legislation reads, um, on line 26, 30, and 34, it says, "As designated on January 1, 2026."

62. 0:23:31

    Understood. Um, do you have any concern about us having state law that is that wholly dependent upon the whims of a federal government?

63. 0:23:41

    But I, so it would not change. That's what I'm saying-

64. 0:23:43

    It would, it would not

65. 0:23:44

    ... is it would, it, it was as of July, January 1, 2026. So whatever was in on January 1, 2026, is what would apply. Nothing would change.

66. 0:23:51

    I g- I guess I'm speaking e- even from the opposite. So if, if there's an administration that says, "Hey, we are now taking someone off the list, we are now in good standing," would we, they would still be on our list because it would be the January 26 list.

67. 0:24:06

    All this list does though-

68. 0:24:07

    Just trying to better understand

69. 0:24:07

    ... is require public disclosure.

70. 0:24:09

    Right.

71. 0:24:09

    I mean, that's, uh, honestly, I think it should apply to every country, but, you know, we also want to pass something-

72. 0:24:14

    And that's actually where I was going

73. 0:24:14

    ... we also want to pass something, you know, that is, that the university system at TCSG and K through 12 institutions can actually implement. Um, and so that's why we have narrowed it down a bit. But again, all this does is public disclosure, which I don't see any harm in having.

74. 0:24:27

    Um, you mentioned something that I kind of, that was where I was going as well, is it, should we consider just public disclosure of all foreign money? So it seems that we should know, I mean, uh, all countries, when they spend money here, they're likely trying to have some type of influence, whether they are considered friendly or not. We all know that we all have, we have allies that also would love to influence us. Um, would you be open to that, some language-

75. 0:24:56

    So I, so I have no-

76. 0:24:57

    ... be considered?

77. 0:24:57

    ... no issue with that. And as, in fact, as I initially introduced the bill, it included all countries. Uh, but what I believe we have before you is something that's actually workable and that can g- can be implemented, um, in talking to all the, uh, various folks that we would be, uh, working with to try to get this thing implemented. This is a, is a great first step or second step from what we passed last year. Um, and so I believe that's why we need to pass this version of the bill.

78. 0:25:21

    Thank you. Uh-

79. 0:25:21

    I appreciate it.

80. 0:25:22

    Representative Ginn, does not this legislation mirror what we adopted last year?

81. 0:25:27

    Yes, sir.

82. 0:25:27

    And I, I would point out on line 75, this is a reporting requirement. Is that not true?

83. 0:25:32

    That's right.

84. 0:25:33

    Thank you. Uh, Senator Williams.

85. 0:25:37

    Yes, just to, uh, Senator Howard's, uh, what I, and authored some legislation before the, this administration, and it was pretty much the same thing. If we pass this bill and the, we're not naming countries in the bill.

86. 0:25:55

    No.

87. 0:25:56

    All we're doing is, uh, what those, uh, those countries or foreign adversaries, and that could change. It could change. Cuba might be free again, and then they would come off of the list. So we're not passing anything concrete that's gonna lock them into it. So yeah, I, I understand what you was talking about, but I thought I would try to clear that up for you. But no, thank you for the bill, huh?

88. 0:26:24

    Okay.

89. 0:26:24

    Yeah, but, uh, no, thank you. And, um, yeah, it was a bill that I had authored a few years ago, and it had the same list of countries, and they, actually, the governor's office vetoed my bill-

90. 0:26:40

    Mm-hmm

91. 0:26:40

    ... because it didn't say the foreign adversarial governments. It was more specific, and they wanted that kind of general language. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

92. 0:26:53

    Thank you. Uh, point of clarification, uh, for the author. Um, what this bill does in section two, lines 26, 30 and 33 and 34 s- establishes January 1st, 26 as the date-

93. 0:27:07

    That's right

94. 0:27:08

    ... of how we identify foreign adversaries. Is that not true?

95. 0:27:11

    That's right.

96. 0:27:11

    And then if we needed to update that, we'd have to change that date at some future time.

97. 0:27:15

    That's true.

98. 0:27:16

    Thank you. Okay, one final question. Um- Senator Harrell?

99. 0:27:20

    Um, yes. Thank you. I also remember, um, a similar bill coming through this committee. Um, but my memory of it is that there was instead of, like, a long list of these kinds of countries and these kinds of countries and these kinds of countries as designated by such and such, that there was, like, only one category. I, I don't remember ex- ex- I can't see it because it's adding a whole new section. I can't see what's changed.

100. 0:27:48

     There, there was ... Yeah, so the la- the bill last year, uh, was one list, whereas this one does encompass, I guess, a total of four different, uh, criteria.

101. 0:27:56

     Yeah.

102. 0:27:56

     Uh, I wanna say the list last year was maybe about 10 countries.

103. 0:28:00

     Yeah.

104. 0:28:00

     This ends up being about 20 countries. That's a lit- you know-

105. 0:28:03

     Yeah, so, so-

106. 0:28:04

     And, and so this includes additional countries that we have seen that have, uh, given money to institutions. Uh, but for these additional countries, this only applies for $10,000 and more in, uh, in contributions. Last year's was $1,000. Um, and this does apply to K through 12 and h- and TCSG-

107. 0:28:22

     TCSG

108. 0:28:22

     ... whereas last year only applied to USG schools.

109. 0:28:25

     So, like, the, um, the lines that my colleague referenced starting at line 35, um, that refers to any form of a monarchy, is that drafted to be just that one country that you mentioned? 'Cause it, then it says something about which has a sovereign wealth fund with a board of directors. That, that seems very ... Is that very targeted?

110. 0:28:45

     Um, it does apply to Qatar, uh, but, uh-

111. 0:28:47

     But it wouldn't apply to, like, England or ...

112. 0:28:50

     It would not apply to England.

113. 0:28:51

     And is that because they don't have a sovereign wealth fund?

114. 0:28:53

     That ... Correct.

115. 0:28:54

     Okay. Okay. Um, so also with the previous bill, it was pretty easy to rattle off, like, 10 countries or so. So I felt, felt pretty confident when I, when I heard the list of countries last time, I felt pretty confident. But now it's, like, expanded to more like twice that many, and I haven't heard a comprehensive list, so I'm feeling a lot less confident.

116. 0:29:20

     Uh, so the, the list that I just read, uh, off the s-s- State Department's website is, is, uh-

117. 0:29:27

     Would that include every designation that's here? I mean, is that comprehensive?

118. 0:29:33

     It would other, uh, other than D, which does include Qatar.

119. 0:29:39

     Can you read that list one more time a little more slowly?

120. 0:29:41

     Uh, sure. Uh, this is the countries of particular concern designated again in, uh, 2023. Burma, China, Cuba-

121. 0:29:50

     Go a little slower.

122. 0:29:51

     So, sorry. I- Burma, China, Cuba, Iran, uh, North Korea, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, um, two countries that are hard for me to pronounce because-

123. 0:30:08

     Oh, go for it.

124. 0:30:09

     Uh, T- let's see. Let me-

125. 0:30:11

     Tajikistan

126. 0:30:11

     ... let me ask my lawyer. Let me ask my lawyer.

127. 0:30:13

     Turkmenistan.

128. 0:30:14

     Oh, Tajikistan.

129. 0:30:15

     Tajikistan.

