Senate passes bill to evaluate whether job requirements match needed skills

ATLANTA — The Georgia Senate approved legislation that would require the state to assess whether educational requirements for many state jobs are necessary.

The “Reducing Barriers to State Employment” bill also encourages the Georgia Department of Administrative Services to reduce the number of jobs for which a four-year college degree is necessary.

Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, sponsored the bill in an effort to address the challenges state agencies are facing in hiring new employees.

“This is an initiative … for us to review all the positions we have in state government to assure that the education, the skills and experience match up with that position we are currently hiring for,” Albers said. “We want to make sure that we’re not requiring a four-year degree, an advanced degree or a certification that may not apply to that job and lose out the opportunity of having our best and brightest apply for that job.

“We have many technology jobs in our state that Bill Gates [who was a college dropout] is not qualified for.”

Albers emphasized that the bill simply instructs the DOAS to review the requirements for state employment. The state could continue to require college degrees or other certifications for jobs that are deemed to require them.

The bill passed nearly unanimously with a 49-1 vote. Sen. David Lucas, D-Macon, voted against the bill. Lucas said he is concerned the proposal could lower salaries as well as the quality of state employees.

The bill will now be taken up by the state House of Representatives.