ATL Standard

Georgia Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on Apr. 7. 

With the close of Monday’s business at the Capitol the Georgia Chamber of Commerce thanks House and Senate-leadership for their economic growth and mobility focus.

These bills represent a wide range of topics spanning the range of the Chamber’s influence in the areas of economic development, education and workforce, health and wellness and transportation.

In January, the Georgia Chamber released Winning the War for Talent, a set of employer vetted policy recommendations to address the state’s labor shortage. The general assembly passed several bills addressing those issues in addition to significant state budget resource allocation for long-term workforce needs. Those bills cover everything from mental health to the expansion of state apprenticeship programs.

“The bills now before the Governor have the potential to chart a clear path to meeting the workforce needs for the state of Georgia by accessing underutilized talent, upskilling, accessing global talent, addressing future talent needs, aligning career pathways, and providing stability in certain fast-growth economic sectors,” said Chris Clark, President and CEO of the Georgia Chamber.

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce worked on over 500 bills during the 2-year session and celebrates an overwhelming success rate on bills that will benefit Georgia farmers, small businesses, healthcare providers, corporate partners, and the state’s talent pipeline.

In addition, the Georgia Screen Entertainment Coalition, an affiliate of the Georgia Chamber, was able to maintain critical tax policy that supports the 75,000 industry jobs. Similarly, the Georgia Transportation Alliance, another affiliate was successful in addressing supply chain and transportation investment efforts.

“The Chamber would like to thank all the Senators and Representatives who partnered with us to help champion these legislative items,” said 2022 Chamber Chairman Ben Tarbutton. “When taken together with the budget priorities of Governor Kemp and the general assembly, the successes during this session represent a generational shift across education, workforce, and healthcare to inform a true statewide strategy, unlike any other state.”

Original source can be found here.