130. 0:30:16

     And Turkmenistan.

131. 0:30:17

     And Turkmenistan.

132. 0:30:19

     All right.

133. 0:30:19

     And so several times just to make sure.

134. 0:30:21

     And is that because you found money from them?

135. 0:30:24

     No, those are countries designated by the Department of State as countries-

136. 0:30:26

     Okay

137. 0:30:26

     ... of concern. And then the special watch list countries are Algeria, uh, Central African Republic, Vietnam, and, uh, and then entities of, well, entities of public concern, which that's, um, uh, not, not encompassed here.

138. 0:30:48

     Okay. Thank you.

139. 0:30:49

     Thank you. Thank you. It is encompassed here. Okay. Uh, one final question. Senator Orrock? I'm sorry.

140. 0:30:56

     No, thank you.

141. 0:30:57

     I'm sorry. Senator Howard. Is that right? I'll defer. You'll defer? Thank you. I'd still like to go to lunch. We, we, we need to move this bill along.

142. 0:31:06

     Do we?

143. 0:31:06

     We do.

144. 0:31:07

     This is a sweeping bill.

145. 0:31:08

     It is a, it is a standard expansion of what we've already passed, uh, just to include, uh, TCSG-

146. 0:31:15

     TCSG

147. 0:31:16

     ... and secondary ed.

148. 0:31:17

     Oh.

149. 0:31:17

     Except, uh, uh, D.

150. 0:31:20

     That was one of the things I was gonna point out. What, what, what are we, uh ...

151. 0:31:29

     In a local school system or other public school, that's, that's very sweeping. What, uh, is there a fiscal note? W- what we're, we're talking about-

152. 0:31:38

     It's a reporting requirement, is it not?

153. 0:31:41

     It, it, we're, we're talking about withholding a portion of state funding. What ... I mean, this is ... It's, it, it really seems wild-eyed to me. I don't ... I, I, I do not think a picture has been painted of, uh, why this is needed. A- and, and are we gonna, we're gonna have all our public educational institutions, uh,

154. 0:32:06

     requiring to, uh, disclose reportable funding? What the

155. 0:32:17

     ... I, I, I, I just, I don't understand what compelling ... You know, I don't see a compelling argument that has been put before us of, of, of why we're doing this and why you're ... W- well, all of a sudden we've got all our secondary. Uh, it doesn't even say secondary. It's all our public educational, uh, uh, all our public schools. Is that right?

156. 0:32:37

     It's, it i- it is all of our public schools.

157. 0:32:39

     Well, it's like, it's like open-

158. 0:32:40

     So-

159. 0:32:41

     ... Pandora's box.

160. 0:32:43

     Um, well, we passed last year a bill that already did this for our USG institutions.

161. 0:32:49

     I know.

162. 0:32:49

     But just as a, um ... You know, right now because there is no public disclosure, we don't have any idea how much money is flowing. Uh, but just in a very brief with open records requests found well over $250,000, uh, of, of, of f- funds flowing from these countries. So I think that shows the need for disclosure. Again, that's all that this is about, is d- public disclosure, um, which I think the general public deserves to know any countries that are trying to influence our curriculum in our K through 12 institutions and USG, and that's the point of this legislation.

163. 0:33:24

     Thank you. Um, Senator Williams.

164. 0:33:27

     Yes, sir, Mr. Chairman. You know, I don't have a problem with it. If you make a deposit into the bank, your bank account of $10,000, they automatically report it to IRS. What's the big deal here? I'll make a motion do pass at the appropriate time, Mr. Chairman.

165. 0:33:43

     At the appropriate time. We'll defer for two more questions.

166. 0:33:46

     All right.

167. 0:33:47

     Senator Harrell.

168. 0:33:47

     Thank you. Um, appreciate the grace here. Uh, with-

169. 0:33:51

     Absolutely

170. 0:33:52

     ... we have this foreign list that you read off, like the bad list, and then we have the Section D that seems to be designed to target which country again?

171. 0:34:06

     Well, it wouldn't just impact Qatar, but it would, and, and that would be-

172. 0:34:09

     So what, what other countries would it impact that's not on the list by the federal government? Because it seems very specific.

173. 0:34:16

     So, like some would, uh...

174. 0:34:18

     It's right there.

175. 0:34:19

     Okay. Well, uh, Jordan, Kuwait, uh, UAE, um, Yemen, Bare- uh, and, uh, Egypt's marked out, but I-

176. 0:34:28

     Iran.

177. 0:34:28

     But, but Qatar is just one example of the countries that would be included.

178. 0:34:32

     Okay. So I think I was kinda with you with an established list from the federal government that we can make adjustments to, but then we have these other line items that are like, "Oh, here's some language that can target some very specific Middle Eastern countries." And do you have any challenges with that? They just all happen to be neighbors of an, of allies. I mean, just trying to see where this fits into... We're in the middle of an international conflict. This seems very, you know, connected and I would just hate for us to have a conversation without, um, appreciating context, right?

179. 0:35:06

     So, uh, are we having, are we introducing legislation that's targeting specific foreign-

180. 0:35:14

     No, all, all this is-

181. 0:35:15

     ... foreign... Hold on, let me finish the question. That is targeting foreign countries that are not on our bad list, but I'm just trying to make sure I'm understanding. I just have-

182. 0:35:25

     This, this, this is not inherently a bad list. This is-

183. 0:35:27

     No, no, no. This is separate

184. 0:35:28

     ... this, all this is saying is, is requiring public disclosure of monies. These countries that are listed are peop- are countries that are giving money. That's the whole point of this legislation, is to encompass countries-

185. 0:35:38

     But there are-

186. 0:35:38

     ... that are giving such money that I think people should know about

187. 0:35:41

     ... but there are other countries that are giving much more money than the ones that you're mentioning that are not on the list. I'm sure there-

188. 0:35:47

     Like who? Like who?

189. 0:35:48

     I'm saying there, there are countries all over the-

190. 0:35:50

     Like who?

191. 0:35:51

     Pick one.

192. 0:35:51

     Do you have an example?

193. 0:35:51

     We have, we have foreign, we have foreign languages, so, uh, formerly on the Cobb County School Board, there are international relationships that we have. So I'm thinking about trips that kids do because of a international something somewhere.

194. 0:36:02

     But is that country paying for them to go there?

195. 0:36:04

     And so, and so, hold on. So I'm coming from a position of, if we're going to have a full disclosure, why don't we disclose everything? And it seems like we're saying, "Hey, here's our bad list, and then here's a little bonus on the bad list based on what we're adding in." I'm actually saying I love the idea of transparency. Why aren't we being more transparent? Is, is this-

196. 0:36:27

     And I, again, as I-

197. 0:36:28

     ... it's kind of stunning to me, because all the other people on the bad list and then the bonus bad list are all people who are, like, in the Middle East right now, where there's current conflict going on.

198. 0:36:37

     And like I said, I mean, as I really, originally introduced the bill, it did encompass all countries. What we have done, though, is create a piece of legislation that we actually believe can be implemented, and that's why we've narrowed down the list.

199. 0:36:52

     Did I have one more thing?

200. 0:36:53

     Hmm. Thank you.

201. 0:36:54

     Thank you. Uh,

202. 0:36:58

     Senator... La- last question, uh, Senator Orrock.

203. 0:37:01

     Uh, yes. Uh, we're running at breakneck speed here.

