ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp signed three workforce development bills Monday during a leadership summit sponsored by the Technical College System of Georgia.
“As the No.-1 state for business, Georgia has seen record-breaking jobs and investment come to communities in every part of the state,” Kemp said. “With the bills I signed today, we’re taking further steps to prepare Georgians to walk through those open doors.”
The General Assembly passed all three workforce bills overwhelmingly during this year’s legislative session with little fanfare, unlike several higher-profile education measures Kemp also signed Monday during a separate ceremony at the state Capitol.
House Bill 217 will extend a pilot program that allows technical college students to qualify for a high-school diploma for an additional five years, for a total of 10. The legislation also authorizes the Georgia Student Finance Commission to use data compiled by the state Department of Revenue to verify income eligibility for applicants for Georgia’s new private-school vouchers program.
Senate Bill 180 will allow sponsors to apprenticeship programs to participate in funding the state’s High Demand Apprenticeship Program. Currently, the program is limited to employer sponsors.
Senate Bill 193 establishes an adult workforce high school diploma program within the technical college system for students between the ages of 21 and 40.