| 1 | 1 | | 25 LC 112 2731 |
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| 2 | 2 | | Senate Resolution 126 |
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| 3 | 3 | | By: Senators Esteves of the 35th, Merritt of the 9th, Orrock of the 36th, Harbison of the 15th, |
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| 4 | 4 | | Jones of the 10th and others |
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| 5 | 5 | | A RESOLUTION |
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| 6 | 6 | | Recognizing February 13, 2025, as World Refugee Day at the state capitol; and for other |
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| 7 | 7 | | 1 |
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| 8 | 8 | | purposes.2 |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Georgia has a long history of extending welcome to new Americans from3 |
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| 10 | 10 | | around the world, giving them an opportunity to live, work, and thrive in the state; and4 |
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| 11 | 11 | | WHEREAS, today, one in ten Georgians—more than one million people—are foreign-born,5 |
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| 12 | 12 | | bringing valuable skills and talents from countries around the world to the state; and6 |
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| 13 | 13 | | WHEREAS, approximately one in eight Georgia workers is foreign-born, as are one in five7 |
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| 14 | 14 | | doctors and home health aides; one in five science and technology professionals; one in five8 |
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| 15 | 15 | | manufacturing workers; and nearly half of all workers in the construction industry; and9 |
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| 16 | 16 | | WHEREAS, hardworking foreign-born Georgians across all sectors paid over $11 billion in10 |
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| 17 | 17 | | federal, state, and local taxes and held more than $32 billion in spending power in 202111 |
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| 18 | 18 | | alone; and12 |
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| 19 | 19 | | WHEREAS, nearly half of all foreign-born Georgians are already naturalized United States13 |
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| 20 | 20 | | citizens eligible to vote and many more are on the path toward citizenship; and14 |
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| 21 | 21 | | S. R. 126 |
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| 22 | 22 | | - 1 - 25 LC 112 2731 |
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| 23 | 23 | | WHEREAS, foreign-born Georgians were never more essential to the state than during the |
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| 24 | 24 | | 15 |
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| 25 | 25 | | COVID-19 pandemic, serving in disproportionate numbers in front line jobs in hospitals and16 |
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| 26 | 26 | | assisted living facilities, farms and food processing plants, warehouses and delivery services,17 |
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| 27 | 27 | | and more; and18 |
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| 28 | 28 | | WHEREAS, Georgia has one of the oldest and most successful refugee programs in the19 |
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| 29 | 29 | | United States, with approximately 90 percent of refugees economically self-sufficient within20 |
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| 30 | 30 | | six months; and21 |
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| 31 | 31 | | WHEREAS, aid organizations with the state such as the Coalition of Refugee Service22 |
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| 32 | 32 | | Agencies and The Welcome Co-Op further serve to bridge the gap for incoming refugees as23 |
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| 33 | 33 | | well as highlight the cultural, social, and economic contributions of immigrants in Georgia;24 |
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| 34 | 34 | | and25 |
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| 35 | 35 | | WHEREAS, Georgia is a welcoming home for peoples of all origins and from all walks of26 |
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| 36 | 36 | | life, and it is abundantly fitting and proper that these new Americans be appropriately27 |
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| 37 | 37 | | recognized.28 |
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| 38 | 38 | | NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body29 |
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| 39 | 39 | | recognize and commend the manifold contributions of immigrants and refugees to the State30 |
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| 40 | 40 | | of Georgia and recognize February 13, 2025, as World Refugee Day at the state capitol.31 |
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| 41 | 41 | | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed32 |
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| 42 | 42 | | to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the33 |
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| 43 | 43 | | press.34 |
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| 44 | 44 | | S. R. 126 |
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| 45 | 45 | | - 2 - |
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