204. 0:37:04

     We're not running at breakneck.

205. 0:37:05

     Yeah. Uh, uh, what, what was... Uh, I have not heard any perspective of why you would include, uh, the public school system.

206. 0:37:18

     Um, I think that's, I guess that's kind of the whole point is, is that there is money going to our public, uh, K through 12 institutions, which we have examples of, of foreign funding.

207. 0:37:30

     There is... I, yes.

208. 0:37:31

     Yes. Uh, well, you haven't presented any examples of that, but I haven't-

209. 0:37:34

     Okay. Well, if, if-

210. 0:37:35

     Perhaps-

211. 0:37:36

     ... if you give me one minute, I can go through and give specific-

212. 0:37:38

     Per- perhaps we can, uh, gain some insights into those schools that are receiving foreign funds that might influence curriculum.

213. 0:37:48

     Well, they have a packet that...

214. 0:37:53

     So this is just, uh... I mean, and again, our, uh, Amana Academy, $46,000, 600- 46,600 student exchange tri- uh, student exchange trip and virtual exchange program paid for by the Qatar Foundation International.

215. 0:38:14

     Think we have packets in the-

216. 0:38:15

     And, uh, yeah, apparently there may be some information maybe in your packets as well with other examples. Um-

217. 0:38:21

     Let me just see.

218. 0:38:22

     High school scholarship recipients, uh, that included, um, intensive summer programs, again, paid for by the Qatar International Foundation. Um, so those are just two examples.

219. 0:38:33

     Packets are over here.

220. 0:38:33

     Yeah.

221. 0:38:34

     The, the exam- the packets are over here.

222. 0:38:36

     We'll be glad to pass those out. We weren't sure how they fit into this conversation, but I think at the end of the day, um, legislation here is designed to report activity, not to restrict it.

223. 0:38:50

     That's right. It's just public disclosure.

224. 0:38:51

     Just public disclosure. I, I agree with my, my good friend Senator Howard. I think perhaps it could, uh, be equally applied across the board, but at this point-

225. 0:39:01

     It's the end of it

226. 0:39:01

     ... I think, well, I think that it would be a little, a bit of a stretch. I think you're welcome to come back with legislation to address that issue on a, at a future time. At this point, I think we're at a point where we've, uh, discussed it. We appreciate the, uh, representative's, uh, legislation and, um, I believe, uh, let's go ahead and get these passed out so you can see them. But at the end of the day, this is a reporting bill. Does not restrict. It provides- Transparency of where funds are coming from and which institutions might be receiving those.

227. 0:39:39

     Is that not true?

228. 0:39:40

     That's right.

229. 0:39:42

     But it hasn't been. That's what's up.

230. 0:39:45

     I, uh, I... There's no public input requested on this bill, so there's no one who's signed up. Um, Representative Gaines, do you have anything you'd like to do in closing?

231. 0:39:57

     Not yet. No.

232. 0:39:57

     And, uh, uh, the appropriate time has come. Senator Williams, you have a motion?

233. 0:40:01

     I do. Uh, I'd make a motion to pass.

234. 0:40:04

     I have a se- a motion from Senator Williams, do pass. I have a second from Senator Payne.

235. 0:40:13

     Discussion?

236. 0:40:14

     Discussion. Certainly.

237. 0:40:18

     Uh-

238. 0:40:19

     Senator Orrock.

239. 0:40:19

     Yeah, uh, the, uh, the, the burden that we're putting on public schools, and I, I, I think I heard you read one, one, uh, what was it? A K through 12 school that, that you read out of name.

240. 0:40:34

     I gave two examples that just hap- yeah, that I have right here. But again, there's no public disclosure, so we have no idea how much money's going to the schools. That's the point of the legislation.

241. 0:40:45

     And, and, and, and this authorizes the attorney general, the, the, or the, the, the... Somebody will be authorized to withhold state funding allotted for the public educational institution. So that's, that's-

242. 0:40:59

     On- only if they choose to not report-

243. 0:41:02

     Right

244. 0:41:03

     ... or disclose this, uh, grant. Is that not true?

245. 0:41:06

     That's right.

246. 0:41:07

     I'm sure this will really be welcomed by all the high school principals and the school boards and the superintendents all across this big state of ours to, to s- s- have to send in a report.

247. 0:41:19

     Thank you. Thank you for your input. Senator Howard.

248. 0:41:23

     Um, is there allowance here for groups that are not obviously a foreign group that's, um, funding a particular program? Um, is the onus on the public school teacher to kinda do the background check for an organization if it's... 'Cause that organization, the name itself may not say, "I'm from Doha." You know? It might... So I'm just trying to get a sense of are, are... Could we be inadvertently putting some of our public school teachers at risk of not knowing that something needs to be reported because they think it's a local group with international connections, but not an international...

249. 0:42:02

     I'm, I'm just, there's, there's some details there, and I just would hate to add thing that we... When we say, "Oh, it's just this and just-"

250. 0:42:08

     What's an example? What's an example? I mean-

251. 0:42:09

     I'm, I'm trying to give you one. So if you have a teacher, um, there's some type of, uh, foreign en- basically there's some... They're learning about history about a place that's far, far away, and say that there is a, um, some type of nonprofit organization that's providing information about that place that's far, far away. Um, that organization may not say on its face the Doha, you know-

252. 0:42:35

     So they're gonna have $10,000 worth of information. I mean, I, I think a teacher, that would raise a red flag if, uh-

253. 0:42:41

     $10,000

254. 0:42:41

     ... it was $10,000. I don't know. I guess, what's an example of something that'd be $10,000?

255. 0:42:45

     Yeah. Yeah. So, um, have you talked to teachers recently about this? Like, how many of, uh, m- maybe foreign language e- educators have you talked to, or folks who do international travel, or have you consulted with teachers on that?

256. 0:43:00

     We've talked to people involved in all three, you know, right-

257. 0:43:02

     Well, specifically the teachers. Have you talked to teachers and principals? I'm just curious how many you've talked to, 'cause we're requiring things of them. How many principals have you-

258. 0:43:10

     We're requiring, we're requiring things of the institution.

259. 0:43:13

     How many principals have you spoken to about this?

260. 0:43:16

     I've talked to folks who are in-

261. 0:43:17

     Principals specifically

262. 0:43:18

     ... school boards that are involved with this-

263. 0:43:19

     How many principals have you spoken to?

264. 0:43:21

     Call the question.

265. 0:43:23

     Senator Williams called the question.

266. 0:43:24

     I'm asking a question if he's talked to any principals.

267. 0:43:27

     I haven't.

268. 0:43:28

     Thank you.

269. 0:43:29

     Thanks, Senator Howard. Questions-

270. 0:43:31

     That's not actually who's actually dealing with... Uh, the school boards are the ones that have to ultimately provide this information to the attorney general and to the, uh, to, to the, uh, chairs of the higher ed ins- uh, committees.

271. 0:43:44

     School boards won't know the operations.

272. 0:43:46

     School systems are-

273. 0:43:47

     School boards-

274. 0:43:47

     Th- thank you for your input.

275. 0:43:49

     School boards don't do operations.

276. 0:43:50

     Thank you for your questions and concerns.

277. 0:43:50

     And did... Was there an example of the $10,000 piece of information you're talking about?

