The Georgia House Education Committee approved two bills Thursday to better serve the educational needs of military families.
State Rep. Dave Belton, R-Buckhead, presented House Bills 148 and 224 to the committee as part of an effort to make Georgia more hospitable to the military. Georgia's economy relies heavily on the military, which may close bases in the state, Belton said.
“Georgia is not perceived as a military-friendly state,” Belton said.
State Rep. Mike Glanton, D-Jonesboro, co-sponsored HB 148, the Educating Children of Military Families Act, which would create unique identifiers for military children.
“I think it’s extremely important that we put mechanisms in place that will help us to identify the trends when it comes to military kids specifically so we can better serve that population of children,” Glanton told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
HB 224 allows military parents who live on base or in off-base military housing to choose which public school in their district their children attend.
“We want to make sure that we are being proactive in our approach to ensure that Georgia is in a posture that is military-friendly,” said Glanton.
The bills will pass out of the committee and could be scheduled for debate on the House floor.
Glanton appreciates that military families have unique needs because he is an Army veteran and his daughter currently serves in the military, he said.
"These are children that are being relocated and transitioned by virtue of their parents’ service to our country, so I think in return we ought to make sure that we’re taking care of them and their special and unique needs.”
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