Kemp signs legislation boosting Georgia’s work force talent

COLUMBUS – Gov. Brian Kemp, accompanied by First Lady Marty Kemp, members of the General Assembly, and state and local leaders, signed multiple pieces of legislation, including HB 982, that will provide a boost to Georgia’s diverse and top-tier work force talent pool.

HB 982, sponsored by Rep. Matthew Gambill, signed by Reps. Matt Dubnik, Chris Erwin, Chuck Martin, Soo Hong and Farooq Mughal, and carried in the Senate by Sen. Bo Hatchett, came as a result of work done by the Joint Study Committee on Dual Enrollment for Highly Skilled Talent at Younger Ages, which was chaired by Sen. Matt Brass and Dubnik, and directs the State Workforce Development Board to create the state’s high-demand career list. With several existing lists across state government, this designated list will eliminate confusion among stakeholders, educators and agencies.

“Every job creator who calls Georgia home and every prospective company looking to expand tells me that, along with our business-friendly environment and reliable infrastructure, it is our people that make Georgia special,” Kemp said at the signing ceremony. “I could not be prouder of the growth we are witnessing across the state and the amount of opportunity that is being created with it. But every new job created requires a hard-working Georgian to fill it, and thanks to our partners in the General Assembly, we are once again able to take forward-thinking action that keeps our state positioned as a model for the nation in developing our workforce for the jobs of today and the economy of tomorrow.”

Along with HB 982, Kemp signed seven other pieces of legislation:

— HB 970, sponsored by Rep. Robert Dickey, signed by Reps. David Knight, Erwin, Katie Dempsey, Danny Mathis and Bethany Ballard, and carried in the Senate by Sen. Billy Hickman, changes the funding structure for the REACH scholarship so that now for each $10,000 scholarship, $9,000 will come from the state and $1,000 will come from the participating school system. The bill also adds victims of human trafficking as a qualified group for the scholarship.

— SB 440, sponsored by Brass, signed by Sens. Elena Parent, Clint Dixon, Gloria Butler, Rick Williams and Freddie Powell Sims, carried in the House by Dubnik, and prioritized by Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, simplifies the accelerated career pathway and allows students engaged in that pathway to receive dual enrollment funding for more than 30 credit hours.

— SB 497, sponsored by Hickman, signed by Sens. John Albers, Jason Esteves and Sonya Halpern, carried in the House by Representative Hong, and prioritized by Jones, increases the number of allowed apprenticeships under the High Demand Apprenticeship Program and directs TCSG to create a pilot Public Service Apprenticeship Program.

— SB 384, sponsored by Hickman, signed by Sens. Albers, Halpern and Esteves, carried in the House by Rep. Lehman Franklin, and prioritized by Jones, creates the state of Georgia Model Employer (GAME) Program. This program is intended to assist state agencies with the recruitment, hiring, and retention of qualified individuals with disabilities.

— SB 354, sponsored by Sen. Larry Walker, signed by Sens. Strickland, Jason Anavitarte, Kay Kirkpatrick, Kim Jackson, and Steve Gooch, carried in the House by Representative Ginny Ehrhart, and prioritized by Jones, removes the licensure requirement to provide the services of “blow-dry styling,” washing hair or applying makeup. This will not apply to any services that change the color or structure of the hair, including cutting hair, applying dyes, bleaching or use of chemicals.

— SB 373, sponsored by Walker, signed by Sens. Anavitarte, Kay Kirkpatrick, Strickland, Halpern and Parent, carried in the House by Rep. Alan Powell, and prioritized by Jones, requires the Board of Marriage and Family Therapists to issue an expedited license by endorsement to any individual moving from another state that has a current valid license to practice in that state and is in good standing with that state.

— SB 195, sponsored by Walker, signed by Sens. Kirkpatrick, Frank Ginn, Ed Harbison and Tony Anderson, carried in the House by Rep. Ballard, and prioritized by Jones, among other things, makes Georgia the third state in the country to join the Social Work Licensing Compact. Once seven states have joined, the compact becomes functional and will facilitate interstate practice of social work services.

Special Photo: Governor’s Office