278. 0:43:54

     May I answer this question please?

279. 0:43:56

     You may answer his question.

280. 0:43:58

     I'm just sharing as a former school board member, school board members don't do operations. That comes from the superintendent and their staff, and which goes all the way down to the s- to the principals and to the teachers. School boards won't have any idea about that reporting unless they're into the... And that's actually against school board code to be into the mix of operations. It's putting school board members in some hot water, so that's why I'm asking a follow-up. I, you know, I appre- uh-

281. 0:44:24

     But what is... I guess, what is an example though?

282. 0:44:26

     I, I, I asked some very specific questions if you spoke to... And there's a reason. Because we agree on transparency. I, I asked very specific questions if you spoke to principals or teachers, and then you s- you started talking about speaking to school board members.

283. 0:44:40

     And superintendents, yeah.

284. 0:44:40

     I... And what I'm saying is school board members do not do operations.

285. 0:44:44

     Superintendents do though, correct?

286. 0:44:45

     Correct. So that's what I'm trying to share. There's, there's going to be a knowledge gap in what school board members know, 'cause that's very specific. If you have 100,000-

287. 0:44:53

     But superintendents do, right?

288. 0:44:54

     Okay. You said school board members.

289. 0:44:56

     And superintendents. I apologize. I-

290. 0:44:58

     Okay. So I'm, I'm just trying to get information. I, um... This is a... It's not anything small when we make state law. Like, someone could be breaking the law inadvertently. This is why I asked about an example. You know, I'm trying to give one because I have very limited information. I got this three seconds ago.

291. 0:45:16

     My bad.

292. 0:45:17

     So at the end of the day, there's a lot of information. I would like to make an informed decision. I think you would appreciate that, just like you appreciate transparency. So- That's why we have committee meetings to work through challenges, so that way when we send this to the floor, we're not having a unnecessary fight on the floor. We can work through this in committee. So I hope that you're receiving these questions in the spirit that is intended, is that this is serious business. I don't want our teachers to be on the hook for potentially, uh, partnering with someone and not knowing that they were supposed to report something, and then we have an issue.

293. 0:45:51

     There's just a lot of questions. But we agree on transparency. We, we agree on the principles.

294. 0:45:55

     Okay. Thank you.

295. 0:45:58

     Thank you.

296. 0:45:58

     Thank you for your spirited input. I appreciate it. The question's been called. Those in favor of a do pass motion on House Bill 1379, LC 610442S, indicate with an uplifted hand. Chair counts four. Those opposed, like sign. Chair counts three. Congratulations, I think.

297. 0:46:24

     Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

298. 0:46:24

     Uh, we will, we will continue this discussion, I'm sure, but, uh, do pass. Thank you.

299. 0:46:31

     Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

300. 0:46:35

     Thank you. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that was the easy bill for the afternoon. We're now gonna move on to something more challenging. So we appreciate Senator Gamble's, uh, patience. Sorry. Yeah. You got it. You called him Senator Gamble. Oh, well, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to demote you. Representative Gamble. Representative Gamble. She also- And my, my deepest apologies. I recognize that at this late hour, I'm not sure who's on first.

301. 0:47:08

     Well, no, that's quite all right.

302. 0:47:09

     That's what, what's on second. And I do appreciate you bringing, uh, a, your, an asset to the table to help understand this legislation. If you would, Representative, uh, present for us House Bill 1302, LC 492730 ECS, and, uh, and allow your compatriot to introduce himself.

303. 0:47:31

     Sure. Well, I'll be glad to. And Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present today. And I have with me Alex Huskey, and I'll let him introduce himself. Yeah. Um, good afternoon, everyone. My name is Alex Huskey. I'm with the Governor's Office. I'm his education policy advisor.

304. 0:47:45

     Oh, yes.

305. 0:47:47

     So, um, I'll, I'll just start by setting a little background because, um, uh, y'all will remember, the committee will remember that we have been working on this whole Top State for Talent initiative now for quite some time. And, uh, this is, the whole goal of this is just to better align our workforce development programs in the state and making sure that all of the agencies that are involved in that are working collaboratively and talking together, and that we're hitting the mark when it comes to producing the talent that our state needs.

306. 0:48:19

     And so, uh, that is, you know, the, the overarching goal of what, uh, the governor's package has been as it relates to education and workforce development in our state. Let me also remind you, uh, because it's something I'm very proud of, that I was a student of Career and Technical and Agricultural Education at Cartersville High School coming through. I took graphic arts. Um, my two high schoolers, uh, that I have are at Cartersville now. They are doing work-based learning and business ed and, uh, aeronautics and automotive, and they're doing all kinds of stuff with CTAE.

307. 0:48:53

     These are wonderful programs that are, uh, just an incredible opportunity for all Georgia students, from students that may struggle to students that are high-level academic and everything in between, regardless of whether they're gonna graduate and go straight to work, go to the military, go get a certificate, get an associate's, uh, go get a four-year degree or an advanced degree. They're all better off if they have the opportunity to come through CTAE. And of course, uh, if they go on to the university system, uh, or the technical college system or one of our p- uh, Georgia independent colleges, um, you know, the, uh, the whole goal is to make sure that while we have them at the, at the K-12 level, that we're doing everything we can to prepare them for what may be next, and that is what a big part of this legislation is.

308. 0:49:44

     I also want to remind y'all before you get too far into the bill, it's a long bill. But I want to clarify that the first, uh, that 20 of the pages are substantive and 27 of them are cleanup, uh, removing the f- old alliance of a agency, education agency, uh, uh, the Education Al- Alliance of Agency, Agency Heads. I'm sorry, I'm getting tangled up here with my words. But, um, that entity was created in the early 2000s.

309. 0:50:15

     It has really not met and done what it, uh, was originally designed to do in quite some time. And so it's just, it, it deletes a lot of references to that. So don't get lost in the fact that it is a lost bill, a long bill, and we'll walk through exactly what this bill does. But, um, as I mentioned, this is the final piece of the governor's work- workforce development package that aims to build a structure that ensures the important work done over the past several years continues. This legislation does this by designating the Governor's Office of Student Achievement, GOSA, as the coordinator, not the doer, but just the coordinator, to bring together the other agencies that are involved in this workforce conversation, uh, that have participated in the Governor's Workforce Strategy Team.

310. 0:51:04

     So again, that's Department of Labor, Technical College System, University System, DOE, uh, we, uh, State Workforce Investment Board, all of those groups that are a part of that. Uh, this is the same group that envisioned and implemented the Georgia Match pr- Program, which y'all remember is where we're now sending all of our seniors in their high school year a letter that says, "You're eligible for admission at this university system, uh, uh, school or this technical college, and here's who you need to talk to to get connected up to either the HOPE Grant or the HOPE Scholarship." Uh, this is also the same, uh, group that envisioned the, um, high-demand career list alignment where we have one list now that we're keeping and there's not confusion about what's high demand and what's not, and we know how those careers are identified and changed because they do change.

311. 0:51:56

     Um, and again, this is all a part of this whole Top State for Talent initiative. So to align with these r- new responsibilities, GOSEA would be renamed the Governor's Office of Education and Workforce Strategy. So GOSEA's not going away. The work that it's been doing does not change. It just gets a new name, and it will also get additional responsibility as it relates to coordinating these workforce and efforts.

