Bill Text: GA HR1519 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Joint Early Learning Study Committee; create

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-02-22 - House Second Readers [HR1519 Detail]

Download: Georgia-2011-HR1519-Introduced.html

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12 LC 33 4519

House Resolution 1519

By: Representatives Ashe of the 56th, Howard of the 121st, Abrams of the 84th, Hugley of the 133rd, Smyre of the 132nd, and others

A RESOLUTION

Creating the Joint Early Learning Study Committee; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, early education yields a significant long-term return on investment in increased workforce productivity and reduced societal costs of welfare and crime; and

WHEREAS, every $1 investment in a child's first five years yields anywhere between $4 and $12 of public tax savings in the future, resulting in a lower demand for societal services, reduced crime rates, and increased tax revenues; and

WHEREAS, classic early education studies attribute economic benefits of high-quality early education to increased earnings of the participants, public savings due to reduced crime, and reduced need for remedial education, rehabilitation, and treatment; and

WHEREAS, research shows that children who enter school ready to succeed are more likely to graduate from high school, go on to college, and become productive members of the workforce; and

WHEREAS, for each additional child served in a pre-kindergarten program, school systems can save between $2,600.00 and $4,400.00 over the child's K-12 experience; and

WHEREAS, adverse early environments are powerful predictors of failure in school, and the return on investment for quality early childhood programs yields higher returns than other remedial initiatives; and

WHEREAS, the child care industry in Georgia, including Georgia's Pre-K Program, generates over $4.1 billion in this state each year, provides 73,000 jobs in the industry itself, and generates an additional 12,900 jobs in other industries; and

WHEREAS, early education provides for healthy development, including the thickening of the cortex of an infant's brain, development of more extensive and sophisticated neuron structures, and creation of the neurological foundations that support lifelong learning; and

WHEREAS, the effect of pre-kindergarten programs on disadvantaged children appears to be larger when programs serve children from diverse backgrounds, yet children from middle-income families may have the least access to quality pre-k experiences; and

WHEREAS, the first years of a child's life serve as a foundation for later development, and a strong foundation can lead to improvement in school readiness and success in school; and

WHEREAS, a pre-kindergarten through third grade approach increases the likelihood that children are reading at grade level by 3rd grade; children who are not proficient readers by the end of 3rd grade are more likely to drop out of high school, creating an economic drain on the state; and

WHEREAS, a shorter pre-k day presents major issues for working and lower income parents, especially single parents, and a full-day pre-kindergarten program achieves the best results for high-risk children, who could become a problem to public safety later on in their lives; and

WHEREAS, for the 2009-2010 school year, Georgia's rank for access to pre-k fell from 3rd to 4th, surpassed by West Virginia; and

WHEREAS, the General Assembly believes that it would be beneficial to undertake a study of early learning in Georgia, with an emphasis on pre-kindergarten, including whether Georgia's Pre-K Program should continue to be funded with lottery proceeds, whether three-year-olds should be included, the length of the school year and school day, the quality of programs, and whether the regulation of such programs should be transferred to the Department of Education.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY that there is created the Joint Early Learning Study Committee to be composed of 13 members as follows:

(1) Three members of the Senate, appointed by the Lieutenant Governor;

(2) Three members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(3) The commissioner of Early Care and Learning, or his or her designee;

(4) The State School Superintendent, or his or her designee;

(5) One representative from the Office of Planning and Budget, designated by the Governor;

(6) One representative from the Department of Public Health, designated by the commissioner of such department;

(7) One representative from the Department of Human Services, designated by the commissioner of such department;

(8) One representative from the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students, appointed by the Governor; and

(9) One representative from Voices for Georgia's Children, appointed by the Governor.

The Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall each designate one of their appointees to serve as cochairpersons. The committee may elect other officers as deemed necessary. The cochairpersons may designate and appoint subcommittees from among the membership of the committee as well as appoint other persons to perform such functions as they may determine to be necessary as relevant to and consistent with this resolution. The cochairpersons shall only vote to break a tie. The committee shall meet at the call of the cochairpersons. A quorum for transacting business shall be a majority of the members of the committee.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee may conduct its meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution. Legislative members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the O.C.G.A. Members of the committee who are state officials, other than legislative members, and state employees shall receive no compensation for their services on the committee, but they shall be reimbursed for expenses incurred by them in the performance of their duties as members of the committee in the same manner as they are reimbursed for expenses in their capacities as state officials or employees. The funds necessary for the reimbursement of the expenses of state officials, other than legislative members, and state employees shall come from funds appropriated to or otherwise available to their respective departments. All other funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds appropriated to the House of Representatives and the Senate.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in the event the committee makes a report of its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor, with suggestions for proposed legislation, if any, such report shall be made on or before December 31, 2012. The committee shall stand abolished on December 31, 2012.