ATLANTA – Today, House Bill 303, the Original 33 Memorial Act, sponsored by State Representative Carl Gilliard (D-Savannah), passed unanimously out of the House, and Rep. Gilliard applauds the House for their support in advancing his legislation to the Senate for consideration.
“I am so thankful for the unanimous votes in the Georgia House of Representatives,” said Rep. Gilliard. “Today we remember 33 Americans of whose shoulders we stand on. The Original 33 stood up so that we as legislators could sit down.”
HB 303 would create the Original 33 Memorial Act, which would allow for a monument, subject to the availability of private funds, honoring the Original 33, the Black legislators expelled from the General Assembly after the end of Reconstruction, to be placed on State Capitol grounds or in another prominent place.
HB 303 now awaits consideration by the Georgia State Senate.
The full text of HB 303 may be found here.
Representative Carl Gilliard represents the citizens of District 162, which includes a portion of Chatham County. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2016 and currently serves as Secretary of the Creative Arts & Entertainment. He also serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Economic Development, Insurance, Natural Resources & Environment, Reapportionment and Redistricting and Transportation committees.
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