312. 0:52:27

     Um, the State Workforce Development Board, who has been tasked with a greater role in overseeing workforce development efforts, would be assigned to the reconstituted GOSEA to prevent any image of bias between one agency or the, or the other. Um, and so that, that would be something that would change also. The State Workforce Investment Board doesn't go away and they don't stop doing what they've been doing. They're just assigned to help work with GOSEA with regards to this work. Additionally, this legislation would codify the requirement for the Technical College System and the Department of Education to submit a unified Workforce Investment Opportunity Act plan and Carl D.

313. 0:53:11

     Perkins Career and Technical Education plan, uh, which is, as y'all know, f- both federal programs. Uh, they have actually already done this, uh, this past year, so there-- this is not really anything new. We're just putting it into the code that this is the process that will play out. Um, by the way, their collaboration on this creation and submission of both of those plans between the, the DOE and the Technical College System went very well, and I wanna thank our commissioner, Greg Dozier, and our state CTA director, Dr.

314. 0:53:42

     Barbara Wall at DOE, uh, and all of DOE and all of TCSG for the efforts that they went to at great lengths to make sure that both of those programs were getting the input that they needed, uh, from the different pl- uh, stakeholders that are involved in that conversation. Um, additionally, this legislation, um, or, or these plans, uh, would govern the federal funds geared towards workforce development that the state receives with WIOA providing training for education services to youth and adults, and Perkins supporting our K-12 and Technical College System, uh, programs.

315. 0:54:21

     To ensure clarity and accessibility of the newly created workforce reports over the past few years, House Bill 1302 would require one comprehensive state workforce plan that incorporates the federal plans, state required reports, and goals that the state will strive for in this space, with the plan being updated on the same cycle as the federal plans. And finally, the bill, at the request of the U.S. Department of Labor, also designates the Technical College System as the state apprenticeship agency.

316. 0:54:57

     We had a lot of conversation about this in the House committee and, uh, after the meeting, I sat down and worked with all of the federally r- uh, registered apprenticeship programs that we have in our state to make sure that they understood their work is not changing, what they're doing is not changing. Uh, and, and there were some concerns that they had about this part of the bill, but I'm very pleased that after that hour of getting their feedback, we incorporated every single request that they made to s- the substitute, uh, language that we incorporated into the bill and that they were all, uh, satisfied with those changes that were made to address their concerns.

317. 0:55:39

     Let me also mention to you that those are federally, uh, registered apprenticeship programs. That's not the high school work-based learning programs that I talked about my daughter being in a minute ago or the youth apprenticeship programs. These are, these are federally registered programs that are at a different level and capacity, and I'm, I'm sure y'all are all very familiar with, with that. So, uh, in practice, this means that the state will have more autonomy and oversight over the federally approved apprenticeships. Without that language, the state will continue to have what would be a weaker ability to know the full scope of what we c- currently have.

318. 0:56:17

     So that's the big advantage of doing this. At the recommendation of Department of Labor, they've suggested it. We'll now know, "Hey, this is what we've got out there." Right now, we're not 100% sure of all the different apprenticeship programs that are available in our state, and this will give us the ability to know. But again, it does not give us the ability to tell them what to do and to, you know, to have any type of oversight, uh, over those responsibilities. That's not the goal of what we're trying to do in this legislation. And ultimately, if we want to maintain our status as the top state for business, we must have a homegrown workforce ready to fill new jobs that are coming to our state.

319. 0:56:59

     This bill ensures that this is the case and that we will continue. This will play a pivotal role in making Georgia the top state for talent. So I know I've thrown a lot at you. I hope I have not overcomplicated what the bill is, but that, in essence, is what this legislation does, uh, and it builds on the prior bills that we have bought, brought through this committee. Um, and so, you know, with that, Chairman, I'm happy to go through the bill or answer any of the questions that there might be specifically about parts of the legislation that you wanna discuss today.

320. 0:57:35

     Thank you for your input. I appreciate that. Uh, take, uh, I don't know if you can do it in five minutes, but, uh, take a minute or two and quickly Walk through section by section and just highlight most of it, as you point out, is, uh, language cleanup. There's a great deal of that. Uh, and just so you might just go through that, but also stop and pause in a minute where we hit the substantive changes so we can-

321. 0:57:58

     Okay

322. 0:57:58

     ... as a committee, we'll, we'll be comfortable with the bill.

323. 0:58:01

     Yeah. So, uh, I'll just start with section one.

324. 0:58:07

     Yep. Um, basically, you know, again, it, it names, um, the, the Governor's Office of Wor- Education Workforce Strategy. Um, section two, uh, title 20, 34, and 50 are amended by replacing GOSA with the new language. Um, and so again, just mostly cleanup. Um, section three, um, is title 20 regarding the Council on Literacy subsections. Um, again, all of that prior work that GOSA has been doing, that's what I was mentioning a minute ago, that, that doesn't change.

325. 0:58:43

     They continue to do that. It doesn't change any, any of the literacy efforts, um, that we've done up to this point. Um, one thing I've stressed to the Education Committee, I'll stress to y'all, uh, you certainly know, uh, the work that y'all have done on literacy. Sen- uh, Senator Hickman is here today. Uh, I also know that, uh, the Speaker has made that a big priority of his and Ms., Ms. Dale Burns, and, uh, wanted to make sure that everyone understands this is not affecting any of that work. Um, section four, uh, removes the sunset on collaboration and reporting requirements of TCSG and GSFC with regards to HOPE funding, um, CTAE and dual enrollment, post-secondary credits, and students, uh, employed in high-demand fields following completion of the Top State for Talent pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship program.

326. 0:59:37

     Um, section five, uh, it establishes a partnership between the listed agencies, uh, and requires the development and submission of the plans that we talked about, uh, WIOA, um, developed in 2024 with support of Governor Kemp. Uh, it just codifies that, uh, and includes the federal guidance to support this, this collaborative effort. Um, section six, again, cleanup language removes the Alliance of Agency Heads and replaces it with the Governor's Office of Education and Workforce Strategy.

327. 1:00:13

     Um, section seven removes the Alliance of Agency Heads and places the new language in. It also replaces GOSA, um, with the Governor's Office of Education and Workforce Strategy. Section eight updates the Top State for Talent Act's required college and career plans to enable stronger collection and reporting of performance metrics for students in grades 10 through 12 who utilize the Georgia Student Future accounts.

328. 1:00:43

     Um, the reports will be distributed to OPB and the new Governor's Office of Education and Workforce Strategy. Section nine, coordinated industry return on investment reporting between go, uh, GOE, GOEWS, uh, and DOE to align existing GOEWS reporting, enabling the Top State for Talent appropriations to be overseen by the State Workforce Investment Board or by the State Workforce Board and OPB.

329. 1:01:16

     Uh, we, we have accounted for the funding of this, uh, with redirected funds that GOSA already has, about $400,000, that was able to be redirected and applied to this additional work so that we're not tasking them with this responsibility for additional work and not providing them with the funds that they will need, uh, to oversee it. But I also wanna clarify, we're not creating a new bureaucracy. We're not creating a new agency. This agency already exists. We're just adding some additional work for them to do.

