ATLANTA— State Representative Karen Bennett (D-Stone Mountain) recently attended the first meeting of the House Study Committee on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and Kinship Care on Thursday, September 17 at the State Capitol. Rep. Bennett was appointed to this study committee by House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge).
“I hope that evidence to provide increased support and resources to kinship caretakers in Georgia will be the positive result of the work of this committee,” said Rep. Bennett. “I am pleased to serve in a capacity that will bring positive change and support to the many kin who have cared for family members without proper support in the past.”
The House Study Committee on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and Kinship Care was established by House Resolution 474 and will study the issues facing grandparents and other family members as primary caregivers and guardians, including access to services, financial support, and making medical and academic decisions for children in their care.
The committee, chaired by Rep. Stacey Abrams (D-Atlanta), will host four additional meetings across the state to address these issues and hear public testimony. The future meeting dates are as follows: September 29 in Dalton; October 13 in Albany; October 27 in Savannah; and November 12 in Atlanta.
For more information on House Resolution 474, please click here.
Representative Karen Bennett represents the citizens of Districts 94, which includes portions of DeKalb and Gwinnett counties. She was elected into the House of Representatives in 2012, and currently serves on the Code Revision, Economic Development & Tourism, Health & Human Services, and Regulated Industries committees.
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