| 6 | 5 | | A RESOLUTION |
|---|
| 7 | 6 | | Creating the Senate Study Committee on Inclusive Educational Settings for Students with |
|---|
| 8 | 7 | | 1 |
|---|
| 9 | 8 | | Disabilities; and for other purposes.2 |
|---|
| 10 | 9 | | WHEREAS, inclusive educational settings can offer substantial short- and long-term benefits3 |
|---|
| 11 | 10 | | for students with disabilities; and4 |
|---|
| 12 | 11 | | WHEREAS, such benefits include being more likely to be enrolled in secondary and5 |
|---|
| 13 | 12 | | postsecondary education and live independently as adults; and6 |
|---|
| 14 | 13 | | WHEREAS, such benefits also include improved performance on language and math7 |
|---|
| 15 | 14 | | assessments, greater growth in the classroom, improved attendance, and less behavioral8 |
|---|
| 16 | 15 | | issues in the classroom; and9 |
|---|
| 17 | 16 | | WHEREAS, students with disabilities have traditionally struggled to access inclusive10 |
|---|
| 18 | 17 | | educational settings due to misconceptions regarding the capabilities of students with11 |
|---|
| 19 | 18 | | disabilities, leading to educators continuing to separate students with disabilities from12 |
|---|
| 20 | 19 | | students without disabilities; and13 |
|---|
| 21 | 20 | | S. R. 489 |
|---|
| 22 | 21 | | - 1 - 25 LC 62 0208 |
|---|
| 23 | 22 | | WHEREAS, students with disabilities in inclusive educational settings have either neutral |
|---|
| 24 | 23 | | 14 |
|---|
| 25 | 24 | | or positive benefits for students without disabilities; and15 |
|---|
| 26 | 25 | | WHEREAS, there is a need to examine the data and benefits of inclusive educational settings16 |
|---|
| 27 | 26 | | for students in Georgia.17 |
|---|
| 28 | 27 | | NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE:18 |
|---|
| 29 | 28 | | (1) Creation of Senate study committee. There is created the Senate Study Committee19 |
|---|
| 30 | 29 | | on Inclusive Educational Settings for Students with Disabilities.20 |
|---|
| 31 | 30 | | (2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of seven members of the21 |
|---|
| 32 | 31 | | Senate to be appointed by the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall22 |
|---|
| 33 | 32 | | designate a member of the committee as chairperson of the committee.23 |
|---|
| 34 | 33 | | (3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs,24 |
|---|
| 35 | 34 | | issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or25 |
|---|
| 36 | 35 | | legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.26 |
|---|
| 37 | 36 | | (4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee27 |
|---|
| 38 | 37 | | may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or28 |
|---|
| 39 | 38 | | convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and29 |
|---|
| 40 | 39 | | accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.30 |
|---|
| 41 | 40 | | (5) Allowances and funding.31 |
|---|
| 42 | 41 | | (A) The legislative members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided32 |
|---|
| 43 | 42 | | for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.33 |
|---|
| 44 | 43 | | (B) The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member34 |
|---|
| 45 | 44 | | of the committee for more than five days unless additional days are authorized. Funds35 |
|---|
| 46 | 45 | | necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds36 |
|---|
| 47 | 46 | | appropriated to the Senate.37 |
|---|
| 48 | 47 | | S. R. 489 |
|---|
| 49 | 48 | | - 2 - 25 LC 62 0208 |
|---|
| 50 | 49 | | (6) Report. |
|---|
| 51 | 50 | | 38 |
|---|
| 52 | 51 | | (A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that39 |
|---|
| 53 | 52 | | include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the40 |
|---|
| 54 | 53 | | same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution, subject to41 |
|---|
| 55 | 54 | | subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.42 |
|---|
| 56 | 55 | | (B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not include suggestions for43 |
|---|
| 57 | 56 | | proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C)44 |
|---|
| 58 | 57 | | of this paragraph.45 |
|---|
| 59 | 58 | | (C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of46 |
|---|
| 60 | 59 | | abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee. 47 |
|---|
| 61 | 60 | | A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with48 |
|---|
| 62 | 61 | | the Secretary of the Senate.49 |
|---|
| 63 | 62 | | (D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Secretary50 |
|---|
| 64 | 63 | | of the Senate a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu thereof.51 |
|---|
| 65 | 64 | | (7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2025.52 |
|---|
| 66 | 65 | | S. R. 489 |
|---|
| 67 | 66 | | - 3 - |
|---|