330. 1:01:48

     Um, and the cost to do that is very minimal for the return that we will receive in the coordination of what they will be doing. Again, the goal is to make sure that our students are as best prepared as they can to get into these high-demand careers and the speed to market, which we hear our business and industry partners talk about so often. So, um, I just wanted to mention the appropriation side as well. Section 10, uh, mirrors the distri- distribution of federal dollars consistent with Section 5 and the treatment of WIOA and Perkins funds for the purpose of supporting technical and adult education.

331. 1:02:25

     That's an important point I wanna make to you all today, too. The current funding that we receive through both programs is not going anywhere else. It's not being skimmed off of or taken by any other entity. It stays going exactly to what it's going for today. I would not be sitting here in front of you if there was any suggestion that we were changing how Perkins was gonna be divided up or, or the WIOA funds because, um, you know, that's, again, that's not the intent of what this new oversight of the Governor's Office of Education and Workforce Strategy will be doing.

332. 1:02:58

     Uh, and so the funding piece remains unchanged as it is now. Um, Section 11 amends and clarifies code sections governing college and career academies to align with the high-demand career list identified by the State Workforce Investment Board, um, and to ensure that academy certification advances the priorities of the governor's Top State for Talent initiatives. Um, the, and that's not really anything new. That certification has already been in existence for career academies, and y'all have heard us talk about that, um, before.

333. 1:03:34

     Um, Section 12 is relating to the high-demand apprenticeship programs. Um, and this section, again, um, revises the definitions. Um, this kind of touches on what I mentioned a minute ago and clarifies, um, uh, cl- clarifies that, um, delineation and responsibility for the technical college system in that space. Section 13 renames the current program overseen by the listed agencies known as the High Demand Apprenticeship Program to-

334. 1:04:05

     Can I interrupt just for a second?

335. 1:04:07

     Yes, sir.

336. 1:04:07

     Ask a question on section 12.

337. 1:04:08

     Mm-hmm.

338. 1:04:09

     Uh, address, uh, lines 358 and following, uh, uh, define the pre-apprentice program. Is this the first time we've seen pre-apprentice programs in codified?

339. 1:04:19

     Yes, sir.

340. 1:04:20

     Is that not true?

341. 1:04:21

     Yes, sir. That is true.

342. 1:04:22

     So, so I think one of the things this legislation can, will do is it, it will expand the apprenticeship program, um, back down toward that, that early high school, late middle school timeframe. Is that not true?

343. 1:04:36

     That is true.

344. 1:04:37

     Okay.

345. 1:04:38

     Yeah.

346. 1:04:38

     So just I wanted to point that out 'cause I think that's one of the major components. Thank you.

347. 1:04:41

     That's right. Let's see, um, section 14, um, the high demand career list will be used to determine eligibility for the Top State for Talent Pre-Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship Program, so going back to what you, you just said a minute ago. Um, section 15 clarifies reporting and cooperation requirement for the sto- Top State for Talent Pre-Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship Program. Uh, section 16, um, it adopts rules and regulations to im- implement and administer applications, including establishing a staff review and application pro- approval process, setting fund levels, um, prioritizing pre-apprenticeships pro- programs, and defining application scoring criteria, uh, and minimum approval thresholds.

348. 1:05:35

     One clarification. The, on line 461-

349. 1:05:39

     Mm-hmm

350. 1:05:39

     ... the word board refers to State Workforce Development Board. Is that correct?

351. 1:05:45

     I believe that would refer to the Technical College System.

352. 1:05:47

     Technical College System's board of directors.

353. 1:05:49

     Yes, sir.

354. 1:05:50

     Thank you.

355. 1:05:50

     Mm-hmm.

356. 1:05:50

     Wanted to just clarify that. Thank you.

357. 1:05:51

     Oh, what, you're talking about 461?

358. 1:05:52

     Uh, yeah, on 461, the word board shall adopt rules and regulations. That's the Technical College System of Georgia's board.

359. 1:06:00

     Uh-huh.

360. 1:06:00

     Okay. So we ha- there are a number of boards referred to.

361. 1:06:04

     Yeah.

362. 1:06:04

     And I just wanted to clarify that. Thank you.

363. 1:06:06

     17, um, this article shall stand repealed and reversed, uh, on July 1st, 2031-

364. 1:06:13

     Right

365. 1:06:13

     ... rather than 2027.

366. 1:06:15

     Right.

367. 1:06:15

     So again, just cleaning up some language. Um, 18 mirror section 12, definitions of apprenticeship and pre-apprentice- apprenticeship programs. Um, and this-

368. 1:06:27

     Pre-apprenticeship.

369. 1:06:28

     Pre-apprenticeship.

370. 1:06:29

     Pre-apprenticeship.

371. 1:06:30

     I know.

372. 1:06:31

     On line 494.

373. 1:06:33

     Uh-huh. And then, uh, 19 mirror section 12, uh, definitions and designates TCSG as the state apprenticeship agency, which I mentioned a minute ago, and the work that we put in over on the House side to make sure that all of the, uh, apprenticeship programs were on board with the language we added to give them the clarity and comfort they needed, uh, in this legislation. 20 repeals and reserves Article 1 relating to the Alliance of Agency Heads.

374. 1:07:03

     Uh, 21, clean up language renaming GOSEA to the Governor's Office of Education and Workforce Strategy, so again, clean up language. 22, GOSEA shall be reconstituted as the Governor's Office of Education and Workforce Strategy.

375. 1:07:18

     Mm-hmm.

376. 1:07:18

     It shall retain all duties, responsibilities, powers, and authority. This section outlines the director's responsibilities at the direction of the governor. 23, the Governor's Office of Education and Workforce Strategy is required to convene all relevant agencies to collaboratively develop and implement a cross-agency statewide education and workforce plan to assist with the creation of both WIOA and Perkins, and create an integrated navigation tool among other outline, uh, duties.

377. 1:07:52

     So, you know, right now the way it's worked is there ha- there has been collaboration and input, but this just gives it a higher level of collaboration and input so that we're making sure that we are not missing the mark for these, uh, programs that we have and the, the making sure that our students know what it takes, uh, and, and that we're addressing that. What our business and industry partners here in the state, you know, they come to us all the time and they say, "We need, we need more students in this program," or, "We need more going into this field." You know, that is all a part of what we're trying to get in front of with, um, with this, um, um, new responsibility for GOSEA.

378. 1:08:37

     24, regarding reports, that just changes submit to prepare, um, the Alliance of Agency Heads clean up la- uh, language, uh, because again, at the end of the day, the Department of Education will submit the Perkins Plan. Uh, the State Workforce Investment Board will submit the WIOA plan. They're still responsible for those. They still have that oversight. They still conduct the, uh, management and oversight of the programs that fall under that. It's just in the creation of their plan they've gotten more input, and it's been coordinated by the Governor's Office of Education and Workforce Strategy.

379. 1:09:16

     25 assigns g- uh, the Governor's Office of Education and Workforce Strategy to develop and approve a report across agencies tracking articulation agreements. And y'all have been reading about this, how the technical college has been working with K-12 to articulate more coursewo- courses, and more recently, how the university system level has been working to articulate between the technical college for coursework. Because again, we do not want our students having to repeat things that they've already mastered.

380. 1:09:48

     If they've demonstrated proficiency and they've, uh, you know, completed certain certifications and tests that show that, there's no reason for them to have to duplicate that and for us to have to pay for that again just because they decide to move on to a different system. So that addresses these articulation agreements and credit transfers. Uh, section 26, uh, lists-

381. 1:10:11

     Can I ask a question?

