ATLANTA – State Representatives Penny Houston (R-Nashville), Clay Pirkle (R-Ashburn) and Sam Watson (R-Moultrie) recently traveled to Chattahoochee Technical College’s Appalachian Campus in Jasper to attend meetings of the House of Representatives’ Rural Development Council. The two-day meetings focused on education related topics.
“My colleagues and I on the House Rural Development Council began our work for the year with very productive meetings in Jasper,” said Rep. Houston. “This particular series of meetings was vitally important as we discussed education needs in our rural communities. In order to enhance the quality of life in rural Georgia, we must ensure that all of our school systems have the necessary resources to succeed. We had many insightful discussions about possible solutions to these issues in our communities.”
“The House Rural Development Council has worked diligently over the last two years to create and implement policies to support our rural communities,” said Rep. Pirkle. “However, we still have a great deal of work ahead. These meetings offered greater insight into some of the issues our rural school systems face, which will allow us to craft meaningful legislation to improve education in rural Georgia.”
“At these meetings, we were presented with a lot of important information to consider in the coming months,” said Rep. Watson, co-chair of the House Rural Development Council. “Education is an integral part of our communities, therefore, it is extremely important that we address any issues that may be keeping our rural schools and our students from thriving.”
During the meetings, the council heard presentations from Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) representatives, local school superintendents, the Georgia School Boards Association, Georgia School-based Health Alliance, Global Partnership for Telehealth, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Voices for Georgia’s Children and others.
The House Rural Development Council, which was reauthorized by House Resolution 214 during the 2019 legislative session, will continue to work with rural communities to find ways to encourage economic growth.
For more information on HR 214, please click here.
For more information on the House Rural Development Council, please click here.
Representative Penny Houston represents the citizens of District 170, which includes all of Berrien and Cook counties and portions of Tift County. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 1997 and currently serves as Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Economic Development. She also serves on the Banks & Banking, Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight, Economic Development & Tourism and Ways & Means committees.
Representative Clay Pirkle represents the citizens of District 155, which includes Ben, Hill, Irwin and Turner counties and portions of Tift and Coffee counties. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2015 and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee and Secretary of the State Properties Committee. He also serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government, Agriculture & Consumer Affairs, Banks & Banking, Higher Education, Motor Vehicles and Science and Technology committees.
Representative Sam Watson represents the citizens of District 172, which includes portions of Colquitt, Thomas and Tift counties. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2012 and currently serves as Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government. He also serves as Secretary of the Retirement Committee, and as a member on the Agriculture & Consumer Affairs, Natural Resources & Environment, Special Rules, Transportation and Ways & Means committees.
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