| 6 | 5 | | A RESOLUTION |
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| 7 | 6 | | Creating the Senate Rosenwald Schools Study Committee; and for other purposes. |
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| 8 | 7 | | 1 |
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| 9 | 8 | | WHEREAS, in the early 1900s, Julius Rosenwald, one of the early presidents and part owner2 |
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| 10 | 9 | | of Sears, Roebuck and Co., partnered with Booker T. Washington, a Black educator and3 |
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| 11 | 10 | | leader, to fund construction of schools in poor, rural African American school districts across4 |
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| 12 | 11 | | the South; and5 |
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| 13 | 12 | | WHEREAS, Rosenwald schools were cooperatively built with donations of land and labor6 |
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| 14 | 13 | | from the local communities and matching financial contributions from the Rosenwald7 |
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| 15 | 14 | | Foundation; and8 |
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| 16 | 15 | | WHEREAS, the foundation helped fund the construction of almost 5,000 schools for Black9 |
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| 17 | 16 | | children around the South, which helped lift generations of African Americans out of10 |
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| 18 | 17 | | poverty; and11 |
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| 19 | 18 | | WHEREAS, the program provided funding for more than 240 Rosenwald schools in 103 of12 |
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| 20 | 19 | | Georgia's 159 counties, and at least 35,000 children attended those schools; and13 |
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| 21 | 20 | | S. R. 301 |
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| 22 | 21 | | - 1 - 25 LC 55 0564 |
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| 23 | 22 | | WHEREAS, school integration brought an end to operation of the Rosenwald schools, |
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| 24 | 23 | | 14 |
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| 25 | 24 | | though many continued to serve their communities long after; and15 |
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| 26 | 25 | | WHEREAS, Rosenwald and Washington's program dramatically transformed the country16 |
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| 27 | 26 | | by profoundly reshaping the African American experience, yet its scope and impact are17 |
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| 28 | 27 | | largely unknown and remain hidden history; and18 |
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| 29 | 28 | | WHEREAS, the history of Rosenwald schools in Georgia and their impact on the education19 |
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| 30 | 29 | | and economic prosperity of African Americans in the state is deserving of study.20 |
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| 31 | 30 | | NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE:21 |
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| 32 | 31 | | (1) Creation of Senate study committee. There is created the Senate Rosenwald22 |
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| 33 | 32 | | Schools Study Committee.23 |
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| 34 | 33 | | (2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of five members of the24 |
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| 35 | 34 | | Senate to be appointed by the President of the Senate. The President shall designate a25 |
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| 36 | 35 | | member of the committee as chairperson of the committee.26 |
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| 37 | 36 | | (3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs,27 |
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| 38 | 37 | | issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or28 |
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| 39 | 38 | | legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.29 |
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| 40 | 39 | | (4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee30 |
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| 41 | 40 | | may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or31 |
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| 42 | 41 | | convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and32 |
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| 43 | 42 | | accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.33 |
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| 44 | 43 | | (5) Allowances and funding.34 |
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| 45 | 44 | | The legislative members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided for in35 |
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| 46 | 45 | | Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. The allowances36 |
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| 47 | 46 | | authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member of the committee for37 |
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| 48 | 47 | | S. R. 301 |
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| 49 | 48 | | - 2 - 25 LC 55 0564 |
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| 50 | 49 | | more than five days unless additional days are authorized. Funds necessary to carry out |
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| 51 | 50 | | 38 |
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| 52 | 51 | | the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds appropriated to the Senate.39 |
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| 53 | 52 | | (6) Report.40 |
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| 54 | 53 | | (A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that41 |
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| 55 | 54 | | include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the42 |
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| 56 | 55 | | same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution, subject to43 |
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| 57 | 56 | | subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.44 |
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| 58 | 57 | | (B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not include suggestions for45 |
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| 59 | 58 | | proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report subject to subparagraph (C)46 |
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| 60 | 59 | | of this paragraph.47 |
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| 61 | 60 | | (C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of48 |
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| 62 | 61 | | abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee.49 |
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| 63 | 62 | | A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with50 |
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| 64 | 63 | | the Secretary of the Senate.51 |
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| 65 | 64 | | (D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Secretary52 |
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| 66 | 65 | | of the Senate a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu thereof.53 |
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| 67 | 66 | | (7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2025.54 |
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| 68 | 67 | | S. R. 301 |
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| 69 | 68 | | - 3 - |
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