382. 1:10:12

     Yes.

383. 1:10:12

     Sure.

384. 1:10:15

     So-

385. 1:10:16

     It needs to be, yes

386. 1:10:16

     ... part of this section, uh, a- and I really appreciate this, uh, y- y- you're walking us, uh, through this, uh, so diligently. Um, um, the post pr- uh, the, the, paragraph 6, 805, line 805, is this where, uh, the, the, this language is the private post-secondary institution that is an eligible post-secondary? Uh, uh, how is that defined in those code sections?

387. 1:10:47

     What is to be... I- in other words, it brings the private sector, uh, non-public universities and colleges into, um, conformance or it, you know, um, uh, uh, as a, a, a, for the transferable credits. There, the, it, it, that's, that, that language makes, includes those-

388. 1:11:13

     That-

389. 1:11:13

     ... opens the door t-

390. 1:11:14

     That's-

391. 1:11:14

     ... for those credits to be.

392. 1:11:15

     Well, and I, and I've got, I've, I've failed to mention, Chairman, uh, Mark Peevey from the Technical College System is here.

393. 1:11:21

     He is.

394. 1:11:21

     And so, um, I want him to specifically address that.

395. 1:11:25

     Uh-huh.

396. 1:11:25

     Um, and that's, Mark, you wanna come up and speak to that?

397. 1:11:31

     He, he knows that.

398. 1:11:32

     If I understand it correctly, the objective here is to make it as, as seamless as possible-

399. 1:11:37

     Exactly. Yeah

400. 1:11:38

     ... whether you're in a public setting or a private setting.

401. 1:11:41

     Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

402. 1:11:42

     And I think that's a, that's a noble and appropriate-

403. 1:11:44

     It's laudatory. It's laudatory.

404. 1:11:45

     Yeah.

405. 1:11:45

     That's right. Yeah.

406. 1:11:46

     Okay.

407. 1:11:49

     I'll just say, yes, ma'am, that's what we intend to do.

408. 1:11:53

     A wise man there, Mr. Peevey.

409. 1:11:55

     I know. He's al- He's always, he's always on time.

410. 1:11:58

     Okay.

411. 1:11:59

     All right. Let me get back to, let's see, I think we left off in the book of, uh -

412. 1:12:06

     Section 25, 26

413. 1:12:07

     ... 25. Um, so 25 assigns the Governor's Office of Education Workforce strategy to develop and approve a report against, uh, a- again, across agencies-

414. 1:12:18

     Mm-hmm

415. 1:12:18

     ... tracking articulation agreement. So 26 lists participating agencies required to collaborate with the Governor's Office of Education Workforce strategies. It outlines the duties of the, uh, new, newly named agency, uh, including overseeing the development of a comprehensive cross-agency statewide, uh, education workforce plan. The plan must include initiatives and plans to support the governor's priorities in alignment with WIOA and Perkins, reports on employment wage and program effectiveness using the high-demand career list, and the return on investment report and update information relevant to credentials, among other requirements.

416. 1:13:01

     Collaborative meetings must occur quarterly, uh, at a minimum. And I will say in the time that I've been involved in watching this through the years, that all of our partners have come so far in working more together. Um, I, I, I, I think that there was a time where things were more siloed and, and maybe people were sectioned off and kind of focused on doing, doing their specific responsibility. But again, this is designed at really addressing collaboration, again, to make sure that we're hitting the mark when it comes to workforce development in our state.

417. 1:13:35

     Section 27 establishes and details the navigation tool, uh, as a secure and user-friendly platform. Again, students will have this tool to utilize, uh, and, uh, it outlines the responsibilities that, uh, the agencies will have in creating and maintaining the tool. Section-

418. 1:13:54

     Is this the career navigator?

419. 1:13:56

     That's the career navigator.

420. 1:13:57

     That's the appropriate-

421. 1:13:57

     That's correct.

422. 1:13:58

     Thank you.

423. 1:13:59

     Section 28 establishes the Education and Data Governance Board for the purpose of coordinating statewide education data governance. Uh, it is meant to serve as the primary forum for intra-agency data coordination. This is to promote alignment and improve efficiency in data collection, uh, and reporting. Um, 29, cleanup language. 30, cleanup language.

424. 1:14:25

     Okay.

425. 1:14:25

     31, cleanup language.

426. 1:14:27

     Cleanup language.

427. 1:14:28

     32, cleanup language.

428. 1:14:29

     Yep.

429. 1:14:30

     33 aligns appointments of the Career and Technical Education Advisory Commission, and I know, uh, Jody Reeves is here from the Georgia Association for Career and Technical Education. Um, that is an entity that's supposed to meet every year and has now for probably the past 10 years or so. And it just designates, uh, who the members of that are so that when people expire, they don't have to go back and find old lists to remember who has been serving on it. It's just automatically known that the technical college commissioner, the, the, the school superintendent, as a board member from the State Department of Education, Board of Education, that those are the positions that serve and not necessarily-

430. 1:15:11

     Right

431. 1:15:11

     ... individuals that serve. 34 replaces the Office of Workforce Development with the Technical College Sy- System of Georgia. 35 provides for outlines and updates the State Workforce Development Board's duties, improves upon existing language for the Governor's Office of Education and Workforce strategy to support the State Workforce Development Board. 36 is cleanup language, uh, as it relates to the high-demand career list.

432. 1:15:42

     37, also cleanup language as it relates to the high-demand career list. 38 repeals Section 34-14-5 relating to reporting of alignment of programs, practices, and policies. Uh, and then 39 is just all laws in conflict are repealed.

433. 1:16:01

     Right.

434. 1:16:01

     So that is a walkthrough by section.

435. 1:16:04

     Thank you.

436. 1:16:05

     Again, uh, I know Mr. Chairman, too, I don't know if there was a sign-up sheet. There were a lot of folks that came to speak and s-

437. 1:16:11

     We do have a, we do have a sign-up sheet.

438. 1:16:13

     Okay. All right, good.

439. 1:16:13

     But before we get to that, I'm gonna open up to the committee for questions Any questions for the author? Senator Howard.

440. 1:16:22

     Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to say thank you. This is, uh, well done. A lot of good work done over a long period of time, and just finding ways to collaborate better. Clearly y'all did your homework, um, and just really put things together, pun intended. And, uh, this is such a, a critical part of our, the success of our state, that those off, off-ramps from education into our workforce, and I just appreciate all the work that you and all the others who are here have done.

441. 1:16:49

     Well.

442. 1:16:50

     We, we are, we are, we're showing the rest of the country how to do it right. And even when we're doing something well, 'cause we are-

443. 1:16:58

     Mm-hmm

444. 1:16:58

     ... the fact that we're constructively critical enough to say, "Hey, how can we be even better?" And this is what I'm seeing here.

445. 1:17:05

     Yeah.

446. 1:17:05

     This is that to make it even better, and that, that takes a lot of maturity to examine that, so thank you.

447. 1:17:10

     Thank you.

448. 1:17:10

     That, that is true, Senator, and I'll add to the fact that, uh, I agree with what you said. And we actually have other states, because, you know, um, the Southern Region Education Board-

449. 1:17:21

     Mm-hmm

450. 1:17:21

     ... is based right here in Atlanta, just not very far from here, and Governor Kemp chaired that up until, I think, was it last year?

