Columbus, GA - Governor Brian P. 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 workforce talent pool.

HB 982, sponsored by Representative Matthew Gambill, signed by Representatives Matt Dubnik, Chris Erwin, Chuck Martin, Soo Hong, and Farooq Mughal, and carried in the Senate by Senator 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 Rep. Matt 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," said Governor Brian Kemp. "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 hardworking 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, Governor Kemp signed seven pieces of legislation included below:

HB 970, sponsored by Representative Robert Dickey, signed by Representatives David Knight, Chris Erwin, Katie Dempsey, Danny Mathis, and Bethany Ballard, and carried in the Senate by Senator 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 Senator Matt Brass, signed by Senators Elena Parent, Clint Dixon, Gloria Butler, Rick Williams, and Freddie Powell Sims, carried in the House by Representative Matt Dubnik, and prioritized by Lieutenant Governor 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 Senator Billy Hickman, signed by Senators John Albers, Jason Esteves, and Sonya Halpern, carried in the House by Representative Soo Hong, and prioritized by Lieutenant Governor Burt 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 Senator Billy Hickman, signed by Senators John Albers, Sonya Halpern and Jason Esteves, carried in the House by Representative Lehman Franklin, and prioritized by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, creates the State of Georgia as a Model Employer (GAME) Program. This program is intended to assist state agencies with the recruitment, hiring, and retention of qualified individuals with disabilities. Elements of the GAME program shall include, but not be limited to, the following: provision of training and technical assistance for state agency human resources personnel and hiring managers for the recruitment, hiring, advancement, and retention of qualified individuals with disabilities; assistance with the implementation plans of reasonable accommodations by state agencies under the ADA; and the development of evaluation forms and reports for the purpose of data collection and analysis relating to individuals with disabilities employed by state agencies.

SB 354, sponsored by Senator Larry Walker, signed by Senators Brian Strickland, Jason Anavitarte, Kay Kirkpatrick, Kim Jackson, and Steve Gooch, carried in the House by Representative Ginny Ehrhart, and prioritized by Lieutenant Governor Burt 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 Senator Larry Walker, signed by Senators Jason Anavitarte, Kay Kirkpatrick, Brian Strickland, Sonya Halpern, and Elena Parent, carried in the House by Representative Alan Powell, and prioritized by Lieutenant Governor Burt 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 Senator Larry Walker, signed by Senators Kay Kirkpatrick, Frank Ginn, Ed Harbison, and Tony Anderson, carried in the House by Representative Bethany Ballard, and prioritized by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, among other things, makes Georgia the 3rd 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.

Governor Kemp extends his appreciation to all of those whose diligent work and efforts led to him being able to sign these bills today.