451. 1:17:27

     That's right.

452. 1:17:28

     Um, and we have other states that are copying this top state for talent effort that we... Th- this is not us. This is all of us together. What we have done to move our education workforce development, uh, forward in the state, we've been saying for some time we're the top state to do business, which we are, and we can incentivize people to come here, but we've got to have that workforce part right-

453. 1:17:50

     Mm-hmm

454. 1:17:50

     ... and that's what this addresses. That's why I love it, and that's the power of it and, and what we, uh, you know, we all are doing together with this legislation.

455. 1:17:59

     Thank you. Uh, Senator Harrell?

456. 1:18:01

     Yes. I also just wanted to repeat the thanks for your very thorough presentation. It's a, it's a big, thick bill, and, um, your knowledge of it and the clear work that you have done behind the scenes, um, it, it, it helps us, uh, have confidence.

457. 1:18:18

     Thank you.

458. 1:18:18

     Yeah.

459. 1:18:19

     Thank you very much.

460. 1:18:20

     O- other questions? Senator Orrock.

461. 1:18:22

     Thank you. Yeah. Very impressive command of the subject matter.

462. 1:18:29

     Well, I appreciate it.

463. 1:18:30

     It helps when you believe in something.

464. 1:18:32

     That, that, that-

465. 1:18:33

     And, um-

466. 1:18:33

     ... that's right.

467. 1:18:34

     Yeah.

468. 1:18:34

     And I, and, uh, uh, and I'll also point out, I mean, this whole thing about the, our workforce shortages and our pipeline-

469. 1:18:41

     Mm-hmm

470. 1:18:41

     ... and what's coming out of the other end, and I, d- again, applaud the governor for taking the recommendations that our study committee on, uh, needs-based, uh, financial aid-

471. 1:18:53

     Absolutely

472. 1:18:53

     ... is, is, is an in- integral part of it because it's gonna put more students in that pipeline that w- that we understand th- it, it would not be available to them without the, the kind of help that this, uh, DREAMS funding is, is, is, is gonna launch. And s- and, uh, it, so it's p- it's, the, the pieces, all those pieces fitting together, uh, take us in the direction we need to be going.

473. 1:19:20

     Thank you.

474. 1:19:21

     I appreciate that very much.

475. 1:19:23

     Thank you.

476. 1:19:23

     Thank you. Uh, we'll now take some, uh, input, if we could-

477. 1:19:26

     Okay

478. 1:19:26

     ... from, uh, the public. We appreciate those who are here. Speak to the bill. Jodi Reeves. Mr. Reeves, Georgia Association of Career and Technical Education, if you will come and, um, for the record, just identify yourself again.

479. 1:19:39

     Sure. I'm Jodi Reeves. I'm the executive director for Georgia Association for Career and Technical Education. Um, thank you, Chairman, for allowing me to speak. I'm gonna follow the advice of a former superintendent I had that says to be brief, to be there, be brief, and be gone, so everybody's-

480. 1:19:53

     Senator

481. 1:19:53

     ... ready to go home, I think.

482. 1:19:54

     Three Ds.

483. 1:19:54

     Uh, yes. Um, I represent a professional association of 2,800 educators, CTAE educators across the state, who are principals, um, school counselors, and, and your CTAE, um, instructors. First of all, I want to thank Representative Gamble for his constant support and concern and care for CTAE in Georgia. Um, it really has... It makes a difference for all of our teachers in the classroom, which in, in turn, makes a difference for our students and for our future workforce. Georgia has a long history of a successful partnership between the DOE and TCSG.

484. 1:20:28

     We are excited that this bill codifies that and makes it even stronger. Um, we appreciate that House Bill 1302 maintains the current funding and that it's not messing with our money or with our people, so we're excited about that. Um, House Bill 1302 builds on what is already working, but makes us stronger together. We are all committed to ensuring that Georgia has a strong and well-educated workforce. Thank you. Your job is to pass good bills, and we fully support that this is a good bill.

485. 1:20:57

     Thank you.

486. 1:20:57

     Thank you for your continued support for Georgia.

487. 1:20:59

     Thank you. Any questions? Seeing none. Thank you very much. Daniella Perry. Ms. Perry?

488. 1:21:12

     Good afternoon. My name is Daniella Perry, and I'm with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. We'd like to offer our support, um, for this legislation as well-

489. 1:21:19

     Thank you

490. 1:21:19

     ... and thank, uh, Leader Gamble as well as Governor Kemp for bringing it. Workforce is the top issue that our member companies face, whether you're large or small, um, rural or in Atlanta or in our hub communities like Macon and Columbus. So we are appreciative of the alignment that is, um, offered in this legislation. It certainly helps to make a more streamlined process for job seekers as well as students that are moving through different pathways and advancing throughout their careers. We also are very grateful for the work on apprenticeships. We know that that on-the-job training is critical to success in the workplace, and having a more robust network, um, with earlier opportunities and pre-additio- pre-apprenticeships is gonna be invaluable.

491. 1:21:59

     So again, um, appreciate the opportunity and y'all's time. Um, thank you so much, Mr. Chairman.

492. 1:22:04

     Thank you, Ms. Perry. Appreciate that. Tim. Tim Ca- I'm sorry. C-A-I-R?

493. 1:22:10

     That's right.

494. 1:22:11

     It's Cr- Crail?

495. 1:22:12

     Carroll.

496. 1:22:12

     Carroll. Oh, thank you, Mr. Carroll.

497. 1:22:15

     Thank you.

498. 1:22:15

     Metro Chamber. Thank you.

499. 1:22:16

     Yes, sir. Uh, Tim Carroll, vice president for talent development at the Metro Atlanta Chamber. Cannot add any more to what my friend Daniella just said, but I would like to offer wholehearted thanks and appreciation to Leader Gamble and the teams of folks that have worked tirelessly on this for a matter of years now. Um, it's very much appreciated, and we ask for your favorable consideration.

500. 1:22:40

     All right. Thank you very much. Representative Gamble. You have any other comments you'd like to make, or... I, I, I wanna just make an ed- editorial comment. First of all, I appreciate your work. I especially appreciate the coordination-

501. 1:22:53

     Mm-hmm

502. 1:22:53

     ... and the concept of trying to make sure that we're all on the same page.

503. 1:22:57

     Yeah.

504. 1:22:57

     Uh, and I think this is a great step to the future. I think we can take this plan, and over the next decade, continue to build Georgia's workforce, and I'm grateful for that. Any further questions from the committee? If not, uh, now is the proper time.

505. 1:23:13

     Move that we do pass.

506. 1:23:14

     Representative Howard, a motion to do pass. Is there a second?

507. 1:23:17

     Second.

508. 1:23:18

     Second from Senator Williams. Got a good bipartisan bill here. All those in favor indicate with a uplifted hand.

509. 1:23:24

     Aye.

510. 1:23:25

     Aye.

511. 1:23:26

     Aye.

512. 1:23:26

     Aye. All those opposed. Chair sees none. 6-0. Congratulations.

513. 1:23:30

     Thank you.

514. 1:23:31

     We appreciate-

515. 1:23:31

     Appreciate it

516. 1:23:32

     ... your good work.

517. 1:23:35

     Phew, that's a lot of work.